It most certainly is. Tarot is a technique that aids in deepening our understanding of the present moment, honoring our intuition, and predicting future possibilities. Although it might seem complicated, the technique is actually quite straightforward.
In This Article...
How do you perform a three-card tarot reading?
- Choose a Tarot deck in step one.
- Find a Quiet, Remote Area in Step 2.
- Focus on a Question or Intention in Step 3.
- Step 4: Reshuffle the cards.
- Divide your deck into three equal stacks in step five.
- Step 6: Turn your cards over.
- Examine your cards in Step 7.
- Get a sense of your cards in Step 8.
How should my tarot deck be cleaned?
While rearranging the cards in the tarot deck is a good approach to purify and clear their energy, there are some circumstances in which you might wish to perform a more specialized ritual. If you’re just getting started with tarot, cleaning your deck can be an excellent place to start.
You might want to clean your tarot deck for a variety of reasons, including:
- beginning with a fresh deck
- readings for other people
- You think you need to recharge.
- Your card readings seem a touch “odd” or “disconnected”
- Your deck hasn’t been used recently.
- Your deck has been handled by others
- You think you’ve been utilizing your deck a lot. A LOT, especially for books with strong emotional content
Why should you cleanse or clear your tarot deck?
Tarot deck cleansing helps keep the energy flowing between you and your deck. Consider it as a little spiritual hygiene to maintain a strong and clear connection. It’s not necessary, but if you have any of the aforementioned symptoms, try a few of the energetic cleansing techniques listed below and note which ones seem to work the best for you.
How often should you cleanse your tarot deck?
This is another way of stating USE YOUR INTUITION: there are no hard and fast laws. Don’t stress if you don’t believe it is necessary for your deck. Alternately, if you like to cleanse them once per week or once per month, that’s great. If it feels appropriate to you, you can even place your favorite crystal on the balcony each night.
If you frequently place crystals on your deck and store it on an altar while not in use, you might not feel the need to cleanse it frequently because this quick ritual will likely be sufficient to keep your deck feeling nice.
There are numerous ways to cleanse your cards, just as there are numerous reasons why you might desire to do so.
Different ways to cleanse your tarot deck
Use holy smoke. Light a dried rosemary, lavender, cedar, sage, or palo santo cleansing wand until it begins to smoke. Hold the smoke a safe distance below the deck while holding the burning herbs in one hand and the deck in the other so that the smoke drifts upward onto the cards. Turn the deck so that the smoke covers it from all angles. Next, safely put your deck to the ground and put out the fire.
On the deck, set a selenite stone (or a black tourmaline or a transparent quartz). It works well to leave it like way for an hour, but I prefer to leave it overnight.
Set them on display during a new moon. The New Moon is energy of a blank slate; you can purify the deck by setting it on a window sill on a new moon night. At this moment, you can also make a brand-new intention for your deck.
Place the cards in a salty dish. A strong and stabilizing cleaner is salt. My preferred choice for a thorough cleansing is this. Allow it to sit anywhere from one to eight hours in a dry area.
Unorderly shuffle. Spread the cards out on the ground, then shuffle them around like a child playing in dirt. This method’s freedom and randomization serve as an excellent reset.
the shuffle and sort. Set up the deck in rows of seven cards across, commencing with the Major Arcana numbers 0 to 22. (see photo above). Next, arrange the cards, Ace through King, one for each suit, as follows: Swords, Pentacles, Cups, and Wands. View the deck in this configuration, then mix everything up (like the chaotic!) and shuffle it thoroughly.
After a breakup
Draw one card for each of the following inquiries if you’ve recently broken up with someone and want to know more about the reason or determine whether you’ll get back together:
- How energetic is the partnership right now?
- What caused the divide in the first place?
- What do they really think of me right now?
- What do they intend for me right now?
- What kind of relationship will this be in the future?
- Which action is ideal for me to take right now?
When job searching
You can use this spread to explore what kind of career guidance the tarot can offer if you’re feeling uncertain about your career path or thinking about a new employment. Draw one card once more for each query.
- How active am I in my career right now?
- What challenge must I overcome?
- What is my calling in life?
- How can I follow this calling more closely?
- What should I do to prepare for the upcoming month?
When deciding between two options
This spread can highlight the benefits and drawbacks of each option, guiding you toward the best decision if you’re using tarot to pick between two possibilities (two job offers, two apartments, perhaps a love triangle???). Getting the deal Per card, ask one question.
- What is the fundamental cause of this fork in the road?
- What is the likely result of choosing option A?
- What is the most likely result for option B?
- What more should I take into account that was overlooked?
- What’s the best thing I can do right now?
When something is off with a friend
If you’re concerned about the state of a friendship or feel like something is wrong but are unable to pinpoint the cause, you might be interested in seeing what conclusions and solutions this spread offers. Ask one question per card, once more, I repeat.
