The habit of looking

One full minute is a decent start. It will feel too long. That is the point. The first ten seconds are your habits, including the traditional note you have learned. The rest is seeing.

What caught you first. Where your eyes went next. What you almost skipped. The thing in the background you have never mentioned in a reading of this card, even though you could name the card in your sleep.

What catches your attention first. Where your eyes naturally go. Facial expressions. Body language. Posture. Hands. Eyes. Clothing. Objects. Animals. Plants. Architecture. Buildings. Doors. Windows. Paths. Mountains. Water. Fire. Weather. Clouds. Landscape. Background. Foreground. Light. Darkness. Shadows. Movement. Stillness. Direction. Distance. Positioning. What is hidden. What is missing.

You will not use every item every time. This is not a checklist to perform. It is a reminder that there is more in the picture than the title on the card.

And then the question underneath all of it: why is that there?

You know The Hermit. Solitude, lamp, seeking. Now look at the ground. The peak. Whether there is a town below. The hood. The beard. The staff as well as the lamp. Which way the body leans.

A student who only knows the caption will say withdrawal every time. A student who looks might notice that this Hermit is standing in a wind, or on a path that still goes down, or holding the light out rather than in. That is the habit. Knowledge stays. Looking adds.