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.
In This Article...
Can a new reader of tarot cards?
These cards are just bits of paper in the end, says actress and reader Rachel True. She claims that the tarot cards’ ability to assist you in discovering your own personal power is what gives them their charm, beauty, and strength.
Is it difficult to learn to read tarot cards?
The amount of information you need to study and memorize to read tarot, though, can seem overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be that way, and that’s what we’re here to tell you. You’ll be an expert by the time your friends from college come around for drinks tonight if you just follow our quick-start tarot instruction.
Tarot reading has been practiced since the 14th or 15th century and may have started out as a card game, similar to poker, rather than a spiritual activity. Nevertheless, a spiritual component emerged, and tarot cards started to be employed for divination in the late 18th century. They have also been applied to psychological research. Even Carl Jung thought of the playing cards as a tool to depict the “archetypes of mankind.”
The majority of 78-card tarot decks follow the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition and make use of related archetypes and iconography.
Additionally, there are tarot decks from various traditions, such as Marseilles tarot decks, as well as oracle cards, which can have any quantity of cards with their own particular imagery. But chances are, if you’re new to tarot, your deck is a Rider-Waite-Smith one.
Each of the 78 cards in these tarot decks has a distinct meaning. You don’t have to keep all of that in your head, even though it is a lot to know about them. The following are the key facts to be aware of:
1. The Minor Arcana and the Major Arcana are the two categories of Tarot cards.
Similar to a standard deck of playing cards, the 56 Minor Arcana cards are divided into four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. The total journey of your life is covered by the 22 Major Arcana.
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.
How can I quickly learn tarot?
Starting is the greatest method to study Tarot. Make time every day to routinely practice Tarot reading. Each day, I advise starting with a card. Every day, ask the Tarot: “What energy do I need to concentrate on today? and intentionally bringing that energy into your day.
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.
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.
Do I need a tarot card reading?
It might be time for you to try a tarot card reading, whether you’re searching for some clarification on your crush, insight into that promotion at work (crossing your fingers), or wondering if that girl’s trip is a good idea.
People have used the tarot deck to predict the future ever since the 15th century. Tarot card readings can assist you in finding the answers to all of your questions, giving you the knowledge and intuition you need to proceed. Simply put, it’s a simple (and fun) self-help and self-love activity.
The Major and Minor Arcana of the tarot deck each contain 78 cards. Consider the Major Arcana as the trump cards of the deck, or the A-list stars of Hollywood. The Emperor. A lover. a Devil. The Dunce. the organization of awareness in people. A reading with a large number of trump cards is potent and may imply that the matter is out of your control and is left to “fate.”
The Minor Arcana (the suit cards) are the supporting players that give the reading greater depth and perspective. If the majority of the items on your spread are suits, you are being advised to assume control of your course.
The four elements of air, water, earth, and fire are discussed in the Minor Arcana. These are shown in the tarot card images, which might give you a deeper understanding of your reading:
If you receive several sword cards in a reading, it may indicate that you are overthinking the situation or that you need to pay closer attention to the details. Swords stand for reasoning and communication.
The cups serve as a holding place for our feelings and highlight how we relate to how we feel about ourselves and other people. They can be viewed as either being half full or empty. Your decision is yours.
These coins stand in for the physical world. anything that you can touch directly. Money, your new shirt, and your roof are all important. Many pentacles in a tarot reading typically indicate practical issues involving our resources.
Wands typically represent the possibility of action or expansion (and potentially emanate). Perhaps it has to do with the promotion or the person you have your eye on.
There are a few things you should be aware of before having your first tarot card reading in order to truly appreciate the tarot’s power. You won’t regret it, I promise.
We understand that it’s simple to be dubious of any wellness technique that lacks strong scientific support. Tarot readings are meant to serve as a roadmap for obstacles in your life, and they can be interpreted in a way that points you in the right direction. Give yourself some power through reading. Otherwise, feel free to leave what you’ve learned at the door if it doesn’t resonate with you.
Bring some specific examples of situations when you’d prefer more clarity to the reading. You could inquire, “What is preventing me from receiving ? such as “Should I relocate to New York City? It is simpler to relate the meaning of the cards to what you’re going through the more detailed your inquiry is.
When I was younger, I used to be scared of tarot cards and psychics because I thought they would foretell an imminent catastrophe. It turns out that a “poor reading” doesn’t exist. For people going through a difficult time, the Death card in the deck may be a really encouraging element of a reading because it actually denotes the conclusion of a cycle and suggests that it will soon be finished.
Reading-related insights can be incredibly restorative and helpful, but they won’t be able to give you guidance if you can’t recall them. Your tarot reader won’t mind if you take notes or record the session so that you don’t have to try to process everything at the speed of light (there will be a lot to listen to). It won’t hurt your experience; it will only improve it.
You become more used to the lessons that can be learnt from each reading when you pull your cards more frequently. Keep in touch with your intuition and the spiritual forces that shape our earthly energy by buying your own deck, studying the tarot’s rules, and getting weekly (or monthly) readings from a professional.
Do you have a hankering for a tarot card reading? Is Mercury Retrograde giving you the cold shoulder? I gave my buddy three readings, and each confirmed that she was feeling the power of the full moon. View the cards she has (hint: she might have pulled The Devil card).
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.
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?
