Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 5: Getting to know the Tarot
• Method 3 of 5: Do a simple card read
• Method 4 of 5: Do a more complex lay
• Method 5 of 5: Manage your card set
• Tips
• Warnings

To learn to read Tarot cards you need a combination of knowledge and intuition, and anyone can develop that. Follow the steps below to develop your skills as a Tarot reader so that you can provide insight and guidance to those who want it, or to help you in your personal development.

To step

Method 1 of 5: Getting to know the Tarot

1. Choose a set of cards. Each type of Tarot cards uses a certain symbolism. The most commonly used set is the Rider-Waite Tarot or one based on it, such as the Morgan-Greer Tarot. Still, it's important to choose one that appeals to you, so check out different sets and read reviews to find out what people like or don't like about them.
   • Both classic and popular card sets are always in circulation, and new sets are published every year, so there is a constant supply of sets to choose from.
   • The top five Tarot sets of all time are: Deviant Moon Tarot, Rider-Waite Tarot, Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot, DruidCraft Tarot and Shadowscapes Tarot.
2. Think about your goal. Thinking about the goals you hope to achieve in the Tarot can help you on your journey as a card reader. If you know what your end goal is, you can look more neutrally at the phase you are in now, and what steps you still need to take to final destination reach. Ask yourself what your intention of the Tarot is for you, or how you want to use the Tarot for others. Your goals may include developing greater intuition, developing your creativity, or connecting with a spiritual force. Your goal is personal and it varies from person to person.
3. Transfer your energy to your card set. The best way to do this is to shuffle the cards. Shake them over and over, over and over. Arrange them in order (from The Fool to The World, from Ace to Ten, then Squire, Knight, Queen and King). Handling your deck will help you ensure that it becomes an extension of yourself.
4. Understand how the deck works. The Tarot card set consists of 78 cards: 22 Large Arcana cards and 56 Small Arcana cards. You have to memorize each card and it is preferable to know two interpretations per card.
   • Major Arcana. The Tarot archetypes from the Major Arcana are images that represent life and the different phases and experiences we all go through. It represents the journey through life, starting with De Fool (young, pure, spiritual energy), and through various events and cycles finally to perfection in The World (the end of the life cycle).
   • Minor Arcana. The Minor Arcana is about the people, events, feelings, and circumstances that we take on our personal Away from De Fool come across. It represents the events that are within the control of the individual and shows you how to proceed in life. The Minor Arcana is very similar to a traditional card deck. It consists of 4 sets, and each of these sets is associated with one of the elements: Rods (fire), Cups (water), Pentacles (earth), and Swords (air). There is also the Queen, King and Knight from each set, as well as the addition of Squire or Princess.
     • Memorizing all 78 cards takes time. Try to practice with someone who can ask you questions about the cards.
5. Have a good book. A well-written book that can help you understand the basics of the Tarot is highly recommended if you are just starting to learn Tarot reading. Some books emphasize learning the cards, while others focus more on applying the cards in layouts. Choose a book that suits your way of learning.
   • Don't lean too much on your book. It will help you get to know the Tarot, but it is necessary that you learn to develop and use your intuition, along with your book knowledge, to become a good Tarot reader.
   • Try the following trick to use your intuition as you learn. Look at each card and decide for yourself what the card means. Don't worry if it's right - just try to feel what the card is telling you. Then take a look at your book and see what the meaning is. This takes away the focus of just memorizing and the fear of making mistakes. And you also learn to read maps in a flowing way because you really have made the connection with the maps yourself.
   EXPERT TIP

   Draw a card every day. You can simply draw a card every day as a way to get to know the cards better, or you can draw one to see what the day may bring you.

