How Do Tarot Cards Work? Can You Trust Them for Life Guidance?
Many people question whether tarot cards can tell the future, but tarot cards don’t predict the future. They reflect the truth of the present situation and they will suggest the trajectory of the path you need to take to improve your future.
I mean if you think about it, we are relying on images on a card to literally influence our intimate life decisions. Is it reckless to trust in the translations given to us by tarot? How does the Tarot know the answers to our life’s most difficult questions or decisions?
From my experience, it was kinda eerie… During my first Tarot experience, I just felt the answers pouring out. The first time I tried Tarot, my wife had recently gotten into it, and she offered to share a reading with me to show how it had worked for her. She first explained to me that I needed to shuffle the deck with my own hands, and while I was fondling the cards, I was supposed to consider 1 or 2 questions that had been concerning me recently. After I shuffled the cards, I picked 3 of them and laid them out in front of me.
We used a couple of books which translated the meaning of the cards, and I was pretty blown away. As I was reading, I came across sentences that literally explained the exact path for responding to the situations I had posed to the Tarot! The answers just made perfect sense! Not every sentence felt the same, but the ones that resonated. I mean really, really resonated! I was shocked.
The next few days and weeks, I was hooked as I kept getting the same quality results, fairly consistently. So, for me, yes I trust in Tarot thoroughly. I do because it has helped guide me to some good decisions and shy away from some questionable ones (which I saw more clearly after the fact).
Already in 2022 there has been a big resurgence in spiritual pursuit. I know you feel it too. Thankfully we have tools like Tarot, crystals, and meditation to get us closer to finding the right answers for our life’s most pertinent questions.
I hope this Guide helps direct you to some right decisions when it comes to deciding on how to get started with Tarot cards! It’s fun and enlightening and can really help in guiding your decisions to help manifest clarity, confidence and success.
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What is the purpose of Tarot cards?
Tarot cards have been used for divination or as a map that assists in spiritual growth. Readings can give you insight into your personality, relationships, career or life path. Tarot is a good source of guidance and awareness that allows one to take charge of his or her life and create the best possible outcome.
Tarot card readings can help the reader understand their own emotions and thoughts on a particular matter if they are confused about what action to take. In addition to providing insight into the past, present and future, tarot can provide spiritual guidance about how someone should behave or conduct themselves in a particular situation.
Here are just some of the reasons that people regularly choose to engage in the practice of getting a tarot reading:
- Determine their best course of action.
- Uncover what lies beneath the surface (of oneself, relationships, or circumstances).
- Gain clarity with regards to a troubling situation, problem, or question.
- Discover deeper aspects of themselves by examining their lives in detail.
- Find out what the future holds for them with respect to relationships, career, finances etc.
- Learn more about their personal power and how to better access and utilize it.
- Experience a sense of empowerment by gaining greater insight into themselves and their lives (and the ability to direct them in positive ways).
- Find out what lies ahead, or past, for them with respect to specific life issues such as relationships, career etc.
- Learn about the nature of their spirit.
- Have fun exploring life, spirituality, and themselves.
What is a Tarot Card?
A tarot card is a tool used for fortune-telling or to predict the future. There are 78 cards in total, split into two different decks: the Minor Arcana and the Major Arcana. The former consists of 52 cards which each have an element assigned to them (such as fire, earth, air), while the latter consists of the remaining 26 cards with each card representing a mythological figure (such as The Fool or Strength).
Tarot cards are not meant to be read by themselves. They need to be used in conjunction with meditation, journaling, and affirmation work.
The Tarot cards are like a mirror that reflects images about what is going on in your life.
The Mirror always tells the truth, however it does not judge you, nor does it offer advice or opinions. It simply shows you an image of yourself. This can be very helpful because sometimes we want someone else to point out our strengths and flaws so we can better understand ourselves.
Tips for understanding Tarot Card messages
You will want to determine what you’d like to ask before shuffling your deck. It is important to ensure that the intent of your reading is clear.
First, spend some time meditating on your question.
Clear your mind of any distractions and allow yourself to relax. Once you feel calm, open up the deck and without looking, pick one card that just feels right to you.
After you pick out this particular card, lay it down and pull the next card and the next, until you have all your cards laid out. The number of cards depends on the ‘spread’ you choose. More on that below.
Now take some time to really look at each one of those tarot cards.
Think about what each image represents for you. As you meditate on these images, they will start to make more sense as they apply to your question.
Once you feel like you have your answer, close out this reading by saying an affirmation aloud. Something like, “I am ready for this change” is good.
Tarot cards are considered to be very spiritual and they can help you to connect with your higher self. If you feel that you need guidance in your life, now or in the future, Tarot cards can definitely help you.
Examples of Tarot card queries?
Here are some examples of open-ended questions: “What is my purpose in life?” “What happens next in this situation?” “What do I need to know about this person?” “Which option should I choose?”
