Over 60 experienced tarot readers offer their best advice for what every Newbie Tarot Reader should know. Not everyone will agree with everything. Add ideas you think belong, in the Comments. Feel free to post this anywhere, so long as you include the source and contributors (listed at the end).
The Rules
• There are no rules. All rules are made to be broken.
• You may hear and read a LOT about tarot, much of it contradictory. Listen, read, discuss, try, and decide for yourself. No one knows how you will read or work with the cards except you.
Learning Tarot
• The more you know, the more options you have.
• Read books, Lots of books.
• PUT THE BOOKS DOWN!
• There is nothing wrong with books. Knowledge gained from them gives you a fantastic starting point and framework and can lead to more assured reading.
• Try to read a card first, before you look it up. You will be surprised by how much of the gist of it you get.
• Get to know your deck – pull a card a day and/or go through your deck and take notes on each card. Write your thoughts and feelings about each card in a journal.
• Learn the basics of tarot history and symbolism.
• Learn the astrological and elemental correspondences. They condition the mind to think associatively and make extraordinary connections.
• Choose a system and stick with it long enough to get understanding and then branch out. You’ll only confuse yourself if you try to take in all the different ideas being thrown around.
• The cards are made up of micro-symbols within a macro-symbol. Each of the card’s symbols can open up detailed, pertinent and powerful information.
• Get to know what the colors, numbers, symbols say to YOU.
• Draw a daily card from your deck and let it speak to you. Ask yourself great questions.
• Do everything out loud, even if you are just reading for yourself. Tarot originally was an oral, story-telling type skill and speaking aloud follows its own pathways.
• Associate one to three keywords with each card.
• Read the cards visually; you are the book.
• Befriend your deck; it consists of 78 personalities that you need to get to know well.
• Become friends with your cards! Sleep with them, play with them, journal with them.
• People have many layers and so do the cards.
• It helps to relate the cards to people and events you know and have experienced.
• Give extra attention to those cards which don’t seem friendly.
• Read your cards daily for someone: for yourself and others. Keep a journal of your tarot work, including daily readings.
• You cannot learn without actually practicing reading. . . . practice, practice, practice. Read for friends, strangers at the mall, in a bar (great ice breaker).
• As you go about your life, keep the cards in your head. See if different experiences remind you of different cards.
• Learn all the time from other people, too! There are tons of books, classes, online events, conferences and meetups that can enrich your perspective.
• CONSTANTLY update and upgrade your own spiritual focus.Work on yourself all the time. Keep growing and never think you know it all!
Tarot is . . . A Reading Is . . .
• A reading is a slice of life’s journey. It’s a story.
• Tarot is an intuitive compass, so forget the whole idea of “reading the future.”
• Tarot is a mirror.
• Tarot is like art: there is the interpretation done by art critics that gives the reasoning behind a masterpiece vs. how it makes you personally feel. It is important to see both sides.
• Interpretation is Knowledge + Intuition.
• Always remember the tarot and other card oracles are pieces of cardboard with pictures on them. The magick, wisdom, information is in you, not in the cards.
• It’s a piece of paper with a picture on it. It only has as much power as you (or the querent) give it.
• You are the tarot! The cards are nothing without you. They are windows into your inner knowing that is already all there.
Decks
• Pick a deck you are attracted to.
• Choose a deck that feels right for you. One you are comfortable with. Make sure it resonates with you as regards artwork and mythos (world-view).
• Start with one deck that resonates with you and live with it a good year (at least) before moving on to other decks.
• Learn all the time: even if you have a favorite deck, check out other decks and interpretations and compare them.
• If you are interested in tarot symbolism and traditions, get at least one “traditional” deck and learn where its symbols come from.
Spreads
• Start with small spreads.
• Start with a simple one or 3-card spread. The Celtic Cross is usually overkill.
• You can create your own spread as well as using traditional ones.
Preparation for a Reading
• Wash your hands before touching the cards.
• Center and ground yourself before a reading.
• Ground yourself first to get into the moment, light a candle, and then ask for protection and guidance on the reading by inviting your guides to help bring clarity to the reading and to keep any lower entities away.
• Keep tissues handy.
• Let the client choose from among several decks, whichever one speaks to her(him).
• Use a deck you “connect” with. It should “speak” to YOU.
Ethics
• People trust you with their secrets. Keep them and be worthy of that trust.
• Read the person you are with. Don’t be tempted to read that person’s husband/sister-in-law/boyfriend/boss/whatever, unless that person is also sitting in front of you. Be ethical.
Consulting the Tarot
• Find the right question—for the reading and for each card in a position. A reading is more about questioning than it is about forming ideas.
• Don’t ask the same question over and over again. If you find out you’ve become so addicted to tarot you can’t do anything without first consulting the cards, take a break.
• Use the cards to help you understand more about yourself. They reveal what you already know but for some reason aren’t looking at.
• Don’t try to predict or fortune-tell (you can do that later if you wish).
• Use the cards for everything…past lives, channeling and so on.
• Don’t be afraid to combine modalities: astrology, aura reading, etc.
• Keep your focus on the cards; don’t add anything else until you’ve gotten everything you can from the spread in front of you.
Reading the Cards
• The main thing is… just START, and if you make mistakes, learn from them!
• Make the intention that you will only read the cards upright until you’ve learned the 78 card meanings. Reversals will come easier once you know the upright meanings.
• It’s easier if you use reversals right from the start.
• Keep a “cheat sheet,” in case you become stuck on a meaning of a card. Or, don’t be afraid to look up a meaning in a book. Just one word or phrase may be enough to spur you onto the rest of the story.
• Preconceived, fixed ideas about what each card means can block your ability to tap into the now.
• Relax, breath, look at the card, close your eyes and feel how the card affects you. Look at what suit it is and what element it represents, look at the number, look at the colors and then start the reading by using your intuition.
