So, you want to learn the Tarot?
I remember a time when I first started learning about Tarot that I was all alone. I found a deck from this secondhand shop in Richmond, VA, and snatched it up for $1.00; it even came with a little book! This was before the internet and so I couldn’t just google or watch YouTube videos. The book had some descriptions with keywords on each card but that was all. That’s when my search for books on the Tarot began.
Now, with every event I have many people come and tell me they have their own decks at home, but they don’t know where to begin. After many years, I can give some pointers on this topic and make it fun at the same time.
- I think it’s important to start with one of the originals. A simple Rider-Waite Deck is the best to learn on. Once you get familiar with this one you will be able to quickly connect with many other different decks. I can NOT tell you how many different decks are out there. It’s a lot! I am currently working on my own deck, The Virtago Moon Deck.
- Don’t touch the little book yet! First, get yourself a notebook. This will be Tarot Journal. Go through your deck and study it. What impression do you get from each card? What message do you think is being expressed? Now, write that down for each card in your journal. Leave at least a page for each card so you can write down more later as you go along.
- After your have written down your own guesses. Now, you can look at the book. How close were you? You can write down keywords from the book now.
- Every day select a card. I personally pull my card at the end of every day. I don’t do my pulls in the morning as I don’t want it to color my entire day through the power of suggestion. I go over the keywords and even will google the card to see what others have to say. Then I journal how the card resonated with me and how it did or didn’t fit into my day. After 15 years, I still do this daily.
- Get familiar with the Major Arcana cards. There are 22 in the average 78 card deck. It’s the Fool’s Journey through life. First card being The Fool and the final card being The World. If you take just the Major Arcana and look at them like a story you will see the beginning when you are young and naïve and the evolution and growth of a lifetime. The universal human experience of a life lived.
- Pull out all the Court Cards. Get to know these cards. I personally use these cards as actual people in my spreads. Assign people in your life that resemble these court cards. For instance, I have assigned the King of Swords as my husband. My husband is very honest, he is a leader type. Very strategic, logical, intellectual. The King of Swords is calm yet assertive. They are not at all impulsive but prefer to plan and research before jumping in. The Shadow side is they can be inflexible and come across as cold or blunt. Swords as an air sign means that this person could very well be an Aquarius (oddly enough, my husband is also an Aquarius). Do this with all the court cards to get familiar with them.
- Minor Arcana are the day-to-day things everyone deals with at some point. The good news is that a bad day is just a blink of an eye in comparison to an entire life. These cards usually have a temporary influence but will offer insight into how things are and how to make goals.
- Another important thing to learn when it comes to Tarot is some numerology. Each card is numbered and there is a reason for that. For example, 5 represents chaos and challenges. For example, the 5 of cups is about conflict, challenges with emotions: sadness, loss, loneliness. (Cups or Water, is your emotional self. Feelings, intuition, creativity.)
- Start with simple 3 card spreads. For example, the past, present, future spread. Read for yourself, read for friends and family. Practice as much as you can.
- Google different tarot spreads. There are simpler ones and then there are more complicated spreads. The year ahead spread, the celtic cross, relationships spreads, career spreads. Have several different spreads in your Tarot tool bag.
With these 10 Tips to Learning the Tarot, you can become an intuitive reader in no time. Practice makes perfect! The most important thing to be a successful Cartomancer is to establish a relationship with your deck. Learn all you can and then learn some more. Look at different perspectives and then decide for yourself what the cards are telling you.
Good luck!