Alright so I got this deck lying around since Christmas, right? Figured why not actually use it instead of collecting dust on the shelf. Saw folks online talking about simple ‘yes or no’ tarot readings, and the Queen of Swords card kept popping up. Sounded fancy, a bit intimidating honestly, but hey, beginner steps promised? Let’s dive in.

Grabbing My Gear

First things first, needed my stuff. Dug out that cheap Rider-Waite deck I bought on a whim. The box was already kinda bent, good start. Flopped onto my living room floor – coffee table was covered in mail anyway. No fancy altar here, just me, the cards, and maybe a mug of cold coffee.

The Plan: Shuffle the deck like a maniac trying to mix up the cards good. Ask a super simple yes/no question, something clear-cut I could actually judge. Pull ONE card. Just one. Supposedly, if the Queen of Swords showed up upright, that’s a yes. If she showed up upside down (reversed, they call it), that’s a no. Dead simple for beginners, right? Right.

The First Attempt (Spoiler: It Failed)

Rubbed my hands together. Okay. Simple question: “Should I order pizza for dinner tonight?” Yeah, real profound. Shuffled those cards like I was dealing blackjack, dropped half the deck twice. Finally, focused, cut the deck, pulled the top card. Slapped it down.

Seven of Pentacles. What? No Queen of Swords. Looked at the card – guy staring at some plants. No clue if that meant yes to pizza or no. Felt stupid. Lesson learned step one: The Queen doesn’t just magically appear because you want her to. Gotta shuffle thinking about her specifically? Or my question needed to be sharper? Instructions weren’t super clear on that. Just said “ask a question, pull a card.” Kept seeing the Queen in the guide, figured she’d show.

Round Two: Actually Getting Her

Okay, regrouped. Shuffled again, slower this time, concentrating hard on the Queen of Swords. Pictured that card. Asked a slightly better question maybe? “Will my brother call me back about the weekend plans today?” Needed a real answer on this one.

Pulled another card. Heart thumped a bit. Turned it over. BAM. Queen of Swords. Sitting upright, holding that big sword, looking serious. Upright! That means YES according to the simple rule! Felt a flicker of success. Did a little fist pump. Okay, beginner step achieved!

Checked the time. 3 PM. Wait… did this count as ‘today’? Brother usually calls late. Mild panic set in. Had I messed up the timing? Was the question specific enough? Already doubting my ‘simple’ win.

The Twist (Always a Twist)

Just to see if this beginner method held water, I tried one more question before putting the deck away. “Should I tackle cleaning the garage this weekend?” Ugh, dreaded chore. Shuffled, pulled one card. Son of a… Queen of Swords again. Reversed this time. Upside down lady. Means NO. Heck yes! No garage cleaning! Simple method saving the day!

But Then… Gut Feeling Started Yelling. The Queen reversed, from what I’d quickly scanned, can mean like… clouded judgement, or being overly critical, bitter. Did the ‘no’ really mean I shouldn’t clean, or was it warning me I’d be a grumpy jerk about it? The simple ‘no’ suddenly felt kinda useless. I still need to clean the stupid garage eventually. Did the ‘no’ just give me an excuse to procrastinate? The simple answer was suddenly full of holes.

Wrapping My Head Around It

So yeah, for a total newbie minute? Seeing the Queen pop up upright gave me a quick ‘yes’ jolt. Seeing her reversed gave me a quick ‘no’ pass. It felt like a win just spotting the card and remembering which way was up. Like training wheels.

But honestly? These one-card ‘Queen of Swords = Yes/No’ tricks feel kinda flimsy. It got me interacting with the cards, sure. Gave me a quick win. But real life isn’t that clean. My brother didn’t call until 9 PM – technically ‘today,’ so the ‘yes’ was right… but the relief was delayed by six hours of mild anxiety. The garage ‘no’ felt good until responsibility tapped its foot.

It’s like learning the very first chord on a guitar and trying to play a whole song with it. Gets the fingers moving, maybe makes a cool sound once, but the song’s gonna suck. The Queen seems complex – way more than a simple traffic light. Gonna keep practicing with one-card pulls maybe, but ditch the pressure for instant yes/no. Need to learn what the sword lady is really saying before trusting her for big stuff. Beginner step conquered? Kinda. Feeling less intimidated? Sure. But totally getting why people say tarot takes practice – this simple method felt full of holes quick. Still, glad I tried it out!