Some people use the cards in each of the three rows to represent the past, present, and future in the Romany spread. Cards 1, 2, and 3 in Row A represent the farther past, while cards 5, 6, and 7 represent the more recent past. Cards 8 through 14 make up Row B, the second row of seven, and they represent the Querent’s current problems. If everything stays the same, Row C, the bottom row, uses cards 15 to 21 to predict what is likely to happen in the person’s life.
In This Article...
How are tarot cards spread and read?
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.
How can a tarot card be read by you personally?
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.
What do the cards in my tarot spread mean?
This section is for you if you’ve ever wondered what a “three-card spread is. Tarot readings can be done in a variety of ways, and frequently the instructions that come with the cards will show images of the most common spreads. You’ll soon discover that there is a spread for any circumstance, and you can always come up with your own, too. These include the straightforward three-card spread, the Celtic cross, and a seven-day spread.
After the deck has been shuffled and divided in half by the client, a reader will pull three cards from it for a three-card spread (more on that in a moment). The past, present, and future are typically represented by the first call pulled, second call pulled, and third call pulled, respectively. Depending on the reading and the question being posed, the timeframes can be understood to indicate either tomorrow or ten years from now.
A daily card reading is another popular way to use tarot cards. In this practice, one card is chosen at random from the top of the shuffled deck and used as a reminder or a direction for the day. Anyone wishing to become more acquainted with the tarot deck and the meanings of the cards can find this to be a very beneficial practice.
As vital as it is to think about the specific meaning of each card, it is also crucial to think about the atmosphere and symbolism of the spread as a whole. There is just as much information to be learned from the whole picture as there is from its component parts, especially in bigger spreads. This is an opportunity to collaborate with them if you are reading for someone else. This will be more difficult the more pressure you put on yourself to mind-read. Tarot reading does not make you psychic, which is a relief: It’s acceptable to inquire about the cards with the audience and come up with ideas for how the cards might relate to their initial query collectively. When a customer asks about money, you might pick two cups cards and “the lovers,” but sometimes the cards won’t match up at all. This could imply that their love life was what they truly wanted to talk to you about. Doesn’t everyone?
Tarot reading can be done in many different methods, but they all require practice. It takes effort to learn 78 different cards, especially when many of them have numerous possible interpretations. However, the more you study and handle the cards, the more comfortable you’ll feel using them as a tool to better understand both yourself and others.
There are several books you can buy and classes (online and off) you can take to hone your interpretation abilities if you want to move up in the tarot world. Online courses are occasionally made available by Tarot for Change author and well-known tarot reader Jessica Dore. On a sliding rate, Little Red Tarot also provides an eight-week course. Free courses from teachers like John Ballantrae, who has a very relaxing accent, and spiritual advisor Mystic Rainn are also widely available on YouTube.
For novices, how should tarot cards be spread?
If you find this daunting, Howe advises you to take a deep breath and believe in your own initiative. “In order to see it less as “This holds all of these secret meanings that I have to do all this work to access” and more as “I know all the meanings; it’s just a matter of establishing the connections and being able to articulate them,” use language or knowledge that you already possess. She points out that the four elementsearth, water, fire, and airplay a significant role in the tarot, which is advantageous because the majority of people already have an understanding of the meanings of each element. ” If you do that, your viewpoint will be more personal, and you will be able to express yourself more freely.
Howe suggests the three-card draw and the Celtic Cross as the two fundamental spreads for beginning readers. In the former, three cards are chosen at random from the deck to symbolize the subject’s mind, body, and spirit, or past, present, and future. According to Howe, you could even up the stakes and use a six-card draw, with one card for each location.
How should my tarot deck be cleaned?
While rearranging the cards in the tarot deck is a good approach to purify and clear their energy, there are some circumstances in which you might wish to perform a more specialized ritual. If you’re just getting started with tarot, cleaning your deck can be an excellent place to start.
You might want to clean your tarot deck for a variety of reasons, including:
- beginning with a fresh deck
- readings for other people
- You think you need to recharge.
- Your card readings seem a touch “odd” or “disconnected”
- Your deck hasn’t been used recently.
