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January’s intuition-building series comes to a close this week; read on for a beginner’s overview on Tarot reading, where you’ll learn how to do your first reading and where to find the card deck that’s right for you.

Before You Get Started…

What is Your Intuition?

As a universal emotional reasoning ability, your intuition is governed by your brain’s emotional processing organs, your limbic system. Otherwise known as your gut instinct, a robust intuition helps you:

Form quick observations and make quick decisions.
Nurture a healthy relationship between you and your emotions.
Develop healthy boundaries between your and other’s emotional states.
Identify and respond to dangerous people and situations before they harm you.
Detect subtleties and shifting energies in your environment.

Tarot for beginners

What is Tarot?

Throw the word “Tarot” around, and you’ll quickly get acquainted with its associated misconceptions. Woo. Fancy ink and paper. Consorting with Satan…

At its core, however, Tarot is less about magic and more about being a tool.

Consisting of 78 cards, each bearing unique imagery and symbology, Tarot is a tool for examining and reflecting on life itself.

There’s something for everyone with Tarot; to some, it’s a way to channel messages from divine forces, and to others, Tarot is a psychological practice, a way to prod one’s subconscious and make sense of life’s curveballs.

For me, Tarot is a little bit of magic and science. Since acquiring my first deck in early 2020, Tarot helps me feel connected with my spirit guides. It also helps me reflect on my decisions, emotions, and relationships.

Why does Tarot supercharge your intuition?

A robust intuition helps you make snap observations, about people, environments, and everything in-between. And snap observations help you make snap decisions, decisions that could save your life.

Tarot, with its symbol-packed imagery, conditions you to quickly notice and interpret subtleties, undercurrents that go unseen by your conscious mind.

Understanding Tarot: Major Arcana

Similar to standard playing cards, Tarot’s 78 cards are divided into suites. Unlike standard playing cards, however, Tarot has two main suites, the Major and Minor Arcana.

Let’s start with the Major Arcana.

As Tarot’s most universally recognizable aspect, the Major Arcana consists of 22 cards, each reflecting the milestones and situations we all experience in life. When interpreted together, the Major Arcana tells the story of a hero’s journey:

0. The Fool. The first card in the Major Arcana, reflecting a journey’s onset. Open and optimistic, the Fool reflects naivete, inexperience, and wild abandon.

1. The Magician. As above, so below. That’s what the Magician’s about, or the ability to manifest your dreams

2. The High Priestess. The mistress of intuition, representing the unconscious mind and instincts.

3. The Empress. Receptive, compassions, and fertile, the Empress represents the divine feminine and the need to take on a nurturing presence.

4. The Emperor. Authoritative and assertive, the Emperor represents structure and long-standing institutions.

5. The Hierophant. Counterpart to the High Priestess, the Hierophant calls for you to adhere to traditional, established social structures and rules.

6. The Lovers. One of Tarot’s most well-known and revered cards, reflective of close relationships, harmony, and duality.

7. The Chariot. Connected to determination and self-mastery, the Chariot encourages you to pursue your goals with united heart and mind.

8. Strength. Power not through force, but through courage, resilience, and diplomacy.

9. The Hermit. This card calls for the need to pause and look inward, to withdraw from everyday life and reflect.

10. The Wheel of Fortune. What goes down must come up, and vice versa. This card speaks to accepting impermanence and taking things as they come.

11. Justice. What goes around comes around. When this card appears, it calls for truth, personal accountability, and integrity.

12. The Hanged Man. As a card with multiple meanings, the Hanged Man represents the need to suspend action and view life from a different perspective. It can also represent stagnation.

13. Death. Tarot’s most misunderstood cards, but powerful nonetheless. Speaks of cycles and endings and beginnings, and the need to let old life die before new life can begin.

14. Temperance. Messenger of patience, moderation, and the need to go with the flow.

15. The Devil. One of Tarot’s most dreaded cards, as it represents addiction, codependency, and self-sabotage.

16. The Tower. Another dreaded card, representative of crisis, destruction, and the upheaval that comes to those unwilling to make necessary change.

17. The Star. Messenger of hope, healing, and faith.

18. The Moon. The Tarot’s most mysterious card, calling you to evaluate your subconscious fears, beliefs, and behaviors.

19 The Sun. As the antithesis to the Moon card, the Sun represents optimism, abundance, and incoming fulfillment.

20. Judgement. The call to serve the highest good, after evaluating and learning from your past. Can also involve attracting those on the same wavelength.

21. The World. The Major Arcana’s last card, representing completion, expansion, and enlightenment. Also involves travel.

Understanding Tarot: Minor Arcana

An example of Tarot’s Minor Arcana. Photo by Viva Luna Studios on Unsplash

Tarot’s remaining 56 cards make up the Minor Arcana, or reflections of the events in your day-to-day life. Unlike the Major Arcana, which speak to larger influences and life stages, the Minor Arcana apply to temporary, malleable energies.

There are four suites in the Minor Arcana:

Cups, representative of emotions, intuition, creativity, and relationships with yourself and others. Associated with water.
Wands, representative of passion, energy, and drive. Associated with fire.
Swords. Cool and rational, the suite of swords rules communication, ideas, and decision-making. Associated with air.
Pentacles. Appearing in readings about the material world, pentacles speak to work, money, and physical possessions. Associated with earth.

Choosing Your First Tarot Deck

Now that you’re familiar with Tarot’s Arcana, you’re probably wondering; how do I choose the right deck for me?

