Reading the Tarot  – Tips for Beginners

• Before beginning a reading, start with meditation and deep breathing.
• Let something in the card catch your eye and read it.   Ask yourself, “This image reminds me of (fill in the blanks)….
• What does the image feel like to you? ”“ Vibrant? Calm? Nervous? Creepy? Ecstatic? Warm? Cool? Freezing? Hot? Intellectual? Sexual? Loving? Angry?
• Try making up a story from the image in the card, something that catches your eye.   Begin with, “It”s as if the girl in the card were…. or   “Once upon a time there was this man who…”
• If you can”t feel anything when you look at the card, close your eyes and take some deep breaths, center yourself, then open and look at the card.
• The more you learn about the symbols, the myths, and the archetypes, the more ancient wisdom you will be bringing to the reading.
• If you only understand a few cards, try doing a reading with just those cards.
• Do a simple three-card spread on each question; past, present and future cards to show where the situation is   headed.
• Yes-No Questions: An Ace means yes.   Instead of yes-no question, try asking a qualitative question. For example, instead of asking, “Should I move to Florida?   Ask: “What can i learn about moving to Florida?”
• Just like in modern cards, some cards are more powerful than others. Aces are the highest of the everyday cards or Minor Arcana; trumps or Major Arcana are more powerful than the everyday cards.
• Warning about reading for yourself. If you question is coming from worries or fears, you may tend to read those fears into the cards.
• If you have a Tarot book you like, try asking a question, draw a card, and look up the meaning in the book.
• To learn the cards, put them in order every night before bed.