How do you read tarot cards yourself?

Have you asked ourselves the question: how to learn to read Tarot cards on your own, and is it possible? Then you are at the right place. We will show you where to start, how to prepare, and what nuances are important for an accurate prediction.

The practice of tarot divination appeared in Europe in the Middle Ages. According to esotericists, the European system of magic owes its appearance to the gypsies. The nomadic people used Tarot cards, both for fortune telling and divination, and for gambling. This system is one of the most interesting, mysterious and symbolic magical practices that are widespread in Europe and beyond.

Where to begin?

To get acquainted with the Tarot cards, you must first study the hierarchical structure of this prediction system.

There are 78 cards in the deck: 22 – Major Arcana and 56 – Minor Arcana.

Archetypal symbols are depicted on the cards of the Major Arcana. They describe the main events and life situations that a person can get into. The image captured in the picture should not be taken literally. Each image hides a wide range of meanings and interpretations. The task of the fortuneteller is to reveal this image and interpret it intuitively, guided by his associations and impressions. Let’s look at a couple of examples:

The card “The Lovers” of the Major Arcana. You should not take this card literally and wait on the cusp of new love or quick changes in the personal life. This image primarily symbolizes choice. And the appearance of this card in the spread suggests that soon a person will have to take a decisive step.

Now let’s look at “The Fool“. This image does not mean that the person to whom you are guessing is not smart. In the figurative symbolism of this fortune telling system, the card marks the beginning of a new stage of life. The literal meaning of the Fool card is “to start with a clean slate.” Also, the card can characterize the person who is being guessed at, as cheerful, full of life, optimistic and able to easily overcome difficulties.

The Tarot cards are primarily requiring intuition, imaginative thinking and work with your subconscious. To start reading them, you can rely on already existing interpretations. Your own understanding of each sign will come later with practice.

Preparation for fortune telling and “communication” with cards

Like any magical practice, the divination involves not only constant practice and self-improvement, but also certain rituals that must be followed in order to get a good result.

Professional tarot readers provide a lot of useful practical advice. For example:

Tarot cards “do not tolerate” hustle and bustle. Before you start fortune-telling, you need to make sure that there will be enough time for the ritual, and the person will not be distracted by trifles. This advice can be figuratively called “turn off your mobile phone”. You should not start the alignment if soup is being cooked on the stove or in ten minutes you need to urgently run after the children to kindergarten or school.

Tarot, alcohol and tobacco don’t go together. Simply put, laying out cards at a noisy party heated by alcohol and shrouded in tobacco smoke means getting a negative result in advance. Arcana just won’t “work”, esotericists warn. Tarot is not a fun pastime. If you have a desire to have some fun during a holiday, it is better to take a lotto or dominoes.

You should not ask the cards the same question multiple times if the result of fortune-telling does not satisfy you for some reason. The answer has been received, and what to do with it depends on the choice of the person himself.

The cards may refuse to “speak”. Yes, it happens. Professional fortune-tellers believe that the Tarot has its own “mood”. How to understand if the cards work or not? There is no clear answer to this question. It all depends on the experience of the fortuneteller and his intuition. Therefore, experts advise, it is necessary to “make friends” with the Arcana.

Conditions for accurate divination

The time of day for fortune-telling does not matter. It is a mistake to think that you need to read Tarot only at night. This is not the case at all. But, nevertheless, the lunar cycles affect the result of the cards and their “mood”. The closer to the full moon, the more power any magical artifacts receive for divination. You can also guess on the waning moon. But at the same time, the magical properties of the cards will be weaker. On the new moon, it is better to leave the tarot alone and not touch them. Tarologists call this “give the cards a rest”.

Do I need to use additional attributes: candles, incense and other aids? Yes. A candle is a prerequisite for the fortune telling process. Before each new fortune-telling, the cards must be “burned”. This does not mean that each card needs to be severely set on fire. It is enough to spread the deck like a fan and move them over the candles’ fire three times. It is considered that in this way the information about the previous predictions is canceled. Many magicians use the energy of stones and natural minerals to enhance intuition and concentration. Amethyst, agate, rock crystal, cat’s eye – this is not a complete list of stones that are used in fortune telling with Tarot cards.

The cards need to be “thanked for the job”. This rule is an integral part of the ritual. At the end of the session, the magic instrument also needs to be “cleaned” with a candle flame and receive a “thank you”. When you start working with the cards, you also need to “talk” to them. Each master has a special greeting to the Tarot. Therefore, the fortuneteller needs to develop his own system of “communication” and find the right words for the prediction to be as accurate and true as possible.

Learning the Tarot system is difficult. Even for true professionals, this process takes years and decades. Not everything can work out the first time. Sometimes the meaning of the symbols encrypted in the cards is revealed only after some time. But you need to be patient. And, of course, practice your cards as much as possible. Esotericists also advise keeping a “fortune-telling diary”. You can use it to take notes of the questions that were asked, the used spreads, and the result that you received.