And to that, I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that the market is flush with Tarot decks, each with their own unique take on traditional Tarot symbology. The bad news, however, is that not all decks are created equal; some are best suited for experienced intuitives, and it’s hard to know what to look for as a beginner Tarot reader.

If you’re arriving to the intuitive scene with no prior Tarot experience (which you probably are if you’re reading this post), I recommend sticking to the classic Rider-Waite deck or a deck with Rider-Waite-based imagery.

Here’s my top picks:

Labyrinthos Golden Thread Tarot Deck. A traditional deck, with raised, foiled imagery against a matte black background. Minimalist and sleek. Reminiscent of Art Deco.
Biddy Tarot’s Everyday Tarot Deck. A fresh approach to Tarot, featuring bold, tricolor illustrations. Comes with card meaning and sample spreads guidebook.
Ethereal Visions Illuminated Tort Deck. My first deck, featuring Art Nouveau-inspired pastel illustrations and gold foil accents. A romantic, easy-to-understand spin on Rider-Waite.
Modern Witch Tarot Deck. Popular on Instagram, this deck features vivid illustrations and diverse representation. A contemporary take on Tarot’s otherwise white and heteronormative imagery.

When choosing your first deck, go for the one that resonates most with you. Like people, Tarot decks have different personalities; your deck should match who you are, and vice versa.

Tarot in Action

Getting to Know Your Deck

Before performing your first reading, it’s important to acquaint yourself with your Tarot deck. Like how one first acquaints themselves with a friend, start with small talk, or by surveying your deck’s big picture.

To begin, all you need to do is examine each card. Don’t shuffle, don’t draw, don’t interpret; just examine.

Study your deck’s colors, illustrative style, and common themes. Does anything stick out to you? Note how the cards feel in your hands. Do they feel stubborn, talkative, or fickle? Note how you feel while you survey. Do you feel in-tune with your deck? If not, what do you need to do to improve your relationship with the cards?

Your First Tarot Reading

One-card reads are perfect for beginner Tarot readers. Photo by Viva Luna Studios on Unsplash

Though experienced Tarot readers suggest starting with three-card spreads, I recommend starting simpler, by performing daily one-card reads, ideally for 30 days.

Besides strengthening your relationship with your deck, one-card reads prevent you from becoming overwhelmed, by giving you one image to study, interpret, and reflect on at a time.

As for how to draw cards, there are two main ways to do so: actively, by pulling a random card from a shuffled deck, or passively, by reading a card that leaps from the deck as you shuffle. After trying both methods, I’ve come to prefer passive draws, as they prevent my energy from interfering with the channeled messages from my spirit guides.

Active draws, however, might work best for you, and I recommend experimenting with both before settling on a preference.

A detailed follow-up article on beginners’ three and five-card Tarot spreads is in the works, most likely for Fall 2021.

Beginners’ Tarot Questions: What to Ask Your Deck?

You can’t get the answers you seek if you don’t ask your deck the right questions.

I find that Tarot works best when you ask open-ended, problem-solving questions instead of “yes or no” absolutes. Some angles to consider include:

Relationships. Instead of “do they like me?” ask “what do I need to do to attract a healthy relationship?”
Money. Instead of “should I buy a house?” ask “what information can help me make sound financial decisions?”
Career. Instead of “will I ever find a new job?” ask “how can I obtain a fulfilling career?”
Life. Instead of “should I distance myself from a toxic friend?” ask “what can help me release what no longer serves me?”

Beginners’ Tarot Interpretation: Where to Start

Colors. What colors immediately stick out to you? If the card contains human figures, what color clothing are they wearing? What do the colors symbolize to you?
Hands. What objects are the card’s figures holding? Are the left and right hands doing different things?
Facial characteristics. What personality traits do the Tarot illustration’s facial features convey?
Plants and animals. What colors are the leaves, flowers, or fur? Are the plants/ animals living or dead? What do the plants/ animals symbolize and how do they fit in with the card’s meaning?
Social class. Do a card’s figures look wealthy, influential, or impoverished? How does social class impact a card’s meaning?
Religious symbology. Tarot imagery has Christian and Jewish influences; can you identify and interpret religious themes?
Objects. Are Tarot’s human figures interacting with an object? If so, how are they holding it, wielding it, or looking at it?

Tarot Tips and Tricks

Experiment with incense and crystals, if you’re more spiritually inclined. Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Use Tarot responsibly. Tarot is not a replacement for medical or mental health treatment, nor should it be used to make decisions that impact your or someone else’s health, safety, and emotional wellbeing.
Guidebooks are your friends. Struggling to understand a card’s meaning? There’s no shame in consulting a Tarot guidebook. In fact, I suggest always keeping one on-hand, as it takes time before you can fully understand each card’s meaning and how the meanings interact with each other.
Sometimes your deck will be uncommunicative. Tarot cards have off days too; don’t feel bad when readings don’t always come easily.
Experiment. If you’re more spiritually inclined, you might find that your spirit guides only communicate under certain conditions. For example, my guides tend to prefer sunlight and Nag Champa incense smoke. Experiment with performing Tarot readings at different hours and in different settings.
Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to. Like a true friend, a good Tarot deck will only provide the answers you need, not the answers you want. Be mindful of this when presenting potentially upsetting questions.

What does Tarot mean to you? Let me know in the comments!

Ways to Supercharge Your Intuition: Tarot Reading