Tarot Reading

 Tarot Background

Italy invented tarot cards in the 15th century. Early cards resembled modern ones.
Tarot divination and spirituality evolved. The decks included occult teachings and metaphorical imagery.
18th- and 19th-century occultists and mystics promoted the tarot for divination and self-discovery. The late 19th and early 20th century Theosophists and Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn popularized tarot.
20th-century New Age and esoteric groups reintroduced the tarot. Self-discovery, spiritual growth, and divination tarot decks exist today.
Many utilize tarot cards for divination and self-improvement. Tarot decks, spreads, and interpretations are gaining popularity.

Tarot Cards
Tarot decks comprise 78 Major and Minor Arcana cards.

Major Arcana

22 tarot significant Arcana cards represent life's major events, themes, and experiences. The most important tarot cards, they indicate huge changes. Self-development, meaning, and purpose are major arcana themes. They symbolize human experience and universal archetypes.

The Fool: represents innocence, new beginnings, and carefreeness.
Magician: resourcefulness, activity, creativity.

The High Priestess: represents intuition, mystery, and the unconscious.

Empresses: represent femininity, fertility, and motherhood.

Emperor: masculinity, power, and reason.

Hierophant: spirituality, tradition, guidance.

Lovers: harmony, and choice.

Chariot: determination.

Courage: resolve, inner strength.

Hermit: wisdom, solitude, introspection.

The Wheel of Fortune: cycles, fate, and the Wheel of Fortune.

Justice: fairness, truth—justice.

The Hanged Man: represents sacrifice, introspection, and change.

Death: represents endings, transition, and closure.

Temperance: moderation, and patience.

The Devil: greed, temptation, addiction.

The Tower: represents chaos and destruction.

The Star: hope, inspiration, guidance.

The Moon: emotions, intuition, subconscious.

The Sun: energy, success.

Judgment:  judgment, and effects.

The World: wholeness and integration.

Arcana minor
56 Minor Arcana cards represent daily life. Like Cups, Swords, Wands, and Pentacles, these cards have additional symbols and meanings. Each suit comprises 14 numbered cards (Ace–10) and 4 court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King).
Minor arcana cards represent daily problems. They depict self-details and ordinary existence.

Card meanings:

Cups
Express emotions. They convey reader feelings.

Wands
Inspiration, drive, and passion. They encourage.

Swords
Thoughts and decisions. They often indicate mental capacity and decision-making.

Pentacles
Money, finances, and body. They reveal health and finances.

Each minor arcana card has its own symbolism, although suit-specific meanings depend on the reading and question.

Tarot reading
1. Find a tarot deck you like.
Tarot cards have varied artwork and meanings.
2. Tarot card meanings.
Check your deck's manual or online for meanings.
3. Read deliberately
Want what? Need help?
4. Consider your question or aim while shuffling.
General or specific tarot readings.
5. Spread the cards.
The spreads below have different layouts and interpretations. Three-card, Celtic cross, and five-card spreads dominate.
6. Interpret the dispersed cards.
Consider each card's meaning and spread position. Patterns and symbols.
7. Read it.
Analyze the cards. Their significance? Their advice?
Tarot Spreads

Your question determines the tarot spread. Choose a Tarot spread:
Consider the reading's objective
Each spread is designed. A layout that emphasizes the past, present, and future is preferable for a general reader, while one that emphasizes specifics is better for a specific topic.
Choose a card count
Some spreads employ few cards. Card count determines reading.
Look back
Some spreads are more advanced for advanced readers, while others are simpler for beginners.
Have faith
Follow your instincts if a spread appeals.


Tarot Prep

Your Goal
Before a tarot reading, set an aim. Tarot reading intentions:

Clear
Declare your intent. "What can I expect in my career in the next six months?" instead of "What will happen to me?"

Accept
Even if it's bad, follow the cards' suggestion. Sometimes we need unwelcome answers.

Be Happy
Goal-set positively. "How can I improve my relationship?" rather than "What's wrong with my relationship?"

Think Beforehand
Before reading, calmly evaluate your question or goal.

Note it
Writing down your goal may help.

Trust the Process
Trust the process, cards, and yourself to grow and reflect through tarot readings.

To get the most out of a tarot reading and act on your insights, set an intention.

Cleanse Your Deck

To eliminate negative energy from a tarot deck before a reading, use these methods:

Smudging

Hold the deck and slide it through the smoke to cleanse it.

Ringing a bell, playing singing bowls, or clapping cleans the deck.Crystals

Sunlight or moonlight on a clean quartz crystal, selenite, or amethyst purifies the deck.

Visualization
Visualize the deck being cleansed by a bright white light.

Nature
Nature purifies, so bury, hang, or submerge the deck.

Breath
Sit quietly and hold the deck. Take a deep breath and exhale over the deck many times to cleanse energy.
The main goal is to remove bad energy and prepare the deck for use, regardless of the method.
After each reading or whenever you feel the need, cleanse your deck.

Refreshing Deck
A new tarot deck may have negative energy from creation, travel, and handling, therefore clean it before utilizing it. Some people even pour their energy into it.
Cover your deck while not in use to prevent dust and negative energy.
Finally, purifying a new tarot deck before using it is a great idea to remove negative energy and personalize it, but it's not necessary.

Charge It!
Transfer your energy to a tarot deck to improve readings:
cards
Shuffle, touch, and focus on pumping energy into the deck.

Deck Meditation
Hold the deck and focus on it while inhaling deeply to transfer energy.
Deck Your Pillow.
Putting the deck under your pillow absorbs your energy overnight.

The Deck
Keep your energy in your pocket or handbag to enter the deck.

Customize Deck
Personalize the deck by writing or decorating the cards.
Before transferring energy, cleanse the deck. Your energy is one of many factors that effect readings. Not all Tarot decks require personal energy transmission.

Shuffle, Cut, and Pull Tarot Cards
Tarot cards are shuffled, cut, and pulled.

Shuffle Cards
Use the overhand, riffle, Hindu, or table shuffle to get your energy into the cards before removing them.

Deck
After shuffling, hold the deck in your non-dominant hand and cut it into three equal-sized piles. You can face the top card up or down.

Draw Cards

Choose cards that catch your eye or make you feel good while drawing them.

The Reading
General tarot reading:

The Set
Create a calming atmosphere with candles, incense, or music.

Your Deck
Shuffle your preferred tarot deck.

Inquire or
Ask a focused question.

Draw Your Cards
Three-card spreads show the past, present, and future. Draw one card.

Card Reading
Use a guidebook and your intuition to interpret the cards' meaning and pictures to answer your question.

Reflect
Consider how the cards relate to your question or intention and their advice.

End Reading
Thank and return the cards.
Tarot readings can be personalized, but you must be open to the cards' messages.