Here are some examples of questions with a specific intent: “Why am I so unlucky in love?” “When will I find my soulmate?” “Is this relationship good for me?” “What can I do next to feel more at peace?”
After receiving your reading, you may ask another question or two along the same topic if it doesn’t feel complete. It is best to finish on an open-ended question so that you can receive more information and clarity about what you asked.
What are the basics for using Tarot cards?
You can select a few cards and place them in the shape of a cross or pyramid, or into a circle or you can also draw individual cards if that better suits your intention. Additionally, there are a few different methods and patterns that are designed to provide effective clarity.
It is important that the reader has an open mind and provides their best interpretation of what they see in the cards. If you feel uncertain, it may be helpful to have your reading done by someone else who can provide a fresh perspective.
For beginner readers, we recommend two basic spreads, a three-card pull and the Celtic Cross. The former is where three cards are drawn from the deck to represent the past, present, and future or mind, body, and spirit of the person being read.
The Celtic Cross is a more detailed reading that looks at your past, present influences, what you are striving for in the future, and your likely outcome. The Celtic Cross is one of the more popular Tarot spreads used today.
Steps for Doing a Celtic Cross Tarot Card Spread
- Start by taking a deep breath and holding your question clearly in mind.
- Make sure that you are in a quiet space where you will not be disturbed.
- Have your Tarot deck ready to go and select one card, face down , which represents the basis of your question or situation at hand . This is card number 1 in your Celtic Cross Tarot spread.
- Turn over cards 2-4 in a vertical line above Card 1 . These represent the past influences which have brought you to your current situation.
- Have a second Tarot card on hand, face down , which represents the outcome if no work is done to change the situation . This is Card Number 5 in your Celtic Cross Tarot spread.
- Turn over cards 6-8 in a horizontal line below card 1 . These cards represent short-term influences and events that will come into play if the situation is not changed.
- Hold a third Tarot card, face down , which represents immediate future developments . This is Card Number 7 in your Celtic Cross Tarot spread.
- Turn over cards 9-11 in a vertical line to the right of Card 1 . These cards represent long-term influences and what will happen if the situation remains unchanged.
- Turn over cards 12-13 in a horizontal line below card 5 . These are your fears and hopes regarding your question.
- Finally, turn over Card Number 14 which represents the final outcome of the situation you are seeking guidance about.
Now that you have laid out the Celtic Cross Tarot spread, you should spend some time contemplating the cards in front of you. They may not all make sense to you at first glance, but just keep looking over them until they do.
Some of the images seem ambiguous and difficult to understand, but this is normal. It can take a while for you to get a feel for what Tarot cards are telling you. Practice makes perfect. In time, many people find that they get better and better at reading the cards and divining helpful information from them. Remember, when doing a Celtic Cross Tarot spread, it is important to hold your question in mind and picture it in your mind’s eye throughout this process. This helps tremendously with clarity and understanding.
When to do a Celtic Cross Tarot Spread
The Celtic Cross represents a traditional model for doing a tarot reading. It is usually done at the beginning of a session and used as an entry point into further readings from other spreads. You can also use it as a one-off reading if you just want a quick answer to a single question. Many people find it is a good way to get an overall sense of the situation at hand.
The Celtic Cross can also be done in combination with other Tarot spreads. It works best when used before another spread which gives more information about different aspects of your question, or after a smaller spread that just provides insight into one or two specific things about your question.
History of the Tarot Card
The earliest examples of Tarot cards appeared in Northern Italy in the 15th century. Originally, they were used to play games similar to modern day Bridge or Poker. It would seem that initially it was not intended for divination purposes however over time people started using them for this purpose and therefore they evolved into a divination tool.
In those early days, there was no standardized Tarot deck. The cards differed from region to region and changed often as the images on them were painted by hand. However it is possible that some of these decks may have had images similar to those we see on the Rider Waite deck which was eventually
There are many different types of tarot cards, but the most common tarot card deck is known as the Rider-Waite Tarot. The cards in this deck have unique images and meanings on each card. The images help to give insight into the question at hand. There are accompanying guides to provide insight and translations for each tarot card. Each reading is unique dependent on what query you present to the deck.
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 interpret them for this end.
Tarot cards are a tool for prayer and meditation and can be used as a way to decipher signals and develop a relationship with your higher power.
Tarot cards can be used for psychic readings or just general meditation or querents. In a psychic reading, the reader lays out cards from a deck and interprets their symbols to inform the querent on future events.
The cards used for tarot readings can be purchased from any metaphysical store or bookstore. There are many decks of tarot cards, but all have unique meanings and images that help guide their users.
There are many books to explain tarot cards and include card meanings, spreads, and basic information about how to give readings for yourself and others.
Tip: Clear the energy in a busy or hectic environment or attract positive energy flow to help facilitate discussion and clear thought.