How To Read And Understand Tarot Cards

Tarot readings are intended to investigate a self-related query. You choose cards to aid in your reflection on potential responses, understanding the significance of each in light of the question you posed. It’s important to bear in mind that tarot cards are instruments for reflection, thus it’s better to ask open-ended questions.

Can I learn how to read Tarot cards on my own?

It’s normal to be a little clumsy when you first start practicing the tarot. Tarot study is similar to learning a new languageit takes time to become proficient. But what happens if you no longer require the booklet and have intimate familiarity with the deck? Are you able to read yourself? No, except for a few rare instances. Simply put, it’s a horrible idea.

You see, the majority of us turn to astrology or tarot when we’re looking for clarity amid a period of ambiguity. In contrast to astrology, which is quite technical, our consciousness restricts our capacity to read tarot cards. Working with your personal interpretation of the cards, you are not constrained by short- and long-term cycles like the planets’ orbits. It might be tricky to go beyond your current circumstances while utilizing the tarot to better understand a trying scenario. Even if all the cards are spread out in front of you, putting them together requires such a broad perspective that it is all but impossible to fully understand the meaning of each card. Basically, any biases you already have will always be reflected in your tarot reading!

What do I need to understand before I read tarot cards?

You’ll discover as you study more about tarot that each author has a unique interpretation of what each card symbolizes. The majority of specialists will agree on a small number of keywords for each card, but beyond that, there will be a great deal of conflicting information. Additionally, each card will have a distinct meaning based on where and whether it appears in your spread upright or reversed.

That could be a challenge if you value clarity over ambiguity, but consider the tarot a chance to practice accepting uncertainty and building trust in your own intuition. Consider the keywords as boundaries for the meaning of each card, and then start paying closer attention to each name and image to determine what speaks to you individually.

Choosing one card to focus on each day and reflecting on its meaning is one approach to do this. Keep a journal where you can record your personal reflections on each card as well as the conventional interpretations of each.

What should you do initially while using a tarot deck?

What to Do First:

  • Get out your tarot deck.
  • The cards are in your hand.
  • “Knock or tap the pile of cards numerous times while holding them in your palm to disseminate your energy throughout the deck.
  • Shuffle the cards completely.
  • The cards are divided into three heaps, which are subsequently reassembled into one pile.

After a breakup

Draw one card for each of the following inquiries if you’ve recently broken up with someone and want to know more about the reason or determine whether you’ll get back together:

  • How energetic is the partnership right now?
  • What caused the divide in the first place?
  • What do they really think of me right now?
  • What do they intend for me right now?
  • What kind of relationship will this be in the future?
  • Which action is ideal for me to take right now?

When job searching

You can use this spread to explore what kind of career guidance the tarot can offer if you’re feeling uncertain about your career path or thinking about a new employment. Draw one card once more for each query.

  • How active am I in my career right now?
  • What challenge must I overcome?
  • What is my calling in life?
  • How can I follow this calling more closely?
  • What should I do to prepare for the upcoming month?

When deciding between two options

This spread can highlight the benefits and drawbacks of each option, guiding you toward the best decision if you’re using tarot to pick between two possibilities (two job offers, two apartments, perhaps a love triangle???). Getting the deal Per card, ask one question.

  • What is the fundamental cause of this fork in the road?
  • What is the likely result of choosing option A?
  • What is the most likely result for option B?
  • What more should I take into account that was overlooked?
  • What’s the best thing I can do right now?

When something is off with a friend

If you’re concerned about the state of a friendship or feel like something is wrong but are unable to pinpoint the cause, you might be interested in seeing what conclusions and solutions this spread offers. Ask one question per card, once more, I repeat.

  • What makes this friendship so crucial?
  • What led to this sudden change in tone, and why?
  • What has changed, in my friend’s opinion?
  • What can I do to make this matter more urgent?
  • What is the future of this friendship?
  • What should I do at this moment?

How is Tarot card memorization done?

I discovered early on in my tarot excursions that knowing the meanings of each card isn’t necessary, even if there is much value and wisdom to be gained from them. Your intuition holds the key to learning how to interpret tarot cards. And this makes sense given that they are instruments for receiving and deciphering messages from the universe or our inner selves. Get the best advice from readers below to learn how to read tarot cards for yourself instinctively and without memorization.

How are Tarot cards charged?

Leave your deck in a sacred location where you can “knead (shuffle) it each hour, giving it your magical power with your hands, for one waking day, much as you would a loaf of rising bread.” The greatest time to use this charge is when you’re taking a day off at home or in a retreat.

Questions you don’t really want answered

Even though it might seem apparent, it’s advisable to refrain from asking the tarot cards questions that you aren’t prepared to hear the answers to. That’s because answers to these questions can reveal information you’re just not quite ready to hear.

