Tarot

Tarot is a widely used type of divination, and while occultists have created allegorical cards for centuries, graphic decks are now widely accessible. Due to the underlying sentimentalism of this ancient profession, interest in the Tarot has been rekindled. After viewing so many tarot readings on the internet, you may be eager to begin your practice. After all, tarot manicures exist.

Despite its pervasiveness, art can remain enigmatic and perplexing. What is Tarot, exactly? What are the meanings of the cards, and how are they used? Not to worry: the principles are straightforward. Things every beginner should know about Tarot’s history, as well as suggestions and tactics for getting started with your practice.

What is Tarot?

The Tarot is a symbolic map of mind that integrates both our spiritual and practical lives. The divining wisdom and direction using a specific spread of Tarot cards are known as tarot reading. 

However, contrary to common perception, the cards do not simply predict your fortune, and Tarot readings do not require the presence of a psychic. The cards are supposed to provide you insight into your higher self’s core truths. 

To put it another way, the cards help you become more conscious of what you already know deep inside. The Tarot’s origins are unknown, but historical references to Tarot card use dating back to the fourteenth century in Europe. Since the early seventeenth century, people have utilized the Tarot as an oracle in its most basic form.

How Does Tarot Work?

It is a frequent misunderstanding that tarot cards can predict your destiny. This isn’t the case. Instead, the cards are meant to give you insight into various aspects of your life and the spiritual direction that can help you connect with your inner self and wisdom. Tarot works by transferring your energy into a specific card, which leads to its selection. 

The reading of the cards will present you with some answers that will help you determine your future path of action. Keep in mind that tarot cards are analogous to a picture book that lets you glimpse your life when it comes to knowing how they work. Your cards represent you, and understanding and realizing the more profound truths inside each card takes wisdom, education, and experience. 

Keep in mind that the future is in flux and that the decisions you make today will significantly impact and change your life’s direction. When taken seriously, tarot readings can serve as guidance and support for decisions that will affect your life in the future. Taking the best activities in the now is the best method to forecast your future. 

As a result, to get the best reading for you, you must concentrate on directing your energy toward the cards and feeling a draw to choose a specific card from the deck. Pay attention to your gut impulses and inner energy.

What can you do with tarot cards in your daily life?

To find the real meanings in your tarot cards, you’ll need a lot of contemplation and deep insight. By delving deeper into your thoughts and experiences, you must balance the meanings and interpretations and make them stronger. You must connect the interpretations to your past, daily life, and self to comprehend how they apply. 

It’s critical not to take the meanings of your tarot cards too seriously. If you have any doubts regarding a reading, you should ask your reader for clarification. Warnings and omens should be taken seriously and used as a guide. Finally, keep in mind that the outcome you desire in life will always be in your control.

Tarot cards can help assist individuals in seeing things they may not be aware of. To get the most out of this experience and become more conscious of your situation and genuine self, you’ll need openness and a lot of introspection.

How are Tarot Cards Shuffled?

Before beginning a reading, it is critical to shuffle the Tarot cards. It enables you to concentrate on the reading’s purpose and to stamp your energy on the cards. Take some time before shuffling to relax and tune into your instincts. Then, shuffle the cards in any way that feels natural—cut or fan the deck repeatedly, or tumble the cards on the table and reshuffle them. 

There is no improper method for shuffling your Tarot cards. No matter how you shuffle, what matters most is your intention. As you shuffle, be mindful of your surroundings and fully concentrate on the subject you seek answers to.

Tarot Card List

A full deck of Tarot cards contains 78 cards. The Major Arcana Tarot cards are the first 22. Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles are the four suits that make up the remaining 56 Minor Arcana cards. Each suite has 14 cards, ten numbered cards, and a Page, Knight, Queen, and King.

Major Arcana

The Major Arcana Tarot cards convey insights about your life’s large picture and long-term trajectory.

• The Fool
• The Magician
• The High Priestess
• The Empress
• The Emperor
• The Hierophant
• The Lovers
• The Chariot
• Strength
• The Hermit
• Wheel of Fortune
• Justice
• The Hanged Man
• Death
• Temperance
• The Devil
• The Tower
• The Star
• The Moon
• The Sun
• Judgment
• The World

The Wands

The Wands cards are all about taking action, taking the initiative, and coming up with new ideas. They can assist you in navigating your life by guiding you on when to go and when to hold back.

