Learning the Tarot

Even more than astrology, Tarot is a language. It has 78 symbols, and each symbol is densely packed with meaning. We use spreads to give grammar, or context, to each symbol, and our job as readers is to learn as much about each card as possible to give the most accurate interpretation to our clients.

If learning the cards and reading for yourself feels overwhelming, I offer readings! I like to  book by time rather than by card count, as I am naturally nosy and will pull cards until we both feel satisfied. I recommend 15 minutes for a straightforward question / problem, or 30 minutes for Big Issues or general readings about your whole life. 

I compare learning to read tarot like learning any other language that isn’t spoken. In college I learned Latin and Ancient Greek, as one does when one is a big weird nerd (Aquarius Rising). I remember early translation days, when my understanding of conjugation was middling and my vocabulary was small. Each line of poetry would have notes, each word dissected for tense or declension, for layers of meaning and connection to the other words so I could hopefully present a translation that captured both the surface and inner meaning of the text.

When you first start reading tarot, it feels much the same way. You draw your cards, then dive into your notes - what does the Six of Swords mean, and which meaning do I think it signifies based off of the spread, based off of the other cards?

As you advance, you need your notes less, and now spend more time looking for nuance - what does it mean that this is a cup heavy reading? Why am I seeing so many 7s? Why am I getting the 4 of Wands every day for the last month? Patterns emerge, and our experience hints at more meanings. 

Then we begin to work in dialect- maybe we move into a different style deck altogether, or just pick up one with different art. Our work colors the experience, and cards begin to show themselves in different ways - now the 6 of Swords has a hint of self-sabotage, the 9 of Pentacles an air of stagnancy. The Queen of Cups may become maternal, or divine. Your language is crystalizing and also evolving; everything is more faceted, more clear, but also still shifting and moving into new shapes.

Six of Swords. Will the Swords pierce the boat?

But all of this, this dense shining beauty, means little without actually doing a reading. And as much as I love reading for myself, that demonstration of my relationship with the cards, there is something so much more special about reading for someone else. Maybe it’s because with my own readings I’m just being intuitive with myself, which happens in a hundred little ways anyway throughout the day, but with clients it’s a first peek into their lives and we get to discover together what is happening. 

If you are a beginning reader, just starting to learn your cards and build that relationship and understanding, I encourage you to keep on the path! Even if you never abandon your notes, let those notes gain layers of text, in different colors and occasionally underlined or crossed out. Keep a journal of your readings when you can, and look back and see how far you’ve come. 

FAQ

I want to start reading tarot, what deck should I start with? Okay, so. I really love the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, as it’s a classic and has a lot of dense and esoteric imagery to explore. There are a bunch of variants of this deck, so if its imagery is a little too harsh for you, explore adjacent. I started out with the Hanson-Roberts deck, for example, but I was also 13 and needed some softness. However, any deck that really calls out to you can be your starter deck.

What are good resources for meanings? I actually recommend Quareia’s technique of getting to know your deck. All decks should come with a short guidebook, and you should use that to develop one word keywords for each card. If you want to use websites, check a couple and see which feel more true to you. Be sure they’re willing to talk about negative aspects as well as positive ones. There are a ton of good books out there; Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom is a classic, although I am nostalgically fond of Connelly’s book series on the Tarot as well as Josphine McCarthy’s 21st Century Tarot (she created Quareia, an extremely comprehensive free self-training program for magic). 

How do I practice reading for others? There are Facebook groups that do readings for each other, as well as a subreddit for tarot practice. If you want one on one practice over video, including critiques and suggestions for furthering your skillset, book a consultation with me and we can do a mini-workshop to help you develop.