When Just Tarot Ain’t Enough: My Journey Combining Decks
For years, I was a die-hard Tarot purist. The Rider-Waite Smith deck? That was my weapon of choice. I figured, if you want the cold, hard truth, you gotta stick to the classics, right? But I ran into a massive headache, let me tell ya. My readings were spot on for the ‘what,’ but they always lacked the ‘how’ and the ‘why.’ I’d pull the Tower, and yeah, stuff was gonna crash down, but what the heck was the querent supposed to do about it? Just sit there and watch the rubble fall?
I felt like I was giving people a really good weather report for a category five hurricane, but forgetting to hand them a flashlight and a bottle of water. They walked away knowing the danger, but totally paralyzed. It got frustrating. I started dreading readings where the cards were just screaming bad news because I couldn’t provide any comfort or actionable steps. The energy was heavy, and frankly, my own spiritual practice felt stale because of it.
The pivot point was totally unexpected. I was doing a reading for my neighbor, Sarah, about a really complex career situation. The spread was brutal—all Swords and Majors like Death and Judgment. It was telling her to chop off the old path immediately and suffer through a massive upheaval. I delivered the message, but my gut was twisting. The energy was too abrasive, too fast. Sarah just started tearing up, completely overwhelmed. I felt like a total jerk.
Right there, in the middle of this awful, teary mess, I just saw my deck of Angel Cards sitting on the shelf. I had bought them years ago, mostly for fun, never taking them seriously for serious divination. But I figured, what’s the harm? At least they’d provide a little emotional band-aid. I literally just reached out, grabbed ’em, shuffled, and told Sarah, “Wait, let’s pull one final card just for advice. Something softer.”
What I pulled changed everything. The Angel Card was “Clarity.” It didn’t negate the upheaval shown by the Tarot; it confirmed the change was necessary, but it added the element that she needed to clear her mind first, not panic. It was a gentle invitation to pause, not an immediate command to destroy her life. The combined message gave the Tarot’s harsh truth a loving wrapper. It was magic. I decided then and there I was folding Angel Cards into every single reading moving forward.
My Simple Method: Two Decks, One Story
I didn’t try to get fancy. I needed a system that was fast and reliable, not some complicated 15-card spread that takes all afternoon. I designed my own three-step process that ensures the Tarot does the heavy lifting, and the Angel Cards provide the spiritual guidance.
The prep is standard: cleanse the space, center myself, and shuffle both decks while focusing on the querent’s question. But the process itself is sequential:
Step 1: Establishing the Foundation with Tarot
- I always start with the Tarot. I use a simple 3-card spread (Past, Present, Future/Outcome) or sometimes just a 5-card Celtic Cross if the question is massive.
- This gives me the blueprint—the cold, objective facts, the challenges, the hidden obstacles. It sets the scene.
- I write down the reading immediately. I don’t interpret it fully yet; I just note the energies and the specific card positions. This prevents the Angel Card message from blurring the raw data.
Step 2: The Angelic Clarification and Guidance
- Once the Tarot layout is done, I don’t put the Tarot cards away; they stay on the table.
- I then take the Angel Card deck and ask a very specific question based on the hardest energy in the Tarot spread. If the Tarot shows “The Devil,” I ask the Angel Cards, “What specific angelic guidance is needed to overcome this block?”
- I pull just one or two cards. These cards are the “how-to.” They don’t predict a future; they offer emotional perspective, healing messages, or direct divine advice. They are the balm.
Step 3: Synthesis and Action
This is the crucial step. You can’t just read them separately. You gotta marry them up.
- I connect the hardest lesson from the Tarot with the advice from the Angel Card. For example, if the Tarot’s outcome is the 5 of Pentacles (loneliness, lack), and the Angel Card is “Forgiveness,” the synthesized message is: Your lack is stemming from an unforgiven resentment, and releasing that emotional burden is the first practical step toward abundance.
- Suddenly, the scary Tarot card has a path out. It makes the whole reading feel complete, grounded in reality (Tarot), but aspirational and supported (Angel Cards).
Since I started doing this, my readings aren’t just accurate; they are effective. People walk away feeling seen and also knowing exactly what tiny, manageable step they need to take next. It transformed my practice from being a fortune-teller into being a genuine guidance counselor. This simple addition completely fixed the emotional flatness that had been plaguing my work. It’s a bit more shuffling, sure, but it’s 100% worth the effort. Try it. You’ll stop just reporting the storm and actually start building the lifeboat.