• Ace of Wands
• Two of Wands
• Three of Wands
• Four of Wands
• Five of Wands
• Six of Wands
• Seven of Wands
• Eight of Wands
• Nine of Wands
• Ten of Wands
• Page of Wands
• Knight of Wands
• Queen of Wands
• King of Wands

The Cups

The Cups cards represent your emotions, intuition, and connections. They can assist you in finding love and understanding and processing your deepest and darkest emotions.

• Ace of Cups
• Two of Cups
• Three of Cups
• Four of Cups
• Five of Cups
• Six of Cups
• Seven of Cups
• Eight of Cups
• Nine of Cups
• Ten of Cups
• Page of Cups
• Knight of Cups
• Queen of Cups
• King of Cups

The Swords

The Swords cards are all about overcoming obstacles. They can detect impending conflict and pain and assist you in harnessing your mental strength.

• Ace of Swords
• Two of Swords
• Three of Swords
• Four of Swords
• Five of Swords
• Six of Swords
• Seven of Swords
• Eight of Swords
• Nine of Swords
• Ten of Swords
• Page of Swords
• Knight of Swords
• Queen of Swords
• King of Swords

The Pentacles

Work, wealth, and domestic life are all represented by the Pentacles cards. They can provide answers to queries regarding your objectives, finances, family, and health.

• Ace of Coins
• Two of Coins
• Three of Coins
• Four of Coins
• Five of Coins
• Six of Coins
• Seven of Coins
• Eight of Coins
• Nine of Coins
• Ten of Coins
• Page of Coins
• Knight of Coins
• Queen of Coins
• King of Coins

Meaning of All Major Arcana Cards

The Fool

The Fool represents a happy young man entering the world. He is exuberant, joyful, and excited as he takes his first steps. He only has a small sack with him and is unconcerned about the perils that may be lurking in his route. Indeed, he is about to confront the first of these potential dangers, as taking just one more step will cause him to fall off the precipice. 

However, he seemed uninterested in it; we’re not sure whether he’s simply uninformed or simply unaware. The dog at his heels howls a warning at him, and if he does not quickly increase his awareness of his surroundings, he may never see everything he dreams of.

The Magician

The Magician is a powerful tarot card with a lot of meaning. The primary picture shows a person with one hand pointing to the sky and the other to the earth.  Earth represents heaven, the outer world reflects within, the microcosm reflects the macrocosm, and earth reflects God is a complex expression. 

Still, it can be summarized as follows: earth shows heaven, the outer world reflects within, the microcosm reflects the macrocosm, and the earth reflects God. The magician can also represent the ability to act as a conduit between the world above and today’s human world.

The magician also has all of the tarot suits on his table. This represents the four elements connecting this magician: earth, water, air, and fire. The infinity sign on his head symbolizes the endless possibilities of creation with the will.

The High Priestess

The term High Priestess refers to inner understanding. Her appearance in a reading may indicate that it is time to prioritize your intuition above your intellect and conscious mind. When the High Priestess appears, she may represent an archetype known as the divine feminine. 

This enigmatic female comprehends and possesses the solutions to the most profound unknowns in religion, self, and nature. She is symbolic of someone who is intuitive and is beginning to develop an awareness of their spirituality. It is suggested that you engage in meditation, prayer, and new spiritual practice.

The Empress

The Empress is a portrait of a woman seated on a throne. From the abundance of nature surrounding her, we can deduce that this woman embodies the Earth Mother archetype, a fertility goddess. Venus rules her realm, which means perfect love, harmony, fertility, and luxury due to this goddess’s grace. 

The woman’s blonde hair is adorned with stars, indicating her heavenly link to the mysterious realm. She is clad in a pomegranate-patterned gown symbolic of fertility and seated atop embroidered venus signs. She is surrounded by an enchanted green forest that is crisscrossed by a river. The Empress bestows prosperity and blessings on all she meets via their readings.

The Emperor

The Emperor’s tarot card depicts a stoic ruler seated on a throne decked with the heads of four rams, indicating his astrological sign of Aries. He wields a wand in one hand, symbolizing his reign and power to govern, and an orb in the other, a symbol of the realm he watches over. 

