Help/Guides - Reading Tarot

There is no quick way of becoming a good tarot reader, just as there is no way to become a good car mechanic or counsellor overnight. The easiest way to learn is to buy a deck of cards and study the pictures, read the occasional book, do some practice readings on a trusted friend and bear the cards in mind as you go about your daily business.You may have an inherent understanding of some cards, whereas it may take you years to gain a deeper knowledge of others.

Reading the tarot cards can be compared to learning a new language. You begin by studying individual cards, as you would learn individual words. You then become aware of how the cards in a spread interact, which can be compared with learning to put words together to form sentences.

As you practise speaking a new language you become familiar with its nuances and notice how different inflections can change the mood of a sentence. For example you can ask someone to 'please switch on the kettle in a soft or neutral tone, or you can bark it, putting heavy emphasis on the please and making it sound as if you have been asking for hours, and this is the last time you are going to ask before you get really angry with them. There are so many ways that you can ask or tell people things. Tarot cards, like words, can have very different meanings dependent on where they appear in a sentence or spread.

When you have been learning a new language for a while you start to think in that language. When you are learning how to read the tarot, there comes a point at which you no longer have to believe in it because it becomes natural. You know that it works because you have experienced it numerous times. When you read for someone else you become a storyteller, looking for the best place to start the story and the best way to relate it to the other person. If you cannot see what is going on in a certain part of the spread, the cards may be describing a relatively inaccessible part of their personality. You may want to ask questions about that area to help them express what has been hidden or unclear.

Many study the tarot purely for personal use, laying out a spread only when they wish to understand a situation in their lives. The tarot can help to clarify what is happening, making their options clearer and giving them the confidence to move on.

Books can help you on your quest to read the tarot but the main learning comes from within. How does a card feel? Trust your intuition. For example, you may be doing a reading for someone and a card may seem very fiery, like there is something inside them bursting to get out. You can also apply your experiences of the energy of the cards in your own life - for example, the next time you get the Knight of swords in a spread you may think back to the example of the determined boss and ask yourself, 'Am I focussed enough?' or 'Am I too focussed?'