- Your deck has been handled by others
- You think you’ve been utilizing your deck a lot. A LOT, especially for books with strong emotional content
Why should you cleanse or clear your tarot deck?
Tarot deck cleansing helps keep the energy flowing between you and your deck. Consider it as a little spiritual hygiene to maintain a strong and clear connection. It’s not necessary, but if you have any of the aforementioned symptoms, try a few of the energetic cleansing techniques listed below and note which ones seem to work the best for you.
How often should you cleanse your tarot deck?
This is another way of stating USE YOUR INTUITION: there are no hard and fast laws. Don’t stress if you don’t believe it is necessary for your deck. Alternately, if you like to cleanse them once per week or once per month, that’s great. If it feels appropriate to you, you can even place your favorite crystal on the balcony each night.
If you frequently place crystals on your deck and store it on an altar while not in use, you might not feel the need to cleanse it frequently because this quick ritual will likely be sufficient to keep your deck feeling nice.
There are numerous ways to cleanse your cards, just as there are numerous reasons why you might desire to do so.
Different ways to cleanse your tarot deck
Use holy smoke. Light a dried rosemary, lavender, cedar, sage, or palo santo cleansing wand until it begins to smoke. Hold the smoke a safe distance below the deck while holding the burning herbs in one hand and the deck in the other so that the smoke drifts upward onto the cards. Turn the deck so that the smoke covers it from all angles. Next, safely put your deck to the ground and put out the fire.
On the deck, set a selenite stone (or a black tourmaline or a transparent quartz). It works well to leave it like way for an hour, but I prefer to leave it overnight.
Set them on display during a new moon. The New Moon is energy of a blank slate; you can purify the deck by setting it on a window sill on a new moon night. At this moment, you can also make a brand-new intention for your deck.
Place the cards in a salty dish. A strong and stabilizing cleaner is salt. My preferred choice for a thorough cleansing is this. Allow it to sit anywhere from one to eight hours in a dry area.
Unorderly shuffle. Spread the cards out on the ground, then shuffle them around like a child playing in dirt. This method’s freedom and randomization serve as an excellent reset.
the shuffle and sort. Set up the deck in rows of seven cards across, commencing with the Major Arcana numbers 0 to 22. (see photo above). Next, arrange the cards, Ace through King, one for each suit, as follows: Swords, Pentacles, Cups, and Wands. View the deck in this configuration, then mix everything up (like the chaotic!) and shuffle it thoroughly.
How are tarot cards facing?
There is no “correct” response, as there are numerous things in the Tarot. The best course of action is to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of all your options before choosing the one that feels most natural to you.
You have a choice here between dealing cards with yourself or the client facing you. This is crucial when using reversed Tarot cards since you need to be able to distinguish between the upright and the inverted cards. Therefore, be cautious to choose your strategy before you lay down the cards.
Dealing the Cards to Face You
It is simpler to read the cards if they are dealt face you. It happens frequently that an image will attract your attention and communicate a certain tale, which you can then share with your client. If the card is upright, the image will seem differently and might convey a different message than if it is inverted. Therefore, facing the cards allows you to witness the story as it is being told.
In addition, I think it’s crucial for you, the reader, to see the cards as they are being set out rather than your client because it is you who will be giving the cards their meaning. Similar like trying to read a book upside-down to a young child, it is possible, but it is more challenging!
What is the Tarot card with the most force?
The Fool is typically seen as a card from the Major Arcana when performing a tarot reading. Contrary to popular belief, the Fool does not fall under either category in tarot card games. Instead, the Fool serves a function that is distinct from both the simple suit cards and the trump cards. As a result, the Fool has no number assigned to it in the majority of tarot decks that were initially created for playing games. Although Waite assigns the Fool the number 0, in his book, the Fool is discussed between Judgment (number 20) and The World (number 21). The Tarocco Piemontese is the only traditional game deck that numbers the Fool 0. Since the 1930s, the corner index for the Fool in Tarot Nouveau decks has frequently been a black inverted mullet. The Fool is one of the most expensive cards in practically all tarot games.
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 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.
