How to Read Tarot Cards

From LoveToKnow Horoscopes

It takes some time to learn how to read tarot cards. Although there is a large amount of information available for tarot card readers, there is nothing like using the cards to gain an understanding of them. Reading the tarot is partially an intuitive skill that will develop once you know the basics of tarot card reading.

What do the cards have to say?

Learning How to Read Tarot Cards

The Tarot Card Deck

Selecting a tarot card deck is a matter of personal choice. Most beginners start reading with the Rider-Waite deck. Often, this is the only deck many tarot readers ever use. There are many variations and interpretations for this particular deck, but most of the books written for tarot reading instruction are based on the Rider-Waite deck.

Once you have selected your cards, spend some time getting to know them. You might divide them up into groups such as the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. You can then divide up the suits of the Minor Arcana.

Study each card and its illustrations, make note of what you see in the pictures and write down questions that come to mind about the card. Look up the standard meaning of the card. There are many books that provide these meanings and offer insights to the cards. Janina Renee has written a useful book about how to read tarot cards titled Tarot Your Everyday Guide.

Tarot Rituals

There are many rites and rituals used in the reading of tarot cards. Some readers have elaborate ceremonies, while others keep the experience simple. Both methods are correct and acceptable. Each individual should do what they need to do to find a calm place of consciousness that will allow them to read the cards and interpret the message from them.

Some common tarot rituals are:

Saying a prayer or blessing before or after the reading
Lighting special candles
Performing a smudging ceremony
Cleansing the cards

You may wish to adopt some of the common rituals or create your own to augment your receptivity to the message of the tarot cards.

Tarot Spreads

There are many ways to lay out tarot cards. Some readers use only one spread such as the Celtic Cross, while others like to use different spreads depending on the type information requested by the querent. Each position in a tarot spread contains a separate part of the tarot interpretation. There are many books and online illustrations for tarot card spreads, you can also create your own layouts.

Basic Steps for Reading

Reading practices vary from one tarot reader to the next and even from one querent to the next. The main rule of tarot reading is to listen to your intuitive inner-voice. The basic steps for performing a successful reading are:

Learn the basic meanings of the cards.

Practice reading by drawing one card from the deck each day and interpreting it's message for you.

Set up the area that you plan to do the reading in. Perform your rituals if you have any.

Clear your mind and relax.

Shuffle the deck of cards.

Concentrate on the question you are addressing.

Select the spread you are going to use and lay out the cards in the correct order.

Interpret each card's meaning in relation to its position in the spread and which other cards appear with it.

Enjoy your experiences reading the tarot, and do not try to force an understanding of the cards. Let your energy flow, and be patient; the answers will come if you let them.

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