In The Cards: A Beginner’s Guide to Tarot
So you want to learn tarot? I love you too much to lie, so right off the bat I’m gonna tell you learning will take longer than reading this primer. Connecting with tarot is a continuous process, and like anything, the more you practice the more you’ll learn. But you can get the basics down pretty quickly and there’s no time like the present, so let’s get you started on this magical relationship between you and a deck of cards. Promise it’ll be worth it.
First off, the tarot is a form of divination that’s been around for centuries. What likely started as a card game evolved into a way to tap into our intuition (or connect with spirits, as some folks like me believe). The tarot incorporates numerology, astrology, and symbolism. That’s why cards can have fundamental meanings, but you’ll need to rely on your intuition to apply them to your life and circumstances. (Most decks come with guidebooks, which can also help you interpret card meanings).
You’ve probably seen Rider-Waite cards—it’s the OG, very white-centric, gender binary deck that most people think of when they think of tarot. These days you can choose from a variety of decks from different artists, but they’ll all have 78 cards and follow a similar set up:
The Major Arcana
These 22 cards represent milestone moments in your life or cycle. Some people refer to this as the fool’s journey—starting from the moment you begin (depicted as The Fool card) to the culmination (The World card). The cards in between represent the energies and experiences you might face along a journey, like making a huge decision (The Lovers), taking a breather (The Hanged Man), and soul searching (The Hermit). Pulling a major arcana card gives you a heads up that whatever you’re asking about or experiencing could be a big fuckin’ deal in your life, whether it’s a turning point, important lesson, or karmic occurrence.
Minor Arcana
The rest of the deck is split into suits, just like a regular deck for y’all spades players. *slams card on table* Each suit has 14 cards: 10 numbered from ace to 10, and four court cards (page, knight, queen, and king). Each suit deals with aspects of our day-to-day lives.
Cups
The Drake suit. These cards highlight your emotional life: love, feelings, intuition. Like Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio, the cups represent water (get it), so the feels make sense. When you pull a card from this suit, you’re probably dealing with matters of the heart or in your feelings.
Pentacles
Pentacles deal with the material world, things like work, home, and your body. Earth energy is all up and through this suit, so it also correlates to the signs of Capricorn, Taurus, and Virgo. Basically, if you’re asking about Beyonce’, starting a new business, or going vegan, a pentacles card may jump out.
Swords
Some call swords the coldest suit in the deck, but that’s because these cards tell it like it is. None of that emo shit like the cups. Swords are concerned with logic, intellect and philosophy, like its air sign counterparts Aquarius, Gemini, and Libra. If you’re overthinking or not using the sense your grandmama gave you, this suit will let you know. It’s head over heart when you pull one of these cards.
Wands
We can sum up this suit in one word: fiery. Similar to the signs Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius, wands are all about action, passion, and expansion. You may even get excited when you pull a card from this suit. (Hell, I know I do.) On the flip side, these cards could warn you that you’re being impulsive or doing the most. Remember what Kendrick said, “even a small lighter can burn a bridge.”
You Got It
Now that you’ve got the basics, put it all together for your first pull. Start by taking three deep breaths to ground yourself and tap in. Then ask a question to whoever you trust (like your spirit guides, angels, or higher self) as you shuffle the deck. You can pull one card, do a spread, or take whatever cards jump out. Feel the energy and use your intuition to get an overall sense of your reading before you interpret card meanings—then take everything you just learned and apply it to your situation.
Let’s say you’re asking your higher self what the next steps in your career should be, and you pull the Two of Swords and the Hanged Man. Using numerology, the Two of Swords could tell you that you need to find balance or you’re deciding between two things; the imagery of the cards could illustrate how you feel stuck right now; and the swords suit could clue you in to how this is more of a heady situation—something you may be overthinking. The Hanged Man could tell you that this is a major decision, so chill out, surrender, and allow the solutions to come to you. Put it all together and you’ve got your answer. Maybe not the concrete one you wanted, but the answer your higher self knows will best serve you.
Try pulling a card every day and do some exercises to help strengthen your intuition. You can even do readings for your friends if they’re into it. The more you develop your practice, the stronger your relationship with tarot, and yourself, will get. Next thing you know you’ll be channeling Miss Cleo. Real psychic girl shit!