- What makes this friendship so crucial?
- What led to this sudden change in tone, and why?
- What has changed, in my friend’s opinion?
- What can I do to make this matter more urgent?
- What is the future of this friendship?
- What should I do at this moment?
Questions you don’t really want answered
Even though it might seem apparent, it’s advisable to refrain from asking the tarot cards questions that you aren’t prepared to hear the answers to. That’s because answers to these questions can reveal information you’re just not quite ready to hear.
“Tarot can definitely come off as offensive if you’re not willing to hear the truth or consider an opposing opinion. Tarot reading Nicole Fortunaso
According to tarot reader and life coach Nicole Fortunaso, “tarot may truly come out as offensive if you are not willing to hear the truth of the problem or look at an alternate viewpoint.” She advises analyzing why you’re reacting the way you are in order to reflect on how to effectively address the underlying problem if you ask the question and aren’t satisfied with the response.
You *Just* Had a Tarot Reading
Unless the reading is about a completely new and specific subject, I suggest waiting at least three months between professional tarot readings. Before returning to the cards, let things to develop and alter.
You Want a Redo
I frequently observe people attempting to “chase the right answer.” People will visit several tarot readers or ask the same question repeatedly to the same tarot reading until they receive the response they desire (which, by the law of averages, does happen eventually). This is basically useless!
Your Question Is About Someone Else
Tarot readings are not the solution if your entire line of inquiry is about another person’s thoughts and actions (such as what your ex is up to). Tarot is meant to help you gain understanding of *yourself,* not other people. (A better option would be to reconsider and rephrase your query as if you were looking for help on how to move past your split.)
You’re Looking for Medical Advice
Simply said, neither physical nor mental health concerns can be diagnosed or treated using the cards. Some things are better left in the hands of medical specialists rather than tarot readers!
What number of tarot cards do you draw?
If you find this daunting, Howe advises you to take a deep breath and believe in your own initiative. “In order to see it less as “This holds all of these secret meanings that I have to do all this work to access” and more as “I know all the meanings; it’s just a matter of establishing the connections and being able to articulate them,” use language or knowledge that you already possess. She points out that the four elementsearth, water, fire, and airplay a significant role in the tarot, which is advantageous because the majority of people already have an understanding of the meanings of each element. ” If you do that, your viewpoint will be more personal, and you will be able to express yourself more freely.
Howe suggests the three-card draw and the Celtic Cross as the two fundamental spreads for beginning readers. In the former, three cards are chosen at random from the deck to symbolize the subject’s mind, body, and spirit, or past, present, and future. According to Howe, you could even up the stakes and use a six-card draw, with one card for each location.
A three-card spread: What does it mean?
This section is for you if you’ve ever wondered what a “three-card spread is. Tarot readings can be done in a variety of ways, and frequently the instructions that come with the cards will show images of the most common spreads. You’ll soon discover that there is a spread for any circumstance, and you can always come up with your own, too. These include the straightforward three-card spread, the Celtic cross, and a seven-day spread.
After the deck has been shuffled and divided in half by the client, a reader will pull three cards from it for a three-card spread (more on that in a moment). The past, present, and future are typically represented by the first call pulled, second call pulled, and third call pulled, respectively. Depending on the reading and the question being posed, the timeframes can be understood to indicate either tomorrow or ten years from now.
A daily card reading is another popular way to use tarot cards. In this practice, one card is chosen at random from the top of the shuffled deck and used as a reminder or a direction for the day. Anyone wishing to become more acquainted with the tarot deck and the meanings of the cards can find this to be a very beneficial practice.
As vital as it is to think about the specific meaning of each card, it is also crucial to think about the atmosphere and symbolism of the spread as a whole. There is just as much information to be learned from the whole picture as there is from its component parts, especially in bigger spreads. This is an opportunity to collaborate with them if you are reading for someone else. This will be more difficult the more pressure you put on yourself to mind-read. Tarot reading does not make you psychic, which is a relief: It’s acceptable to inquire about the cards with the audience and come up with ideas for how the cards might relate to their initial query collectively. When a customer asks about money, you might pick two cups cards and “the lovers,” but sometimes the cards won’t match up at all. This could imply that their love life was what they truly wanted to talk to you about. Doesn’t everyone?
Tarot reading can be done in many different methods, but they all require practice. It takes effort to learn 78 different cards, especially when many of them have numerous possible interpretations. However, the more you study and handle the cards, the more comfortable you’ll feel using them as a tool to better understand both yourself and others.
