Learning to Read Tarot Cards

About Learning to Read Tarot Cards

For the most part, learning to read tarot cards is a very intuitive thing. While there are basic meanings attached to each card, those meanings are not written in stone. In fact, they are very flexible, and this is by design so that you can adapt a particular card according to the question/topic at hand.

While a little flexibility makes most things easier in life, this isn't necessarily the case with tarot. For some of us, it takes a little while to develop our intuitive talents, but if you stick with it, the cards will soon begin to make sense to you. As with most things, practice makes perfect.

With this concept in mind, let's take a look at some of the many ways of learning to read tarot cards.

Learning Tarot Made Easy

Learn from a Professional

When it comes to learning to read tarot, there's nothing like getting one-on-one instruction from a professional tarot reader. You can learn a lot from a single session, such as how to use a simple spread, and how to look at the meaning of each card in relationship to your question as well as the surrounding cards.

We recommend you have a couple of readings done for you by several professionals. If you find a certain pro that you really communicate well with, bite the bullet and ask if he/she is willing to give you lessons. Of course, you're not likely to receive this valuable training for free, but it will be well worth the time and money you spend once you can do your own readings. You may even branch out to doing readings for others and making a little money for your efforts.

Take Classes

The metaphysical book store is the tarot enthusiast's best friend. Not only can you find numerous tarot decks to excite your fancy, you just might find that tarot classes are offered as well. Such classes can help you quickly understand the classic meanings of the cards, how to weave an entire spread into a cohesive answer to your question, and which spread is best to use when asking particular types of questions.

They may not have the same advantages as personalized private lessons, but tarot reading classes might help you learn even more by listening to questions from others.

Books About Tarot

For those who prefer to learn on their own, studying books about tarot is one of the best ways to go. You can study at your own pace without the pressure (real or perceived) to advance at a particular rate. You can practice reading layouts at home and keep notes that may reveal overall patterns in the answers to your questions.

Useful titles you'll find at your local bookstore include:

• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Tarot by Arlene Tognetti and Lisa Lenard
• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Tarot Spreads Illustrated by Arlene Tognetti and Carolyn Flynn
• Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners by Joan Bunning
• Tarot Made Easy by Nancy Garen
• Tarot for Your Self : A Workbook for Personal Transformation by Mary K. Greer

Online Tarot Interpretations

Another way of learning on your own involves taking advantage of online tarot interpretations. Many websites offer the opportunity to receive a reading online, some free, others for a fee. Each reading is automatically interpreted for you, so if you're the kind of person who learns by example, this may be a great way to get a jump start on learning to read the tarot. Of course, you'll still want to supplement your tarot education with at least one good book to refer to, but it's definitely another avenue for learning to read the cards.

What's the best way to learn the tarot? More than any single method, a combination approach may offer the most comprehensive tutorial in tarot, and speed you quickly along the path of personal enlightenment. You might even want to visit LTK's own Daily Tarot Card page as a way to learn each card one at a time while you also get a little insight on what your day might hold for you.

Keep in mind that reading the cards is as subjective for others as it is for you. Take conflicting advice with a grain of salt, and let your own intuition be your guide.