There are many reasons you might feel drawn to the Tarot. Who doesn’t want a glimpse of the future? But Tarot is more about accessing your intuition to better understand where you are and what you really want. Find out more about the Tarot, how it works, and how to do a Tarot reading – yes you can do your own Tarot reading.
How do Tarot Cards Work?
As the history of the Tarot shows, Tarot cards aren’t magical. They are a tool that can help you access your intuition or your connection with the spiritual realm.
The general idea is that we know more than we realize. Our senses are constantly collecting data from both the material and the spiritual planes. But our conscious minds aren’t capable of consciously understanding all that data, therefore our conscious minds receive only a small and simplified portion of that information.
Sometimes our subconscious mind will send up some more data when we really need it. This usually manifests as something like a gut feeling: we know something, but we don’t understand how we know it.
Tarot cards are one tool that can help us actively tap into our subconscious data bank and ask for answers to specific questions. Some people believe that when you are using Tarot, you are just accessing your intuition, while others believe that your subconscious mind is also better able to communicate with the spiritual realm, so you are also drawing on information that it chooses to share with you.
Tarot works because you can shut off your conscious mind and, with your hands, let your subconscious pull out cards that contain the information that you need to know. The set meanings of the cards and their imagery are something that has been developed collectively as a culture for centuries, which is why they carry universal meanings. But interpreting that meaning for your specific context relies on your intuition.
How To Use Tarot Cards?
There are many different Tarot cards out there with varied designs. There are everything from traditional cards that look almost like playing cards to modern cards with cat or manga themes. But whatever deck you choose, it will probably be based on the imagery of the Rider-Waite deck developed in the late 18th century, and therefore there are consistent meanings between the cards. So, you can look around at various decks and choose a set that speaks to you personally on a visual level. But once you have chosen our cards, then what?
Step 1: Prepare Yourself
The first thing to do is to prepare yourself to access your intuition. To do this, you need to quiet your conscious mind, which tends to spend a lot of time screaming information inside your head. You need to quiet that voice to give your subconscious voice more space to be heard.
One of the best ways to do that is to develop a meditation practice. There are many different ways to meditate, but the core principle of meditation is to learn to quiet your conscious mind, putting conscious thoughts aside as they pop up.
Meditating directly before a Tarot reading can be useful, but also, just having a meditation practice makes it easier for you to quiet your conscious mind whenever you need to.
Step Two: Connect with your Cards
You need to feel connected with your cards for your intuition to be able to tap into their meaning. So, you should spend time with your deck before you start doing readings.
You should spend time physically with your cards, holding them, shuffling them, and playing with them, so that they feel natural in your hands. You should also spend time reviewing their meanings. For most people, this will mean reading the guidebook with descriptions, probably several times, but also looking at each card, looking at the imagery, and deciding on a personal level what it means to you.
While there is nothing wrong with consulting the book when doing a reading, you also want to work those meanings into your subconscious mind.
Step Three: Learn How to Ask Questions
You don’t always have to have a question in mind when doing a Tarot reading, but it does help focus your reading. It also helps to know how to ask questions. Too often, people want yes or no answers, but life’s possibilities are infinite. It is also a good idea to remember that you have agency in life and that it is your actions, decisions, and attitudes that have the biggest impact on your life. Questions are often best oriented towards that agency.
For example, “will my boyfriend propose to me?” is a bad question. Which boyfriend? When? Will things work out if he proposes? And so on. A better question might be, “how can I ensure that I have lasting and strong relationships in my life?” This question is open-ended and can reveal insight into why you might struggle with long-term romantic relationships or identify problems in your existing relationship that are stopping it from moving forward.
These questions not only give broader insights, but the answers are also better able to point you towards things you can do to move towards what you want. That is much more useful than a simple “no”.
Step Four: Cast Your Cards
When you are ready, and you have your question in mind, it is time to turn to your cards.
There are different ways to cast your cards, both in terms of how you deal them and how you choose them. When it comes to choosing, you may spend some time shuffling the deck with your question in mind, and when you feel happy that the deck is on your side, deal from the top. Rather than dealing from the top, you might choose to spread the deck blind and then choose a card that is calling to you. You need to experiment to see what feels best.
There are many different card arrangements that are useful for different situations, and there are lots of experienced Tarot readers out there who share their favorite approaches. If you are just starting out, it is best to go with something simple, like a three-card spread, rather than jumping in with an elaborate 15-card deal.
Below are my three favorite spreads.
One Card Draw
Although one card doesn’t really classify as a spread, when I just want some guidance for the day, I’ll often draw just one card. I’ll ask the deck to show me the most important energies that are going to be influencing me in the coming hours. It could be things that I am subconsciously feeling or things that I will encounter and will need to deal with.
Three Card Spread
When I have a question about a specific situation, I’ll do a three-card spread, just laying the cards out in a simple line. I’ll hold my question in mind and ask the first card to show me the underlying cause of the challenge that I am facing. I’ll ask the second card to show me the reality of the situation that I am in, which is not always clear to our conscious mind. I’ll ask the third card to indicate things I could do to get me towards the outcome that I desire.
Five Card Spread
If I want to give myself a mini-full reading, I’ll go for a five-card spread. I’ll start with three cards in a simple line to give me a summary of the most important aspects of my life at this moment. I’ll ask the first card to show me something from my past, the second something from the present, and the third something from the near future that will be an outcome of things that are happening now.
I will then place one card above the line and one card below the line. The card above the line is to indicate the main forces that are influencing where I am in the present. I’ll ask the card below the line to suggest what I could be doing to move toward what I want.
Step 5: End the Reading
When you have finished your reading, it is time to pack up your cards. It is a good idea to gather the cards and shuffle them again, this time with a clear mind to resent the deck. When you are done, express gratitude for what you have experienced. Then store your cards in a safe place where they aren’t likely to pick up other energy. You can place an energy-cleansing crystal with your cards to protect them as well, such as tourmaline, selenite, clear and rose quartz, or labradorite.
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