• First thought, best thought; keep the reading simple; make it into a story.
• Use all your senses…pictures, words, songs, feelings. Then tell a story using these.
• Try not to see any card as just good or bad, but containing a range.
• Always have the intention to heal/help; it mitigates mistakes if your heart’s in the right place.
• Don’t insist you’re right or apologize for being wrong.
• Don’t edit yourself. What first comes to your mind is probably right.
• Don’t say whatever comes to your mind, as this could seriously damage your sitter. Filter everything through love (a “love-filter”), and if you *have* to say it, say it in a way that is constructive. First, do no harm. Before speaking, consider the motto, “Love is always the appropriate reaction.”
• Don’t be afraid to be “wrong.” Sometimes if you are “wrong”, stay with it, dig deeper, be patient. People will say “no, nothing is going on,” but sometimes the flood gates will suddenly open and a real healing will take place.
• Sometimes if you are “wrong,” agree with the querent and let it go. If it is important it will come up again in some other way. Don’t force a person where they don’t want to go.
• Cards that tend to have negative connotations are not always so, ie. Death and the Tower. They do not mean what they show in a physical sense.
• It’s possible to inhabit a card and speak from that place.
• In difficult situations, look for the life lessons and discuss those. Give guidance so the person can be AWARE of what they are dealing with and GET THROUGH it.
Prediction
• Predictions, if made at all, must be done very carefully. They may come true because people put belief and emotion energy into the prediction.
• NEVER predict death, disease, disaster and divorce…the 4-D’s!
Faith & Trust
• Always trust your intuition.
• Occasionally,something will come to you during a reading that has nothing to do with what you know. Trust it. Say what you see, even if it makes no sense to you.
• If you see something, say it. It may be the exact answer versus the ” book” answer.
• The Sight is a gift; use it with trust and faith and integrity.
• Trust your first thought – don’t second guess yourself. You can look up the meaning according to tradition later, if you want.
• Trust that what you’re saying, whether the querent thinks it’s “right” or “wrong”, is what the querent needs to hear.
• Have faith in the cards. Just because you may not understand what you’re being shown, there is a reason. Relax, take a breath & it will come to you.
• It’s okay to be wrong.
Doubt . . .
• Don’t panic. Just go with the flow…
• Panic is normal. When you draw a blank, simply describe the card.
• Whenever you feel stuck, go literal not metaphorical. Say what you see on the cards.
• Pick up the cards and rearrange them.
• Don’t cave into your fear of not seeing something….if you have eyesight, you can see.
• Root out any, “Am I doing this right” self-questioning while you’re doing the reading—it will block your connection with the cards. You can self-question after the reading in order to improve.
• If something is not working switch to something else. Numbers, palms, astrological charts; then, come back to the cards.
• Don’t worry if you make mistakes in readings. Like life, it is a long journey to acquire skill and wisdom. Until then: read, read, read again, pray, work and you will find.
• Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Professionalism
• If your advice is worth taking, it’s worth being paid for.
• Value yourself and your reading, but don’t overprice it.
• Charge money, because if you don’t, you will end up having to do something else to make money, and then you could end up betraying your gift by having no time for it!
The Querent/Client
• People love to hear about themselves. They crave attention. This should give you confidence.
• Determine where a person is coming from and how best to communicate with them by checking their astrology, numerology or birth cards, or by drawing a card before the reading.
• Don’t take people’s aggression personally. It’s usually just fear. Have them look at a card and ask how it makes them feel.
• Think about what the other person needs and not about how you are doing.
• Don’t try to make things up and tell people what you think they want to hear.
• Don’t let other people “control” your readings. Trust yourself and remember you have nothing to prove.
• The querent knows him or herself better than you do. But you know the cards better than he/she does.
• You are there to help the client find their own truth through a relationship among you, the client and the cards. Life is relationship!
• If the client is quiet it doesn’t mean that you are wrong; there are lots of other reasons. Just enjoying the silence helps with your concentration!
• Don’t read for the same person, for the same issue, more than once in a lunation [a month—or even longer!]. Things take time to develop.
Your Uniqueness
• Know Thyself.
• Every card reader is unique and brings their own gifts to the mix. Be yourself.
• The tarot communicates in different ways to different people. Pay attention to the specific ways the tarot communicates ideas to you. Your uniqueness counts, and that awareness will build a deep relationship to the cards and the reading process.
_______________________
CONTRIBUTORS: Louise Underhill, Judika Illes, Ruth Vazquez, Urban Crone, Stacy Scher LaRosa, Carla Tate, Serena Belvedere Iannicelli, J.r. Rivera Jr., Laurent Langlais, CJ Walton, Eartha Stone, Ann Westland, Debby Coulter, Marcus Katz, Mary Scully, SallyRose Rivers Robinson, Tero Hynynen, Dona Riley, Katrina Wynne , Laura Brown, Maureen Aisling Duffy-Boose, Elaine Benwell, Christiana Crane Gaudet, Kristine Gorman, Denise Wilson, Madeline Hill Kasian, Alexsander Lepletier, Polly MacDavid, Charlotte Porter, Theresa Reed, Amy Fisher, Nancy Antenucci, Johanna Gargiulo-Sherman, Debra LoGuercio DeAngelo, Hildur Halldora Karlsdóttir, Diane Brandt Wilkes, Kellie Johnson, Paula Nerenberg Meier, Katherine Weber-Turcotte, Jagadeesh Dev, Andrew Kyle McGregor, Susan Curewitz Arthen, Sue Wilhite, Larry Manning, Loretta Vigil, Karen Krebser, Monika Sanders, Doreen Vitkuske Blumberg, Mary Mueller, Tierney Sadler, J Jordan Hoggard, Bonnie Cehovet, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, Carol Herzer, Sowilo Dawn, Nei Naiff, Erin Sights, Dale T Howard, Jeanne Fiorini, Shari Lynn Smith, Mary K. Greer.
