It stands to reason that the Rider Waite Tarot Deck is a classic. You can’t go wrong here either, even though it’s not as attractive as the newest decks. It’s reasonably priced and ideal for beginners.
In This Article...
Can you read your own cards from a tarot deck?
Is it feasible for a beginner to perform Tarot spreads on themselves? Yes! It most certainly is. Tarot is a technique that aids in deepening our understanding of the present moment, honoring our intuition, and predicting future possibilities.
Which Tarot deck ought I to consult?
The most well-known tarot deck is this one. Due to its age and classic nature, it is less inclusive than some of the others. Dore claims that despite being quite Eurocentric, Christian, and hetero, she still utilizes this deck nearly exclusively. “She claims, “I’m particularly interested in interpretation, and the Pamela Colman Smith artwork in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck is so lovely. Dore frequently uses these photos, which is why she consistently uses this deck. She claims, “I learn so much there, and I believe using a deck to dig deep is helpful. Even though you might not connect with the visuals, the Rider-Waite-Smith deck continues to form the basis for many contemporary decks and still uses the same numbering scheme. All of our specialists advise beginners to start with a Rider-Waite-Smith-based deck because most resources and tarot reference materials are geared toward it, regardless of your personal artistic preferences.
Is a Tarot deck accessible to all?
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.
Are all tarot cards created equal?
Despite their vastly different designs, all tarot decks share a few characteristics. Each one has 78 playing cards, divided into the main and minor arcana. The major arcana, which are the deck’s 22 trump cards, generally allude to bigger influences and disclosures when they are revealed during a reading. These cards stand alone without a suit and represent key occasions or people in a person’s life.
In contrast, the minor arcana refer to influences and issues that are more commonplace. Wands, swords, pentacles, and cups make up the four suits that these 56 cards are divided into. (Occasionally, tarot decks will use different terminology, such as “Pentacles for coins, but they are exact equivalents to the four original divisions.) A different aspect of life is represented by each outfit. Wands typically represent imagination and passion, swords intelligence, pentacles work and wealth, and cups emotion. Additionally, each suit is associated with a certain set of astrological signs, such as wands being associated with fire, swords with air, pentacles with earth, and cups with water.
Since we’re beginners, the meanings you’ll most frequently refer to are the functional definitions, albeit these meanings can be used when cards symbolize people and their zodiac signs. For example, a three-card spread with three pentacle cards strongly denotes a financial concern. (More on the various spreads will follow.)
While much of this is up to the deck’s owner and what resonates with them, there are a few conventions that apply to the majority of tarot readings. If you’re reading cards for someone else, you should ask them to provide you with a question or suggest something they’re interested in, and keep that question in mind while you shuffle the deckalso referred to as “removing the effects of earlier research and readings. (An illustration would be, “When will I discover love?” Am I pursuing the correct career? “How can I get through my block?
Then you could query the person you are reading for (also known as “cutting the deck, once more concentrating on the querent. Although some readers will cut the deck for the querent, we prefer this option since it gives the querent a chance to feel linked to the deck personally. In any case, you will draw the necessary number of cards for your spread and, if you’re reading for yourself, place them between you and the querentor directly in front of you.
Is Tarot difficult to learn?
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.
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.
Why can’t I read the tarot by myself?
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!
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.
Tarot cards fly out for what reason?
I adore proverbs with a witchy theme. They are a part of an oral tradition that most likely began when illiteracy rates among rural residents were high. Witches created rhymes and other catchy words to help people remember their rituals before they could record their spells in intricate grimoires.
I’ve never been able to determine where the adage first appeared “What hits the ground makes its way to the door, but I believe it’s a keeper. The statement is applied by tarot readers to cards that fly out of the deck during the shuffle, whether they “either touch the table or the floor. Jumping cards is most definitely a message to pay attention to if, like me, you see the tarot as an oracle and a doorway to a higher plane of awareness.
Why Do Tarot Cards Jump Out of the Deck?
Cards may jump as a result of luck, inexperienced handling, or subconscious energy transference from the reader.
When seasoned tarot readers manipulate their decks, they infuse the cards with energy and intention. Empaths are particularly adept at transferring energy, so if you belong to this mystical group, you should be aware of any strange occurrences when you shuffle the cards.
amateur tarot readers
Additionally, anxious clients who shuffle the deck before a reading are more likely to make poor shuffles that cause cards to fall to the table or floor. In spite of this, their jumpers shouldn’t be dismissed as “accidents.” Regardless of the shuffler’s skill, every card that leaves the deck needs to be recorded.
How Do Cards Jump?
A card can emerge from the deck in a number of ways. Jumper cards are ranked in the following order, from least to most significant:
- Several cards from the deck drop to the ground or the table. This mishap was probably just the result of a careless shuffle.
- Without any ceremony or drama, one card is dealt face-down to the tabletop.
- One card is dealt face-up and is placed on the table.
- From the deck, one card flips enthusiastically and lands face-up on the surface of the table. Please read this carefully, dear reader. Hey, says the greeting card. Observe me! I want to share something with you.
Methods to Deal with a Jumping Tarot Card
It takes a lot of honesty and trust to read the tarot, especially for someone else. Even if you’ve only recently met and even if you’re reading for yourself, take a moment to pause and focus into the vibes surrounding your relationship with the querent whenever a card jumps out of the deck during a shuffle.
From the most cautious to the most important, here are the six ways to deal with an escaped card:
- Reshuffle the deck after placing the card back in it as if nothing had happened.
- Make a mental note of the jumper, reshuffle it, and only pay attention to it if it reappears in the spread you laid.
- Lay your spread separately as usual, with the jumper face up on the table to the side. After that, assess whether the jumper has any bearing on the cards you laid. Only incorporate it into your reading if it “you and makes sense in the given situation.
- The jumper should serve as the signifier. Particularly in spreads that feature a card meant to represent the inquirer, such as Card 1 in the Celtic Cross spread, treat this card as the beginning point for the remainder of your reading by placing it in the first place.
- Think of the jumper as resetting the reading. The true question is frequently avoided by respondents out of fear. They are hesitant to discover their murkier, more hidden sides. Even though you are the one asking the question, there could be an opportunity to do so “Maybe the question you asked wasn’t quite the correct one. What exactly do you want to know?
- Give the jumper a reading of its own. Because they lack the context that comes from reading cards in connection to other cards, one-card readings are probably the most challenging. However, there are instances when the most challenging tasks are also the ones that are most important. Examine the sweater thoroughly and attentively. Really go to it! Take into account all the information you have available about this card, including conventional keywords, your own interpretation of the symbolism, color, and numerology. Ask yourself if the jumper card might be a communication from the afterlife if your belief system includes communicating with the spirit realm.
Tarot card reading is a practice rather than a craft that can be mastered. There are numerous factors that effect every reading, making them unique. Avoid putting too much restriction on your practice. To make every reading the most meaningful and pertinent experience possible, open your heart, intellect, and sixth sense. This includes paying attention to feisty cards that demand your attention.

