What is tarot, and what happens in a tarot reading?
For centuries, the tarot cards have been fascinating to human beings, giving them insights into the enigmatic universe of life and self. While they may visually resemble just a deck of cards to the amateur eye, they are so much more: tools of self-reflection, guidance, and divination to aide one to attain insight into the past, present, and possible future.
But despite hundreds of years, tarot has managed to stay mysterious. Let’s bring some clarity to it.
This guide walks you through the world of tarot-from its origins and methods to what really happens during a reading.
Key Takeaways
Tarot cards offer an in-depth understanding of your life and can be utilized for self-discovery, just as much as divination.
Tarot confronts you with your innermost conflicts and leads you to your ultimate truths.
The right cards always find the right person; a real reading cannot be forced or influenced.
Reading tarot is the art of marrying symbolism, intuition, and storytelling together.
To truly benefit from a tarot reading, prepare with intention: journal about your current thoughts, understand the process of your reader, and bring in a notebook for reflection.
What is Tarot?
The Tarot is a symbolic deck of cards reflecting so many aspects of the human experience. Each card has imagery and meaning behind it, and when put together in a spread, they reveal patterns, insights, and guidance.
Tarot is not about fixed destiny; it’s about awareness. The cards help you get in touch with your subconscious, reveal hidden motives, and see opportunities or patterns that may not be immediately obvious.
What Is a Tarot Reading?
A tarot reading involves interpreting cards that are arranged from the deck in order to determine an answer to a question or explore a situation. You can perform a reading for yourself or have a professional reader guide you through it.
The process gets under way with shuffling the deck, laying out cards in a particular spread that dictates the unfolding of the story.
What Is a Tarot Spread?
A tarot spread is the layout or pattern in which the cards are placed. Each card’s position holds meaning and affects how the reading is interpreted.
Spreads can vary from one card, which is more suited for daily reflection, to elaborate arrangements of ten or more cards. Probably the most well-known layout is the Celtic Cross Spread, with six cards crossed in a cross-like pattern and four aligned vertically up the side of the cross. Other popular spreads include the career path spread, horseshoe spread, and relationship spread.
How Does Tarot Reading Work?
In a reading, the tarot reader examines how the cards relate to one another by their imagery, position, and orientation to interpret the overall message.
For example, the High Priestess can represent spiritual awakening or emotional balance, depending on her position and the question being asked.
Each card can appear upright or reversed, and with that, the meaning changes. A card that appears reversed may indicate some sort of difficulty or blockage in energies. For example, The Hermit upright can mean wisdom and introspection, while reversed, it might suggest resistance to inner truth. Notably, two cards — The Sun and The World — are always considered to be positive symbols.
A skilled reader uses the cards to help the querent explore hidden emotions and behavioral patterns. It’s rarely about revealing something completely new; rather, it’s about putting things into perspective, validating what one may have been feeling deep inside.
How to Prepare for a Tarot Reading
A good reading of the tarot is a two-way street. The more open and participating you are, the clearer and more meaningful the insights will be.
Here’s how to prepare:
Journal beforehand: This will help you focus your energy by writing out questions, feelings, or confusions.
Know your reader’s policies: Understand their approach and ethics; it shows respect in the session.
Meditate before your reading: Calm your mind and center your energy for clearer communication.
Bring a notebook: Take notes on what resonates most, but stay present during the session.
Be open and candid: Do not “test” your reader. Providing relevant information aids them in interpreting better.
Tarot is not about foreseeing one’s fate but, rather, about understanding it. Every reading is a mirror displaying who you are and where you’re going.
How to Learn Tarot Card Reading
You don’t have to have any supernatural abilities to read tarot cards. Tarot is for everybody: a skill that grows with patience, intuition, and continuous learning.
Tarot reading is an intuitive art that combines symbolism and storytelling. Here’s how to begin your journey:
1. Understand Your Deck
First and foremost, you need to learn about the meaning of each card, and find a deck with which you truly resonate. Choose one that feels right, because all that matters is the connection you have with your deck.
2. Set the Right Mood
Energy matters. Create a calm, sanctified space before reading — light candles, burn incense, or use a special cloth to help you focus and channel your intuition.
3. Learn to Shuffle and Cut the Cards
Shuffling is a ritual of intention. While you do this, bring your question or purpose into your mind. Shuffle until you are ready, then draw cards intuitively or through a pre-chosen spread.
4. Interpret the Cards
Tarot cards don’t give direct answers. They give guidance through symbols. Once you know what each card means, study how those cards are combined within a spread-what the interactions and reflections of energies are, and what message they build.
5. Tell the Story
Every reading tells a story. The magic happens when the cards are translated into a story that feels real and empowering to the querent. Your job is to weave meaning, emotion, and clarity together.
Understanding the Tarot Deck Structure
Most tarot decks have 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. The Minor Arcana are further divided into four suits: Cups, Coins (or Pentacles), Wands, and Swords.
Major Arcana
These cards stand for the important lessons of life, spiritual milestones, and universal archetypes-love, transformation, wisdom, death, renewal. The 22 Major Arcana are symbolic of “The Fool’s Journey”, a metaphor for human growth and evolution.
Some examples include:
The Wheel of Fortune
The Devil
The Lovers
The Fool
The Magician
The Sun
Minor Arcana
These cards reflect everyday experiences-challenges, emotions, actions, and relationships. Each suit is similar to a deck of playing cards, with an Ace, numbered cards, and four court cards: Page, Knight, Queen, and King.
Example – Suit of Wands:
Ace of Wands
Two of Wands
Three of Wands
Four of Wands
Five of Wands
Six of Wands
Seven of Wands
Eight of Wands
Nine of Wands
Ten of Wands
Page of Wands
Knight of Wands
Queen of Wands
King of Wands
There are many different tarot decks, each with its unique symbolism and interpretations. Many contemporary decks are based on the Rider–Waite–Smith Tarot; however, others, such as the Tarot de Marseilles, utilize different names and images for the cards-such as “The House of God” instead of “The Tower.”
The Rider–Waite–Smith deck remains one of the most iconic and influential, inspiring nearly every contemporary tarot deck with its rich symbolic illustrations.
A Brief History of Tarot
Tarot originated in 15th-century Europe, where artists first created decks to depict archetypes of their era: kings, fools, lovers, and mystical figures drawn from folklore. At first, tarot cards were used simply for games.
It wasn’t until the 18th century that the cards developed spiritual and symbolic meanings, and their use evolved into divination.
Modern tarot owes much to the Order of the Golden Dawn, a mystical society active in late 19th-century London. One of its members, Arthur Edward Waite, collaborated with the artist Pamela Colman Smith to design what became known as the Rider–Waite deck. Although Smith’s name was omitted initially, modern readers rightfully honor her by calling it the Smith–Waite or even the Rider–Waite–Smith deck. This deck set a standard for most subsequent tarot interpretations, and its imagery continues to be an influence on tarot culture today. Using Tarot as a Pathway to Inner Wisdom Tarot is a powerful tool for reflection, healing, and growth. It’s not about predicting the future but about understanding the energies and choices shaping your path. When approached with openness and intention, the cards become more than just symbols-they become mirrors, reflecting your truth and guiding you toward clarity, balance, and transformation.