Other helpful posts for beginning and intermediate Tarot readers:
What Every Newbie Tarot Reader Should Know About the History and Myths of Tarot
Integrating Card Meanings in a Tarot Reading
Three-Card Spreads: The Essentials
Suggestions for Becoming A Professional Tarot Reader
Pamela Colman Smith on Reading the Cards
A Truly Notable Tarot Reading (more advanced post on recording and sending readings via iPad, iPhone and other options)
Mary K. Greer has made tarot her life work. Check here for reports of goings-on in the world of tarot and cartomancy, articles on the history and practice of tarot, and materials on other cartomancy decks. Sorry, I no longer write reviews. Contact me
Mary K. Greer's Tarot Blog 
110 comments
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July 17, 2011 at 7:02 pm
mkg
Please leave a comment. To do so, you might have to scroll to the very bottom of the page as WordPress has messed up the reply form.
July 17, 2011 at 7:45 pm
midnightmargaritas
I love this list. I have bought so many decks, books, etc, but never really read, because of doubt. I am inspired to actually start doing it. Thank you thank you!
July 17, 2011 at 8:22 pm
abbee
This is very helpful, even for rather seasoned readers. 😀
July 17, 2011 at 10:24 pm
Paula Nerenberg Meier
Thank you. I am very proud to be listed as a contributor.
July 17, 2011 at 10:54 pm
Nathara
A great list of advice! Even the contradictions are all true! Boy, if I’d known this 10 years ago…. LOL
July 18, 2011 at 4:16 am
Maigrir
I am looking for someone to teach me.
July 18, 2011 at 4:52 am
Stacy Scher LaRosa
This is such a fantastic article!! I’m so honored to be mentioned :o) I’m teaching a newbie now, so I am going to print this up & keep it near & dear as we continue along. Every bit of advice is preciousw & useful. Thanks, Mary!! 🙂
July 18, 2011 at 5:20 am
Wendy
Interpretation is contextual. It is critical to keep your own bias out. I once had a tearful, upset client approach me to read her cards about her love life. When the King of Swords appeared, she began weeping in earnest. Why? In a previous reading, she had been told it was a blond-haired, blue-eyed man. “But,” she said, “my family would disown me if I marry a white man!”
I had to explain that the court cards are broken up in all different ways, and one of those makes the suits different skin tones. “If I tell you, ‘The King of Swords has light skin and pale eyes’, is your first thought a blonde?” Of course, in her context, the answer is no!
July 18, 2011 at 10:04 am
Lisa Hunt
Clear, concise and wonderful! Thank you.
July 18, 2011 at 10:16 am
The Tarot Charioteer (@TarotCharioteer)
I’m a newbie professional Tarot Reader 🙂 This is list awesome: a great compendium of advice to keep in mind when reading. And I’d say that the seeming “contradictions” really just represent different facets of the whole…in other words, they’re not really contradictions at all 😉
If I could be so audacious as to recommend something even though I’m a newbie lol – personally I think the most important thing when reading Tarot is to always, always keep an open mind: be open to your clients’ points of view, opinions, biases, and words. And keep an open mind when approaching Tarot: there are so many different “schools of Tarot”, so to speak, and each approach has its pros & cons. To me, that’s the beauty of Tarot – it’s open-ended enough to encompass anything & everything…so if you stick with it, you’re sure to find something that vibes with you. And you’ll always find ways to keep it “fresh” because of the variety! 🙂
Also, each person learns differently: for me, I love learning about a whole slew of things at once, reading a ton of books at once – I was even practicing with a bunch of decks at once! (Though I’ve recently narrowed that aspect down to 2-3 decks I’m using in-depth now.) Tarot lends itself really, really well to a syncretic approach because of all the different systems, beliefs & reading styles. For example: little by little I’m finding my Tarot “voice” has a foundation in the Golden Dawn system & attributions and its techniques for divination/prediction, while when I’m actually reading for someone I take a more “counselor/strategist” approach with a client – I love your R.I.T.E. description, Mary 😉 Lately I’m re-considering my decision not to read reversals because I really the way Gail Fairfield applies them in her Everyday Tarot: A Choice-Centered Book!
See how awesome Tarot is?!?! How many other things in life can have such a wide spectrum and yet make it work? 🙂
[On a personal note – just wanted to thank you, Mary, for all your awesome books on Tarot and your kick-ass blog!!! I really liked Tarot for Your Self and right now, one of the books I’m reading is 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card – I love, love this book!!! A plethora of information, especially in the Adept sections!!! Sorry, I couldn’t resist going into “gushing-fan” mode; it’s my first time commenting here lol!] 😉
July 19, 2011 at 12:00 am
Rozonda Salas
Amazing, Mary!! Sharing on my FB page 🙂
July 19, 2011 at 4:23 am
David Justice Love Absolution
I’ve learnd allot with tarot and blend it with other mediums the learning never ends the funnest part is helping others find clarity along their life path and way. recordig a reading in personal journal and waiting deliberately to look back and review what it meant. A fun hindsight excercise.
July 19, 2011 at 8:07 am
Gary Karp
Thank you for this wonderful list. The only thing I would add is to honor the energy and the cards. Often the energy and cards will show you something the sitter didn’t ask but needs to know. Do not try to “fit” the cards to meet the question. Listen to your intuition and go where the cards take you.
July 19, 2011 at 9:23 am
Masticina Akicta
Nice post very nice I agree with allot.
Except the Ethic part, seriously “do not bring bad news”. What are we Fortune Tellers? Oh sorry give me a moment I put up my tent. And warm up the Crystal ball now what kind of accent should I used today. Ah yes
“Velcome Stranger, I expected You. You shall see the future”
..
I have brought bad news to others and they have used that bad news to fix issues. To pull out of bad situations, to improve situations that could get allot worse.
If we do not speak about the dark side then who shall?
