June Harrow
Courses & Guides Writer
Did you know that there are thousands of possible two-card combinations in Tarot?
Trying to memorize all of them?
That would drive anyone crazy.
Instead, the key is not memorization — it’s learning how to interpret combinations so you can read the story they tell, no matter what cards appear.
In this expanded guide, you’ll learn the top techniques for reading Tarot pairs, save yourself tons of time and stress, and lay the foundation for deeply insightful, accurate Tarot readings.
These techniques will help you spot meaningful connections between cards and unlock the real magic in your spreads.
Reading a single Tarot card gives you a snapshot.
But two cards together form a sentence — they create movement, tension, and layered meaning.
Mastering how to read combinations gives you the power to:
✦ Deliver richer, more precise readings
✦ Adapt on the fly, no matter the spread
✦ Trust your intuition over rote memorization
Let’s break down the top methods!
For beginners, the easiest and fastest way to work with combinations is by matching simple keywords or phrases.
How to do it:
1. Choose one word or short phrase for each card. You can do it on our website "Card Meanings".
2. Link them together and see the combined meaning.
Example 1:
🃏 Five of Wands (competition, tension) + Ten of Cups (emotional fulfillment) → achieving harmony through navigating group conflict.
Example 2:
🃏 Knight of Pentacles (steady effort) + Seven of Cups (many choices) → methodically sorting through options without rushing.
You can mix and play with keywords that naturally come to you — sometimes the combinations that click the most are the ones personal to you.
Every Tarot card has a number.
By combining the numbers of two cards, you uncover extra layers.
✦ If both cards share the same number, that number’s theme amplifies.
✦ If the numbers are consecutive (e.g., 4 and 5), you’re seeing stages of a journey.
✦ If they span different cycles (1–3 = beginnings, 4–6 = development, 7–10 = completion), pay attention to what phase they reflect.
Example 1:
🃏 Three of Swords + Three of Pentacles → repeated “3” emphasizes teamwork healing emotional wounds.
Example 2:
🃏 Four of Cups (4) + Five of Swords (5) → emotional withdrawal (4) leads to conflict or tough truths (5).
Look at the symbols on both cards.
Are there shared images?
Colors? Objects?
These clues can highlight the emotional or spiritual themes running between the cards.
Example 1:
🃏 The Moon + The Star → both show night skies and celestial bodies, pointing to hope and faith even in confusion.
Example 2:
🃏 Death (white rose) + Fool (white sun) → a shared symbol of pure transformation and renewal.
Remember, symbols have universal meanings (from books) but also personal meanings (from your own life and intuition).
Minor Arcana cards belong to the four elements:
✦ Cups → Water (emotions)
✦ Pentacles → Earth (material world)
✦ Swords → Air (mind)
✦ Wands → Fire (passion, action)
How to read elements:
✦ Same element → the energy is amplified.
✦ Different elements → look for how they interact or balance.
Example 1 (same element):
🃏 Ace of Wands + Nine of Wands → pure fiery drive, pushing through exhaustion.
Example 2 (mixed elements):
🃏 Two of Pentacles (Earth) + Page of Swords (Air) → balancing real-world tasks with mental curiosity or distractions.
Example 3:
🃏 Seven of Cups (Water) + King of Wands (Fire) → emotional fantasies meet bold leadership, possibly sparking creative action.
Major Arcana → life-changing, karmic lessons.
Minor Arcana → everyday situations and events.
How to interpret:
✦ Two Major cards → a major life theme or turning point.
✦ Two Minor cards → day-to-day dynamics.
✦ Major + Minor → Major gives the why, Minor gives the how.
Example 1 (Major + Major):
🃏 Justice + Temperance → a time of balancing fairness and moderation on a soul level.
Example 2 (Minor + Minor):
🃏 Six of Pentacles + Eight of Cups → giving materially but walking away emotionally.
Example 3 (Major + Minor):
🃏 The Magician + Five of Wands → your power to create (Magician) is being tested through external challenges (Five).
Court cards often represent people or personality traits.
How to read:
✦ Two Court cards → two people interacting; check maturity levels (Page vs. King) or relationship dynamics.
✦ One Court card + other card → one person’s energy in the situation.
✦ Court card pairs → sometimes reflect two sides of the same person.
Example 1:
🃏 King of Cups + Queen of Pentacles → a nurturing, emotionally mature couple blending heart and practicality.
Example 2:
🃏 Page of Swords + Knight of Cups → mental restlessness paired with romantic or dreamy pursuits.
Example 3:
🃏 Queen of Swords + Page of Pentacles → a sharp, discerning woman guiding a curious, learning youth.
Some Tarot cards are naturally heavy or light in energy.
✦ Two positive cards → amplify a positive outcome.
✦ Two negative cards → amplify a challenge.
✦ Mixed → balance each other; light tempers shadow.
Example 1:
🃏 The Star + The World → profound healing and completion.
Example 2:
🃏 Five of Pentacles + Nine of Swords → amplified hardship, but also a call to seek help and relieve anxiety.
Example 3:
🃏 The Star + Nine of Swords → anxiety meets hope — a struggle that contains the seeds of healing.
Look at where the people on the cards are facing.
✦ Facing each other → connection, interaction.
✦ Turning away → conflict, separation.
✦ Facing forward → shared future goal.
✦ Facing backward → reflection, past-focused.
Example 1:
🃏 Knight of Wands + Queen of Swords → a passionate, impulsive figure clashing or connecting with cool intellect, depending on their facing direction.
Example 2:
🃏 Page of Cups + King of Wands → youthful emotion paired with mature leadership — do they align or pull apart?
If you use reversals, they can shift the flow:
✦ Both upright → energy flows smoothly.
✦ One upright, one reversed → inner vs. outer tension.
✦ Both reversed → blockages or internal focus.
Example 1 (both upright):
🃏 Ten of Cups + Three of Wands → emotional satisfaction plus hopeful expansion.
Example 2 (one reversed):
🃏 Ten of Cups upright + Three of Wands reversed → personal joy but frustrated progress or delays.
Example 3 (both reversed):
🃏 Ten of Cups reversed + Three of Wands reversed → blocked happiness and stalled plans.
✦ Spend 5–10 minutes daily practicing pair interpretations.
✦ Split your deck into two piles, flip the top card from each, and interpret.
✦ Apply multiple techniques to the same pair to stretch your thinking.
✦ Write down 2–3 best interpretations and repeat with new pairs.
