One-Card Reading and The Daily Draw

The One-Card Reading and The Daily Draw are an easy, accessible way of starting to read the tarot and to get used to the cards. They are two different things though.

The One-Card Reading is a one card draw that you can use to clarify a situation or an idea.

The Daily Draw is, usually, a one card draw that enthusiasts and practitioners use as focus for contemplation. The Daily Draw is also recommended when learning the tarot, as it allows students to get familiar with the cards pressure free, to study them for a longer period of time so as to discover their meanings.

Although, both techniques seem simple as they are based on one card, don’t be fooled by their simplicity because they are powerful tools that can support you in your development.

For this post I wanted to pull a card just as an example of Daily Draw, but when I was shuffling the cards my mind wandered to an actual concern in my life and without intending it the Daily Draw became a One-Card Reading, as my mind formulated a question for the cards.

The card that I drew is the Ten of Pentacles.

The Ten of Pentacles is a YES card and in the upright position it is a positive card.

When you are starting out and it is difficult to get to grips with the meaning and symbols of a card it can be useful to have a good meanings book to guide you.

I have The Big Book of Tarot Meanings by Sam Magdaleno. While it does not give you the precise answer it does point you in the right direction. It is nice that in the book meanings are split into categories so it is easy to identify your response area. You have for example: family, love, career, money etc.

If you pulled the Ten of Pentacles and your question was regarding Health, yours or somebody in your circle, then the Ten of Pentacles would show that you are interested in long term health, and as it is a positive card it shows that there is nothing to worry in the long run. Important to mention though that the cards look at the situation right now.

If tomorrow you started eating a ton of cake each day then the situation would change. So your free will is your free will. You control your path through the macro and micro decisions you take each day. We do not control everything, but many things we do, and those that we can control can make a difference to the big picture.

Some symbols from the Ten of Pentacles:

In the Rider-Waite-Smith cards that I use the pentacles are spread out in the shape of the tree of life. This points to maturity and completeness.

The number 10 again points to completeness, so the Ten of Pentacles shows happy stability, inside and out.

The card shows three generations and pets, so this stability extends beyond the day to day and it becomes trans-generational.

If your use reversed cards and read reversed meanings then the card points to unexpected changes in circumstances.

If you decide to give The One-Card Reading and The Daily Draw a go all the books that I have read recommend you track the cards you draw in your tarot journal and record there your impressions and how it made you feel or think.

I must confess I recently started a tarot journal myself and I track there the cards I draw and what I learn. It has a few other benefits plus it helps the information better stick in my mind.