Beginner's Guide to Tarot

• Many seek solace in tarot cards for guidance, curiosity, or as a new hobby.
• Patience is crucial for beginners learning tarot.
• Tarot should be viewed as a journey, not a skill to be mastered quickly.
• It can change one's approach to life so curiosity and gradual learning is key.

Overcoming Initial Confusion

• It takes time to learn and rushing the process can cause confusion.
• Focus on observing the cards and understanding their meanings rather than memorizing keywords.
• Everyone has the ability to be psychic, and the tarot is one tool to tap into intuition.
• Tarot cards have symbolism to express human themes and life journeys.
• While tarot cards have gained a mystical reputation, they originated in the 15th century as part of the Italian game Tarocchini.
• Tarot was first used for divination purposes in the 18th century.
• Antoine Court de Gébelin and Jean-Baptiste Alliette popularized tarot readings in Paris during the 1780s.
• The artistry and themes of tarot cards contribute to their lasting appeal.

Therapeutic Benefits

• Tarot can be beneficial even without a spiritual approach, e.g. for therapeutic purposes.
• The tarot practice can be compared to viewing art in a museum, triggering visceral reactions and resurfaced memories.
• Cards reflect certain experiences that people can relate to.
• The images in the cards can unlock memories, thoughts, and feelings.
• A secular approach to tarot enables self-reflection and discovery.
• Connecting with tarot varies for everyone.
• Numerology, astrology, storytelling, herbalism, movement, or music can aid connection.
• Tarot can bridge psychology, inner experiences, self-growth, and spirituality.
• Secular practitioners can use tarot as a therapeutic tool and mindfulness practice.
• Tarot can be a meditative experience and facilitates healing and self-growth.

Choosing a Deck

• The Rider-Waite deck is commonly recommended for beginners due to its recognizable meanings and intuitive symbolism.
• Modern Witch Tarot Deck, Mystic Mondays Tarot, and Ethereal Visions Illuminated Tarot Deck are other recommendations for novices.
• Select a deck with imagery that interests you and symbolism that you can interpret.
• Prioritize imagery that resonates and evokes excitement rather than confusion or trepidation.
• Metaphysical shops can offer recommendations for beginners.
• Decks exist for various groups like queer folks or those with different body shapes/abilities.
• Color schemes in decks can also influence the user's choice.
• Many decks come with additional guides to help walk you through the cards' meanings.
• Additional in-depth guidebooks can be helpful to overcome any confusion.

Guidebook Recommendations

• "The Ultimate Guide to the Rider Waite Tarot" by Johannes Fiebig & Evelin Bürger
• "Guided Tarot for Seamless Readings" by Stefanie Caponi
• "Illuminated: A Journal for Your Tarot Practice" by Caitlin Keegan
• "Finding the Fool" , straightforward guide.
• "WTF Is Tarot … & How Do I Do It?" , modern take on tarot.
• It is a superstition that ones first deck should be a gift, but it is not necessary.
• Purchasing your own deck demonstrates interest and excitement, so this myth can be ignored.

Common Elements

• Every tarot deck consists of 78 cards.
• 22 Major Arcana cards represent major life themes and bigger feelings.
• The Major Arcana cards signify the big story beats that occur in one's life.
• The Major Arcana cards begin with 0, The Fool, and end with 21, The World.

Meanings of Major Arcana Cards

• The Fool: Beginnings, innocence, spontaneity, a free spirit
• The Magician: Manifestation, resourcefulness, power, inspired action
• The High Priestess: Intuition, sacred knowledge, divine feminine, the subconscious mind
• The Empress: Abundance, nurturing, fertility, life
• The Emperor: Authority, establishment, control, structure
• The Hierophant: Spiritual wisdom, tradition, conformity, morality, ethics
• The Lovers: Partnerships, union, choice, alignment
• The Chariot: Willpower, success, assertion, control
• Strength: Courage, compassion, focus, inner strength
• The Hermit: Soul-searching, introspection, solitude, guidance
• Wheel of Fortune: Change, cycles, destiny, turning points
• Justice: Truth, fairness, accountability, law
• The Hanged Man: Pause, surrender, letting go, new perspectives
• Death: Endings, transformation, letting go, transition
• Temperance: Balance, patience, purpose, meaning
• The Devil: Restriction, addiction, materialism, ignorance
• The Tower: Sudden change, chaos, revelation, awakening
• The Star: Hope, faith, purpose, renewal, spirituality
• The Moon: Illusion, fear, anxiety, the subconscious
• The Sun: Joy, success, celebration, positivity
• Judgement: Renewal, reflection, reckoning, inner calling
• The World: Fulfillment, harmony, completion, integration

Interpreting Major Arcana

• Do not be freaked out if you pull Major Arcana cards with bad reputations e.g. The Devil and Death.
• The meanings of Major Arcana cards depend on the context and the other cards in the reading.
• The Death card signifies the end of a life chapter with new beginnings, not literal death.

Minor Arcana

• The remaining 56 cards make up the Minor Arcana, representing day-to-day focus rather than a lifelong arc.
• The Minor Arcana cards represent specific subthemes of larger themes and everyday experiences.
• Minor Arcana cards can still have a big impact on us.
• Minor Arcana cards are divided into four suits: wands, swords, pentacles, and cups.
• These suits correspond to the elements of fire, air, earth, and water, respectively.

