Reading Tarot Cards can seem incredibly intimidating when you first begin.  My first tarot reading came from a very gifted reader who was kind enough to explain everything as she went along. That reading changed my life. What impressed me with that tarot reading was the fact that she was so eerily correct about things in my life.  In the months following my first tarot reading, I saw many of the things she had read in my “future”  area to be true (did she predict my future? well…).  The tarot cards has predicted a new friend who I soon met, and even told her hair color(red).  The cards indicated I would be moving soon across the country, and at the time that was the last thing on my mind.  Within two months of that tarot reading, I was packed and moved 5 states away.  Tarot cards indicated that someone very close to me was dangerous and dark, and would harm me if I remained near this person.  Very true, and when I began this tarot reading I gave the reader little to no personal information.  That day, she did a ten card spread for me, but you can learn a lot from much smaller readings as well.  That first tarot reading set me on a path of tarot research, and I have learned that the strength and the weakness of the tarot is exactly the same:  the fact that no matter how much you learn, there is always more to learn and discover.

Random one Tarot card selection
One tip which I have found incredibly helpful is the random one card selection.  If you focus on one thought or question, and spread a well mixed deck face down, you will choose a card at random and see what it says to you.  It is amazing how often you will get incredibly useful information with this method, and it’s useful when you don’t have time to do a full proper reading.

Tarot three card reading – past, present and future
Perhaps my favorite reading is the three card reading.  I enjoy this one because it’s simple enough for beginners to understand , and most people can lay this reading for themselves easily.  You simply shuffle the deck well, all the while focusing on your question.  If you do not have a question and simply want to see what the cards say to you, they will do that for you equally well.  It’s best to ground yourself first,and if you meditate , that is an excellent way to get into the right frame of mind.  A calm, clean, mind helps us to see what the cards have to tell us much more clearly.  You will separate the cards into three piles(some people do more or less) and then select one which you feel the most drawn to.  If you feel an energy or pulse coming off of one of the piles of cards, then that is the one you want to choose!  After selecting your pile of cards, lay the cards side by side, one at a time, until you have three lined up.  These cards will represent past, present, and future.  When you first begin, you will of course want to have a reference book to interpret the meaning of the cards, and that is just fine.  You can learn as you go along in this way.

Use only a partial Tarot deck at the beginning
One tip which some beginners find especially useful is to use only a partial tarot deck when they are just beginning.  The cards are separated into the major arcana(the “picture” cards) and the minor arcana(the cups, wands, pentacles,and swords).  The major arcana are more about life events and major happenings, in general, while the minor arcana cards detail the more day to day things.  When I first learned tarot, I was taught to lay 3 card readings using only the major arcana cards.  It was enormously helpful, and I learned the meanings of the major arcana cards and how they interacted pretty quickly, without the distraction of trying to do everything at once.  Once I felt confident with knowing what the major arcana cards represented and could interpret them without help of a book, I moved on to using the whole deck.  I still used the book to interpret the minor arcana cards until I learned them as well.  I found this an excellent way to learn.  While Tarot can seem confusing at first, with a few simple tips, it can be made easy, especially when you’re eager to learn the many mysteries the cards can reveal to you.

For the complete beginners guide to Tarot with video tutorials- click here