Methods for Learning to Read Tarot Cards

Learning to read tarot cards is simple once you know the basic meanings and interpretations of the cards. Learn to use your intuition to adapt the meanings and give readings that are accurate and personal to the recipient.

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 it takes a little while to develop 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.

Different Methods for Learning to Read Tarot Cards

Depending on the deck, your learning style, and what's immediately available to you, you may find that one method of learning appeals to you more than another.

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 card 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.

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 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.

You can also find some tarot courses online. One of the best known free tarot tutorials is Learning the Tarot by Joan Bunning. This is a free self-paced course that contains 19 lessons and exercises to take the reader from an introduction to tarot through interpreting the cards based on the nature of the query, the spread and their relation to each other in the layout.

Alison Day also offers a free 12-week online tarot card reading course. You'll receive one lesson per week via e-mail for a period of 12 weeks. There is an optional online test that accompanies each lesson. A discussion forum is also available to the participants of the course for an interactive experience.

Books About Tarot

For those who prefer to learn on their own, studying books about tarot is one of the best ways to go. Study at your own pace without the pressure (real or perceived) to advance at a particular rate. 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

Tarot Newsletters

Signing up to receive a tarot newsletter is another good way to learn how to read the cards. This method usually requires that you register and give an email address. The newsletters are sent out at regular intervals and can be filled with tips and suggestions. A couple of newsletters that you may be interested in are:

The Tarot Tips Newsletter: The Tarot School offers this newsletter that includes suggestions for enhancing your tarot skills and lists other available resources to its subscribers.
Tarot Doorway: This monthly newsletter for tarot enthusiasts is published by Peggy Firth, and it may be accessed online at her website. Peggy discusses many topics of interest to tarot card readers at all levels of experience.

Online Tarot Discussion Groups

There are many online groups dedicated to the discussion of tarot card topics. Joining one of these groups will put you in contact with tarot card readers with different levels of experience. Varied perspectives and insights can be useful to the tarot beginner. Two of the largest online tarot discussion groups are:

Aeclectic Tarot Forum: This forum offers over one million posts on the subject of tarot from nearly 17,000 members.
Tarot-L: A well established tarot discussion group owned by Brian David Phillips that encourages different insights on many aspects of tarot.

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.

Learning to Read on Your Own

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. As you become more comfortable with your cards and your interpretations of them, you'll find your confidence growing as well.