The Emperor’s long beard reflects his great experience; he has gained valuable insight into what it takes to reign, establish power, authority, and total order for the benefit of his people. The barren mountains behind him demonstrate his resolve, aspiration for greater heights, and capacity to lead. In comparison, the Empress’s flowing fields are brimming with caring love. Rather than that, the Emperor reigns with grit, vigor, and force.

The Hierophant

The card features a religious figure seated in somewhat formal surroundings reminiscent of a church. He is dressed in three ornate garments that depict the three distinct worlds. His right hand is adequately raised in benediction, a symbol of blessing– it is the very hand raised by the Magician. On the other hand, he holds a triple cross, a symbol typically associated with the pope. 

Each of the cross’s horizontal bars represents the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Two acolytes are seated beneath him, symbolizing the transmission of divine knowledge inside institutions. The card also comes to symbolize the journey to knowledge and enlightenment through these acolytes.

The Lovers

In the Lovers card, an angel above protects and blesses the man and lady depicted. The pair appears to be secure and content in their home, which resembles the Garden of Eden. The fruit tree with the serpent behind the woman alludes to that myth, which chronicles humanity’s descent into temptation and the realm of flesh and desire.

Raphael, the angel of air, is shown here, as he is of the same element as the zodiac sign that rules this card: Gemini. Air is related to mental activity, particularly communication, which is necessary for good relationships. His benediction appears to endow this card with a sense of balance and harmony, serving as a metaphor for the unification of two opposing forces on a grand and cosmic scale.

The Chariot

The Chariot tarot card represents an individual seated inside a vehicle driven by two black and white sphinxes. The entire card has a slight celestial feel; the figure is seated beneath a blue canopy covered with white stars. He carries the crescent moon sign on his shoulders, symbolizing the spiritual power that guides him. 

A crown adorns his head, indicating that he is enlightened and that his will is pure. A square is emblazoned on his chest, signifying the earth element, the physical world, which grounds him and his deeds.

Strength

You will see a woman holding the jaws of a fully grown lion in this tarot card. Despite the lion’s intimidating appearance and strength, the woman appears to have reigned over it. What’s remarkable is how gently she subdues the lion. She is composed and composed, which exemplifies being in control and discipline, particularly during extreme adversity.

Additionally, the fact that she is gripping the jaws of a lion demonstrates her courage. Her gentle handling of the lion demonstrates love and compassion. The blue sky over the mountains indicates stability and the kind of peace that comes with gentle persuasion.

The Hermit

The Hermit represents an elderly man standing alone at the summit of a mountain, one hand carrying a lamp and a staff. The mountain represents achievement, growth, and success. The hermit tarot card represents his attainment of a high level of spiritual understanding and his willingness to teach that information to others. 

Additionally, he has a solid devotion to his objective and a clear understanding of his following road. The lantern holds a six-pointed star known as the Seal of Solomon. This sign is symbolic of wisdom. The staff he wields embodies authority and strength.

Wheel of Fortune

Because of the countless signals and interpretations, the Wheel of Fortune is one of the deck’s most positive cards. At the card’s center is a massive wheel covered in mystical symbols. The wheel is surrounded by several creatures, including an angel, a bull, an eagle, and a lion. 

They are associated with the zodiac’s four fixed signs: Leo, Scorpio, Taurus, and Aquarius. In Christian traditions, these four animals also represent the four evangelists, which may explain why they are all decorated with wings.

Justice

The Justice tarot card is a representation of the truth, justice, and the rule of law. As she rests in her chair, the scales on her left hand symbolize the way intuition and logic should coexist. She embodies justice, holding the double-edged sword in her right hand. The square on her crown symbolizes the clarity of intellect required to administer justice. 

A purple robe and grey pillars stand behind her. She displays the toe of a white-shoe concealed beneath her crimson shawl, which is secured with a clasp. This is a spiritual reminder that the results of their deeds are what she gives.

The Hanged Man

This card depicts a man hanging upside-down from a living world tree by his foot. This tree is deeply planted in the underworld and is credited with supporting the skies. The hanged man is considered to have been placed there of his own volition. We believe this because of his tranquil expression. His right foot is entangled in the trees, but his left foot is completely unencumbered. 

