First known as tarocchi or tarok, tarot cards have been used since the mid-15th century for a type of divination called cartomancy. Tarot cards have steadily gained popularity, and these days it’s not uncommon to have at least a couple of friends who dabble in the art of tarot reading. Here's a quick beginner's guide to tarot.
Do you feel called to start reading tarot? Here’s what you need to know!
Get to know your cards.
There are all sorts of tarot decks available on the internet, with designs ranging from the minimal to the esoteric. Whichever deck you choose, know that the cards “speak” in the language of symbolism. When you’re getting to know your deck, start by pulling out a card every day. Ask yourself what you see in the card. What are the elements that stick out to you? What do they mean to you? Spend a little bit of time thinking about this, and consider starting a tarot journal to record your thoughts.
Delve into some numerology.
Learning the tarot can seem intimidating at first. After all, there are 78 cards and they’re all vastly different. But when you combine the symbolism in the cards and the number of the suits, you start to get a clearer picture of what the cards might be trying to tell you. For example, aces (1) mean new beginnings, opportunities, and potential. Twos mean balance, duality, and partnership. Threes talk about creativity, growth, and cooperation in groups. Start with learning some numerology basics, and you’ll be reading tarot like a pro in no time.
Learn some basic spreads.
When you’ve gotten to know your deck and you feel ready to start reading your cards, it’s a good idea to learn some basic spreads. The most popular is the three-card pull, where three cards are drawn at random from the deck to represent either the past, present, and future, or the mind, body, and spirit of the querent.
From here you can start learning more spreads with more cards, like the Celtic Cross and the Astrological Spread. You could even start making up your own spreads when you’re comfortable!
Trust your intuition.
There are no hard rules when it comes to tarot reading. It’s not the super mysterious, spooky-ooky thing you see in movies where the Death card literally means death and bad stuff. Far from it. Although a lot of people do use tarot for divinatory purposes, more and more people see tarot as a self-help practice. Whatever your reasons for reading tarot, think of it as a way to talk to your subconscious. All you have to do to “really” read tarot is sit back, breathe, and tap into your intuition.
Ready to start your adventure with tarot? Check out our Gold Foil Tarot Card Box Set, featuring the classic Rider-Waite set illustrated by the fabulous Pamela “Pixie” Colman Smith. Each set comes with a storage box, a drawstring bag for easy carrying, and an elegant reading cloth.
Gold Foil Tarot Card Box Set
$49.99
$99.99
Give eye-catching tarot readings with this beautiful Tarot Card Box Set! This deck features the classic Rider-Waite Tarot deck drawn by Pamela Colman Smith, also known as Pixie. It is one of the most popular Tarot decks in the world. These cards are printed with… SEE MORE
Or show off your love of tarot symbolism with one of our Major Arcana Tarot Card Necklaces, available in three rich colors: silver, black, and gold.
Major Arcana Tarot Card Necklaces
$26.99
$33.99
The Major Arcana are the first cards in a tarot deck, cards that don't belong to any of the four suits of the Tarot. Each Major Arcana card is an archetype that represents a major aspect of life, such as… SEE MORE