Tarot card Basics: A Complete beginner’s Guide to Tarot

Do you want to learn to read tarot cards?

With so much information out there, it isn’t easy to know where to start.

Newbies and beginners find it challenging and overwhelming to learn how to read tarot cards because they don’t know the basics or fundamentals.

So, if you want to learn tarot cards but don’t know where to begin?

We’re here to help you with tarot card basics.

What Really Is Tarot?

What is a tarot deck?

Tarot is a deck of 78 cards that can be split into Major Arcana consisting of 22 cards.

And a Minor Arcana with the remaining 56 cards.

Each card in the 78 cards deck has its own story, imagery, and symbolism.  

The Major Arcana represents spiritual and karmic lessons, while the Minor Arcana represents the tribulations and trials that we go through daily.

There are four suits in the Minor Arcana, each suit has numbers 1 to 10 on them, has a theme, and has four additional Court cards (Queen, King, Knight, and Page). 

Minor Arcana Suits 

The suit of Cups: This group of cards is connected to matters of the soul, emotions, and relationships.

It reveals how others feel about us and how we truly feel about an event. 

Nine of Cups 

The Pentacles suit: Also known as “Coins” or “Disks,” the pentacles represent the physical world and material things.

The cards often reveal career, money matters, and success, but they can also indicate spiritual and emotional prosperity. 

Ace of Pentacles 

The Swords cards: This group of cards reveals our greatest challenges by cutting to the heart of the matter.

Strife, conflicts, loss, illness, death, heartbreak, and war are associated with this suit.

They can also reveal the truths and help us move forward. 

10 of swords

The suit of Wands Sometimes called “Staffs,” this group of cards is used to reveal new beginnings, energy movements, and growth.

They represent innovation and ideas.

Wands are often related to your sense of purpose, your career and can deliver strong love messages.

wand

Card Spreads 

Tarot spreads refer to the card’s patterns during a reading.

There are different ways to spread the cards, and each spread comes with an interpretation.

Here are tarot spreads that can help beginners build confidence.

Three Card Tarot Spread

This card spread is ideal for beginners and adaptable to many questions.

It reveals enough information about an event or situation without overwhelming the reader.

Three Card Tarot Spread

There are different formations in this Spread, and they include.

Past-Present Future Tarot Spreads: In this tarot spread, the first card pulled represents things from the past that affect events in the present.

The story behind the spread depends on the Arcana used, and the third card in the spread represents how the future may be.

Mind-body Spirit Tarot Spreads: Depending on the individual needs, the cards in this spread may represent the current event, future energies, or advice for what may happen in each realm.

Situation Obstacle Advice and Outcome tarot Spreads: This spread reveals conflicts and resolves the tension.

Five Card Tarot Spreads

The three-card spreads offer in-depth information, but the Five-card tarot spreads delve into the question “Why?”

There are two formations in this spread, and they include.

Five Card Tarot Spread – Rectangle Formation: The cards in this spread are in a rectangular form with the theme card in the center.

Five Card Tarot Spread – Cross Formation: This card spread has a cross form structure, and it may represent Past, Present, and Future.

Laying Out Your Tarot Cards 

Once you have chosen your tarot spread, shuffle all 78 cards and then cut the card deck many times while you’re thinking of the questions.

This way, your energy can interact with the cards to achieve the best results.

tarot readings

When you’re certain that you’ve shuffled enough, you can ask your question aloud and pull your card.

Continue this process with the remaining card until every card is in place.

Next, you’ve to interpret your tarot reading. 

Can you Learn to Read Tarot Cards?

Learning how to use tarot is a difficult skill: it requires intuition and an intimate knowledge of its symbols.

There are many ways for people to do this, but none that can be considered the “right” way.

Eventually everyone develops their own technique they’re comfortable with.

One that feels right in both mind and body alike.

Don’t be Hard on Yourself

Don’t worry about memorizing every card.

Just get started by learning the basics and then drawing onet card a day to see what your higher self has in store for you!

Asking yourself, “What do I need to know today?” will help ground any intuitive information from that reading into our physical world.

Then we can apply it during the course of our day.

Reflecting on these cards as they come up throughout your daily routine is also an effective way of making a personal connection with them over time.

Eventually you’ll be able to live life through inspiration alone.

Is it bad to read your own tarot?

Tarot cards are not just for fortunetellers and psychic readers.

tarot reader

They’re also a great way to get insight into your own life, past traumas you have faced, or current issues that might be affecting you in the present moment.

Tarot is an accessible tool with which we can provide ourselves guidance on our lives and relationships if used correctly or as a means of reflection when feeling lost about what do next?

The short answer: YES! It’s totally okay to read Tarot for yourself.

In fact it may even be more valuable than having someone else read them for us because they will offer new perspectives from outside sources instead of blindly accepting information without fully understanding its ramifications.

For now though, it’s best to trust a seasoned reader.

Tarot Card Basics Summary

Reading tarot cards is as much a skill as intuition.

Ensure you get your tarot deck first and then refer to this post as a tarot card basics guide.

It might be a while before you feel confident in giving tarot readings and feeling fully confident in card reading in general but over time you will learn the meanings.

 

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