Tarot grants us insights into aspects of our lives we may not see, but what is tarot reading and how accurate can it be?
Tarot and other forms of divination can create a lot of speculation. So, what is tarot reading? And is tarot reading accurate? In this post, I’ll be covering those questions and more.
I first began learning about tarot by watching videos on YouTube and began reading tarot myself a few years ago. I was always skeptical of such practices, but as I learned more about spirituality the methodology behind how tarot works began to make more sense.
So, if you’ve ever wanted to learn more about tarot, how it works, and even how to read tarot yourself, this post is for you!
This post is all about what is tarot reading!
What is Tarot Reading?
Tarot cards were first developed in the 14th century and were initially used to play games. It wasn’t until the 18th century they began being used for divination.
Tarot is a form of cartomancy or divination meant to provide insights about your life. You can inquire about love, relationships, career, personal development, and so much more. Just about anything you can think of you can ask the tarot.
Contrary to popular belief, tarot can’t necessarily predict the future because the future is constantly changing and not set in stone. Tarot works by picking up on current energies, so the best it can do is predict the current most likely outcome of an event.
A tarot deck contains 78 cards, each with unique depictions symbolizing different energies. Using these images a reader picks up on hidden aspects of your life. They use your question as a guiding point to interpret the cards and give you a detailed answer.
How Does Tarot Reading Work?
First of all, anyone can read tarot. It doesn’t take any kind of special skill or ability. It simply takes time to learn the card’s meanings and get comfortable using your intuition.
Tarot works by tapping into your intuition and the energies around you. It’s as simple as the law of attraction. Like attracts like. So, whatever energies are surrounding you will show up in the cards. It’s then up to you to use your intuition to determine the card’s meaning.
Each card can have a slightly different meaning depending on the question you’re asking. You wouldn’t interpret a card the same way if you’re asking about love as if you’re asking about your career.
The cards also have a different meaning in reverse than if they were to show up upright. Sometimes this meaning is the complete opposite, and other times only hindered slightly, if at all. This is where both your knowledge of the cards and your intuition are tested.
Related Post: The Law of Attraction Meaning & Methods
What Are the Different Cards?
A traditional tarot deck consists of 78 cards made up of both major and minor arcana.
The 22 major arcana tell the big picture of your life and represent “the hero’s journey”. They depict the important events and spiritual lessons we all go through. These cards represent something big, so be sure to pay attention to them.
The minor arcana make up the rest of the 56 cards. They represent the smaller daily trials and tribulations we go through. They consist of four suits, cups, wands, swords, and pentacles. Each represents an element, cups are water which signifies emotions, wands are fire signifying passion, swords are air which represents thought or communication, and pentacles are earth signifying the material or physical world.
Each of the suits contains cards numbered one to ten, as well as four court cards. The four court cards are the page, a bringer of news; a knight, signifying movement; a queen, and a king, generally representing a particular person who embodies the qualities of their suit.
How Can You Read Tarot?
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Get Yourself a Deck
As I said, anyone can read tarot, so how can you? Start by getting yourself a deck, there are many different ones to choose from, but be sure to go for something that’s beginner friendly. A deck without detailed images will be much harder to interpret. I’d recommend going with one of the traditional Rider-Waite or Smith-Waite decks, but there are plenty of similar ones with more modern illustrations, such as the Modern Witch Tarot or the Everyday Tarot.
Do Your Research
Most decks come with a booklet to get you started on interpreting the cards, but you’ll likely want to do more research beyond that. YouTube is a great place to start, I’d also recommend Biddy Tarot as a helpful tool for gaining more insight into each card as well as learning different tarot spreads.
Try Out Some Spreads
There are many different spreads you can use in tarot. Some common ones are the three-card spread, where you draw a card for past, present, and future. A five-card spread, where you draw three cards, then a fourth below and a fifth above to form a cross. The card below signifies the underlying problem, and the card above represents the potential outcome. There’s also the Celtic Cross, a more challenging ten-card spread. Or you can just draw 3-5 cards and interpret them as you wish, or even use clarifying cards to get more insight.
Clarifying is when you use another card to get more information about the first, you may put these cards below the initial ones.
Find What Works For You
People also shuffle and draw cards in different ways, some fan their cards out and intuitively pick the ones they feel drawn to, or they shuffle a certain amount of times and draw from the top. Others shuffle until the desired number of cards fall out or flip over and use those. Feel free to choose whichever style works best for you.
How Accurate is Tarot?
The accuracy of a tarot reading lies mostly within the reader. If your brand new to tarot you’re not going to be giving the most accurate or in-depth readings. Novices tend to follow the by-the-book meaning of the cards and thus the readings can seem rigid and less personal.
A professional, on the other hand, will be able to interpret the cards much more freely and are more likely to give a descriptive and accurate read.
Keep in mind also, the answers Tarot gives you are never set in stone, it isn’t meant to give definitive responses or answer yes or no questions. The cards tell a story that points you in your desired direction. Tarot is meant to help guide you, not make decisions for you.
As you can see, tarot is a helpful tool for learning to follow your intuition. The cards can’t tell you anything that isn’t already within you, they just help bring it to the surface and help guide your choices. So, if you ever feel like you need assistance in making a decision, tarot is a great place to turn.
Post by Morgan Peters
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