A beginner’s guide to tarot
I have been using tarot cards since I was in middle school when my grandmother fed my curiosity by gifting me “Wicca for Beginners: Fundamentals of Philosophy and Practice” by Thea Sabin and a deck she had used. Since then, I have been practicing my ability to use and read tarot cards for myself and others to get cohesive, accurate results.
Over the years, I have accumulated many more books of this nature, but my favorite is “The Tarot Companion: A Portable Guide to Reading the Cards for Yourself and Others” by Liz Dean, which is perfect for casual reference.
A brief history of tarot cards
Tarot cards can be traced back to as early as mid-15th century Europe. At first, tarot cards were used just like any other playing card by wealthy Italian families who could afford the intricate, minuscule paintings on each card.
The widespread use of tarot for divination purposes came about in the late 1700s when Frenchman Jean-Baptise “Etteilla” Alliette published the first guide to using the cards alongside his own deck. He ascribed meaning to each of the 78 cards, incorporating astrology and the four elements, supposedly borrowed heavily from the Book of Thoth, supposedly written by the Egyptian god of wisdom. He published a revised version of the guide in 1791 and became the first professional tarot card reader.
The Rider-Waite Smith deck, which is the deck my grandmother passed down to me and the only deck I swear by, was released in 1909 from publisher William Rider, tarot reader A. E. Waite and illustrator Pamela Coleman Smith. The latest revision made in the 70s was a “reprint and revision of the Rider-Waite (Smith) deck along with a new guidebook by Stephen Kaplan."
Before beginning
Whether gifted or purchased, sleep with the tarot deck underneath your pillow. There have been several studies that suggest that learning during sleep is possible, so sleeping with your cards is the best way to tune your deck to your vibrations. It is recommended to leave the cards in a dark-colored silk or cloth bag and record your dreams for at least seven days.
On each day, hold and look at each of the cards in “your right hand, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and visualize light pouring down through the crown of your head, third-eye chakra (between the eyebrows just beneath the skin), throat, heart, then down your right arm into your right hand into the card. Visualize them filling with pure light.”
Tarot readers should also cleanse their decks before each session by fanning out the cards with one hand, blowing on the edges in one breath, reassembling them into a neat pile with one hand and knocking firmly once on the top of the deck with the other hand.
Shuffling
There are two methods of shuffling for tarot reading purposes: fanning and cutting. I prefer the cutting method, as it is more appropriate for readings like the Celtic cross (defined below) that require a significant number of cards (three or more).
When using the fanning method for yourself, spread the cards out in a fan and chose the cards one by one with your left hand (the hand of fate) and place the cards face down. When using the fanning method for another person, have them shuffle the deck, fan the cards out for them and allow them to choose the cards with their left hand to give to you, placing them face-down in front of you.
When using the cutting method for yourself, cut the deck twice with your left hand so you have three piles face-down on the table. Chose one pile to top the deck and place the other cards underneath it. Lay the cards according to your spread from the top of the deck, placing them face-down in front of you. When using the cutting method for another person, have them shuffle the deck, split the deck into three piles, chose a pile to top the deck, and allow you to lay out the cards face-down in front of you.
Do not flip cards when turning them over - their orientation can change the meaning.
10-card spread
There are many spreads including (but probably not limited to) the past, present, future spread, the week ahead spread and the Celtic cross spread. The Celtic cross is the most involved and is my favorite spread for this reason.
The Celtic cross is a famous Christian symbol with roots in European paganism from the early Middle Ages.
I use the aforementioned tarot companion written by Liz Dean to interpret the cards, but the booklet that accommodates every deck and even a simple Google search nowadays can be enough to get at what the cards attempt to convey. It is up to you, the reader and interpreter, to use your intuition and knowledge of the cards to put the pieces together for a complete and accurate idea of the issue at hand.
Conclusion
If you still cannot make sense of the cards after following these instructions, you have a few options: (1) shuffle and lay out the cards again and ensure that you are almost in a meditative-like state so whatever you may be feeling is not interfering; (2) if the ten of wands came up, it often means there is just too much going on and it is not a good time for this question and that it is best to wait at least a day before trying again; or (3) if you’re reading for someone else and feeling blocked, it is likely due to skepticism on their part so you must encourage the recipient to let go of their expectations before proceeding.
Blessed be!