   • Getting to know the cards. Draw any card and stare at it for a while. Write down your first impressions and the intuitive thoughts that come to mind. Write these with a certain color of ink in a diary or notebook. With a different color of ink you write down additional information obtained from other sources (books, forums on the Internet, friends). After a few days, reread what you wrote and add additional thoughts in a third color of ink.
   • Do leggings daily. Pick any card when you get up in the morning. Take the time to look at it for a while. Pay attention to the colors and how you react to them. Pay attention to the overall atmosphere of the card and the emotions it evokes in you. Look at the figures on the map - what they do, whether they sit or stand, who they remind you of and how they make you feel. Focus on the symbols and what they remind you of. Record your thoughts in a journal - you can then read back and use this as a learning tool, and see the progress you are making.
6. Study combinations of cards. It is important for beginners to see the Tarot not just as 78 separate cards, but as a system of patterns and interactions. Studying combinations of cards can help you understand this concept. Draw two or more cards from your deck and place them next to each other face up. Then you look at the images and look for events or places in the card combination. You can lay more than two cards or do a whole lay. The point is that you get to know the cards in combination with each other, so that you develop a deeper understanding and gain greater confidence when you are going to do a real card reading.
7. Create a constellation. Tarot constellations consist of cards that all have the same number (one through nine). For example, the Tarot constellations of number four are all numbers four of each element, The Emperor (which has number four) and Death (which has number 13 but added up to 4).
   • Put all the cards of a particular constellation in front of you and ask yourself some questions, such as what you feel with each card, what attracts, repels, irritates or makes you anxious about the cards, how they look alike and how they differ from each other , and what symbols they seem to have in common. Repeat this exercise for each of the nine numbers and write down your impressions in a journal.
   • If you write down the energy of each card, it will be easier for you if multiple cards with the same number show up in a lay. Rather than focusing on the meaning of the individual cards, you will be able to focus on the energy they radiate as a group.
8. Play the game of balancing the cards. Go through your deck and pull out those cards you find difficult. Watch them carefully, trying to get to the root of your first feeling. Then go through your deck again and pull out one or more cards, feeling that they will "balance out" the feeling you have with the others.
   • This game helps you to develop a certain skill that you can use in your lectures. If a difficult card shows up in one of your layouts and you want to help whoever it is for, you can recommend a card that counterbalances the difficult card.

Method 3 of 5: Do a simple card read

1. Tell a story. A Tarot reading is like a story that you tell the person for whom the reading is. It is an attempt to highlight influences from the past, to understand current circumstances and to predict the most obvious future. The future you are talking about is not a fixed future with a fixed outcome; it is important to remember that there are no set endings or absolute outcomes.
2. Slowly become familiar with various layouts. A leggings simply means the way you put the cards in front of someone. A Tarot reading is a configuration or pattern in which the cards are placed. That pattern provides the framework for the Tarot reading. Also, each position of the Tarot cards in the layout has a specific meaning. In your lecture you make use of the location or positioning of the maps within a specific theme. For example, in many layouts there are positions for the past, present and future. There are also positions for feelings, specific challenges, external factors, etc. There are several layouts to choose from, and more experienced readers sometimes create their own. Experiment with different interpretations, especially trying those that require you to use your imagination and intuition. It is important to find out what works best for you; many card readers fall back on specific layouts that suit them.
3. Start with a Three-card lay. A three-card reading is very suitable for getting answers to simple questions through divination, to keep you focused on the essentials and suitable for beginners who have just started the Tarot. Determine the positions in advance, put the cards down, and apply what you have learned about the meaning of the cards and combinations to tell a story.
   • A few possible positions for a lecture intended to understand a situation are: past / present / future, current situation / obstacle / advice, where you are now / what you want / how to get there and what can help you / what can hinder you / what is your unused potential.
   • Other possible positions for a lecture intended to understand relationships are: you / the other / the relationship, opportunities / challenges / outcomes, what do you share / what drives you apart / what needs attention and what do you want from this relationship / what do you not want from this relationship / where is this relationship going.
   • Some positions for a reading intended to understand relationships are: mind / body / soul, material state / emotional state / spiritual state, you / your current path / your potential and stop / start / continue.