We should be careful I can agree with such. If we draw bad news we need to bring it careful and show them possible ways to improve the situation.
Actually I did a reading for someone and the cards did tell me that the marriage was a sham. I said this and the person directly agreed… so the cards showed me what she had to hear.
Ethics are worthless if they are metal binders, chains! Like the devil card shows.. sometimes you have to go beyond the things.
That really is most what is wrong with the list that and “don’t do third party readings’
I don’t I do first party readings that are connected to the third party. As in I can do readings that show a person the relationship between persons. Yes including a person who isn’t there. Guess what if there are things that are supposed to be hidden.. the cards won’t show it.
Trust the cards and don’t limit yourself to much. Let the devil card not be your future as reader! Don’t bind yourself!
July 19, 2011 at 9:42 am
mkg
Tarot Charioteer –
Comments welcome from all newbies – no matter what level.
Yes, keeping an open mind is essential – which I hope all the ‘contradictions’ make clear. You give great examples of how what is ‘right’ at one stage of learning or practicing might be totally revised at another.
Keep the comments coming, and I’m so glad my books have worked well for you.
July 19, 2011 at 10:06 am
mkg
Masticina –
The point of this list was for each contributor to give his or her “best advice” and for each tarot reader to decide what works for him or her. The point was to show options—not absolutes. So, there is nothing to argue here. Each person is to decide for him or herself what guidelines to follow and when and where to break the ‘rules.’
Having done a bit of “damage-control” with querents who had terrifying readings from others, I am sympathetic about using my intuition to determine what to reveal and what not to reveal.
I chose not to tell a young mother-to-be that I saw problems regarding the birth of her child. I was glad when the birth went beautifully, but 3 months later the baby died of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), in circumstances that one could never have protected against. Should I have created an unhealthy state of anxiety for that mother? Absolutely not! OTOH, I did counsel a man to listen to his own intuition about there being something physically wrong, so that when he felt pains a week later he immediately called 911 and his heart attack was treated in time (he claims I saved him, I claim I supported him in listening to his own intuition).
Your advice is a great counterpoint to what currently appears on the list.
Mary
July 19, 2011 at 10:45 am
Masticina Akicta
Ah thank you 🙂
It is not always easy to decide what needs to be done. Like with tarot or any other type of divination is about feelings. Sometimes yes it is better not to show everything. Other times you have to offer a person a chance to improve things.
And yes if laws are to solid, they become the chained one that is what I worry about. If one is to stuck into rules..
In the end it is human work isn’t it.
July 19, 2011 at 10:58 am
Amethyst Mahoney
Great post! Can you recommend a good source/book for symbolism in the Tarot? Or could you just write one? haha. 🙂
http://www.ametarot.blogspot.com
July 19, 2011 at 11:04 am
mkg
Amethyst,
Pictures from the Heart by Sandra Thompson. Penguin Dictionary of Symbols.
I’ve been working on a book on the symbols of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck for over ten years. And I feel like I’ve only just begun!
July 19, 2011 at 4:58 pm
The Tarot Charioteer
Thank you for the reply, Mary 🙂 And yes, that’s what I love about Tarot – how we can learn so much from it, and even change our reading styles or systems we use, because there’s so much available if we choose to learn it 🙂
21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card is proving invaluable to me right now – I love how so much different information is packed into one book: step-by-step beginner’s techniques, more advanced tips, the history of the cards, and – what I’m really loving – diverse systems/philosophies applied to the deck, and from who/where they came from. I’m loving it even more than Tarot for Your Self! 🙂
I love the pic you used at the top of this post, as I’m a budding deck collector! I’ve identified all the decks pictured (2 copies of the Rider Waite Smith, an Illuminated Tarot, and – one of my top 3 – a Haindl deck!) But there’s one deck I’m not familiar with- the one at the “top” of the pic. Which deck is that?
Thanks again, and I look forward to that book on the symbols of the Rider Waite Smith!!! 🙂
Vincent aka T.C. 😉
July 19, 2011 at 5:19 pm
mkg
Vincent,
Thanks for all the lovely things you said about “21 Ways”. I love hearing them.
The deck at the top is “The Mythic Tarot” by Juliet Sharman-Burke, Liz Greene and Tricia Newell (and not sure if it is the “New” version or not). IMHO, it’s a modern classic.
http://www.amazon.com/New-Mythic-Tarot-Juliet-Sharman-Burke/dp/0312562012/
Mary
July 19, 2011 at 6:48 pm
Wendy
This list is great. Thanks for an excellent post. 🙂
July 20, 2011 at 2:29 am
Lionel Messi
“I’ve been working on a book on the symbols of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck for over ten years.”
I should try typing faster Mary.
July 20, 2011 at 11:30 am
The Tarot Charioteer
Awesome, Mary! I have a strange personal connection to the Mythic Tarot: my favorite godmother introduced me to Tarot when I was 11 by buying me my first deck and my first workbook to go along with it. I had never even heard of it! That first deck (which I unfortunately had to replace in my teens because it was worn to pieces lol!) was the standard Rider Waite Smith…and that first book was the workbook for The Mythic Tarot! Don’t ask me why she got me that book – it could very well be it was the only workbook available at that particular bookstore (I believe it was a B.Dalton in downtown Chicago) at that time (early 90s). The exercises in that book helped train my young mind in visualization techniques – kind of “going into” the cards to derive personal meaning from them. I’ll have to add the Mythic Tarot deck to my collection so it can finally accompany the workbook I still have 🙂
(By the way, I’m right now on the chapter dealing with Metaphor, just starting the Adept section – I’m finding those parts, plus the appendices, so helpful and informative.) 😉
– Vincent aka T.C.
July 20, 2011 at 11:39 am
mkg
I love the metaphor section. We use metaphors all the time when trying to describe the effects of a card to a querent. They work well because they are usually so sensory and immediate.
