How to read tarot cards

What a tarot reading is

A tarot deck has 78 cards. Each card is a picture of a common human situation: a new start, a loss, a choice, a celebration. In a reading you draw a few cards and use them as prompts to look at your question from new angles.

Most people today read tarot for reflection rather than prediction. The cards don't decide anything for you. They help you notice what you already feel and think about what you could do next.

Step 1: ask one clear question

Good readings start with good questions. Open questions about you work best, such as "What do I need to understand about my job?" rather than "Will I get fired?". Our guide to asking tarot questions shows how to turn a worry into a question the cards can answer.

Step 2: shuffle and draw

Shuffle in any way that feels natural while you think about your question. When you feel ready, stop and draw cards from the top, or cut the deck and draw from where it splits. There is no single correct method, so pick one and keep using it.

Step 3: lay out a spread

A spread is a pattern in which each position has a meaning. Beginners do well with a single card for a daily focus, or the three-card spread for past, present and future. Once these feel easy, try the Celtic Cross.

Step 4: read each card in its position

Look at the picture first. Who is in it, what are they doing, and how does it feel? Then read the card's meaning on its card page and ask how it fits the position. The Five of Cups in a "past" position points to a loss you have been through, while in an "advice" position it asks you to turn toward what remains.

If a card lands upside down, you can read it reversed. Our guide to reversals explains the simple ways to do that.

Step 5: link the cards into one story

Now step back. Are there many cards of one suit? Lots of Cups put feelings at the centre, and lots of Major Arcana mean a big life theme. Do the numbers rise or repeat? Do the figures face toward or away from each other? These links turn single meanings into one story.

Finish by summing up the reading in one or two sentences, and write it down. Coming back to old readings is one of the fastest ways to learn.

How to practise

Draw one card each morning and guess how it might show up in your day. Check in the evening. The card of the day tool does this for you, and after a few weeks you will know most of the deck without looking anything up.

Common questions