Want to learn how to read tarot?

Probably everyone who likes self-knowledge or mysticism has already bought a tarot deck one day. What happens is that it is often hidden at the bottom of the closet for lack of knowledge to play. How about rescuing your deck and trying to risk little reading for yourself?

This helps – a lot – to decode each symbol behind the letters. First of all, it is important to know how to differentiate a tarot from other oracles, such as the gypsy deck. Each tarot consists of 78 cards in its deck, 22 of which refer to the major arcana and 56 to the minor arcana, divided into the four elements.

Besides, the tarot should be seen as a tool of self-knowledge and not something determinant for your attitudes and thoughts, combined? Note down the step by step:

Choose a basic deck

No matter how beautiful and artful tarot decks are, starting with the basics is the first step. This is because each arcane has its own symbology that helps to understand its meaning. Colors, signs, elements: every composition of the drawing gives clues to what that figure wants to tell you. The traditional Tarot of Marseille or the Tarot Rider Waite are great to start your way. This step will even unlock the next ones on the list.

Begin with the major arcana

The 22 cards that make up the major arcana are part of what we call “The Madman’s Journey,” a story with beginning, middle and end. The first card, number 0, portrays the Madman himself, the one who has no brakes on his feet and plays in any adventure. The bigger arcana can answer satisfactorily many tarot prints, so, in order not to confuse the head, prioritize the study of these figures and visualize the evolution of the story.

Observe the symbols and colors of the cards

The red color will represent action and matter, while the blue color will represent emotions and the dream world. Besides these colors, predominant in the representation of archetypes, we have astrological symbols such as the crab, in the letter “The Moon”, representing the sign of Cancer. Train your eyes and take a notebook to write down the symbols you find on each card, like a treasure hunt game. Then look at the meaning of each one and understand how they help to build the plot.

Choose a day for each card

A good tip to memorize the bigger arcana is not to want to study them at once. Take a day of the week for each card, spend the day with it near you and write down what you notice with each observation. Some people even like to sleep with the letter under their pillow to have insights in dreams about its meaning. Thus, over three weeks you will have a complete dossier about your perceptions.

Study hard

After this more intuitive process, it’s time to beat the information you collected with that of great authors about tarot. Don’t just look for a source, search the most varied books, YouTube channels and even Facebook groups to absorb more learning. Know that tarot is a constant study, with each experience you can find out more and more about how it works.

Start doing simple readings for yourself

Then start doing simple runs for yourself. After all, every theory is complemented with practice. For that, you can choose the simple reading of three cards. While shuffling the cards, mentalize with focus the question you want to clarify with the tarot.

Then, arrange the deck on a table and remove three cards. The first card will talk about the cause of the situation. The second, the development, and finally the third talks about the consequences, which comes later. I left manuals around to help you in the interpretation and write down the result, to see the evolution of your studies.

Make a personal journey

Another tip to start a reading for yourself is to create a weekly or even daily journey. Write a list of areas of your life that need advice or questions that need to be clarified. For example: What is my greatest difficulty in studies?

What do I need to recognize in myself? For each question on the list, take a letter and reflect on all your symbols and regencies (each letter follows an astrological regency and myths). This way, besides training the tarot, you will deepen your self-knowledge.

Create an altar or a tarological corner

This serves both for you to concentrate the energies of the prints in a place protected with amulets or crystals, and for you to feel comfortable and have a space dedicated to this study. It makes all the difference when it comes to focusing, you know? Light an incense, create a mood, put a song that pleases you and cards on the table!