July 20, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Scott
Fully and completely “liked.” Goes a long well with your follow up post.
July 20, 2011 at 4:46 pm
Amethyst
Thanks for the recommendations! 🙂
July 21, 2011 at 7:23 am
Snakegoddess
Thank you so much for your recent posts for Newbies! I know that I spend too much time with my nose in a book rather than delving into my own intuition and insights, and I’m nervous to practice on other people…the advice of “Know thyself” and “Be yourself” and “Don’t take yourself too seriously” is really what I needed to hear. Thanks, Mary – I feel even more inspired to spend some quality time with my cards!
July 21, 2011 at 1:58 pm
mkg
Snakegoddess –
I’m so glad to hear this. Hopefully the advice in this post will help inspire people to explore whatever direction they’ve been avoiding.
July 23, 2011 at 11:57 am
Douglass White
Thanks for a wonderful list and a great idea to gather experience from many quarters. Pretty much everything your contributors say fits with my own experience giving readings and teaching the Tarot. I am downloading the list and will recommend it to students.
July 24, 2011 at 5:04 am
Irina_Candy
Mary! Thank you very much for this article. It is very useful. And here is its Russian translation. http://tarosite.com/content/chto-dolzhen-znat-kazhdyy-chaynik-tarolog . Thanks for precious advices and help.
July 24, 2011 at 9:34 am
mkg
Irina –
It looks so impressive in Russian. Please let us know what kinds of comments you get from Russian tarot readers. I’m sure we’d all like to know.
I have an idea: Why don’t you ask the same question of Russian readers and report back to us what they say?
Mary
September 23, 2011 at 5:44 am
marialilly
It was just great,this post for the newbies in tarot.I personally feel as shedding of all my blocks- especially so because I started knowing tarot from my early teens and used to interpret with a deck of playing cards as the tarot decks were unheard of in the town I stayed.Allof the readings were startingly up to the mark true.Later on this beautiful,close to my heart thing waned away much owing to the conservative family background where I grew and being educated in a very strict convent school.Now many years later I have picked up the threads from where i left and I am so glad I stumbled on Mary Greer’s site and now I am so overwhelmed with emotion and I feel back home with tarot
.
September 23, 2011 at 11:00 am
mkg
Welcome back, marialilly. I’m so glad you were able to find this post that spoke to your heart.
Mary
December 22, 2011 at 12:45 pm
Kel
Hi Mary,
Where is your list of top 10 Tarot books? I’m having some trouble locating the article online.
Thanks!
Kel
December 23, 2011 at 11:04 am
mkg
Kel –
I don’t have such a list. I don’t think I could narrow it down to 10 books for myself – nor could I specify what books different people, with different needs, would value most.
June 9, 2012 at 6:52 pm
mugwort
I found this post quite informative, comprehensive with much detail broken up into many categories essential to reading tarot cards. I like how it was individual centered. It seemed to me there were suggestions and no hard and fast rules. Nothing was written in proverbial stone.
July 20, 2012 at 2:35 pm
mkg
Yes, Mugwort, the point is that there are many ways to enter into the Tarot experience and no one way is right for everyone. Follow what excites you most about the cards and trust in that. Then, as you get more familiar with them, begin to branch out, trying techniques, practices and even decks which, at first, didn’t appeal to you as much.
I’ve been exploring Tarot for over 45 years – the endless variations and branches of knowledge are what keep me intrigued.
November 1, 2012 at 2:20 pm
Mayte
Wonderful! I have learned a lot with it. Many thanks for this good list.
April 17, 2013 at 1:45 pm
Alex
I’ve just begun reading Tarot for others and stumbling upon this list has been so reassuring! I consider myself blessed to hear such powerful stories from the people I do readings for, and for receiving advice from seasoned Tarot readers. Thank you for this post!
May 19, 2013 at 1:36 pm
darkphoenix2105
Reblogged this on Avatar I Am!.
June 13, 2013 at 6:13 am
Raelyn Barclay
Reblogged this on Raelyn Barclay and commented:
I stumbled upon this while hunting around for a subject to post today. This is a great bullet point list whether you want to sit your character down across the table for a reading, or do one for yourself, or even learn the cards.
July 5, 2013 at 1:29 pm
Melissa | Insightful
This was a really good list of things to know as a newbie. One thing i have noticed in my readings is i do have clients that will freak over things that they themsleves have the power to change. Sometimes you jsut have to take a step back and breath and explain to them free will and how you can help shape your own destiny.
August 31, 2013 at 8:22 pm
Ms. Ray
This is genuinely one of the best crafted articles of advice on the subject I’ve ever read. Not just for newbies, either — there’s some great stuff in there for the pros, too. Lovingly shared with my people on my Psychic Episodes Facebook page. Thank you!
October 20, 2013 at 3:05 am
NnamrTa
Hii all,
Am new to tarot can anyone help me how does tar it work, what does a deck mean and how do we read cards for a client what’s the process , how everything works out , how do we taken reverse card weather we take in a reverse way or its just that we pick them in areverse manner and hhow do we read them if its in a reverse manner plz help my I’d is namratadesigner@ gmail.com , thanks;)
Regards NnamrTa……
October 29, 2013 at 8:45 am
tarotbybrian
Great, Great Post,
I am new to Tarot and this is the best info for someone like himself who is just getting started. It really helped me to get a handle on all of my questions, doubts and excitement for being a Reader.
I plan to read this often, and apply what has been said. There is so much here that it will take some time to process it. I especially like the rule to not read for someone more then once a month.
Thank to all that have contributed to this.
Brian
http://tarotbybrian.wordpress.com/
October 29, 2013 at 12:11 pm
mkg
NnamrTa –
I’m afraid that your questions are much too extensive to answer here. They really require a book. I’m going to be so bold as to recommend my own book, Tarot for Your Self. Despite the focus on reading for yourself, it still answers most of your questions quite well. I also wrote The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals, which goes into that issue in quite a bit of depth.
http://www.amazon.com/Tarot-Your-Self-Second-Edition-ebook/dp/B006LMK6WI/
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Reversals-Special-Topics-ebook/dp/B001XCWA6G/
Brian –
Thank you for letting us know how the information has worked for you.
