How To Do Your Own Tarot Reading

Tarot readings can be incredibly helpful when it comes to understanding ourselves and our situations. You can get so much from it — not just about your future, but also what’s going on in the present.

Tarot reading is more of an art than anything else. Many tarot readers like to read their own tarot spreads from day to day.

The deck has 78 cards with 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana, aka the “lesser mysteries.” What’s interesting about these cards is that they’re really just representations of archetypes in life.

If you’re curious about learning how to do your own tarot reading, too, then this is the post for you! Today I’ll teach you the basics of tarot reading and give you a few tips on how to get started. Let’s get started!

Tarot Card Reading Defined

Before I go deeper on how to do your own tarot reading, let me first define what tarot card reading is. When most people think of tarot card reading, they typically imagine a psychic in a flowing robe with an ornate deck of cards gazing into the future.

However, tarot card reading is much more than that. In reality, tarot card reading is a tool for gaining insight and understanding into your life. Specifically, tarot reading is a form of divination that involves using a deck of cards that each have different meanings to help you divine the future or gain insight into past events.

By using tarot cards as an oracle, you can gain clarity on issues that are important to you and find solutions to problems. Tarot readings can help you make sense of confusing situations and give you guidance when you need it most.

What’s in a Tarot Deck?

There is no one right way to do tarot reading. However, there are some basics that you should know before you start. First, let’s take a look at the different types of cards in a tarot deck.

There are 78 cards in a tarot deck, which are divided into two categories: Major Arcana and Minor Arcana.

Major Arcana

The Major Arcana cards consist of 22 cards. These are the most recognizable symbols in tarot readings, and they’re highly valuable for providing insight into how to start your day or how you should handle any number of situations. Here are some of the cards and their meanings:

The first card is The Fool; this represents how you approach life, how others perceive you, your foundation, and your potential. Following it are the Magician (representing willpower), Strength (dealing with how you deal with obstacles), Justice (self-understanding), and then The Lovers (romantic relationships).

Next is Wheel of Fortune (prosperity), followed by four cards — Temperance, The Devil, Death, and Judgment — which represent how these aspects of your life interact with one another. The next six cards are The Tower (disaster), the Star (hope), The Moon (intuition), The Sun (success), Judgement (new beginnings), and The World (completion).

Minor Arcana

The Minor Arcana consists of 56 cards broken into four suits: cups, wands, swords, and pentacles. Within each suit, there are ten numbered cards and four court cards.

The court cards represent people in your life: King, Queen, Knight, and Page. These can be helpful for understanding how others are impacting your current situation or how you’re relating to them.

Each number card has a meaning as well, which sheds light on what you should do or how you should feel in any given situation. Cups indicate emotions and how you’re feeling. Wands represent your energy and how you’re spending it. Swords signify mental activity and conflict, and pentacles indicate physical matters and money.

How To Do Your Own Tarot Reading (Step by Step Guide)

We have come to the most awaited part — a tutorial on how to do your own tarot reading. It’s way easier to read your own tarot cards than you think.

Let’s get started!

1. Choose the Right Deck

The first step in how to do your own tarot readings is choosing the right deck. Not all decks are created equal, so it’s important to find one that resonates with you.

When selecting a deck, consider factors such as size, weight, and artwork. You may also want to consider the symbolism of each card and how that aligns with your personal beliefs.

2. Shuffle the Cards

This step is a critical one. There are many ways that you can shuffle the deck, but the most important thing is that it feels right to you.

This is all about you and your personal style with shuffling and card pulls. You want to be paying attention so tak a deep breath when you’re cutting the deck.

Some people like a gentle mix of a few cards at a time, while others prefer an all-out onslaught of card mixing. Either way works; just make sure you choose how to shuffle your cards carefully and remain true to how it makes you feel!

3. Choose How Many Cards You Will Lay on the Table

Once you’ve done the above steps, it’s time for this next one: how many cards will you lay down?

While there isn’t always a “right” number of cards in a spread, most people start with three or five cards. These are good numbers to begin with because they provide enough information without being overwhelming.

4. Place the Cards in the Spread

Once you’ve determined how many cards to lay out, it’s time to place them in the spread. This step is all about intuition.

Some people like to place the cards in specific positions, while others just kind of go with the flow. As long as you’re comfortable with how you’re doing it, there’s no wrong way!

5. Interpret the Cards

Now comes the fun part: interpreting the cards! This step can be a little daunting for first-timers, but don’t worry — we’ve got you covered.

In each position, there are numerous meanings that can be assigned to the card. It’s important to read the cards in the context of the entire spread and how they interact with one another.

6. Record Your Reading

Once you’re finished interpreting the cards, it’s a good idea to record your reading somewhere for future reference.

This step can be as simple as writing down the basic meaning of each card or creating a more elaborate chart with additional information. The options are endless, so find what works best for you!

Conclusion

There you have it! We have covered how to do your own tarot readings through a step-by-step guide on how to use a deck of tarot cards properly. I wish you the best of luck with your readings; remember that this is your own tarot reading, so play around and try different things if something doesn’t feel right. Have fun with it!