One Tarot Card, Three Visual Approaches: An Interpretation Exercise
How much of your interpretation comes from the card's name, and how much comes from the picture? This text-based exercise separates what an image depicts from the associations you bring to it.
We start with the Three of Swords motif described in A. E. Waite's The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, then imagine two alternatives: a botanical design and an abstract design. Those alternatives are invented for this exercise. They do not describe identified published decks.
What We Are Comparing
Keep the card name fixed and change the visual details. For each approach, first list the objects and setting. Then write one possible interpretation and identify the detail that prompted it. The interpretation is your response to the image, not a fact established by the image.
The Three of Swords: One Reference and Two Imagined Styles
Documented reference — the Three of Swords motif: Waite describes a heart pierced by three swords, with cloud and rain behind it. Start with those visible details. “Hurt” or “separation” could be your associations with the scene; neither is a prediction about your life. Source: A. E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, “Swords — Three,” p. 248.
Invented botanical style: Imagine three thorns piercing a wilting flower. This is a hypothetical design, not a description of a published deck. Record the thorns and flower before interpreting them. You might reflect on something that needs care, or on several pressures affecting the same thing. Identify the detail behind your association.
Invented abstract style: Imagine three straight lines crossing one circle. This is also a hypothetical design. It contains no literal heart, weather or plant. You might associate the intersecting lines with competing demands, but the image alone does not identify what those demands are.
Compare your interpretations: Ask the same question of all three descriptions: “What needs attention in a difficult situation?” Write one response for each, then identify the visual detail behind it. If your response stays the same, record that too. This explores possible associations; it does not demonstrate that a style produces a predictable response in readers.
How to Compare Artwork Yourself
When comparing these descriptions—or cards from decks you can identify—ask:
- What's literally depicted? Note the concrete objects, figures, and setting before assigning meaning.
- What's missing compared with the reference image? Describe the omission before deciding what it means to you.
- What's added? Record the new detail. To discuss the artist's intention, consult the deck's guidebook or a statement from its creator; otherwise label the association as your own.
- What tone do I perceive? Write down your impression and the detail behind it. Someone else may perceive the same image differently.
The Takeaway
Keep three things separate: what is visible, what the deck's documented guide says, and what you personally associate with the image. Try recording all three when you explore an unfamiliar card. Where no guide or creator statement is available, leave that part unanswered rather than guessing.
This comparison builds on the traditions covered in our tarot history and practice guide, which walks through where these visual conventions came from and how to build a reflective reading practice around them.