When Tarot Cards Jump Out

There you are about to read cards. Shuffle shuffle. Shuffle shuffle. Then a card, by one way or another, makes itself known.

Do jumping tarot cards mean something?

Little mistakes in tarot happen in tarot all the time. You’ll drop a card, pull two cards at the same time, or accidentally leave a card reversed. I once grabbed a deck wrong and ended up with entire reversed spread for a family member—it was nerve-wracking because I hadn’t become comfortable with reversed cards yet.

Some people see these weird instances as nothing more than human error. Yet others will take them as a direct message that requires attention. There’s a saying in tarot that speaks to the urgency of jumping card predictions… “if it’s on the floor, it’s at the door.”

Like everything in spiritual practice though, jumping cards only have meaning if you believe they do. And it’s ok to trust that you will be told all you need to know in the spread you are about to lay out. I personally believe that you won’t miss anything the Universe has made for you.

But if you want to derive meaning from the jumping cards (this is the fun option, people) here’s how you can do it.

First, make a note about what you were thinking when the tarot card fell from the pack. The two are likely related—there might be a specific message for you. Pick up the card. Now there are a few paths you can take:

Reading jumping tarot cards.

1. Shuffle the card into the deck.

If it comes up again in the reading, pay special attention to it. You can even make note if the tarot card is missing.

2. Place the card in the first position of the spread.

This makes it the focal point of the spread while letting other cards speak too.

3. Place the card at the top or center of the spread.

As a separate position, you can assign the jumping card to be the “overall theme” of the question and spread.

As always, the way to go is to develop a process that works for you. There’s no rule book. Trust your intuition.