An Introduction To The Meanings Of Tarot Cards?

Tarot cards are a powerful tool for personal discovery and self-care, representing emotions, relationships, connections, and the tangible aspects of life. They also represent challenges, conflicts, and the intellect. To understand how to read Tarot cards, one must first understand how it works. The art of tarot is an intricate interplay between our knowledge of universal symbols and the intuitive understanding of each reader.

To start learning Tarot, one should start with the Tarot 101 Course, a 10-part video tutorial series designed for beginners. This 10-part series will teach readers how to quickly and intuitively read the Tarot cards, no prior knowledge required.

Tarot reading is a practice of spiritual guidance, based on a card system. Practitioners use it to self-reflect and connect with their spiritual self. With Guided Tarot as a companion to your deck, readers can learn more about themselves, receive divine guidance with life decisions, and overcome obstacles in their lives.

Tarot cards incorporate numerology, astrology, and symbolism, making them fundamental meanings. However, it is essential to rely on personal intuition and understanding of the card’s meanings. Tarot cards were originally used for divination, but they have evolved over time to serve as a tool for personal growth and self-care.

Can you read your own tarot cards?

Can I read my own tarot? You can (and should!), but as with all other reading, proceed with caution. “It’s important to know how to do it in a way that won’t be harmful to yourself,” says Wall.

Maybe you’re feeling lost, in need of some guidance or at least a direction. Maybe you once scoffed going into a tarot reading only to be humbled by its accuracy. Maybe you’re an astrology nerd who’s looking for an additional form of guidance. Or maybe you’re simply trying to pick up a new hobby. These motivations and more have led to a significant uptick in people searching for solace in tarot cards. Whatever your personal reason, if you’re one of them, patience is key. Mariana Louis, a tarot teacher and practitioner of archetypal tarot, says anyone first learning about tarot should think of it as a journey. “It’s not something you’re going to learn in a weekend even when a YouTube video promises you can,” she says. “It’s something you’re going to learn over time. It can change the way you approach your life, so go slow in the beginning. Be curious.”

“When I started reading the cards, I was really confused,” says Meg Jones Wall, the author of tarot resource Finding the Fool and founder of 3am. tarot. Wall first picked up a deck in 2016, hoping that as soon as she started shuffling, things would fall into place and she’d intuitively know what to do. “But it didn’t come super naturally to me,” she says. “I quit a few times, but I just kept coming back to it. I was fascinated by the cards.” Their own experience as a beginner is the reason they recommend that newcomers to the practice take it slow. “It’s going to take time, and the more I, and students that I work with, try to rush the process, the more confusing it gets. Slow down; pay attention to what you’re actually observing in the cards. Listen to the meanings of the cards instead of comparing the keywords that you have and trying to make them fit.”

And if you’re worried about not being a natural at reading — don’t be. Juan Francisco, a psychic medium based in New York who’s been practicing for three years, believes that we all have the ability to be psychic and tarot is a means of expressing that intuition. “Tarot is one of many different types of tools that you can use to tap into your intuitive side,” he says. “I think the cards, because of their symbolism, speak to a lot of the themes that have come up in just being a human and the life’s journey.”

Should I read my own tarot cards?

Reading tarot cards is a powerful tool for self-discovery and self-improvement. However, it is crucial to approach it with intention and a strong sense of belief in the cards. Pulling tarot cards without knowing what you are receiving can cause more harm than good. If you prefer someone else to read for you, it is recommended to start with familiarity and comfort with the cards.

The most accurate readings are achieved when you project yourself onto the cards, as they are a reflection of your experiences and needs. A tarot journal can be a valuable reference for learning and deepening your relationship with the cards. It can take various forms, such as digital or physical, reflective or instructive.

Creating a section for each card, where you can write down keywords, correspondences, study questions, prompts, observations, and related personal experiences, is essential for developing intuition. Louis suggests writing down the cards you pulled after each session, journaling about them, and sitting with them to figure out what the cards mean for you. Reading a card based on the symbols you notice and the energies you feel is the best way to start.

What are the 21 tarot cards?

Tarot cards are ancient Chinese divination tools used for predicting the future. The major arcana, consisting of 22 cards, represents various forces, characters, virtues, and vices. The cards are numbered I through XXI, with the fool being unnumbered. The major arcana includes jugglers, papesses, empresses, emperors, popes, lovers, chariots, justice, hermits, wheel of fortune, strength, death, temperance, devil, lightning-struck towers, stars, moons, suns, last judgments, worlds, and the fool.

