When I was first starting out I did intuitive readings, but that was years ago. When I started again last year, I learned the meanings from the booklets that came with each deck and off of Biddy Tarot. Ultimately I went back to intuitive meanings, though. 
The Moon
9 Of Cups
The Emperor
Two of those are Major Arcana and @Amethyst made/shared poems for them.
The way I do intuitive readings:
- What suit is the card? The suites line up with the elemental energies.
Pentacles/Coins - Earth
Swords - Air
Wands - Fire
Cups - Water - What is the number? Numerology (back to biddy tarot
) can play a helpful role in what the cards mean, if you want to use it. - Where are the cards facing? In your example, person in the nine of cups could be facing the moon or the emperor depending on its orientation.
- What imagery is on the cards? Each deck will have different imagery on the cards making the meanings slightly different.
Maybe my way is more difficult than learning the standard meanings but I find it opens the cards to more interpretation. I hope all of this helps. 