Tarot card reading is a type of cartomancy in which practitioners are said to be able to predict the past, present, or future by using tarot cards. They create a question first, then deal out cards to answer it. There are 78 cards in a conventional tarot deck, which can be divided into the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. You can also utilize French-suited playing cards, as well as any other card system that links distinct aspects to specific suits (e.g., air, earth, fire, water).
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What advantages can tarot readings offer?
Tarot is being used by some people as a mental health ally. Tarot readings can help you find meaning in your circumstances, uncover solutions, and start a conversation with a therapist.
Tarot cards include a spiritual element, which may appeal to people who don’t identify with established religion. To that end, tarot might conflict with your beliefs or be difficult for you to accept.
It can be tempting to see what you want to see because the cards have a variety of interpretations. Getting a second opinion, according to experts, helps lessen confirmation bias.
The final word? Tarot cards may be a useful tool if they give you a sense of calm and well-being. It’s acceptable to go on to something else if they don’t.
What types of tarot readings are available?
It is important to understand what the tarot cards are about and what you are getting into if you are just starting to dabble in the realm of psychics and tarot cards.
Since the middle of the 15th century, tarot cards have been employed in Europe to play games including French Tarot, Italian Tarocchini, and Austrian Konigrufen. Some tarot cards started being employed for occult and divinatory purposes in the late 18th century.
Readers of tarot cards can use the cards to gain understanding of the past, present, and future. Cards are pulled and interpreted after a question is posed.
Tarot professionals frequently use custom-made decks, each of which varies based on the reader’s preferences and area of expertise. But they all function the same way. There are 78 cards in a standard tarot deck, with 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana.
The Major Arcana cards represent a powerful force that, when it manifests in divination, must be regarded seriously.
These are some Major Arcana cards:
High Priestesses
Four suits of fourteen cards each, made up of ten numbered cards and four court cards, make up the Minor Arcana. Wands, Pentacles (sometimes known as coins), Cups, and Swords are the four suits. In each of the tarot suits, the court cards are the King, Queen, Knight, and Jack. Each card in a divination deck has a unique message, and each suite has a general meaning. The more transient forces in your life at the moment, like as love, prosperity, change, and resiliency, are represented by the Minor Arcana.
Each tarot card is a suggestion rather than a statement of reality to an expert reader. So, it’s crucial to keep your mind open to what they might represent.
Different types of tarot card readings
The six most popular tarot spreads used for readings are as follows:
- The Spread of Success
- Spread of the Celtic Cross
- The Spread of Career Paths
- The Three-Card Poker Hand
- The Spread Of Religion
You can assess your partner’s spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical connections using this six-card spread. It can inform you how resilient and content you are and what you can do to strengthen or advance your relationship.
When you are experiencing difficulties or barriers in your life, you should apply this five-card spread. It can help you identify the best course of action for handling a situation, as well as assist you in resolving the issue and overcoming your obstacles. It can also let you know when a calamity in your life is about to strike and how to get ready for it.
This ten-card spread is excellent for handling complex circumstances because it enables the reader to comprehend the full scope of the issue and the most effective course of action.
With the aid of this seven-card spread, you can overcome difficulties in your professional life. The topics covered could be “how to get that raise or promotion,” “is the job you currently have the perfect fit for you,” or “what alternative career options are advantageous for you.”
Given that it only uses three cards, this spread is the most straightforward and practical. It is also one of the most potent spreads since it may provide you with quick answers to any questions or inquiries you may have.
When you are troubled by spiritual problems, this eight-card spread can be helpful. It tackles your deepest anxieties and fears as well as how you might advance on your spiritual path.
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.
What do the tarot cards represent?
Tarot cards have been employed as a tool for divination, self-discovery, and introspection since the Middle Ages and are a favorite of both fortune-tellers and casual mystics. The 78 cards in a traditional Rider-Waite-inspired deck include a booklet that explains each card’s deeper meaning.
The more you use your deck, the more comfortable you’ll feel with its symbolism, but for now, here is a quick explanation of what each card means.
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.
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:
- What is the relationship’s current energy?
- 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?
Do I need to do tarot readings every day?
There are several advantages to regularly using tarot cards, regardless of your level of expertise or whether you consider yourself a spiritual skeptic or beginner. Tarot, for example, can teach you how to access your intuition on a regular basis, which can help you make decisions and coordinate your actions. Tarot habits can be a great way to get in touch with your inner self and ask the proper questions. Because you’re prioritizing tuning into your own rhythm and patterns, you might even feel as though you’re beginning to see things more clearly, whether it be warning signs at work or a more significant issue you need to address in a relationship.
Can you perform a self-tarot reading?
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!
In a tarot reading, how many cards are used?
The major arcana, which contains 22 cards and is also known as the trumps, and the minor arcana, which has 56 cards, make up the 78 cards that make up this deck. Moon, card number 18 in the major arcana.