The minor arcana consists of 56 cards divided into four suits of 14 cards each. Each suit has 4 court cards and 10 numbered cards. The value progression in each suit is ace to 10, then jack, knight, queen, and king.

The adaptation of tarots to occult and fortune-telling purposes first occurred in France around 1780. Each tarot card is ascribed a meaning, with the major arcana referring to spiritual matters and trends in the questioner’s life. In the minor arcana, wands deal with business matters and career ambitions, cups with love, swords with conflict, and coins with money and material comfort. The meaning of any card is modified based on its position in the spread and the meaning of adjacent cards.

Is it OK to pull tarot cards for yourself?

Is it possible to do Tarot spreads on yourself, even if you’re a beginner? Yes! It absolutely is. Tarot is a modality that helps us gain greater insight into our current situations, honor our intuition and forecast potential outcomes. It might seem a bit daunting, but it’s really a simple process. I’ll walk you through it.

Cleansing the energy of your space. Before we get down to it and begin our reading, prepare your space (physically and mentally). Cleanse the energy through the burning of herbs, ringing a bell or chimes, taking a bath, or using your favorite crystals. (My personal favorite is a Selenite wand, an excellent energy refresher that aids in clarity, which can easily and effectively be waved over the space, the cards, and your own body). Once the energy has been cleansed, sit somewhere comfortable where you will not be disturbed during your ritual. Close your eyes, clear out the mental cobwebs, and visualize protective energy surrounding you.

Shuffling and choosing the cards. Take a few deep breaths in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. As you do this practice, think about your question or what you need guidance with while keeping your mind and heart open to whatever answers may come through the cards. Once you feel ready, open your eyes and shuffle the deck, again thinking about your desired query. Remember, there is no wrong way to shuffle. When they feel sufficiently mixed (I assure you, you will know!), begin dealing out the cards in front of you. The pattern laid out is referred to as a “spread,” and the ways cards are dealt out and how they land influences the meaning of each card in combinations building up to the overall answer to your query. It is beneficial to know which spread you will be working with before beginning to shuffle, but as the answers come through, understand that sometimes we need to draw additional cards for further clarity or begin again with a new question tacking a different perspective.

Is tarot card reading real?

Claims by the early French occultists that tarot cards had esoteric links to ancient Egypt, the Kabbalah, Indic Tantra, or the I Ching have been frequently repeated by authors on card divination. However, scholarly research reveals that, having been invented in Italy in the early 15th century for playing games, there is no evidence of any significant use of tarot cards for divination until the late 18th century. ( 6 ) In fact, historians have described western views of the Tarot pack as “the subject of the most successful propaganda campaign ever launched… An entire false history and false interpretation of the Tarot pack was concocted by the occultists; and it is all but universally believed”. ( 7 )

The belief in the divinatory meaning of the cards is closely associated with a belief in their occult properties, a commonly held belief in early modern Europe propagated by prominent Protestant Christian clerics and Freemasons. ( 5 )

From its uptake as an instrument of divination in 18th-century France, the tarot went on to be used in hermeneutic, magical, mystical, ( 8 ) semiotic, ( 9 ) and psychological practices. It was used by Romani people when telling fortunes, ( ((Wikipedia:Citing_sources| page needed )) ) _10-0″ ( ((Wikipedia:Citing_sources| page needed )) ) -10″ ( 10 ) as a Jungian psychological apparatus for tapping into “absolute knowledge in the unconscious”, ( 11 ) a tool for archetypal analysis, ( 12 ) and even a tool for facilitating the Jungian process of individuation. ( 13 ) ( 14 )

How to deal tarot cards for beginners?

An easy shuffling method is to deal cards into piles to randomize them or hold the whole deck and gently drop portions of the cards into different piles. Then you can combine the piles back into one pile and pull cards. This is great for beginners. Below is the drop method.

Some readers spread the cards around on a table or desktop to mix them up and then pick cards randomly from the piles of mixed cards OR you can gather the mixed cards back into a pile to pull the cards. This is called the washing machine method and great for getting reversal cards. This is easy for those that struggle with the other shuffling methods, and it is easy to spin and mix the cards up quickly.

Just like shuffling there are multiple methods for pulling cards. Below I will cover a variety of these methods.

Can I learn tarot on my own?

While you can certainly visit a tarot practitioner for a reading, you can also learn to read your own tarot cards. That way, you can define your relationship with them and determine how they can fit into your life.

