How to Read Tarot Cards for Beginners

Tarot has been used for centuries as a tool for self-reflection, intuition development, and spiritual guidance. If you've been curious about learning to read tarot, you're in the right place.

This guide will take you from complete beginner to doing your first real reading — step by step.

What Is Tarot?

A standard tarot deck has 78 cards divided into two main sections:

• Major Arcana (22 cards): Big life themes and spiritual lessons — The Fool, The Tower, The Star, etc.
• Minor Arcana (56 cards): Day-to-day events and situations, divided into four suits:
  • Wands — passion, creativity, career
  • Cups — emotions, relationships, intuition
  • Swords — thoughts, conflict, truth
  • Pentacles — money, material world, practicality

Step 1: Choose Your First Tarot Deck

The most popular beginner deck is the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. Its illustrated cards make it easier to learn because every card tells a visual story.

Other great beginner decks:

• The Modern Witch Tarot
• The Everyday Tarot
• The Light Seer's Tarot

Tip: Choose a deck whose art speaks to you. You'll connect with it more deeply.

Step 2: Cleanse Your Deck

Before your first reading, cleanse your new deck to clear any lingering energies:

• Knock three times on the top of the deck
• Pass it through sage smoke
• Leave it under moonlight overnight
• Simply hold it and set your intention

Step 3: Learn the Card Meanings (Without Memorizing)

Don't try to memorize all 78 cards at once. Instead:

1. Pull one card each morning — study it, journal about it, see how it shows up in your day
2. Use your guidebook — every deck comes with one, and that's perfectly fine to use
3. Trust your intuition — look at the card's imagery and notice what you feel before reading any meaning

Step 4: Do Your First Reading

Start with a simple 3-card spread:

• Card 1 (Left): The past / What led to this situation
• Card 2 (Center): The present / What's happening now
• Card 3 (Right): The future / Where things are heading

How to Do a Reading:

1. Shuffle your cards while focusing on your question
2. When it feels right, stop and pull three cards
3. Lay them face-down, then flip them one at a time
4. Notice your first impression of each card
5. Read the guidebook if needed, then weave a story connecting all three cards

Step 5: Ask the Right Questions

The best tarot questions are open-ended, not yes/no:

• ✅ "What do I need to know about this relationship?"
• ✅ "What energy surrounds my career right now?"
• ✅ "What is blocking me from moving forward?"
• ❌ "Will I marry this person?"
• ❌ "Should I take this job?"

Common Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

1. Shuffling until you get a "good" card — read what comes up honestly
2. Only reading when you're worried — tarot is most powerful as a daily reflection tool
3. Taking every card literally — tarot speaks in symbols and metaphors
4. Thinking reversed cards are always bad — they simply carry a different nuance

When to Seek a Professional Reading

Learning tarot takes time, and sometimes you need clarity on an urgent situation. Our experienced tarot advisors have years of practice and can give you readings with depth and accuracy that takes years to develop on your own.

Whether you're just starting out or looking for a second opinion on your own readings, we're here to help.