Tarot cards are a deck of 78 cards often used to divine the future, based on which cards are pulled out from the deck. Those who don’t believe in their fortune telling ways often use them as a tool to help them with self-reflection. For a lot of people, they are reserved for a plot device in a horror film – that terrible moment where the protagonist is confronted with the Death card and knows their end is coming – but for me and many others, tarot is an interesting tool to use in order to reflect on how you feel and what you want. The cards merely act as a way to kickstart that. So, if you’ve ever had even a passing interest in the idea of tarot readings, I’ve collected a few of my best tips.
- Get to know your cards: There are so many different reasons to own a certain deck: perhaps it looks pretty, it calls to you, or it’s a gift. Definitely take some time to look through all the cards and familiarise yourself with them. A tarot deck consists of 78 different cards, so it can be a little intimidating to be confronted with them all!
- Learn some spreads: When it comes to tarot, “spreads” are the term for the way that the cards are laid out. It’s good to learn a few basic ones which can easily be found online. This helps you establish a connection between all the cards you pull. Each spread offers answers to specific questions and may help you with answers. However, for beginners, you can also just do an ‘open reading’ where you pull one card without a direct question in mind. The card will still give insight.
- Trust your instinct: Looking up the meanings of cards is a totally valid way to go about learning how to read tarot but if you find that the meaning doesn’t quite match with what you feel, that’s totally okay too. Take the time to look at the illustrations on your cards and see if they make you feel a particular way. Instinct is valuable when it comes to tarot.
On the whole, working with tarot cards is something that can be incredibly rewarding and also pretty fun! If you’re ever interested, then don’t hesitate to see if you can pick up a deck or even borrow one to get a feel for whether you’d like to invest. They can be a great tool for self-reflection and are not nearly as scary as they often get painted as.
[Rebecca Gault – she/her – @rebeccagault7]
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