Reading the Tarot

1 Conversation

The Tarot is a deck of cards used for the purpose of divination1, whereby they are consulted with a question or problem. They are widely used by those with more spiritual beliefs but such beliefs are not necessary to use them. Swiss psychologist Carl Jung was fascinated by the tarot and its links to his ideas about the human psyche and as a key for unlocking such. Readers today may use either a mystical or psychological approach to the cards.


A tarot deck consists of 78 cards and includes the major and minor arcana. The major arcana2meaning 'greater secrets' is made up of twenty-two numbered cards with a strong, often archetypal, image, such as 'The Fool, 'The Hanged Man' and 'The Devil'. They are considered in a reading to represent the major points in life and events of major significance. The minor arcana, or 'lesser secrets' are four suits of ten cards plus court cards, just like a deck of standard playing cards. The suits are named differently however as Wands/Batons, Pentacles/Coins/Discs, Cups/Chalices and Swords/Spears. They are too usually illustrated with a hint at their meaning and in a reading fill in the finer details and lifes everyday triviailities.

There are many designs of deck to choose from today both classic such as the Rider-Waite deck and more contemporary ones like the Tarot of the Cat People. Once you have found a deck you are comfortable with personally you will want to get on to using them for readings.


Anyone can learn to read the tarot. Whether you believe they give access to wisdom from a higher power or merely contain images old enough to unlock our subconcious and show us what we already know on a deeper level.
You do not have to be psychic,or even believe in such abilities at all. All that is required is time to learn, patience and a little imagination.

Getting To Know Your Cards


Before you begin to practice readings it is a good idea to become acquainted with the cards and their history. Get yourself a good book on the subject, most bookshops sell books on tarot reading. Look through the deck at the pictures in turn thinking on what each says to you personally, fiddle with them, even meditate on one or sleep with it under your pillow if it helps you feel more in tune with them. Please note that most tarot readers advise you not to attempt a reading for yourself. This is because as you are so close to the situation you will not get a clear answer. The same can hold true for very close family members, partners, etc.

Another good way to practice is to try making a card story. This is where you lay out a series of cards, then off the top of your head invent a story that connects the pictures using either what they mean to you personally or book read meanings. This will help your later readings to flow easier and where the imagination comes in.There are a vast array of books available on the subject so it should be fairly easy to find one you like and can work with personally.

Card Spreads


There are many spreads, or layouts, you can use with your cards when reading them. Some of the most popular are the Celtic Cross spread, the Horseshoe and the 21 card Romany Spread. All spreads will endeavour to answer a question, whilst taking into account outside influences and other factors such as past events leading to the enquirers current situation or state of mind. The type of question you ask is up to you, it can be anything you wish a little insight on.

The tarot cards,like all other forms of divination, cannot 'tell you your future'. They can however offer guidance in your situation by perhaps bringing to light factors you were not aware of or options you had not considered. We make our own destiny and can and do change it daily.

When beginning the reading you will first need to hand the card deck to your enquirer, the person the reading is for. They should then shuffle the cards well whilst thinking about their question if they have one. If no specific question or problem is to be addressed a general reading can be done. The enquirer should then cut the cards with his/her left hand3into three piles and return the chosen pile to the reader to be laid out.

Some spreads require a significator.
The significator card is a conscious choice of a card from the deck to represent the person asking the question or the situation being asked about. It is chosen before shufflling the rest of the pack.
If the significator is to represent a situation, consult a list of card meanings to choose an appropriate one. Justice for example would be a suitable card for a legal situation, or the lovers card for a romantic one. Most decks come with a booklet and you should have purchased a more in-depth book by now.
If the significator represents a person one of the Court Cards is used. The Court cards are the Page, or in some decks Princess, through King in each of the four suits of the minor arcana. The card can be chosen as closest to the persons looks or personality traits or it can be for star sign and age. For instance a Taurean woman over 25 would be the Queen of Pentacles as pentacles represents the earth signs of the zodiac, whilst the if the same woman was fair-haired and artistic the queen of cups may suit her better with its picture of such a woman.

  • Cups - Represents the water signs, artistic nature, emotionally sensitive people and those with fair hair and light eyes.
  • Wands - Represents the fire signs, fiery temperament, motivatin and those with red or auburn hair and dark eyes.
  • Pentacles - Represents the earth signs, practical nature, and those with dark brown or black hair and light eyes.
  • Swords - Represents the air signs, thought and locical nature, those with light brown or fair hair and light eyes.
  • .

  • Page/Princess - Represents those under 18 male or female.
  • Knight - Represents those between 18 and 25 male and female.
  • Queen - Represents women over 25
  • King -Represents men over 25.

The Answer


Whichever spread or layout for your cards is chosen, the final card will be the answer to the question asked. It can be tempting to skip straight to that card but if you do so the reasons and factors behind that particular answer as shown by the other cards will be missed. If the answer card is not clear, or is a court card it is possible to repeat the spread using the last card as the new significator until a clearer answer is achieved.

1Though they may also be used as aids in meditation and spells2 Also sometimes known as the Trumps or the 'Fools journey'as the Fool is numbered 0 and the other cards can be seen as his journey through lifes various stages.3 The left as it is associated with the sub-concious rather than concious mind.

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