How to Read Tarot Cards: Beginner’s Guide (It’s Easier Than You Think)
Have you ever bought tarot cards? Or did you get it as a gift? If yess then you might think, how to read tarot cards? As it consists of 78 cards, each of them is divided into two parts. Major and Minor Arcana. (more on them later.) So you thought what am I supposed to do with these?
Tarot cards are for self-reflection, spiritual practice, and even to play games, as tarot was originally invented in the 15th century as a card game! (Tarot Card Game) There’s a lot you can do with it.
If you wish to have a tool that helps you make better decisions? Need help in facing your fears? If you want to reach your heart and understand what is bothering you? Or if you want to understand yourself better?
Then learning how to read tarot cards can solve all your problems, and it’s easier than you think. In this post, you will learn about tarot, and by the end, you’ll pull your first card and actually understand what it’s trying to tell you.
Want to skip straight to a reading? Get your free tarot card reading right now, no deck, no experience needed. [Start Your Free Tarot Card Reading →]
What Are Tarot Cards?
Tarot is a deck of 78 cards with symbolic images. Each card represents different aspects of life, but in the 15th century, tarot cards were made to play games. Originally, they were played as trionfi or “trumps,” until late in the 18th century, when occultists began assigning symbolic meanings to the cards beyond playing card games.
Tarot cards are used for divination, or think of it as a therapist to answer your questions. The cards don’t have all the answers. But YOU do. They help you point out what you already know deep down but can’t put into action.
Modern tarot cards are used as a psychological tool for self-reflection, understanding feelings, and making decisions. You can use tarot cards to gain access to your intuition and inner source of power and wisdom.
As an example, when you do a tarot reading, you’re asking yourself: “What do I need to see right now that I’m avoiding?” The cards give you an honest answer to that question.
You don’t have to believe in anything mystical for tarot to work. You must be ready to face the truth about yourself.
How Do Tarot Cards Work?
Tarot cards work through a combination of psychology, spirituality, and recognizing life patterns; they help you connect with your subconscious
When you’re using tarot cards, you’re thinking about real questions in your life, such as problems, fears, tragedy, etc. Then you shuffle your deck and pick a few cards. This action helps you to slow down and pay attention to your inner thoughts and feelings.
Each tarot card has pictures and symbols that stand for things we all experience.
Here’s the truth: Tarot is not a fortune teller. You don’t have to worry about drawing the Death card, the hanged man, and bracing yourself for tragedy. It makes you realize what is stopping you from moving forward.
Another part of tarot is intuition, which means listening to your inner voice. When you read the cards, you learn to trust your thoughts and feelings. It helps you make better decisions at school, at work, and in relationships.
In simple words, tarot works because it helps you pause, think, understand yourself, and make wise decisions. It is like having a self-talk.
Understanding the 78 Cards.
Your tarot deck has 78 cards total. Here’s the breakdown:
22 Major Arcana (the “main dish” cards):- These cards depict life lessons, big decisions, and spiritual lessons. Think of them as the plot armor of your life.
56 Minor Arcana (the day-to-day event cards):- Minor Arcana are associated with day-to-day events like your mood, your relationships, etc. There are 4 suits for this Arcana.
The 4 Suits:
- Cups (emotions, love) “How do I feel?”
- Wands (passion, creativity, action) “What excites me?”
- Swords (thoughts, decisions, conflict) “What am I thinking?”
- Pentacles (money, career) “What do I have?”
Each suit also has Court Cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King). They represent people or different parts of ourselves. For now, don’t worry about them. First, you need to focus on learning the Major Arcana.
Seeing a lot of Pentacles? Here’s how to [manifest wealth and abundance] and shift your money energy.
How to choose your first tarot card deck
Choosing the first deck is overwhelming. There are so many decks out there. If you don’t know which appeals to you. I recommend a structured deck in Rider-Waite-Smith. (Hereby referred to as the RWS)
Why? Because it’s the classic inspired and structured deck. RWS has some of the most accessible symbolism and the most literature. So a deck in the RWS tradition is one of the best and safest choices for a beginner.
