Reading Tarot Cards Is Easy

Many of my tarot students tell me that they have owned a tarot deck years ago but could never use it. I suspect this is because they turned to the words in a book instead of relying on the images in the cards. Since tarot is a visual medium for accessing our intuition, we need only focus on the cards' images.

In my short, introductory class, I begin the morning by asking everyone to exchange readings with the person across from him or her. People who had been certain they couldn't read the cards find themselves offering brilliant insights into the tarot images. Beginning students always teach me something about the cards.

Relying on your intuition is the best way to read the cards. There are set meanings for the cards, but relying solely on those interpretations is less fruitful than relying on your own feelings and life experiences. Many excellent tarot books are available, but you should not turn to them during a reading. You know your own answers, you just need to listen.

Have you ever had an intuition or premonition that came true or that you wish you'd relied on? The more you rely on your intuition, the more often it will speak to you.

Always respect the first impression you have when you see a card, whether you're looking at it for the first time or the fiftieth. Here are some guidelines for reading the cards that will help you get to know them.

• Remember that tarot is a visual medium for accessing your intuition; resist the temptation to rely on the words in a guidebook. 
• Discover your own interpretations of the cards. Develop your own relationship with them.
• Trust your first impressions and any ideas that just pop into your head.Play with the imagery as a child would. What is happening in the pictures? Why? What does that story tell you about what is happening in your life now?
• Note what emotions the image evokes in you.
• Describe the card literally, using lots of adjectives. This process will help you uncover its meaning.
• If an image reminds you of something, explore that association further.
• If one of the details of the image jumps out at you, take especial note of it.
• Look for details and colors that appear in several cards.
• Make connections between the stories you see in the cards.
• Go with the flow of your intuition; if you don't understand what a card is saying, move to the next card and come back later.
 •Do not ask the same question over and over again. Be open to hearing what the cards and your intuition have to say to you. If you stop listening to your intuition, your intuition will stop speaking


You don't need much tarot knowledge to read the cards.

It's useful to recognize the different types of cards in the deck. The twenty-two cards Major Arcana cards represent significant influences in your life; they are lessons we learn as we go through our lives. The fifty-six Minor Arcana cards are divided into four suits; each suit has ten numbered cards and four face cards.

The numbered cards may represent day-to-day events. Face cards may represent people, attitudes, or advice.

Not all decks use the same names for the cards. What are the names of the four suits in your deck? (Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles?) What are the names of the face cards in your deck? (King, Queen, Knight, and Page?)

The four suits of the Minor Arcana can represent different aspects of our lives:

• Earth - physical and financial issues (this suit is often called Pentacles)
• Air - ideas and challenges (this suit is often called Swords)
• Fire - passion and work (this suit is often called Wands)
• Water - emotions and relationships (this suit is often called Cups)

That’s really all the information you need. You can rely on your intuition for everything else.

If you are new to tarot, do you recognize any of the images in your deck? Do you have a strong reaction to any of the cards?

Reading tarot cards is easy. Start doing readings regularly and trust yourself. Do readings with a partner so that you can share ideas. If you don't have a partner, pull a card in the morning then, in the evening, look at the card again while reviewing your day. When you need a particular energy, meditate on a card that seems to represent it.

Get to know the cards and what they mean to you.