Simultaneously, he holds his hands behind his back in an inverted triangular formation. His red pants reflect the physical body and human passion, while the blue of his shirt represents calm feelings, a color combination that is sometimes associated with saints. The yellow tint of his shoes, hair, and halo alludes to his intelligence.

Death

Though it may sound intimidating, the Death card isn’t about death at all, but about transformation, spiritual death, endings, and possibility of new beginnings. Death is seen here riding a stunning white horse and holding a black flag with a white design. It is shown as a living skeleton after Death, with only the bones surviving. He is clad in armor, which grants him invincibility, implying that no one can defeat Death. 

He rides a white horse to symbolize purity, just as Death purifies everyone. A monarch and a peasant are buried beneath him, reminding that Death does not differentiate on class, color, or gender criteria.

Temperance

The Temperance card depicts an angel with wings whose gender is not immediately apparent, implying a gender balance. The angel’s foot is in water, symbolizing the subconscious, while the other is on dry land, symbolizing the material world.

Her gown is a square with an engraved triangle inside, another allusion to the tangible earth in unity with the holy trinity. She contains two cups so that the waters, which symbolize the super conscious and subconscious minds, can merge. Water rushes between them, evoking the idea of oneness and infinity.

The Devil

This card represents the Devil in his most well-known tragic hero guise, frequently referred to as Baphomet. While being half goat and half man, the Devil possesses bat wings and a forehead inverted pentagram. He is seated on a pedestal, where a naked man and woman are bound to demonstrate his dominion over them.

Both men and women wear horns to demonstrate that the more time spent with the Devil, the less human they become. The chains create the illusion that the Devil has captured them. A man’s tail is adorned with a flame, while a woman’s tail is adorned with a bowl of grapes, symbolizing their contrasting addictions to power and the finer things in life.

The Tower

On the Tower card, a tall tower perched on a mountain is depicted. A lightning bolt ignites the Tower. Flames are pouring through the windows, and people are leaping from them in desperation. They could be a reference to the linked figures seen earlier in the Devil card. They wish to flee the chaos and devastation within. 

The Tower is a metaphor for ambition built on poor principles. The Tower’s destruction is necessary to purge the old methods and make place for something new. Its discoveries can come in the form of an epiphany, shake-up, major upheavals, divine intervention, or an inspiration.

The Star

A woman sitting at the edge of a tiny pond is depicted on the Star card. She is holding two water containers. One container empties the water into the dry earth as if to hydrate and fertilize it. The lush greenery that surrounded her seemed to indicate that it was working. One foot is submerged in water, representing the woman’s spiritual abilities and inner strength. 

With her other foot planted firmly on the ground, she demonstrates her practical abilities and strengths. Behind her, a substantial central star is flanked by seven smaller stars that symbolize the chakras. A bird perches on a tree branch, symbolizing the sacred ibis of mind. Aquarius is the astrological sign that corresponds to the Star.

The Moon

We detect a route going off into the distance when we come into contact with the Moon. On either side of the path, a wolf and a dog stand, both expressing our animalistic nature–one wild and feral, the other civilized. A crawfish crawls out of the pond from which the trail originates.

Two towers flank the middle road in the distance, hinting at the doubles shown in this card once again. Everything in this card appears to reflect the previous one as if to refer to two distinct alternatives. We tread a narrow line between conscious and unconscious behavior when we walk along the path, between the dog’s tamed side of civilization and the wolf’s natural forces.

The Sun

The Sun card evokes an optimistic and fulfilled state of mind. This card symbolizes the sunrise that occurs after the darkest of nights. The Sun is both the origin and incarnation of life energy on our planet. A child is featured in the card, joyously playing in the foreground. It represents our purity and the enjoyment that arises when we are in sync with our actual selves. 

The infant is naked, which means he has nothing to conceal. Additionally, the card portrays infantile innocence and pure purity. This is reinforced further by the white horse on which the child is mounted. Additionally, the horse is a sign of strength and dignity in this context.

Judgment

This card represents what one would envision the final judgment as like, in the diverse manifestations found in numerous mythology. The Judgement card’s illustration depicts women, men, and children rising from the grave in response to Gabriel’s trumpet summons. 

