Have you been toying with the idea of learning how to read tarot cards?
Perhaps you’ve already chosen a tarot deck, but you’re unsure of how to use it?
It may seem like an intimidating and complicated task at first, but I can assure you, it’s not.
Although you will want to gradually learn the meanings of the different cards in your tarot deck, you don’t need to know them right off the bat.
A little guidance and your intuition is all you need to get started.
In this beginner’s guide, we’re sharing everything you need to know to learn how to read tarot cards.
1) Choose Your Deck
With all the varieties of tarot decks to choose from, you may find it challenging to choose a deck.
But it doesn’t need to be daunting.
While different decks can vary in design, they all come with 78 cards. These 78 cards are divided up into 22 Major Arcana cards, and 56 Minor Arcana cards.
The Major Arcana cards are the most crucial in the deck, while the Minor Arcana are for extra insight and can help the tarot reader understand the reading better.
The Minor Arcana are called the suit cards because they come in four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles.
When you’re choosing your deck there are three different categories to choose from.
Categories of Tarot Card Decks:
- Marseilles decks (the older ones)
- Rider-Waite decks (the most common and widely used)
- Other decks that don’t fall into either category
A Rider-Waiter deck is a perfect choice for beginners because most tutorials or references use photos from a Rider-Waiter deck.
Ultimately though, you have to choose the deck you feel connected to the most.
2) Preparation For How To Read Tarot Cards
Preparing for your reading is a crucial step that can’t be skipped. It comes down to a few different factors.
Prepare Yourself Mentally and Spiritually
You’ll want to start by becoming relaxed. It’s important to take a few minutes to do some breathing exercises to try and quiet your mind.
The point of getting into a relaxed state is to push out everything that’s distracting you or consuming your mind.
Clear Your Deck
This is an essential step to complete before beginning any reading.
The most effective and popular way to clear your deck is to shuffle it. Be sure to shuffle your deck between both hands a few times.
This will help remove any left over readings from previous readings if it’s been used before, but it’ll also charge the cards with your own energy.
Connect With The Cards
The final step to prepare before you learn how to read tarot cards is to connect with your cards.
You do this by visualizing yourself breathing in a stunning white light.
3) Question Time
Now that you’ve chosen a deck and prepared yourself and the deck, you can finally ask your question.
Here, it’s important to ask the right questions to get the best results.
What Kinds of Questions Should You Ask?
- Avoid asking ”yes” or ”no” questions
- Open-ended questions are the best you can ask
There are no right or wrong answers. Whatever you feel like asking at that present moment is perfectly fine.
If you get stuck on a specific question, you can ask a more general question.
Examples of Questions You Can Ask
- What do I need to improve on in my life?
- Is there anything I should know right now?
- Where will I be 5 years from now? 10 years?
- How can I become more financially free?
4) Choose Your Cards
When you choose your cards it all comes down to the type of reading you want.
Options For Choosing Your Cards:
- Pull one card
- 3-card spread
- Pentagram spread (6 cards in a 5-point star)
- 7-card spread (called a horseshoe spread)
- 10-card spread (for a deeper dive into your question)
- Divide the deck in half on a surface, and choose the top card on the left pile
These are a few different spreads or layouts you can choose when you’re doing a reading.
You can experiment with different spreads until you find one you’re more comfortable with. Or, you can mix it up every time depending on the depth of your question.
5) Your Readings
Your abilities and the way you interpret the cards will vary depending on your knowledge and skill level.
Above all else though, it’s vital to be utterly honest with yourself.
It’s best to try and learn about each card using books or other resources. But every reading will be unique, and remember, that’s as it should be.
Some Things To Pay Attention to During The Reading:
- How you feel immediately after seeing your cards
- Your thoughts. Write them down!
- Do you feel any physical tingle or another physical feeling?
- Pay attention to the color of the cards, the symbols, and the figures/characters
Have a notebook and pen handy. It’s critical to allow yourself to pay attention to these things immediately after seeing the cards.
When you’re finished, you’ll want to close the reading, and in this, it’s important to always close your reading when you feel it’s over.
This is as crucial as preparing for your reading, and the reading itself.
How to Close Your Reading:
- Collect the cards and hold them in your hands
- Say thank you for the help and insight
- Give yourself a moment of quiet
- Let the results of the reading soak in
- Shuffle your tarot cards and put them away
Final Thoughts
Although previously seen as a controversial topic, the worlds of tarot cards and psychic phenomena are becoming more and more mainstream.
Learning how to read tarot cards may be a little daunting at first. But, that is exactly what it is – a learning process.
With time, practice and an inquisitive mind, learning how to read tarot cards is a whole lot fun.
Got any questions? Interested in having your own reading done?
Feel free to reach out. We’re always happy to connect.
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