Tarot card reading is a form of Cartomancy whereby practitioners use Tarot cards purportedly to gain insight into the past, present or future. They formulate a question, then draw cards to interpret them for this end. A traditional tarot deck consists of 78 cards, which can be split into two groups, Major Arcana and Minor Arcana.
A History of Tarot
One of the earliest reference to tarot triumphs, and probably the first reference to tarot as the devil’s picture book, is given c. 1450–1470 by a Dominican preacher in a fiery sermon against the evils of the devil’s instrument.[1] References to the tarot as a social plague continue throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, but there are no indications that the cards were used for anything but games anywhere other than in Bologna.[2] As philosopher and tarot historian Michael Dummett noted, “it was only in the 1780s, when the practice of fortune-telling with regular playing cards had been well established for at least two decades, that anyone began to use the tarot pack for cartomancy.
Tarot Card Reading
Before the tarot card session starts, you will be required to come up with a question that you would like to be interpreted.
For instance, you can ask why you feel that there is a lot of anxiety within you? The question you ask will pave the way for the reader to give you an interpretation. The reader will then shuffle the deck of cards thoroughly and lay them out in what is referred to as a tarot card spread. The reader will use any spread format depending on what interpretation you seek.
One of the popular spread methods is the ten-card spread, commonly known as the Celtic Cross Spread. It is used to give a comprehensive interpretation to answer the question you want to be addressed.
Other types of tarot card spreads include the three spread, five spread, 7-day spread, and 12 months spread. Remember each position of the card has a significant and specific meaning. The three spread is best for giving an interpretation about your past, present, and future based on the question you have asked.
Most people would prefer undertaking in-person tarot card sessions. However, if that is not possible, you can opt for online tarot readings, which are straightforward and have many benefits, including access to many tarot readers, privacy, and convenience.
What to expect from a Tarot Reading
Tarot cards do not tell the future; rather, tarot is a tool for spiritual guidance and enables the person receiving the reading to connect to his or her inner wisdom. Tarot readings help a person understand what he or she needs to know about a particular situation. Decks are best used as a tool of inner wisdom and guidance, as readings give a person insight to past, current and future events based on the person’s current path at the time of the reading. The cards do not necessarily reveal what will happen, but instead, allow a person to gain an understanding of a situation and determine the best course of action based on what is known and what the cards show.
Though there is no right or wrong way to read tarot, there are a few things that could help you get the most out of your learning experience.