Learning how to read tarot cards necessitates a combination of intuition and familiarity with the tarot’s symbols. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and everyone eventually develops their own method that they are comfortable with. We’ll walk you through a step-by-step approach that will have you reading cards in no time. So let’s look into how to read tarot card.
Tarot card
Tarot is one of the most popular forms of divination, and while occultists have been drawing metaphorical cards for centuries, graphic decks are now available everywhere. The inherent aestheticism of this ancient discipline has reignited interest in it, and after seeing so many tarot readings on TikTok, you might be ready to start your own practice. Tarot manicures, after all, are a thing.
Despite its widespread availability, though, the art may remain mysterious and perplexing. What is tarot, exactly? What are the meanings of the cards, and how are they used? Don’t worry: the principles are simple to grasp. Here’s what every beginner should know about tarot’s history, as well as some pointers on how to get started with your own practice.
Where does tarot come from?
Surprisingly, the How To Read Tarot Card is a rather recent art form. Despite the fact that tarot decks have been around since the 1400s, graphic cards were originally used for games rather than prediction. Cartomancy, or fortune-telling using playing cards, wasn’t invented until 1785, when French occultist Jean-Baptiste Alliette better known by his pseudonym, Etteilla, which is an inversion of his surname discovered detailed ties between illustrated cards, astrology, and ancient Egyptian mythology.
Mystics and philosophers continued to enhance the importance of tarot during the next century. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, one of the organisations responsible for the modern magical rebirth, was founded in the late 1890s by a group of London-based occultists. MacGregor and Moina Maters, husband and wife and two of the group’s founders wrote Book T, a treatise that detailed the tarot’s symbolic potency.
Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Colman Smith created and published a tarot deck partially based on the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn’s teachings in 1909. The Rider-Waite deck, sometimes known as the Rider-Waite Tarot, is still the most popular tarot version among both beginners and professionals. In 1943, occultist Aleister Crowley (Arthur Edward Waite’s self-proclaimed enemy) and Lady Frieda Harris produced their own interpretation of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn’s tarot. Their Thoth deck, which is named after the Egyptian deity of alphabets, includes astrological symbolism in each card, connecting divination to the universe.
How To Read Tarot Card
People have been using how to read tarot card for centuries to discover meaning, and while there is a lot of ceremonies involve, there is no proof that they actually… reveal your future.
However, for many people who enjoy consulting them, this is irrelevant. Tarot is more about reflecting on your life than it is about predicting the future. Also? Ariana Lenarsky, 34, a writer, musician, and tarot reader, stated, “Having fun is more important to the profession than you might realize.”
It can be difficult to get with tarot at first. Here’s a simple guide to help you out.
#1. Choose a deck
Between a standard deck of cards and a tarot deck, there are a few important distinctions. Tarot decks typically have more cards, and each card has a picture that corresponds to its meaning. Many times, the decks have been redesign with distinct styles and themes.
The most important thing is that you enjoy using and practising with your tarot deck. (Alternatively, if you’re afraid of buying a great deck on your own, ask someone to buy one for you.)
Jessica Dore, 34, a social worker and how to read tarot card who is for her daily readings on Twitter and now teaches tarot card reading, “My advice is always to think about a deck like you’re choosing a roommate.”
Visit a local bookstore or metaphysical shop to see and hold a deck before buying it, according to the reader behind the popular YouTube video Tarot by the Bronx.
If that isn’t an option, you may always look through tarot cards online at places like Little Red Tarot, Rite of Ritual, and Llewellyn. If you’re a newbie, you should look for a deck that includes a manual.
#2. Understand the basics of a tarot deck
The 78 cards in a tarot deck are divided into two sections: major arcana (great mysteries) and minor arcana (minor mysteries) (meaning minor mysteries).
There are 22 major arcana cards, and they typically deal with key life events and themes, such as relationships, profession, and love.
There are 56 cards in the minor arcana deck. Smaller concerns and day-to-day challenges, such as ephemeral emotions and situations, are within these. Cups, wands, swords, and pentacles are the four suits of minor arcana cards. There are numbered cards from 1 to 10 in each suite, as well as four court cards (page, knight, king and queen).
#3. Come up with the question you want to ask
The purpose of tarot reading is to elucidate a personal issue. You choose How To Read Tarot Card to aid in your reflection on alternative responses, understanding the meaning of each in relation to the question you posed. Keep in mind that tarot cards are meant to be used for reflection, so keep your queries open-ended.
Tatianna Morales, 33, who learned to read tarot cards as a child and now runs Tatianna Tarot, said, “Any inquiries that are clear and succinct that deal with who, what, where, and how are great.” “The whys don’t matter as much because things can change.”
Though you can use tarot to work through the big things happening in your life, like career obstacles and relationship struggles, it can also address day-to-day questions.
Here are some examples from the experts, of questions you can ask of yourself or help answer for other people:
- What do I need to be aware of right now?