Becoming acquainted with all 78 cards can be daunting and challenging, especially in the beginning. The deck is separated into 22 Major Arcana cards, which are thematically significant, and then 56 cards split up into four suits, each with a different energy. Each card has a different interpretation, and takes on new meaning when pulled in conjunction with other cards.

Hearing advice from professional readers can help guide your journey — because everyone has their own tips. As a professional astrologer and tarot reader, I find that taking notes in a journal of all the cards you’re pulling on a regular basis is helpful. My great grandmother, who read tarot during the Great Depression, taught me that if you are seeing similar cards over and over that they are trying to tell you a message. Keeping track of your tarot pulls can help you see the patterns and themes to pay attention to.

Below, we spoke to prominent and skilled tarot readers for must-know tips for beginners and experts alike.

What tarot cards should a beginner use?

Naude recommends the Rider Waite Smith tarot for beginners to familiarize themselves with the foundation of tarot practice. Rachel True, a longtime tarot reader, offers “True Heart Intuitive Tarot” with beautiful illustrations and a personal guidebook. This deck connects moments from True’s Hollywood life to tarot concepts, and astrologer Lisa Stardust calls it a great way to connect to the cards. For Taylor Swift fans and aspiring tarot readers, a Swift-inspired deck is recommended, featuring each card pairing a song lyric with a tarot concept. For example, the Tower card symbolizes falling apart, while the Lovers card represents the song “Paper Rings”.

What is the meaning of tarot cards in simple terms?

Tarot cards are a symbolic language of the soul. Each card is like a mirror that reflects the energies, experiences, and emotions that shape our lives.

Wands = fire sign energy;; Cups = water sign energy;; Pentacles = earth sign energy;; Swords = air sign energy.;

Each zodiac sign can also be seen in the Major Arcana cards. There’s a slight discrepancy between readers and which sign they assign to each Major Arcana card, but these are the discoveries that I’ve seen most accurately in my years of professional readings:

Aries: The Emperor, The Fool;; Taurus: The Hierophant, The Empress (Venus ruled);; Gemini: The Lovers, The High Priestess (both showing duality);; Cancer: Temperance, The Chariot, The Moon (Planetary Ruler);; Leo: Strength;; Virgo: The Hermit; secondary: The Maiden in Strength;; Libra: Justice; secondary: The Empress (Venus ruled);; Scorpio: Death; Sagittarius: Judgment, Temperance; Capricorn: The Devil; Aquarius: The Star, The Hanged Man; Pisces: The Moon;

What is the most powerful tarot card?

While some people view tarot as a tool for self-reflection and guidance, others see it as a form of entertainment or a means to explore deeper aspects of the subconscious mind. But among these 78 cards, is there one that stands out as the most powerful? The answer is not so simple, as different cards have different meanings and impacts, depending on the context, the question, and the interpretation of the reader. However, some cards are generally considered to be more influential and have a strong impact on human lives. Those are:- 1. The Fool – It is the first card of the Major Arcana and believed to be the most influential, positive and powerful one indicating the new beginnings. It is numbered zero which indicates that it has infinite possibilities and limitless freedom.

Is depicted as a young man who is about to step off a cliff, with a dog at his feet, a bag on his shoulder, and a white rose in his hand.

Is often considered one of the most powerful Tarot cards and marked as number I. This card represents the skill of making things happen and turning ideas into reality. It shows the ability to bring spiritual energy into our everyday lives. The Magician’s control over earth, air, fire, and water symbolizes the potential to create and transform ourselves. 3. The Tower –

Can I read my own tarot cards?

Reading your own tarot cards is possible, but it’s important to do so with caution and not to harm yourself. Many people seek solace in tarot cards due to various reasons, such as feeling lost, seeking guidance, or trying to pick up a new hobby. Mariana Louis, a tarot teacher and practitioner of archetypal tarot, advises that learning tarot is a journey that takes time and patience.

Meg Jones Wall, author of Finding the Fool and founder of 3am. tarot, initially found reading the cards confusing but eventually returned to it. They recommend taking the process slow, paying attention to what you’re observing in the cards, and listening to the meanings instead of comparing keywords.

Juan Francisco, a psychic medium, believes that we all have the ability to be psychic and that tarot is a means of expressing that intuition. He believes that the cards speak to themes that have come up in human life and the life’s journey, making them an excellent tool for tapping into one’s intuitive side.

In conclusion, reading tarot cards is a valuable tool for those seeking guidance, direction, or to explore their intuitive side. However, it’s essential to approach the process with patience and curiosity, as it can change the way you approach life.