December 26, 2013 at 4:54 am
jadescarlett
Reblogged this on Chrysalis Goddess.
February 21, 2014 at 4:34 am
newbies
Aw, this was an exceptionally nice post. Taking a few minutes and actual effort to produce a very good article… but what can I say… I hesitate a lot and never seem to get anything done.
February 23, 2014 at 11:34 am
Mazy
Thank you for this information. I am excited to start my new journey(:
March 17, 2014 at 7:03 am
Tarotie~
I was looking up whether it is okay to interpret the cards, just by looking at the pictures alone and kind of forgetting what it means universally. I doubted if it could, since I’m fairly new and the Tarot Deck I use is slightly different from the R. Waite deck.
I stumbled across this list and I have to say it has really helped me. It told me what I needed to hear today, because in my conscious I was more busy with a issue I had, rather than if the cards could be predicted by looking at the images instead of a “book”.
I have a friend who has been working with Tarot for quite sometime, but it seems like everytime I pull a card and read it for myself, the friend disregards my interpretations of the card and kind of “forces” her own into my mind and the card. It really makes me feel insecure, while at first I felt that was I was saying was right (for me.) It’s really discouraging and it’s as if i’m not being treated as an equal Tarot reader, but as a novice while the friend tries to rise high above me, trying to imply that she knows best.
So thank you for this wonderful list. It took away my doubts.
March 18, 2014 at 10:39 am
mkg
I’m so glad this post helped you honor your own manner of working with Tarot. The best thing is to keep a journal of your readings and what you think they mean. I would write down my first impressions and then, when I was learning, I would look up the meanings in a book and summarize those. That way, I could go back and see which interpretation was the most accurate and helpful. Plus, it is easier to remember card meanings in the context of an actual situation.
May 12, 2014 at 7:00 pm
hedgewitchcorner
Reblogged this on hedgewitchcorner and commented:
I really like the advice here 🙂 gets me motivated to pick my cards back up and get to know them all over again Thank You
June 2, 2014 at 7:30 am
http://totalbodyfreshpills.com
Good article. I absolutely appreciate this site. Thanks!
June 3, 2014 at 8:31 pm
hard knight
Incredible points. Sound arguments. Keep up the
amazing work.
October 3, 2014 at 12:05 pm
Lady Dracen
Thank you for this!! Great Article and I hope you don’t mind I give you a link on my page in turn for quoting!! Bright Blessings to You!!
I do with Tarot LAyouts
October 3, 2014 at 6:42 pm
mkg
Great, Lady Dracen. I’m happy to have this information spread around.
December 4, 2014 at 12:16 am
Artur
Great text. I use it like framework for some my blog entries.
February 22, 2015 at 9:09 am
prßłūm čhýłđ
Through an unavoidable misfortune it series of events has become somewhat of a free sprited travler, and am usually alone most of my days.at the age of 27 with extra sensory perception that I believe was passed to me for my mother and taro has become a calling to me especially since the mother of my child and introduced me to wicca as did her family I’ve since become close with two different tarot decks that I’ve purchased but has been either stolen from me or lost because of traveling I have downloaded a very intuitive tarot card application is this just as good as and like Dick or purely for purposes?
February 22, 2015 at 9:53 am
mkg
prßłūm čhýłđ – You can use any form of Tarot deck you wish as long as it works for you. I’ve seen a very powerful, hand-drawn deck made from cardboard beer cartons and another made with index cards. Computer apps will work fine. The important thing is to spend time doing your own interpretation, even if you use a written text for inspiration. Make do with what you have!
April 21, 2015 at 10:44 pm
Mrs. Palwa
Very useful advice. Thanks a lot.
June 19, 2015 at 1:38 pm
Svelte
Hi, thank you for sharing your wisdom and knowledge about reading tarot cards. This is very helpful!! I was wondering about that tarot deck shown in this page. The one with the surfer and the noon card. That resonates a lot with me and I’m looking for my first card deck right now.
June 19, 2015 at 2:24 pm
mkg
Svelte – Thanks for asking about that deck. It’s The Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert: http://www.amazon.com/Gaian-Tarot-Joanna-Powell-Colbert/dp/0738718912/
June 21, 2015 at 6:58 am
jessestoybox
I have a question. Have you seen the blank decks so you can draw your own deck well I wanted a friend to draw them for me as he is a better artist in drawing. But he is worried that the cards will get his aura and we will have issues if he them gives them to me. Any tips?
July 25, 2015 at 1:55 pm
Tina
You wrote the book Tarot Tips published in 2003 and I have read some of it. It’s very good and you have kept it all up by writing this list. I actually started as a tarot reader in 2003 and I bought your book then. I still have it today 12 years later. I am so pleased to have found your blog here. Tina http://www.tarotcardsreader.co.uk
July 25, 2015 at 1:57 pm
Tina
I put your book on Tarot Tips down all those years ago in 2003 but I am going to go through it again now. Your blog here is very helpful. Tina http://www.tarotcardsreader.co.uk
July 25, 2015 at 5:59 pm
mkg
Tina – I didn’t write a book called Tarot Tips. You must be confusing me with someone else.
July 26, 2015 at 12:30 am
Tina
Ok I’m sorry. The book is by Mary Greer someone with the same name. That’s a coincidence.
July 26, 2015 at 4:01 pm
mkg
You are probably thinking of the book by Wald and Ruth Ann Amberstone for which I wrote a brief foreword. http://www.amazon.com/Tarot-Tips-Special-Topics/dp/0738702161/
July 26, 2015 at 5:02 pm
Tina
Yes that’s right. I just assumed you wrote the book as your name is boldly written at the front of the book Tarot Tips. Yes it said you did the foreword. Imagine all those years ago when I started doing tarot readings. It is so nice.