- Where should I be focusing my energy or attention?
- What do I need to appreciate about myself today?
- Should I have pizza again?
- Why is my mother like that?
- What’s my biggest challenge for the day?
- What do I need to know about my love life?
- What should I be doing career-wise?
#4. Prepare your area
To set the tone, do whatever feels good. While reading, some people prefer to use special tablecloths, while others prefer to use candles or crystals.
Before they begin, many tarot card readers sanitize their surroundings. This can be done using sprays like lavender or by burning incense. Here’s a little primer on incense.
#5. Shuffling and cutting
Begin by shuffling your cards while pondering your question. Shuffle as you like, and stop when you feel you’ve given your query enough thought and are ready for an answer.
Place the deck facedown after shuffling and cut it into many smaller decks. They don’t have to be the same size; whatever feels good is fine. Then, in a random order, reassemble all of the decks. Now it’s time to pull your cards: Individual cards from the deck will be flipped up and placed face-up on the table.
#6. Pull the cards
Tarot cards can be in a variety of ways. You can either draw them instinctively or arrange them into “spreads,” which are predefine arrangements in which each card is assign a meaning.
The Bronx and Ms Morales both stated that they pick cards intuitively, flipping over cards until they feel they’ve found the answer to their query.
Spreads or specialized types of reading can be easier to grasp for novices. The most basic of them is a one-card spread, in which just one card is dealt.
Pulling a single card at a time is less intimidating than pulling a full spread, and it allows you to get to know the cards better. Ms Dore suggests picking one card in the morning and one in the evening to provide opportunities for self-reflection.
Three-card spreads are simple to use and adapt. You’ll take three cards from the deck and lay them out on the table from left to right. Assign a meaning to each position: The first card you select, for example. May represent the past, the middle card could represent the present, and the last card could represent the future. You could also consider your current circumstances, your problem, and your guidance. As well as any other connotations you wish to attribute.
A Celtic cross is a 10-card spread that looks at a problem from various perspectives. The first card you pull examines the core of the problem. While the others attempt to explain it and provide guidance on the best course of action. Here’s a step-by-step guide. However, if you are unfamiliar with the meanings of all of the cards, it might be a little daunting.
#7. Begin to learn to read the tarot deck
The minor arcana comes first. The suit of Cups, which is related to water, is mostly concerned with emotions, openness, and imagination. Wands, which are with fire and passion, indicate movement, energy, and creativity. Swords represent your thinking, how you think, communicate, and solve problems, and are related to air. Pentacles, which are related to the earth, represent issues such as money, the home, and careers, and they investigate the physical world and how we interact with it.
The court cards come next. Each suite has a face or court cards, which are generally to as king, queen, page, and knight in a standard deck of cards.
Ms Dore explained, “You can conceive of them as independent entities that stand alone. Or you can think of them as a series or a progression. The page and knight can denote youth or inexperience, but the queen and king can denote maturity and mastery.
The Star and the Lovers are major arcana cards that represent major life events. Though these cards may appear frightening at first. Take your time with them and study up on the various interpretations available. They’re always more complex than they appear on the surface: Pulling the Death card, for example, may appear to be a bad omen. But it might also be more innocently that something in your life may come to an end.
How can I get started reading the cards?
The Major and Minor Arcana cards work together to provide a full graphic language. It’s crucial to remember that the deck contains all of the answers we seek. With each card depicting a person, circumstance, or possible consequence. Because there are no hidden meanings or puzzles in tarot. You must rely on your own narrative interpretation to decipher meaning.
Make sure to shuffle (or “clear”) the deck before beginning any reading. This conscious act should be turned into a meditation. Visualize your inquiry while feeling the physicality of the cards in your palm. If you’re reading for someone else, make use of this time to reflect on their circumstances. And help you craft specific questions for them. Take as much time as you require. The first step in reading tarot cards is to clear the deck, which opens the doorway between spiritual planes. Cut the cards in three and reshuffle the pile face down when you’re ready. Prepare to select cards for your tarot “spread” on your favourite cloth (be careful with your tarot deck).
Conclusion
knowing How To Read Tarot Card can help you connect with your intuition and find answers that lie within about everything from love and relationships to a life path. There’s no right or wrong way to pull cards, but following a few best practices can help you get the most out of every reading.
FAQ
How many cards are used in a tarot reading?
78 cards each includes 78 cards divided into two groups: the major and minor arcana. The major arcana are the deck’s 22 trump cards and, when pulled during a reading, typically refer to more major influences and revelations.
What is the luckiest card?
The Ace of spades (also known as the Spadille and Death Card) is traditionally the highest and most valued card in the deck of playing cards in English-speaking countries. The actual value of the card varies from game to game.
Can you do a tarot reading online?
Additionally, online tarot reading is flexible in that you can choose to have a reading session at a time that is most convenient for you.