Their outstretched arms signify that they are prepared to face the universe’s judgment. They are set to face their creator, evaluate their activities, and learn whether they will spend eternity in heaven or hell. The colossal tidal wave in the background indicates that judgment is unavoidable and will be final.

The World

In the tarot deck, the World card features a dancing figure in the center. The dancing figure has one leg crossed over the other and holds a wand in each hand on the card. She embodies the concepts of balance and progress via movement. Her fullness and unity are not static but ever-changing, dynamic, and eternal.

The green flower wreath surrounding the central figure symbolizes accomplishment, while the red ribbons symbolize infinity. Each corner of the card features four figures, the same as those found on the Wheel of Fortune. 

The four figures are Scorpio, Leo, Aquarius, and Taurus, representing the four corners of the cosmos, the four elements, and the four evangelicals. When they join together, they reflect the equilibrium of all of their energy.

How Do You Read Tarot Cards?

When reading Tarot cards, there are four fundamental stages to follow: Consider your query first and then choose a Tarot spread with placements that correspond to it. Following that, you’ll shuffle the cards and arrange them in the spread, and ultimately, you’ll interpret the cards to get the answer to your question. 

Everyone can learn how to read Tarot cards. There are numerous spreads accessible online to inspire you, and you don’t have to memorize the meanings of each card—click on the cards above to learn their meanings. 

However, the traditional interpretation of the Tarot cards is only a portion of the story; your feelings and intuition that will assist you in comprehending how the cards revealed pertain to your particular situation.

What is Yes/No Tarot Reading?

A yes/no tarot reading usually consists of a single question with a simple yes or no response. Most of the readers are pleased to include them in their readings, but, like with most things in life, the answer to most questions is a little more complicated than yes or no. However, they think it’s okay to ask yes or no questions during your reading.

What is the Most Powerful Tarot Card?

It’s the Fool, of course. On the card’s front side, a brash young man with his rucksack is going to walk off a precipice. His eyes are fixed on the sun, indicating his hope for new beginnings. A white flower, symbolizing innocence, hangs from his knapsack. He departed in a hurry, so his rucksack is neither too hefty nor too light. 

This type of bag carries the absolute necessities and nothing more or less. A white dog sniffles at his heels and follows him, symbolizing the Fool’s lessons learned on this challenging journey. Is the Fool the most powerful card in the tarot deck? Yes! If you get this card, consider yourself fortunate. It is the strongest card in the tarot deck, with some zero. 

Inside or out, the Fool signifies limitless potential and transformation. Whoever draws the Fool in a tarot reading is in for some exciting and life-changing adventures. It’s also known as El Loco or the Idiot. It’s the most potent tarot card, but it’s also the most divisive. Because of its unpredictable nature, not everyone agrees that the Madman is the most powerful card. 

Card number 0 also indicates that it is the only tarot card without a Roman numeral. It’s also not helping the card by calling it the Idiot. In some tarot languages, this lends it a negative connotation. However, taking the stance that this card is still the most potent tarot card is solid.

It has a profound impact because of all the possibilities it offers for the beginning and end of your life. Tarot spreads can have an impact on the past, present, and future. The Fool can divert the reader’s attention to important people in their lives.

Tips for Improving Your Tarot Reading

Frame the Questions Correctly

Before posing a question to the cards, it is critical to frame the inquiry correctly. Incorrectly phrased, perplexing inquiries might yield perplexing responses. For instance, if you ask the cards, ‘Will I get a job?’, they are likely to respond positively – because, ultimately, you will obtain a job at some point. 

However, you remain perplexed: will you be hired today, tomorrow, next month, or next year? Therefore, if you adjust the query and instead ask the cards, “Will I find work in the next three months?,” you enhance the likelihood of receiving a more targeted response.

In my experience, if you want to ask the cards a question about a specific period, it is helpful to include the period in the query. Frequently, open-ended inquiries do not lead to precise, accurate responses.

Practice

Yes! This is the optimal approach to activate your psychic muscle! The more you practice your reading abilities, intuition, and psychic muscle, the stronger they will become. And there are methods for obtaining this practice. They are as follows:

Reading for a Variety of Clients

The more diverse groups of people you read for, the more accurate your reading will become. Different types of people imply resolving various energy issues and situations. This level of variation ensures that your Tarot reading experience is comprehensive. And, indeed, this will assist you in improving the accuracy of your Tarot card reading.