Example:- “What does the Three of Swords mean?” The art style you’ll see is from this deck. It makes learning significantly easier. (Symbolised by three swords.)
Where to buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, local metaphysical shops. Price: ~$15-$25.
Not ready to buy yet? [Try a free online tarot reading first →]
Basic Tarot Card Meanings (Where to Start)
Start with the 22 Major Arcana. When I got my very first deck. I was clueless about what the symbolism meant. Then I began reading quite a few books and articles. I almost felt overwhelmed and almost gave up! Until I stopped trying to memorize everything and started pulling cards.
No sugar coating whatsoever, you need to learn this step by step to have better divination. So you need to learn all Arcana, but here are the 5 Major Arcana. (there are more!!) I recommend you learn first (because they show up in readings constantly, and their meanings are pretty much straightforward)
1. The Fool (A fresh start, and believing in yourself.): The card depicts someone standing at the edge of the cliff to begin a new journey. That’s the energy you need, knowing what’s coming next!
2. The Magician (You have skills, talent, and power to succeed.): This card shows all the 4 suits of Minor Arcana, now when you pull this card. The message? You already have everything you need to make it happen.
3. The lovers (Love, relationships, and big life choices): This card isn’t all about romance. It’s about choosing the correct path for yourself. “Choose with your heart and values.”
4. Death (Ending your old self so something better can begin.): The Death card doesn’t mean “DEATH” it means changing yourself to become a better version of yourself.
5. The Tower (Sudden change, shock): This card is not predicting disaster. It tells you that sometimes things need to fall apart in order to rebuild them better.
These are the 5 out of the 22 Major Arcana. Now you little more knowledge about how to read a tarot card.
Read my popular article on how to manifest love.
How to Read Tarot cards for the first time
It’s simple; find a quiet spot, think about the question, shuffle the deck, pick one card, and then see what it is.
Now think about your question. Don’t ask yes/no types of questions or “will I be happy?” Instead, frame questions like “What do I need to know about my life right now?” Which leads to more informative answers.
Then shuffle the deck. And “yes! You can shuffle the deck before asking yourself a question. You can do it the way you like before or after.” You can pick the first card, or you can lay out a pattern which tarot cards reader called “a spread”
Now, the final thing is picking one card. Let say you pick. The Magician card now, and try to feel the image, as each card is richly illustrated and filled with universal symbols that are easy to recognize. Follow my advice, a guidebook, or the small book that comes with tarot cards.
Simple Tarot Spreads for Beginners
Once you’re comfortable pulling a single card, you can try spreads. A spread is just a specific arrangement of cards where each position answers a different question.
I’m only going to show you 2 spreads for now because, honestly, that’s all you need in the beginning. Later, you can research different types of spreads as you like.
The Daily Draw (1 Card)
Every morning, find a quiet place, take a deep breath, pull one card, and ask, “What do I need to know today?” That’s it. Just repeat this process every morning.
The Three-Card Spread (Past-Present-Future)
This is the classic spread everyone learns first. Lay three cards in a row from left to right.
- Card 1 (left): Past influences affecting this situation
- Card 2 (middle): What’s happening right now
- Card 3 (right): Where it’s heading
Ask a question before you pull. Something like “What do I need to know about my job search?” Then see how the three cards tell a story altogether. The past shows how you got here. The present card shows where you are. The future shows the outcome if things continue as they are.
Don’t overcomplicate it. There are three cards, but one story to tell.
Now you’ve learned how tarot works, how the deck is structured, and how to do your first reading. The only thing left is to actually do it. Pull a card today and see what it shows you. You might be surprised what comes up
Ready to see what the cards say about you? Get a free tarot reading right now, no deck needed, no experience required. Thousands of people use this to get clear on love, career, and life decisions every day. [Get Your Free Tarot Reading Now →]