“Tarot can definitely come off as offensive if you’re not willing to hear the truth or consider an opposing opinion. Tarot reading Nicole Fortunaso

According to tarot reader and life coach Nicole Fortunaso, “tarot may truly come out as offensive if you are not willing to hear the truth of the problem or look at an alternate viewpoint.” She advises analyzing why you’re reacting the way you are in order to reflect on how to effectively address the underlying problem if you ask the question and aren’t satisfied with the response.

What kind of religion are tarot cards?

Tarot cards also include four suits, but they are different depending on the region: French suits are found in Northern Europe, Latin suits are found in Southern Europe, and German suits are found in Central Europe. Each suit contains 14 cards: four face cards (King, Queen, Knight, and Jack/Knave/Page) and ten pip cards, numbered from one (or Ace) to ten. In addition, the tarot features a unique 21-card trump suit and a solitary card known as the Fool; this 22-card group of cards is referred to as the Major Arcana in the world of divination. The Fool may serve as the top trump or alternatively may be played to avoid doing so, depending on the game. In parts of Europe, these tarot cards are still used to play traditional card games without any occult connotations.

Tarot cards are mostly employed for amusement and divination in English-speaking nations where these activities are less popular, typically with the aid of specially created packs. Although academic research has shown that tarot cards were partially invented in northern Italy in the 15th century (16 of the modern 22 Major Arcana cards) and combined with a deck of four suits, “the Mamluk deck,” some people who use tarot for cartomancy believe the cards have esoteric links to ancient Egypt, Iran, the Kabbalah, Indian Tantra, or the I Ching. The Mamluk deck of cards was created in or before the 14th century and arrived in Western Europe after paper was produced in Asia (see Playing Card – Egypt and following sections). By the end of the thirteenth century, Europeans were making the Mamluk deck with customized “court cards” and suit symbols.

Although some people think that tarot cards were not used for divination until the late 18th century, there is evidence of an early tarot deck that was “used in divination to determine the querent’s prospects in love” (Fernando de la Torre’s “Juego de Naypes” deck of Spain, 1450), each card having an image and verse.

How do you greet a deck of tarot cards?

What do you do right away after receiving a fresh tarot deck? remove the package, shuffle, and launch into a reading right away? hesitantly flip through each card one at a time, feeling the feel of the entire deck? choose your favorite cards and just sit with them? Perhaps you also do an unique ritual, such as purifying or “charging” your deck with crystals?

Before I’m ready to shuffle, I like to take my time with a new tarot deck and go through all 78 cards one by one numerous times. I like to take note of anything that stands out to me, any symbols that seem particularly pertinent to me at the time, or any characters who seem to be communicating directly to me. It could take this process anywhere from 20 minutes to many days.

However, when I am prepared to shuffle, I typically use the “tarot deck interview spread” to get to know my new cards. I have no idea where I got it. Despite the fact that several bloggers have given it to me, I did not create it. however I do use it quite a bit. I’ve posted a few tarot deck interviews on my blog throughout the years. Here are a couple of them.

A wonderfully cool method to get to know a new tarot deck and let it get to know you is to use the interview spread. In essence, it’s a discussion about your possible working relationship where you may learn how to approach and use these cards most effectively while also discussing the deck’s advantages and disadvantages. Some tarot decks, according to many people, are better suited for love readings, while others are better suited for queries about job or other practical problems, and yet others are the kind for “getting deep.” This interview spread is a useful tool for delving further into those concepts.

So, if you’ve just received a new deck and are eager to start using it, make some space for yourself, light a candle if you’d like, and try out this little spread. (This might also be a good approach to rekindle your relationship with an old deck you’ve been ignoring or with which you’ve never felt particularly connected.)

What tarot card represents your birth?

Similar to how your astrological sun sign might, your tarot birth card reveals information about your soul. Although a tarot birth card has no direct relationship to astrology, it can provide information about various aspects of your life based on the time of your birth, much like your sun sign. According to Ryan Trinh, a tarot reader at the Los Angeles metaphysical store House of Intuition, a tarot birth card is interpreted in a manner similar to how we read our astrological signs. They highlight various aspects of who we are, such as our strengths, lessons to learn, and aspirational objectives.

” make reference to various aspects of who we are, such as our strengths, lessons to learn, and aspirational objectives. Tarot reading Ryan Trinh from House of Intuition

Your tarot birth card, however, cannot be just any card. Tarot birth cards can only be one of the 22 Major Arcana cards (excluding the Fool, whose number is 0), even though the average tarot deck has 78 cards. Major Arcana cards are renowned for reflecting long-term repercussions and providing wisdom to life’s lessons. On the other hand, the remaining 56 Minor Arcana cards are primarily concerned with everyday issues.