Introduction
When you are learning tarot, one of the hardest parts is getting practice with questions that sound like they come from real people. Reading for yourself is useful, but after a while you want to feel how it is to sit with someone’s messy, vulnerable situation and shape a reply that actually lands in their heart, without the pressure of actually answering real Reddit posts (and risk being downvoted, getting rude “correctional” replies or simply be ignored, but in loud).
That is what these exercises are for. You can work through them whenever it suits you, at your own pace. No need to wait for volunteers or ask strangers in forums. Just you, your cards, and a realistic email in front of you.
Here is the structure. You will get a mock email from a fictional querent, written in the tone of the messages professional readers really receive. Your task is to step into the role of the tarot reader and answer as if this were a real client.
You are always free to pull your own cards. You can draw a single card, three cards, or use a full spread if you wish and return to these emails as often as you like. To give you a clear starting point for comparison though, we will first imagine that you draw the Page of Cups on its own. After that, we will look at the same situation again, this time with the Page of Cups plus two more specific cards that I will name for you.
After each email you will find my sample answer hidden under a little “click to open” line. There is no single correct reply in tarot. My text is there to show you one way a professional might handle the situation, both in terms of interpretation and in terms of wording something tender and personal with care.
You are not only practicing the Page of Cups as a meaning. You are also practicing how to speak in a way that is kind, clear and emotionally intelligent, which is exactly what people need when they write from the softest parts of their lives.
Exercise 1
Fictional client email
Subject: I do not want to fall too fast again
Hi,
A few weeks ago I matched with Luke on a dating app. We have been on two dates so far. Both evenings were gentle and easy. He is kind, he listens, and there is something about him that feels calming instead of overwhelming.
My problem is that in the past I fell in love far too quickly. I rushed ahead in my mind and built whole futures with people who were not really showing up for me. I got badly hurt and I promised myself I would never let that happen again.
Now I notice that familiar feeling starting again. I catch myself daydreaming about him, checking my phone, imagining where this could go. At the same time I am frightened of repeating my old pattern. Part of me wants to lean in. Another part wants to pull back before I get attached.
Can you tell me what the cards say about this connection, and whether it is safe for me to keep seeing him and let my feelings grow a little?
Thank you,
Clara
Your exercise
For this reading, imagine you draw the Page of Cups.
Write your own reply first. Keep your tone soft and sincere. The Page of Cups is shy, hopeful energy. It feels like a crush, a peace offering, a small tender wave of emotion that wants to be taken seriously without being rushed.
When you are ready, you can open the sample answer below.
Hi Clara,
thank you for sharing this so honestly. It makes sense that you feel both drawn and afraid at the same time. When you have been hurt for loving too quickly, your heart remembers, even when the situation looks different.
The card that appears for you is the Page of Cups. This is the energy of a fresh, genuine feeling. It is the small beginning of affection, curiosity and emotional warmth. The Page is not grand declarations and big drama. It is the moment when something inside you lifts its head and says, very quietly, “I care about this.”
In your situation this card is a good sign. It says that what you are feeling is real and gentle, not a rush of obsession or a craving for distraction. This connection seems to touch a soft, sincere part of you, the part that still believes that love can be kind.
At the same time, the Page of Cups is still very young. It is the first step, not the whole story. The message here is that it is safe to keep seeing him and to let yourself enjoy what is here now, as long as you do not race ahead of reality in your mind. You do not need to decide today whether he is your future partner. You only need to notice how you feel after each meeting. Do you feel more grounded, more yourself, more at ease in your own skin. Or do you feel anxious and unsteady.
You are allowed to let your feelings grow one small step at a time, just like this Page would. You can give this connection some space to breathe, without surrendering your sense of self. You do not have to slam the door on your heart to stay safe. You only need to stay awake to your own needs and move at a pace that feels honest to you.
Exercise 1.2
Now imagine you decide to pull three cards for Clara instead of one. For this version, the cards are:
Page of Cups, Two of Cups, Nine of Wands
Before you read my text, take a moment to feel how these three might speak together about new affection, mutual feelings and old emotional scars.
Hi Clara,
for your question I drew the Page of Cups, the Two of Cups and the Nine of Wands. Taken together, they describe both the sweetness of this connection and the caution that sits in you after what you have lived through.
The Page of Cups shows the tender beginning you are already aware of. Your heart is opening a little. There is a sense of hope, of wanting to offer a small piece of yourself and to see how it is received.
The Two of Cups tells me that this is not one sided. It speaks of mutual attraction, easy emotional resonance and the potential for a genuine bond if you continue to spend time together. You are not inventing the chemistry. There is real relational material here.
Then the Nine of Wands appears and shows your inner landscape. This is the card of someone who has stood through a lot and is still standing, but who is tired of being hurt. It carries the feeling of “I will try, but I am braced for impact.” Your nervous system has learned to expect pain when you love, and that history still lives in your body.
These three cards together do not tell you to shut down, and they also do not tell you to throw yourself in headfirst. They describe a third way. You can permit yourself to explore this developing connection, knowing that something real is present, while also honouring your own limits. You can name your need to take things slowly. You can allow affection to grow, and at the same time keep one eye on whether this person behaves in a steady, respectful way over time.
