I've been reading tarot cards for decades, so I'm certainly biased when I say this, but: Everyone should have their own tarot deck. And for good reason! Tarot cards can answer your most burning questions anywhere and anytime; they're basically a guide and sounding board in the form of a 78-card deck. So if you're starting out your tarot reading journey, I, for one, am so excited for you.
The good thing about learning tarot reading is that it's kind of like riding a bike—you only have to learn it once. Every deck is the same, and no matter what deck you use, every card has a universal meaning. A tarot deck will always have 78 cards, and they're usually made up of two groups: The Major Arcana, which are “power cards,” and the Minor Arcana, which relate to daily life and action.
With tarot cards, it's truly a lifetime of learning that can help you become a wiser, calmer, bigger-picture-thinking person. If you're curious about that journey, we've outlined the very first steps to taking on tarot reading as a beginner. From finding your ideal deck to how to actually read tarot cards, we've got answers for you below. Ready to begin?
Find your perfect deck.
Choosing a deck that suits you visually and aligns with your personality is very important—in my experience, it can help you to better retain the information. Avoid decks with no imagery, scenery, characters, or symbolism. Get something where every card has a beautiful picture to sink into.
Always start with questions.
This is almost as important as the first one. Go into your reading with a question, but no more than three to start with. Reading tarot cards is a literal Q&A. If you go in without any questions, then you won’t know how to interpret the cards you pull—they will just hover without a theme, anchor, or reason for being drawn. Below are a few good questions to start with if you're unsure of where to begin:
- What do I need to focus on today (or this week)?
- What lesson am I meant to learn from yesterday?
- What sign should I look for today?
- What is blocking my progress right now?
It's helpful to have a journal or the Notes app on your phone or laptop open too so that you can make notes of the questions you ask, the cards you pull, and what you make of them. This will help you learn your deck and test your interpretations.
For even more questions, see the story below:
Pull the cards.
This is the easiest way to do this is by shuffling your cards any way you like, then pull out one card per question. Remember which card answers which question. I usually just lay the cards out in a straight line.
Interpret your cards.
This is the hardest part, especially for beginners because you’ll have to do some mental gymnastics. There are three different ways to read (or interpret) your cards:
Read the card intuitively.
Look at the imagery and let your subconscious throw up what you notice or feel when you look at it—i.e. what emotions, memories, people, ideas, further questions, or associations come to mind based on what you’re seeing. You might even have a fully-formed epiphany and the answer arrives ready-to-go, jolted by something you're seeing. More often than not, though, you will have to connect dots and come to a conclusion married by your reaction to what you pull and what you then make of that.
Read the card’s “essence”.
You can find out the card's essence in the deck's guidebook. For example, the Death card represents transformation. So if you that in response to a question, then your answer will be based on seeking change by ending something.
Read the card’s full meaning.
The full meaning can also be found in the guidebook. Once you find it, pick out which part of it speaks best to your question and use that as your basis for forming an answer.
If this sounds like a good amount of work it's because it is, and that’s often a surprise to new tarot readers. If it makes you feel like you're not doing it right, then you actually are! This growing pain is how the tarot cards train you and make you better. Practice is the only way into it.
When starting out, I'd recommend reading your cards every day. Familiarity will build greater confidence and this will trigger your appetite to ask more, learn more, and get more out of your cards. And then you're really on your way.
Want more info?
Don't worry, there are so many resources out there for you to keep learning and practicing. Here are a few of my favorite:
- Modern Tarot by Michelle Tea is a great guidebook offering contemporary, real-life scenarios that bring each card to life.
- The site Biddy Tarot is deep well of information about every aspect of tarot.
- Content creator Chelsey Pippin—known on Instagram as @pipcardstarot—is your go-to for tarot spread ideas and using tarot cards for things like brainstorming and creativity.
