Learning to Read the Tarot

I am often asked for tips on how to start learning to read the Tarot. My first piece of advice is always the same: take the Little White Book that comes with the deck, hold it reverently in your hands for a few moments, and then consign it to the back of a drawer! Tarot cards are VISUAL - we are meant to "read" the pictures, not rote learn a whole lot of "meanings."

When we learn things in a dry "parrot fashion" manner, it's hard to make it stick. Remember trying to learn your multiplication tables? Ew! Things we learn in a meaningful context are much more easily remembered. So - how can this concept be applied to learning the Tarot?

I suggest this approach. At the end of each day, shuffle the deck and pull out three cards for the day to come. Call them: Beginning, Middle and End of Day. Study the pictures and come up with some ideas for what they might mean. For example, let's say you chose the Ace of Cups, pictured above, as your card for the Beginning of the day. What might it mean? You look at the card, see the champagne glass, and conclude that you are going to get a party invitation, or that there might be something to celebrate.

At the end of the day review your cards, and see what they really meant. Did you get that invitation? No, but the early part of the day was devoted to throwing yourself headlong into an exciting project you're involved in, so you conclude that it might also have something to do with enthusiasm and satisfaction. After your review, chose your cards for the next day.

A few weeks of this, and you'll soon build up a well rounded picture of what most of the cards mean, in a context you'll remember. What about the cards that, try as you will, you can't make any sense of? Well, you're allowed to sneak a peek at that Little White Book, but make sure it's well buried so you only do it when you're really stuck!