Tarot Cards: Reading

Tarot cards have been used for generations by fortune tellers, diviners, psychics, and entertainers alike. It is unknown for sure where tarot cards originated from, or when exactly, but there are plenty of versions of the tarot. There are tarot card decks, it seems, for every interest, tradition, and aesthetic appeal these days. However, many people buy tarot cards but are unsure exactly how to use them, and many buy tarot card decks that they think are pretty, but have no other reason for liking them.

Hopefully, by the time you're done reading this hub, you'll understand a bit more about those tarot cards you own and don't understand, or want to buy and learn how to understand.

Choosing A Deck

One of the most important things in reading tarot cards is the deck you choose. Unfortunately, the deck that is most aesthetically pleasing to you might not be the best one. Often times, people buy a tarot deck with pretty pictures, but when they try to read it, they find they cannot seem to grasp the symbolism or meaning behind the card, and subsequently end up giving up completely.

This does not need to be the case. When trying to buy a tarot deck, if your interest is metaphysical and you want to use the tarot for divination, the best route to go is to choose the deck that calls to you. There will be a noticeable pull, usually in the form of a feeling that you just must have this specific deck, and the feeling won't leave you alone until you buy it. It will often manifest when you're just browsing the shelves, and your eyes keep settling on the tarot deck, the deck just seems to pop out at you, or you just feel compelled in some way to buy it. You might not understand or realize why you want the deck so much, it might not even match your interests, tradition, or view of what is aesthetically pleasing. However, your subconscious chose that deck for a reason, and if you're truly serious about learning how to divine with the tarot, the first thing to learn is to go with your intuition.

Attuning to the deck

This sounds much more difficult than it actually is.

Basically, after you've bought the deck with or without understanding exactly why you did so, your first order of business is to attune yourself with the deck.

This can be done in a number of ways. Some people say that blessing the deck is best, and while that works for some, what if you aren't interested in blessing the deck? You still have to get your cards infused with your energy, since divinatory tools are extensions of your own intuition.

This can be done just by playing around with the cards. Shuffle them, perform readings on yourself, and before you know it, your readings will become less random and more accurate. It's best to do this before reading someone else, however, just because random readings while still getting used to the cards will only hurt your credibility.

However, once your tarot cards are "used to" you, it will be much easier to understand the symbolism of the cards and interpret them according to the reading.

Interpreting the Symbolism

None of the tarot cards are completely literal. The "Death" card almost never represents physical death. Instead, the Death card typically represents the death of something old that is holding you back (a particular thought process, belief, situation, etc.), and the birth of something better.

Every card is like this: symbolic.

Even though there's a convenient little book of meanings that probably came with your tarot deck, it's a good idea to try to learn the symbolism on your own. A nice exercise to attempt to do this is simple.

Clear your mind and thoughts. Pull one of the cards and just think of what it makes you think of. Examine the symbolism as best you can. Now, what you thought of could very well be the accurate meaning according to the original interpretation, or it could be your interpretation of the card based on your instinctual feelings. If you want to see how close you were, go ahead and read the meaning out of the booklet. Keep on going this way, until you really get to know your cards and understand them.

This could take a while.

Ready to read?

By this time, you should probably know your cards pretty well, and be fairly ready to read them for other people.

The next step is to learn a few spreads, which can often be found included with your card deck. You could also learn spreads from other books and online. There are a few very simple spreads, such as the three-card Past, Present, Future spread that anyone can read at this point. There are also many more advanced spreads.

The most important thing to remember about tarot cards, however, whatever your beliefs on the subject are, is that they're a tool of divination if used that way. The future and outcomes they give are not set in stone. If you don't like the outcomes or possible future, that can be changed. Those are a projection of where you might end up if you continue on the path you're currently on. Even if you change one small thing, you could end up with a totally different result. Therefore, if you don't like the outcome, acknowledge it as a warning and change your future by changing what you're doing. If you like the outcome, keep doing what you're doing and it might turn out the same.

Good luck and happy divining.