Tarot for Beginners
Our tarot for beginners section is a good guide to get you started. Many tarot decks are available for purchase. The most popular is the Rider-Waite deck. However, when shopping for one, try to get a feel for the deck by either touching the
cards or, if you can?t do that, look at the drawings that are depicted on the box. Find a deck that appeals to you ? use your intuition. Keep in mind that there are also many used decks for sale, either in used bookshops or online. However, those used decks might contain unfamiliar and unwanted energies that you may not understand. Clear your mind and listen to your gut reaction ? if you don?t get a good feeling while touching or looking at the deck, don?t buy it. But if you are given a deck out of love and in your best interest from an individual you know, this is also a very good beginning.
Any deck you use should have 78 cards 22 Major Arcana cards and 56 Minor Arcana cards (4 suits: Wands, Pentacles, Swords and Cups). The Major Arcana cards symbolize the more important experiences, decisions, emotions, spirituality and events in an individual?s life from birth until death.
The Minor Arcana cards are comprised of four suits, representing the influences in an individuals day to day life. Each suit corresponds to an element and reveals information about different aspects of a person.
- Suit of Cups: Water represents innermost feelings, inventiveness and imagination
- Suit of Pentacles, also known as the Suit of Coins: Earth represents livelihood, calling in life and financial status
- Suit of Swords: Air represents views, beliefs, ability to understand and the influences and control on others
- Suit of Wands: Fire represents spirituality and mysticism, and motivations and inspirations
If you are a beginner, and do not yet have an inherent sense of what the cards may mean, take a good look at the images depicted on them before you start reading their individual written meanings. The cards are not only beautiful and colorful ? they tell an archetypal story of the human journey that we all travel throughout our lives. Pay attention to and analyze the scenes in the drawings and you will begin to form a sense of the messages the cards are sending or the life lessons that you might need to learn in order to enhance your own physical and mental well-being and spiritual growth.
Once you have found that perfect deck, begin your exploration into the world of tarot by performing some basic spreads. ?Shuffle the cards like you would any new deck of playing cards ? shuffle and reshuffle and cut the deck multiple times. The querent (you or someone else) selects either one or three cards, depending on the spread you choose to do. Remember to choose cards you are drawn to. If you change your mind and decide on another card before you pick one up, there is always a reason for this. There are no mistakes in choosing cards ? go with your gut.
To interpret the cards after laying them out, click on the Psychic Library Interactive Tarot Deck to reveal the meanings of the cards you have selected.? This is an excellent way to practice and learn the basic meaning of the cards.
For the Interactive Tarot Deck click here.
Start with a one-card spread, listed below.
Make sure your question is clear and precise. It can even be asked in a Yes/No format. Keep in mind this is a limited form of a reading. One way to use it is in the morning, to give you information about what is in store for you that day or in the near future. For example, a question to ask might be: Should I ask for a raise in pay today at work? If you pulled the Devil tarot card in the reversed position, as in the spread below, refer to the Psychic Library Interactive Tarot Deck to discover the meaning of that card and its implications about the question. Not all tarot readers give credence to the reversed position. They read the card as a whole, no matter which way it appears. To those tarot readers, the position a card falls in the spread is the most important.
The Devil card in the reversed position can “signify divorce, detachment, overcoming adversity or enlightenment.” So, relative to the question posed in the above example, most certainly the individual should politely ask for a raise in pay, due to the fact that the card signifies overcoming adversity. As you progress with your readings, the interpretations of the cards will become easier.
Next, move on to a three-card spread, shown below.
A very common three-card spread involves a reading of your past, present and future regarding a particular situation in your life. As in a one-card spread, make sure your question is clear and precise. For example, you may have a question about a current or possible relationship. Card number 1 is representative of the issues from your past that may contribute to or hinder your relationship. Card number 2 is representative of events taking place in your life in the present, which may be positive or negative for the relationship. Card 3 is representative of the outcome you may or may not be looking for.
In addition to past, present and future knowledge, the three-card spread can reveal how your mind/body/spirit is connected or blocked. This spread is also good for obtaining a more in-depth answer to a Yes/No question. There is nothing wrong with customizing the spread questions to suit your needs ? choices, problems, goals, physical health, etc.
For the Interactive Tarot Deck, click here.
For a FREE tarot card reading and more, visit the Oracle Room.
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