Meanings of the Suits

• Wands: Proactivity, action, passion, determination, drive, attributed to fire.
• Swords: Intellect, thought, mental processes, anxiety, attributed to air.
• Pentacles: Earthly desires, tangible matters, the here and now, practicality, represents the element of Earth.
• Cups: Feelings, emotions, heart-centered themes, intuition, represents water.

Reading for Yourself

• You can read for yourself, but proceed with caution.
• It's important to know how to do it in a way that won't be harmful to yourself.
• When reading for yourself, have a strong sense of what you believe about the cards.
• Have an intention and be careful when receiving messages to avoid causing more harm than good.
• Reading with someone else as a start if you don't want them to read for you is recommended.
• After gaining experience and comfort, reading for yourself can be very powerful as you project onto the cards.
• Cards mirror you and your experience, by shining back what you need to see or already know unconsciously.

Tarot Journaling

• Journaling can deepen your relationship with the cards.
• Create sections for each card to write down keywords, correspondences, study questions, prompts, observations, and personal experiences.
• Document the cards pulled in each session, journal about it, and determine their personal meaning.
• There are no right or wrong definitions for each card, the key is to build relationships with the cards that empower.

When Not To Read

• Avoid turning to the cards when spiraling or in a panic.
• Cards may reflect the panic, hindering clear answers.
• Instead, approach the cards with open-ended questions.
• Do not read when you're activated and only open to hearing one particular kind of message.
• If stressed, ground yourself first by breathing, having tea, and sorting through feelings before reading.
• This will lead to clearer and stronger readings.

Preparation and Rituals

• Preparation is up to the deck's owner and what feels right to them.
• Some practitioners clear the deck before a reading to cleanse it of prior energy.
• White sage can be used to clear the deck, also called smudging.
• People are encouraged to buy white sage directly from Indigenous sellers.
• When saging set an intention and say a prayer to ask for guidance in your reading.
• The rituals you practice should be about what works for you.
• Some mist the space with essential-oil spray between readings.
• Cards can be cleansed by leaving them out under moonlight overnight or putting them through incense smoke.
• Meditations can be performed before every reading by visualizing the sun sinking beneath the horizon.
• Rituals are personal preferences.

Shuffling

• When reading cards for yourself focus on a question or an intention as you shuffle the cards.
• When reading for another person, ask them to give you a question or prompt and hold that question in mind while you shuffle the deck.
• Examples of questions include: When will I find love? Am I on the right career path? How do I end my writer's block?
• Readers take different approaches to shuffling regarding the amount.
• Consistency is important, especially when just starting out.
• Coming in with intention and focus is especially important.
• Stay focused on the question and stick with the spread and decisions.
• It becomes harder to trust yourself and your readings when you're being inconsistent.
• Cut the deck, or ask your sitter to do so, focusing on the reading's central question.
• Pull as many cards as you need for your spread and arrange them.

Spreads

• Start simply with a one-, two-, or three-card spread.
• Common three-card spreads include "body, mind, spirit" and "past, present, future".
• The timelines can be interpreted differently depending on the reading and the question being asked.
• "Situation, challenge, advice" is a practical and easy to interpret spread.
• "Conscious, unconscious" spread, (What am I conscious of in myself right now? What am I unconscious of that I need to see with more clarity to help me move forward" is a great starting point.
• "Something to change, something to preserve" spread is reflective and gives the reader autonomy.
• Affirmation spread is, "I can be _____, even when _____."
• A daily card reading uses a single card as a reminder or guideline for the day.
• Single-card readings are grounding and easy to connect with.
• The Celtic cross is a ten-card spread with nuanced approach that considers external factors, hopes and fears, the subconscious, and advice, and it draws the best possible outcome.
• Ten is so many cards to work with, especially if you're still trying to figure out card meanings.
• Newcomers should start with simpler spreads and work their way up.
• The archetypal tarot spread, based on the Celtic cross, focuses on the present, higher calling, and understanding shadow.

Interpretation

• Stick with your plan, no matter what.
• Avoid pulling extra "clarifier" cards when the reading isn't clear, as it results in more confusion.
• Pay close attention to each card pulled.
• Every single card is there to reveal something about you that is already present.

Spirituality

• Tarot cultivates contemporary spirituality because it's intuitive, interpretive, and connected to your spiritual essence.
• That's the microcosm connecting to the macrocosm.

Reversals

• Pulling an upside-down card means a different way to look at that meaning or a different way to look at that situation.
• The Wheel of Fortune card in reversal means not being open to receiving the abundance that awaits them.
• Upside-down card does not necessarily mean bad luck.
• Reversals can represent the shadow component of a card.
• When pulling a card, whether it's upright or reverse, think about all of its facets.

Advancing Your Practice

• There are resources available to sharpen your interpretation skills.
• There are books you can buy and classes (online and off) you can take.
• The following books are recommended reads:
  • Tarot for Yourself by Mary Kay Greer
  • Tarot for Life by Paul Quinn
  • Tarot & Self-Discovery (spread book)
  • On Divination and Synchronicity by Marie-Louise von Franz
  • Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack
  • Tarot As a Way of Life by Karen Hamaker-Zondag
  • The Witch's Book of Numbers by Rebecca Scolnick
  • WTF is Tarot? by Bakara Wintner
  • Tarot: No Questions Asked by Theresa Reed
  • Finding the Fool by Meg Jones Wall