There are several books you can buy and classes (online and off) you can take to hone your interpretation abilities if you want to move up in the tarot world. Online courses are occasionally made available by Tarot for Change author and well-known tarot reader Jessica Dore. On a sliding rate, Little Red Tarot also provides an eight-week course. Free courses from teachers like John Ballantrae, who has a very relaxing accent, and spiritual advisor Mystic Rainn are also widely available on YouTube.
Is it important whether tarot cards are turned over?
It basically implies that you’re missing some of the energy of the card’s turned-right-side-up meaning when you draw a reversed tarot cardwhich can happen accidentally or on purpose if you flip the deck upside down and choosebecause you’ve lost some of the energy of that meaning. The queen of cups, for instance, denotes both excellent intuition and emotional security. Therefore, a reversed queen of cups could represent emotional insecurity and a blockage to intuition. (You might think about purchasing a tarot book or visiting a tarot website to confirm the precise significance of a reversed tarot card that you selected.)
You are free to select whether or not to interpret a card as a reversal. Maria Sofia Marmanides is a tarot reader.
According to astrologer and tarot reader Maria Sofia Marmanides, you are under no obligation to interpret reversed tarot cards when you are dealt them: “The choice of whether or not to interpret a card as a reversal is yours. You get to choose how you want to approach that trip because tarot is a very individualized discipline, and one of the things you can pick for yourself is whether or not you read reversals.” You’re learning various things depending on where in your tarot journey you are “Adds she. “In the beginning, it might be best to merely adhere to the upright meanings rather than the reversed ones. Why, if you don’t have to, would you want to increase the amount you need to learn?
What do all tarot cards in reverse mean?
This method might also highlight areas that require adjustments or where action is required. You’ll know you’re dealing with outside circumstances and interpersonal interactions if the majority of the cards in your Tarot reading are upright. You know you’re dealing with yourself and that any necessary acts or adjustments must first take place within you if the majority of the cards in your Tarot reading are reversed.
Method #2: Too Much or Too Little Energy
Tarot cards that are reversed frequently indicate an energetic imbalance. In other words, there is either too much or not enough energy.
Take the Queen of Wands as an illustration. She stands tall and embodies a person who appreciates social interactions. What does this, however, appear like when there is too much or not enough of this energy?
Perhaps, especially in social contexts, she is arrogant and overconfident (too much of the Queen of Wands energy). Or possibly, while in a room with people, she is a wallflower or a “shrinking violet” (too little of the Queen of Wands energy).
I often ask a question when I read the cards in this fashion for a client. For instance, “What function does social confidence serve for you? Are you overconfident or lacking in confidence?
And, I frequently add, “How can you use your confidence in social situations to your advantage? In other words, how do you rebalance and align this energy? (Really empowering, no?)
Method #3: Blocked Energy
This approach is somewhat different from the “too much or too little” energy approach.
We all experience energy in our lives, yet it frequently becomes blocked or isn’t used in the most positive ways.
For instance, the reversed Temperance card may represent your desire for balance and moderation in your life, but that there is currently a barrier preventing you from properly utilizing that energy in a beneficial way.
What prevents you from obtaining moderation and harmony, ask? Find out what is preventing the energy, in other words.
Then inquire, “How can you dissolve any obstacles to moderation and harmony? Maybe you should remind yourself to keep everything in moderation. Perhaps you could choose your battles more carefully to promote peace. Maybe you should stop expecting that everything will always be in perfect harmony.
You can simply engage in an open discussion or you can ask the Tarot to see what responses it offers to get the answers to these concerns.
Method #4: Upside-Down Imagery
When I wish to connect more intuitively with the situation, I especially enjoy using the images on the Tarot cards.
Look at the artwork of the Tarot card that is upside-down if it appears in reverse, and then just let your intuition guide you.
For instance, the swords appear to be falling out of the man’s back in the reversed Ten of Swords. Perhaps the client is now able to enter a new cycle because the anguish they have endured in the past is finally being released (especially since this is a Tenthe end of a cycle).
The coin appears as if it would escape the man’s grasp in the reversed Page of Pentacles. His hold on the object seems loose, and he doesn’t appear to be paying attention. It can be an indication that without the required attention and discipline, money is merely sliding through your fingers.
If you’re a visual person, this method for reading reversed Tarot cards is highly effective. Your conscious and unconscious minds frequently instantly connect when you see something, which enables you to access your intuition.
Here are my four personal favorites for reading reversed Tarot cards.
You’ll adore my online Tarot training course, Master the Tarot Card Meanings, if you want to genuinely master the reversed Tarot cards and understand not just 4 but all 8 approaches.
In my bestselling course, I’ll teach you how to read Tarot cards both upright and inverted using your heart as well as your book. And I’ll show you the “must know” techniques that are hidden in the Tarot cards and that make learning the art incredibly simple. You’ll have everything it takes to develop into a charismatic and gifted Tarot reader by the end of the course!