There are a lot of things to keep in mind when you’ve selected your tarot deck and you start reading tarot cards, especially when you’re a beginner. But even a seasoned tarot reader should never turn down a chance to learn more tarot tricks. I’ve compiled this checklist on how to study and master tarot from my own experiences when reading my own tarot cards and reading cards for others.
The first thing you want to do is…
…Create a Cocoon of Calm:
To really focus on the tarot card reading you want a space where you feel relaxed and calm. This can be anywhere you prefer, inside, outside, under the bed, in the shower (without the water running unless you have waterproof cards…).
Tarot cards are a tool to communicate with the universe. It’s like a two way radio that picks up on the energies of the universe and your energies. Because tarot cards work on the energies you’re bringing to the table, you want to make sure that your energy is as pure as possible and you intent is set. Just slapping the cards down on any old table at any old time will give you a very clear idea of what mood you’re in at that specific time and what will happen if you don’t let go of the pot bubbling on the stove… But it won’t tell you about the question you asked because your mind will still be on other things and not focused on actually…
…Communicating a Clear Question:
If you focus your intent on the question and getting a clear answer from the cards you’ll get what you ask for. If you ask a question that is too vague or not grounded in fact you’ll struggle to understand what the tarot cards are trying to tell you.
As you shuffle the cards keep your question in mind. Think about how the situation makes you feel, certain things that happened in the situation and anything you may be wondering about the situation. Keep all the other thoughts about the day you’re having out of your mind.
Once you have shuffled the cards, pick the spread that best suits your question. This will help you…
…Clarify what the Card are Communicating:
The placement of cards in a spread will help you to understand how to apply the meaning of the card to the situation you asked about. This is where a lot of people get stuck when they’re learning tarot. You need to let your intuition guide you. When I was learning how to read my tarot cards I often got readings that seemed to make no sense, until I started listening to my intuition more than the books.
Having the knowledge of the meaning of the cards does help at first, but after a while you get to know your cards at more than just face value. That’s why it’s important to keep practicing and comparing your prediction with what happens in your life. That way you’ll start to get a feel for how YOU connect with your cards.
A Couple of Closing Comments:
You can study tarot cards, but it’s an experiential study more than learning a list of meanings. Learning tarot is like learning to ride a bike, you can read up about it as much as you want, but until you get up on the bike and try to ride it you won’t learn how to balance. And you can expect a couple of falls in your tarot reading as well.
But now that you know a bit more about what tarot cards are and a lot more about how to use them effectively you’ll be able to get much more accurate tarot card readings.
