If you want to learn how to read tarot cards, your first challenge is to choose a deck from the approximately 8,000 published brands of fortune telling cards on the market. What works for one person often doesn’t work for another. Some people are comfortable reading multiple decks and others just identify with one deck. In my experience, you’ll find that over time, you’ll grow in and out of various decks. You may also find that the deck you prefer to use to read yourself is not the deck you prefer to use to read others.
For example, when I started reading, I started with a deck that was too heavy for me: The Crowley Deck. The end result of that was that I ended up selling them because I was scared of the images on the deck. I was simply too young to handle the images on this dark deck and it was giving me nightmares. Then I switched to the Rider Waite Deck for a few years, which is the ultimate in single, all-purpose decks. Then I fell in love with the Renaissance Deck, which is much more elaborate in terms of imagery and a bit more defined in its meanings when it comes to describing relationships. Then I went into a period where I was yearning for more simplicity, I switched to the Palladini deck, which is very pure and has a “lighter feel”. (Something like the Pollyanna of Tarot decks). Now that I’m older, I’ve gone back to the Crowley deck and the Order of the Golden Stair, which are a bit heavy.
There are also many specialty or eclectic decks on the market that may appeal to you more than Rider Waite, but learning Rider Waite is like going to high school. The Psychic Realm reader Bacchus, for example, uses Haindl’s deck for his readings, which has a Nordic feel to it and is a permutation of the classic Rider-Waite deck, but as wonderful as it is, I don’t think it’s a deck for beginners
Here are some good decks I can recommend for beginners that are based on the Rider Waite meaning system.
The Rider Waite Deck
The Aquatic Tarot – same as the Rider Waite but done in watercolors
The Pamela Colman Tarot: Same images as the Rider Waite but done in brighter, more psychedelic colors.
The Golden Tarot: the same as Rider Waite but the images are more medieval
The Palladini Tarot – the same as Rider Waite but with very simple and cheerful drawings
The Renaissance Tarot: Same as Rider Waited but enhanced with images from the Renaissance era.
You can find a selection of Tarot Decks in the Psychic Realm store off the main page or browse the web and purchase one that appeals to you online. I recommend doing some research online first and finding places where you can view different decks online because most store owners won’t let you open and handle your deck because it means removing the plastic from your packaging. The best way to be sure, though, is to go to a store, pick up the deck, and see if you like the feel of the cards once you’ve done some research on the images on them. The feel, weight, or look of the cards often “speaks” to you. If you feel a connection to the images on the cards or even how they feel in your hands, then that’s probably the deck you’ll relate to best. I also recommend a platform that comes with a small book inside the package or box so you have something to quickly refer to if you get lost while reading.
A tip for beginners! When I started reading the Tarot, I wrote myself a sheet that resembled a chart so that all the meanings of each card upside down and upside down were apparent to me at a glance. Writing the meanings this way really helps you learn the cards quickly.
Your next step would be to familiarize yourself with your cards. The best way to learn is to study the image on each card, one at a time, while memorizing the meaning. Be patient. There are usually 78 meanings to learn, so this is not always a quick process. Some tarot masters recommend that you place the deck of cards under your pillow at night so that you can become more familiar with them. The idea is that your subconscious absorbs the information in the same way that a sponge absorbs water. You can also meditate or dream on the individual cards in the same way by placing them under your pillow.
Some people like to charge their cards after receiving them, either by praying or meditating on them, placing a crystal or passing them through the smoke of incense, or placing them in the light of the full or new moon overnight.
Picky readers believe that the power of the cards is increased if they are placed inside a special box or wrapped in a silk bag. Personally I don’t think this makes much of a difference because I KNOW I’m accurate and my cards have so much dirt and wear on them it’s ridiculous. Still, they say that pomp and circumstance is supposed to add to the power of all ritual and magic, so if storing your cards in a special way or in a special place helps you read them better than doing it.
Also many readers protect their cards by not letting anyone touch them. There is a belief that others can “infect” the cards with their beliefs, fears or anxieties. The cards act as a portal to the other side, so keeping them away from other people can be a good way to prevent people from accidentally “touching” you through the cards and giving you possibly toxic energy.
Once you get your own cards, spend some time looking at them, playing with them, and getting to know them. It is essential that you feel good about your cards because in the future they will be your best allies when telling the future.
Stay tuned for our Crash Tarot Course #3: Card Spreads.
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