Tarot 101: A Beginners Guide
Maybe you’ve seen tarot being used as a prop by a terrifying-looking witch or phoney fortune teller in some dodgy film.
For some reason, only Dr Facilier from The Princess and The Frog is coming to mind right now. I actually quite like him.
Or maybe you’ve stumbled across a few tarot card videos on TikTok or Youtube. Well, thanks to social media, this cultural phenomenon that’s been around since the 15th century, is making one hell of a comeback.
What started as a simple 78-deck card game, is now used by people all over the world to gain insight into particular situations.
Each card in the deck represents a stage of life in the Fool’s Journey, leaving the user to interpret the symbolism and energy of the cards, and lay out a story or make predictions.
But let’s put pop culture aside for a minute and talk about what tarot can do for you.
Tarot can be anything you want it to be: inspiration for journaling, stimulation for storytelling. But the most common use for tarot is reassurance, sometimes acting as a form of therapy.
I don’t condone this.
A little deck of cards isn’t going to miraculously take all your problems away and heal you but it can supply instant gratification and guidance on what path to choose.
It can cement the past, clarify the present and give a glimpse into the future. And while, yeah, you can visit a professional tarot reader for this, you can also buy your own deck and learn how to read for yourself.
Learning all 78 cards of the tarot is no easy feat and it certainly won’t come quickly. At least, not in the beginning. But with a little patience and perseverance, you’ll have the entire Fool’s Journey memorised in no time.
Example of a 78 Rider-Waite tarot deck
Ok, let’s begin!
For this explanation, I am going to be focussing on the original 78 Rider-Waite tarot deck. More modern decks often reflect the same tone and imagery but there can be the odd deck where the meanings are different or extra cards have been added.
How to learn the cards
The 78 deck is separated into 22 Major Arcana cards (The Fool’s Journey) and 56 Minor Arcana cards. The Minor Arcana is made up of four suits; Pentacles, Swords, Wands and Cups. Or in other words; Earth, Air, Fire and Water.
Each card has a different interpretation and can take on new meanings when pulled in conjunction with other cards.
There are many different ways to learn the meanings of each card but the way that worked for me was to study the imagery. Your intuition is often always right in cases like this and tarot usually has certain imagery that’ll make the message clear for you.
If you’d prefer a more practical approach, simply study a card or two a day. Get familiar with the symbolism, read the meaning from the booklet and build up your knowledge day by day, card by card until you have them all mastered.
How to read the cards
When it comes to reading tarot cards, I don’t think there’s a particularly ‘right’ way of doing things. Everyone has their own style and it’ll differ from reader to reader.
The only way that seems to work for me is to ask the person I’m reading for to place their dominant hand on the deck. This ensures that their energy will transfer into the deck. Then I will ask the reader what they would like to know, shuffle the cards while asking their question, and keep shuffling until the cards spring out. These cards will always have the appropriate answer. I will then clarify these cards with different decks and different sets to guarantee the best reading.
Of course, there are certain spreads that you can learn: the 3-card spread, 5-card spread, Celtic cross etc. The booklet that came with your tarot set should outline these or you can simply find a tarot book, search the internet or type it into Youtube.
Moonlight Guidance has some great tips on tarot that may interest you.
The main thing is to try and clear your mind, take deep breaths and trust your intuition.
As long as you try to tap in, the rest will come naturally.
How to pick the right deck for you
A spiritual leader once told me that it’s not us that chooses tarot, tarot chooses us. To read tarot you have to be open and you have to be willing to do the work. Once you’ve got that down, the right deck will come.
It can be as easy as choosing a set at random from a rack in a store or being pulled to a specific deck while browsing Amazon.
I have owned a fair few decks over the years, some of which I’ve given away as I could never connect with them. In fact, just last year while in St Mary’s for the summer, I borrowed the ‘Modern Witch Tarot Card Deck’ from a friend. I kept the deck for a couple of weeks and tried to connect with the cards but for some reason or another, I couldn’t. And this can happen. So it’s important to trust your gut and pick the deck that speaks to you most.
Once you’ve secured your first deck, you’ll be eager to add to your collection and there are so many to choose from.
I recommend the traditional tarot first, to get you in the swing of it, but then feel free to experiment with Angel Cards, Oracle Cards, Divination Decks and Meditation Cards.
Most importantly, have fun!