August 28, 2015 at 10:33 am
Patricia
I’m looking for a tarot deck that has that mixed tradition feel but somehow looks like A RWS deck, any ideas?
August 30, 2015 at 2:16 pm
mkg
I have no idea what you mean by a “mixed tradition feel.” There are hundreds of modern decks based on the RWS deck, so it is impossible to know what to recommend.
October 28, 2015 at 5:01 am
Rechel Renkel
Mary, thank you so much for your Tarot Reversals book. It’s enlightened my depth into what I can see. There’s truth in anything you can find in the cards. I wish I could have a chance to meet you. That would be a dream.
October 28, 2015 at 11:35 am
mkg
Rechel – I’m so glad my Tarot Reversals book worked for you. You can easily meet me at most of the US tarot conferences and several international ones. Also, Rachel Pollack and I will be teaching a wonderful five day Tarot course at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck NY this August.
December 16, 2015 at 4:18 am
ISADS
Very Informative Blog…..
Please keep posting about tarot cards. If some want to know about tarot card courses or want to learn tarot reading, must consult with best tarot card reader . she also provide time calculation technique in her tarot reading courses.
Thanks…..Keep blogging…..
January 20, 2016 at 12:51 am
Kelly
My daughter got hold of my cards before I even had the chance to look at them. When I finally took them in my hand she told me to cards to pick I went to them right away with out looking at them..I assume that this means that the cards have bonded to her ?
January 20, 2016 at 10:54 am
mkg
Kelly –
I wouldn’t presume to know if your daughter has a bond with the cards. Time will tell. However, this is one of those experiences that is always so astonishing and wondrous. It’s one reason why I have been enthralled by Tarot for 50 years.
Mary
February 9, 2016 at 11:42 am
xxetherealpotionxx
I have been reading tarot for over 20 years. I started back in the 90s. I don’t go by any of the books. I just read the pictures like I see it. It’s all perception anyway until it happens. My rule is, I don’t tell ppl what they always want to hear. I tell it like it is, and with confidence after 20 years. I do predict death along with many other events. It’s part of life. I have told ppl of many deaths and so on along with love, work front etc. I usually nail a good 80% of it. One thing you can’t do reading tarot, and that’s being nervous you could be wrong. Tell ppl like you see it and be confident. It works for me.
February 9, 2016 at 1:51 pm
mkg
etherealpotion –
It sounds like your advice to the new reader is to not fear being wrong – tell the client whatever you see – with no need for books or tarot background. Personally, I don’t feel that Tarot should be the one profession excepted from study, practice and evaluation. I’ve done enough ‘damage control’ over the years as a result of irresponsible readers who were not only wrong but actively harmful in their approach. I’m not an advocate of ‘certification’ but I don’t feel a reader is automatically right just because they are looking at the cards.
Mary
February 17, 2016 at 3:57 pm
janostungli
This page contains a revolutionary new view of the tarot, based on the works of Franz Bardon. It deals with the link between tarot, the Bible and magic.
http://www.tarot.72.sk
March 2, 2016 at 4:12 am
dp
What a fabulous list. I bought a deck over 10 years ago and lost them in a few moves to this house. Just found them cleaning out the garage yesterday, and the pull from them was not to be believed. Ths list made so much sense to me after touching them again.
March 12, 2016 at 5:22 am
sara
Is a tarot deck no good if a card is missing?
March 12, 2016 at 6:29 pm
mkg
dp – I’m glad to hear that the mixed advice in the post has inspired you.
sara – I wouldn’t call it “no good.” If it’s a historical deck then you can still enjoy its age and character. If it’s for readings, then I’d use: 1) just the Major Arcana (if you have all of them), 2) a different, complete deck, 3) replace the missing card with a title or advertising card (if available), or 4) use it anyway if it calls to you. It’s really up to you.
Mary
March 13, 2016 at 6:59 am
Madame Bedlam
Very glad to know that. With all that said, out of all the research I have done about esoteric pursuits, you are the only one that is logical. Interpretation, religion, spirituality is completely personal and subjective. I had been very reluctant to “play” with tarot cards till recently. It occurred to me that, as you have so grandly said, “remember, it’s just a piece of paper”, therefore, the cards are just prompts for your intuition. Whatever one feels, senses about observing the card is the authentic expression from ones subconscious.
Is it naive of me to believe that the “Boogie Man” won’t get me, negative energy emerging from the cards because of improper handling? These are just cards, printed images and the only power is that which the observer imposes upon them. After writing this, I believe I answered my own question.
You, my dear, are no charlatan. Thank you.
June 16, 2016 at 4:45 am
madoda
I have a spiritual gift so I want to learn 78 cards tarot spiritual to help others in life,, nobody can me absent you guys,, please help me
June 16, 2016 at 12:59 pm
mkg
Madoda –
You can find tons of resources for learning Tarot on the internet. You might want to start with http://www.aeclectictarot.net where there are articles on recommended books, decks, meanings and spreads for other newbies and experienced readers. There’s also a forum where you can ask questions about how to get started.
Mary
June 29, 2016 at 3:57 am
Tarot card reader
This post is amazing. The fact is anyone can become a tarot card reader since it is an art that any willing person can learn. One more important fact is that this art needs lots of practice that’s why experience counts so much in this field.
July 20, 2016 at 5:10 pm
mkg
Tarot card reader – I agree completely. One’s desire to work with the Tarot is of first importance, followed by having the grit to practice and learn.
August 29, 2016 at 10:19 am
Nia
Thank you so much for this! ❤
October 30, 2016 at 7:39 am
reader
if you are looking for more information about tarot card readings and readers you should take a look at http://www.freepsychicmediumreading.com 🙂
January 4, 2017 at 10:13 pm
Paige
Hello Mary!