Method 4 of 5: Do a more complex lay

1. Separate the cards. To do this 21-card lay, separate the Major Arcana from the Minor.
2. Put the cards down. Shuffle each set of cards, separate them and place them in rows of three, seven per row with one card next to them. This uses all of the Major Arcana cards, but not all of the Minor Arcana. Put these in a pile next to it.
3. Write down your first impression. List the cards you have laid out. Choose a word that most adequately describes each card and write it next to the name of the card.
4. Look at the pictures on the cards. What do they suggest to you? Try to find a pattern like in a story, as if you were looking at illustrations in a book while trying to find the story. The patterns can be found oblique, down, up, front to back or vice versa. The card next to it symbolizes the most important aspect of the situation.
5. Ask questions. Ask yourself what situations in your life or in the life of the person whose cards are being read the cards refer to.
6. Consider alternatives. Look for patterns in the story that can offer alternatives to the ending you perceived first, things that could make the situation better or worse.
7. Reread the words. Review the words you wrote with the cards. How do these relate to the stories you have identified?
8. Make it a whole. Combine your observations from the above steps and turn it into a reading. You will be amazed at how accurate the reading is, much more so than if you just follow the book that comes with the set.
   • Remember, if at any point you feel that a card means something different to you than it says in the book, you can just go by your intuition. Trusting your intuition is the real way to read Tarot cards and something you will naturally do as you become more experienced. Let the cards speak to you.

Method 5 of 5: Manage your card set

1. Store your card set properly. Tarot cards can absorb negative energy and that can affect your readings. It is recommended that you keep your cards in a black lined pouch or in a wooden Tarot card box. You can also add (semi) precious stones or herbs that strengthen intuitive gifts.
2. Think about the people who are allowed to touch your card set. It is a matter of personal preference whether you let the person for whom you read the cards touch the cards. Some readers encourage this — they have the person for whom the cards are dealt shuffle the cards so that they can transfer their energy to the cards. Other Tarot readers prefer to leave only their own energy on their set and not someone else's.
3. Clearing your deck. Sometimes it will be necessary to sanitize or clean your deck so that no negative energy remains on it. There are many ways to do this, and one way is to include one of the four elements. When using this method, start fluttering the deck as you would a fan; if a deep cleaning is needed, you can clean the cards one by one.
   • Soil. Bury your deck that you have covered in sand, salt or mud for 24 hours. You can also wave your deck while it is on a tablecloth and sprinkle it with salt and / or sand, or a combination of basil, lavender, rosemary, sage, or thyme for one or two minutes.
   • Water. Lightly sprinkle your cards with water, herbal tea, or a plant mixture and wipe it off immediately, or expose your deck to moonlight, in a protected area, for half the night.
   • Fire. Quickly pass your deck through a candle flame, being careful not to burn yourself. You can also expose your deck to sunlight for half a day, in a protected area.
   • Sky. Run your deck through a burning stick of incense five to seven times. Or, instead, try taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling deeply over your deck three times.

Tips

• Use the shuffle of the cards to clear your mind. Choose cards with backs that appeal to you so that you can use them as a focus when you meditate on them.
• Use crystals to add energy and atmosphere to your card reading.
• Think of the Major Arcana as the cards that represent the deeper, spiritual aspects of life, and the Minor Arcana as the cards that reflect everyday events.
• Turn all cards so that they are all upright if you want to avoid having reverse cards. Reversed cards can lead to additional insights but are not necessary and can make learning to read cards more difficult for beginners.
• Light incense and candles to create a relaxing atmosphere for card reading. A glass of wine and some soft music can enhance this.
• If you think you are ready to deal with reverse cards, there are a few ways you can do this. Some people attribute a reverse meaning to the reverse cards, but this reduces the level of card reading to such an extent that it is of little value. It may be more profitable if you are wondering if the upside-down card weakens the meaning of the card. For example, if Cup Ten is upside down, is your joyful energy blocked, delayed, present but not sincere, sincere but not expressed, hidden, on hold, or otherwise not fully present? The context usually makes it clear what is going on.
• Use the Little Arcana cards you have left in a layout to continue interpretations of cards you find difficult. Select one or more cards from the deck and place them on the difficult card. Read the chosen cards as a story or combination.
• Sometimes the meaning of a Tarot reading may seem unclear or ambiguous. To keep your lectures sharp, you can practice laying one reverse reading: first think of a meaning (for example, quick solution), then try to think of a map that shows this (e.g. Eight of Bars). So when you ask a question in a Tarot reading, imagine what answers you might get and what cards they might represent - * before * you start drawing the cards.

Warnings

• If you strongly believe in free will, it does not mean that you cannot use the power of the Tarot's suggestion. More than a prediction, you can see the Tarot as a guide that helps you see where you want to go in life, instead of steering it in a certain direction.
• Remember to take the Tarot with a grain of salt.
• You can cut yourself ugly on some card sets. So be careful!