Reading for a Variety of Situations

For individuals who have inquiries concerning a range of scenarios, read cards. In this manner, you’ll learn how to approach the text. Perhaps you are simply utilizing the same spread, but your hunt for solutions takes on a different flavor, and thus you get more familiar with the spread’s adaptability. Providing yourself with various questions to read for also helps break up the monotony of reading.

Be Perfect With a Few Chosen Spreads

Allow for a couple of spreads that you are entirely familiar with. For instance, some frequently employ three spreads to address most of the issues posed during readings: the Bird Spread, which they use for the General Reading, a seven-card Horseshoe Spread, and a Yes-No Spread. 

And yes, some are also familiar with these spreads that they put out instinctively – they are as natural as breathing.

Adopt Creative Reading Styles

This keeps the reading engaging for both you as the reader and your client. Occasionally, it may even be an excellent method to dazzle your client! This is a challenge that you, the reader, must answer. Specific clients are eager to try something new, while others are less receptive. As we advise our students, this decision will be guided by your intuition.

Client Feedback

This is also a critical part of improving your reading accuracy. Often, as a reader, you will complete your reading, and the client will leave. It’s not often that a client calls to inform you whether or not the reading was accurate. As a result, we highly encourage clients to maintain contact and keep us informed of their progress. 

Nonetheless, we follow up with them to ascertain this. Naturally, if certain events occur after a certain period, you will learn about them at that time. However, obtaining such information is beneficial.

Positive and negative feedback can assist you in determining where you were on the right track and where you were not. In our experience, the occasions when we allowed rationality to prevail over intuition were the moments when we erred.

What are Oracle Cards?

Oracle cards deviate more from the fixed structure of the Tarot. An oracle deck can be whatever the author desires; they determine the number of cards included, the type of imagery used, and the purpose for which the deck is intended. There are numerous varieties of oracle decks available in a variety of shapes, sizes, and uses. 

They have images and text and a book that describes how a reader should interpret them. There is considerably more potential for creativity and intuition with oracle decks, making them an ideal deck for individuals just beginning their journey into the world of intuitive card reading.

What is the Difference Between Oracle and Tarot Cards?

Here’s the Comparison

Tarot

1. The structure of the Tarot is predictable. Once you’ve mastered the Rider-Waite, you’ll almost certainly be able to read any other tarot deck.
2. Tarot has always contained 78 cards.
3. Major Arcana = 22 cards depict significant life events and pivotal moments in one’s life.
4. Minor Arcana consists of 56 cards: the Page, the Knight, the Queen, and the King.
5. The Tarot is organized into suites, which include the Wands, Swords, Cups, and Pentacles.
6. The current playing card deck is a descendant of the Tarot; cups represent hearts. Diamonds are represented by Pentacles, clubs by Wands, and spades by Swords. The Joker and the Fool have vanished, leaving only the King, Queen, and Jack as Court Cards.

Oracle Cards

1. Oracle decks are self-contained, and each adheres to its own set of rules.
2. They can include any number of cards, although the most popular range is 36 to 64.
3. Suits are uncommon, though they are frequently numbered for guidebook reference.
4. Some are tarot-themed, while others are not.
5. Some are imprinted with the card’s meaning.
6. Novices consult guidebooks for information, and in many circumstances, professional readers can as well.

Must-Have Tarot Cards Decks Are Beginners

• The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck 
• The Robin Wood Tarot Deck 
• Revelations Tarot by Zach Wong
• Easy Tarot / Gilded Tarot
• Llewellyn’s Classic Tarot by Moore and Smith
• The Wild Unknown Tarot
• Tarot of the New Vision
• In Between Tarot Deck

Final Thoughts

We adore the fact that even if you are not a believer, Tarot Readings can be beneficial. It does not have to be this weird occultist thing, but it can be if you are into that sort of stuff. It can also be an accessible instrument for self-inquiry and gaining a deeper understanding of who we are.

We’ve found it to be quite beneficial and encouraging during some challenging transitions in our lives. It felt like a support system from making professional changes, relocating, having a child, healing from childhood trauma, and even controlling my back pain. Therefore, now may be the moment to give it a try and discover something new about yourself.