I just finished the first chapter in your workbook and I’m really excited! I have tried multiple times over the years to learn Tarot but the reading material I had wasn’t very engaging. Just wanted to say thank you for writing this book! It’s going to be the start of something great for me.
January 24, 2017 at 2:20 pm
falconcloaktarot
Reblogged this on This site is in progress, please come back. and commented:
This is an excellent post by Mary Greer. Author of 21 Way To Read A Tarot Card, Tarot for Your Self, Who Are You in The Tarot and many more.
February 20, 2017 at 10:39 am
Whitney
Hi! I am new to Tarot reading and have been trying to get in as much practice as I can. I happened to be doing a reading for myself on a recent vacation when people from the group I was with joined me. I was with family and family friends, all older and quite a bit hesitant about Tarot. My Aunt and her friend asked me to read for them. I was excited to practice, so I did it. Now in hindsight, I know it would have been better to do so in a more private setting. I did a three card spread for my Aunt’s friend, she does tend to have quite negative energy and I should have thought of that before the reading. She pulled some very “negative” cards, the presen card coming up “ruin and rock bottom” and future card coming up “Self destruction”. Given the climate of the group and the fact that I knew she would not take it well, I chose to read the card slightly differently and put a more positive spin on it. I tried to stay true to the meaning as best I could without causing her embarrassment in front of the others. I know this is very bad practice, and I won’t be reading in front of a group like that again. I am wondering if I have somehow hurt my connection with my card or if there is anything I should do (cleansing etc) in order to bring back positivity to my deck. Have I done damage?
Thanks in advance for the advice!
February 20, 2017 at 3:25 pm
sara
Your cards, you are Captain. Discretion is just as important as giving an honest reading. You learned a lesson about reading in a group environment. Your intention is honorable.
February 24, 2017 at 4:41 pm
mkg
Whitney,
I agree with Sara. You learned an important lesson; one which we all have faced at one time or another. No blame; no damage. Remember, no card is all bad. The 10 of Swords is sometimes seen as hitting rock bottom, but it also can signify that “the only way is up” (as the dawning light in the background of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck indicates). I’m unfamiliar with the “self-destruction” card. Sometimes difficult lessons are the best of all in that you’ll never forget what you learned. Thank your cards and yourself and know that your cards will be there for you. A smudging with cedar or sweetgrass (or whatever you have) is always nice.
Blessings,
Mary
March 15, 2017 at 4:55 pm
Sandra Geddes
I really enjoyed this, some great advice!
April 3, 2017 at 1:09 pm
janostungli
The Inner Structure of Tarot
http://www.tarot.72.sk/?m=EN
This page contains a revolutionary new view of the tarot, based on the works of Franz Bardon. It deals with the link between tarot, the Bible and magic.
April 22, 2017 at 12:12 pm
chontelle thomas
Hey I got given a deck of golden dawn tarots before deciding angel cards were not my thing and ever since I’ve been doing the golden deck strange things have bn occurring not so much now but when I first got them …I use them a lot more now and am less afraid but I fear the questions I ask are affecting my life after and not giving me piece of mind I see spirits sometimes too and none of this has ever happend to me before I feel I have bad energy surrounding me bkus of these cards how do I stop this I can’t ask anyone they’d think I’m crazy please what do I do I just want to be me again I’m just sad all the time an don’t understand
May 19, 2017 at 1:48 am
Universe Sparkles
Hi thanks for this blog! I am a beginner in oracle card reading. How to I approach friends to read for them? I need to practice but some are hesitant.
May 20, 2017 at 9:49 am
mkg
Dear Sparkles,
Honesty is the best quality – in this as in most other things. Let friends know they are doing you a favor by letting you practice on them. But don’t pressure them! Ask for feedback and check in a couple of months later to see how the reading looks after things play out. If you are truly a beginner then don’t hesitate to refer to a book if intuition tells you to do so. I’ve even been know to do it after all these years – sometimes one of my own books!
When asking for feedback I find it helpful to first ask what you did best or what seemed most accurate. Then ask what seemed least relevant or didn’t work for them. In your own mind consider what you might try differently next time.
mkg
August 14, 2017 at 10:38 am
Raziah
Thank you so much for the time you put into writing this! Tarot seems like a long, but very exciting road. I’m so glad I can learn from you all as well!
August 14, 2017 at 11:07 am
mkg
Raziah,
I appreciate your feedback. Tarot is something that can be picked up quickly AND become a life-long study – so rich! Best wishes for your Tarot journey and may it be an exciting and fulfilling one.
Mary
September 14, 2017 at 3:52 pm
Sherry parker
I just loved all that great information that helps alot. Thankyou very much. Blessed be
April 22, 2018 at 9:09 am
Claire
Brilliant! Actually what I was looking for to help me understand my tarot cards. Thankyou
April 22, 2018 at 5:11 pm
mkg
I’m so glad all this good advice is helping you, Sherry and Claire. We each have to find and honor what works best for us.
Mary
June 21, 2018 at 10:47 am
danapixelated
Lovely advice, thank you ❤
November 10, 2018 at 3:20 pm
queerlyaligned
This is an amazing list! thank you so much!!!
September 14, 2020 at 1:49 am
Magick Daddy
Reblogged this on Magick Daddy Tarot and commented:
It’s a great idea when learning anything new to immerse yourself like a sponge among qualified mentors. There’s a lot to gleen from articles like these.
March 22, 2022 at 12:26 pm
john
Thanks for mentioning how you can gain knowledge about reading tarot cards from books. It makes sense to think that part of being a tarot reader is intuition, but it also requires some external learning as well. My brother wants to visit with a psychic that can do a reading for him, so I wanted to help him find the best.
January 11, 2023 at 11:22 am
Gerry
Can you keep two sets of tarot cards in the same box?