In other words, it is safe to continue, as long as you continue with yourself. Your sensitivity and your history matter. You do not need to apologize for either.
Exercise 2
Fictional client email
Subject: Confused feelings for someone new
Hi,
I have been in a relationship with my partner Elena for six years. We live together, and there is a lot of shared history and care between us.
Recently a colleague joined our team, her name is Mia. We get along very well. The conversations flow easily, we laugh a lot, and I notice that I feel seen and appreciated in a way I have been missing at home. I caught myself thinking about her after work and even replaying little moments in my head.
I feel guilty even writing this. I have not cheated. I have not flirted on purpose. At the same time, I cannot deny that there is some kind of attraction and emotional pull here. Part of me wonders if this means something is wrong with my relationship. Another part wonders if I am just restless and looking for an escape.
Can you tell me what the cards say about these feelings. Are they a sign that I should leave, or are they more about something I need to address in myself and in my current relationship.
Thank you,
John
Your exercise
For this reading, imagine you draw the Page of Cups.
Write your own answer first. The Page of Cups often appears when new feelings are just beginning to ripple the surface. The situation is delicate and asks for compassion rather than harsh judgement.
When you are ready, you can open the spoiler to see my version.
Hi John,
thank you for trusting me with something that clearly feels uncomfortable to admit. The fact that you can look at this honestly and feel both the attraction and the guilt tells me you are already taking responsibility for your inner world.
The card that appears here is the Page of Cups. This is the image of a small, fresh emotional impulse. It often shows up when someone feels a new pull of affection or curiosity that they did not plan and are not quite sure what to do with. It does not automatically mean that a whole new love story is meant to unfold. It does mean that your heart is trying to tell you something.
In your case, this Page suggests that the feelings for Mia are more like a wake up call than a verdict on your current relationship. She mirrors back to you a side of yourself that wants to feel light, seen and appreciated again. The excitement you feel around her is also a reminder of what has gone quiet between you and Elena.
The Page of Cups does not ask you to act on this crush. It asks you to listen to the need underneath it. You long for emotional freshness, for more tenderness and attention. That need is valid. The question is where and how you want to address it.
If you pour this Page energy into fantasy about Mia, the guilt and tension will grow and your partnership with Elena will suffer in silence. If you pour it into an honest look at your relationship, and perhaps an open conversation with Elena about how you both feel and what you both miss, then this uncomfortable moment can become the beginning of a more truthful and connected chapter between you.
So the card is not telling you to leave. It is inviting you to become very honest, first with yourself and then, if possible, with your partner about the emotional hunger that has been building in you.
Exercise 2.2
Now imagine that for John you draw three cards:
Page of Cups, Seven of Cups, Hierophant
Take a moment and feel how the Page’s shy attraction interacts with the fog and fantasy of the Seven of Cups and the structure and commitment of the Hierophant. Then you can compare with my suggestion below.
Hi John,
for your situation the cards that appear are the Page of Cups, the Seven of Cups and the Hierophant. Together they describe a very human moment of temptation and confusion, and they point you back toward clarity and choice.
The Page of Cups again shows the tender new feelings that have been stirred up. They are small, genuine and unplanned. You did not go looking for them, but they arrived anyway.
The Seven of Cups speaks about the cloud that can form around such feelings. It stands for fantasy, longing, imagined paths and what if scenarios. It is the way the mind starts to build whole stories: leaving, staying, starting over, escaping, being rescued. None of these stories have fully solid ground under them yet. They are possibilities, not realities.
The Hierophant reminds you of the commitments and values that already shape your life. It points to the relationship you have built with Elena, the promises made, the shared structure, but also to your own moral compass and the kind of person you actually want to be. This card asks you to act in line with your deeper beliefs, not just your momentary feelings.
Put together, these cards say that your crush on Mia is real, but it lives inside a haze of fantasy and unspoken dissatisfaction. The invitation is not to follow that haze, but to use it as information about what is missing for you. Your next step is not to run toward someone new. It is to come back to yourself and to the values you hold about love, loyalty and honesty, and to decide how you want to move from that place.
That might mean addressing the emotional gaps in your relationship with Elena. It might mean working on the parts of yourself that have checked out or stopped showing up. Whatever you choose, the cards are inviting you to respond as a person who remembers who he is, rather than as someone swept along by unexamined longing.
Closing the Page of Cups Exercises
The Page of Cups is a small card, but it is often the first sign that something important is shifting in the heart. It appears in shy crushes, in peace offerings, in the desire to apologise, in the quiet moment when someone realises that they still care. When you read this card well, you help people take their own feelings seriously without drowning in them.
You can return to these fictional emails whenever you like. Draw one card, three cards or a larger spread from your own deck and see how your interpretations evolve over time. Each round will train not only your understanding of the Page of Cups, but also your ability to find gentle, precise words for tender situations.
If you feel drawn to experience this style of reading for your own life, you can book a personal tarot session with me at www.empowering-tarot.com, where we look at your real questions with the same care and depth. If this free course supports your learning, you can also help keep it going by leaving a tip through the tip jar in the sidebar on desktop or at the bottom of the page on mobile.
Thank you for practising and feeling your way through this card with me.
