What Are Clarifier Cards in a Tarot Reading? Why Readers Pull Extra Cards

You see it quite often in tarot readings. The reader finishes laying out the spread, then picks up another deck and starts pulling more cards. You may wonder what is going on, and why a reader can’t just use one deck for everything. That is a good question. Those extra cards are called clarifiers, and they are there to enhance the reading.

What a clarifier is

The name says it all. A clarifier clarifies. It adds extra information and helps you understand something the main spread hasn’t touched on.

Think of the main spread as the main story. A spread usually has around ten cards, and sometimes that outline is enough to see what is going on. Clarifiers are more like adding colour to the story. If you ever used a colouring book, the outline is already on the page, and the colour is what brings the details to life.

A clarifier can confirm something, add more detail about something, or speak to a part of the story the main cards haven’t answered. That is also why they often feel more personal.

Why you need them

There are only 78 cards in a tarot deck, and every card you pull leaves the deck one card shorter. A single card can also mean many things, so a spread of ten gives you the outline but not always the nuance. Sometimes you get that nuance from a second card.

There is a second reason, and it has to do with fixed positions. In a spread like the Celtic Cross, every position is fixed, and a card used in one position can’t turn up again in another.

Here is an example. Say I pulled the Knight of Swords for the past, and then the action position comes up. The card is already used, so it can’t appear again. If the action is about moving swiftly, I would love to see the Knight of Swords there, but it isn’t available. This is where clarifiers are useful. When I pull them from a second deck, every card is available again, including the ones already used in the spread. That is quite important, because it gives the cards another way to speak.

Where I use clarifiers

In a traditional spread, I always use a clarifier on the action and on the outcome. Those are the two parts of a reading where the extra detail matters most.

I also use them on other parts of the story when they feel needed. For example:

• The people around you, to see how others may react to the situation.
• The immediate future, to see what may be coming your way next.

I rarely pull a clarifier on hopes and fears, because that position is usually quite straightforward. I also rarely use one on the past, because it has already happened. Sometimes you may want to do it anyway, and that is fine.

If I am using a Tableau spread, I use clarifiers to uncover elements that aren’t clear in the main cards.

How I decide

I pull a clarifier on a card where the card that showed up doesn’t give enough information. I want to understand what action the cards point to, or what is going on underneath the surface. Things that are logical, or that have clearly passed, don’t need a clarifier in most cases. Anything unclear does.

Tarot clarifiers and oracle clarifiers

The difference between the two comes down to structure.

Tarot clarifiers follow the same Rider-Waite-Smith structure, with the Fool’s Journey and the Major and Minor Arcana. I always use tarot as a clarifier, because the structure is similar and you can learn how the cards depend on each other. They also bring other elements into play. For example, elements have compatibility. If a clarifier’s element doesn’t match the main card, there may be a reason, such as friction or conflict in that area. Cards also interact with each other. If two Kings show up as clarifiers, it may point to a partnership, or to the opposite.

Oracle clarifiers are custom decks with a particular theme, and you often don’t get the same meanings as in tarot. An oracle card can add an extra meaning you don’t have in Rider-Waite-Smith, or give a very specific one. It comes down to personal preference, and some readers love them. I talk more about the decks I use in the tarot decks I use and what the spirit animal card means.

My favourite tarot clarifier deck is the Light Seer’s Tarot. It gives a different lens, a more modern one, with slightly different interpretations. It has a completely different flavour, and it feels almost like using an oracle card on a Rider-Waite-Smith structure. That is a really nice touch, and it can give you a more personal insight.

When the clarifier matches the main card

I always get a little excited, and a bit surprised, when a clarifier is the same card as the main card. It often means the energy is doubling down. It puts emphasis on the message and reconfirms what we were already getting from the main spread.

How to get the most out of clarifiers

I often see people click away before the end of a reading. I think they sometimes miss an important part of the story, because the clarifier on the action is where you get more detail on what the action may look like.

Take the High Priestess. She usually comes with a sense of mystery and intuition. But what does that look like as an action? Trust in the universe. Some of us may not be satisfied with that, and may want something more concrete. This is where a clarifier can help, unless of course you get two High Priestesses, and then you are on your own.

For more on following the whole structure, see how to get the most out of your tarot reading.

Frequently asked questions

Why can’t a reader use one deck for everything? They can, and many do. A second deck adds nuance, and it brings back cards that were already used in the fixed positions of the main spread.

Which parts of a reading get a clarifier? For me, always the action and the outcome. Then anything unclear, such as the people around you or the immediate future.

Can the clarifier be the same card as the main card? Yes, and I like it when it happens. It usually doubles down on the message.

Do I need to understand the clarifiers to follow a reading? No. I explain what each one adds as I go. You may find they give you the most practical part of the reading.

Are clarifiers an answer to a question? Not exactly. They are more like adding colour to the story: more detail, more nuance, and sometimes a different angle.

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General guidance for reflection and entertainment. Not financial, legal, medical or any other professional advice; please seek that separately from a qualified professional.