Using Blank Cards in Tarot?

Mia

Hey all! I’ve got two blank cards in my deck, but I’m kind of hesitant to use them in readings. They don’t really have any assigned meaning, and for me, tarot is all about knowing and interpreting the cards.

Do you use blank cards at all? If so, how do you work with them?

EthanC

The only cartomancy system I’ve come across that actually uses a blank card is Le Livre du Destin, a French 33-card deck — the 33rd plain white card acts as the significator.

In most Tarot decks, though, the blank cards are usually just there for advertising or to protect the deck physically. They don’t really have a practical use in readings.

OliviaBennett

I haven’t come across blank cards personally, but if I did, I’d probably make the most of them — maybe draw a symbol or image on each one that has personal significance and then include them in my readings with my own meanings.

For example, my mini Rider-Waite deck actually came with two "art" cards that aren’t part of the Arcana, but I use them anyway because they always pop up in ways that make sense to me. One shows a couple with seven doves above them — I take that as a sign of pure love, kind of like the Two of Cups. The other shows a grandmother in a rocking chair surrounded by her grandchildren, which I interpret as unconditional love, similar to The Empress mixed with the 10 of Cups. I find it really fun to give extra layers of meaning to cards like that.