Tarot Home > Tarot Reading Articles > How to Read and Comprehend Tarot Cards

How to Read and Comprehend Tarot Cards

Tarot cards have been used for centuries. The ancient Egyptians were found to have used stone tablets which looked liked, or partly resembled, the Tarot, while the Gypsies in medieval Europe used them for predicting events and other personal circumstances.  Reading, and analyzing the tarot may seem complex at the start; however once the person starts to learn the basics, and understand the card’s meaning, interpreting a tarot spread will definitely be much easier. Below are a number of basics on how to read and comprehend the Tarot cards. 

Tarot Card Essentials

A conventional Tarot card deck is made up of seventy-eight different cards, and is divided into two elements, the Major and Minor Arcana.  And just like the standard playing cards, the Minor Arcana is composed of four “suits”, which are called the Wands, Swords, Cups and Pentacles (Circles). According to Tarot card experts, the Major Arcana represent life’s major concerns, principles, ideals and issues, while the Minor Arcana are often used to depict or represent the simpler, practical issues and problems associated with daily living.

Tarot Card Reading Basics

Here are a number of essential facts for first-time users on how to read, and comprehend tarot cards.  First, the person, or the “reader” lays the cards out, and their meanings will be interpreted based on their positions, as well as their neighboring cards.  Below are other helpful ideas on how to read the tarot cards.

Relate to your deck. 

If a certain deck or spread holds your attention, whether it is visually-appealing or simply holds meaning, then carefully analyze it.  According to tarot card experts, the quicker you remember each tarot card’s associations and meanings, it will be much easier for you to interpret different Tarot card spreads.  Separate the Major and Minor Arcana groups, and then shuffle the cards, cut them and lay them out in rows (3 across, 7 down and 1 card to the side).  This set-up uses all the Major Arcana cards, while leaving a few Minor Arcana cards aside.  Next, set the cards aside in a pile.

Also remember to make a list of the cards you have laid out. 

Next, choose a word which best describes each card, and write it down. Now, look at the pictures on the cards. Try to identify a narrative pattern, and think like you’re looking down a book of illustrations, and you’re trying to find a story, or connect ideas. Also try asking yourself which life situations are the cards, or the spread alluding to.  

When doing a reading for the first time, the card, or the spread you use, may sometimes give out a different meaning to you, from what the book says.  If this happens, just relax, take a deep breath, and simply go with what the book or Tarot card software says, and continue practicing. As you gain more experience, allow the cards to mysteriously speak to you, and reveal their mystery.

 

TOP