12 Tarot Reading Tips Every Reader Needs to Know
Whether you’re a beginner tarot reader or a budding pro, there are a few things you should know that will help you give better readings. I have compiled a list of the 12 Tarot Tips Every Reader Needs to Know to help people give better readings. There are a few things I recommend that you do before, during, and after every tarot reading.
Before you begin your tarot reading, you should…
1) Find Focus
It is very important to have the time and attention to devote to really looking at and working with the cards. Distractions should be kept to a minimum – that means that you shouldn’t be multitasking while reading, trying to fit a reading in while painting your nails or waiting on hold, or reading in a place that makes you feel frazzled and unable to focus.
2) Connect
One thing I do before every. single. reading. is connect to the Universe, Collective Conscious, Spirit, Angels, my guides – whatever you prefer to refer to IT as. I take a few seconds – at the very least – to focus on my breathing; to acknowledge the energy that surrounds myself, my cards and the person I am reading for; and to call in the angels (especially Archangel Michael) to help me make the readings precise and understandable for everyone involved.
3) Clear Your Cards
This helps to make sure that the energy involved in the reading isn’t tied to the energy of the last reading. This is especially important if you are reading for multiple people in a short amount of time – but it also helps if you are reading for yourself and might have brought emotions into your reading that you would prefer not to transfer into the next reading you do. Knock on those puppies a couple of times to clear that random energy out of them.
4) Formulate the Question
Make sure that you have ironed out the details of the questions that you will be asking for guidance about, because some questions just don’t fit with the way that tarot cards work. For example, yes and no questions can be answered, as can timing questions – but the interpretations can be a little difficult to pin down for beginners. Also, it is good to know if the question you are working with falls within your ethical guidelines.
5) Concentrate on the Question and the Questioner
When doing internet readings or when reading for someone who is right in front of me, I like to make sure that I am focused on the person, his/her energy, the question, and what he or she needs to know from the reading when I am shuffling and laying the cards out. This is of utmost importance, as I want the cards to reflect what the person I am reading for needs to know, not what I need to know!
6) State the Spread Positions (and maybe write them down!)
Knowing which card signifies what aspect of your question PRIOR to laying the cards out is a tip that every tarot reader needs to know – as is understanding which card went where is afterward! There is nothing worse than looking at the cards, thinking – ‘Oh my God, what in the heck did I intend for that card’s meaning!!??’ Using well-known spreads like the Celtic Cross or using the Deck of 1,000 Spreads can really help.
Now when you are interpreting the cards…
7) Scan the cards without too much thought
After you have laid the cards out, give them a quick once over. Start formulating potential relationships between the cards. Get a bird’s-eye view of the reading (noting any interesting coincidences – like repeated numbers, cards from certain suits, Major Arcana cards, etc.). See if there are any cards that really summarize what the questioner has mentioned prior to the reading.
8) Feel free to feel free!
One tip about reading tarot is that tarot readings use both knowledge and intuition. Don’t let your reading suffer by over-thinking insight that you get during readings. You might pick something up that is unrelated to the picture or the classic meaning of a card – but that is exactly the message that card was wanting to give at the time. When something like that happens, just GO WITH IT! Say what comes to mind even if it doesn’t seem to fit. I have found that those little flashes of insight the most important information I’ve passed on during readings!
9) Know thy cards
Tarot IS a very intricate mixture of color, symbolism, astrological, numerical, and societal information. The cards are rich in meaning – and the readings you give can be thoroughly enriched when you know how to decipher what the cards are saying from many different angles. Sure, all of the information might not fit into the reading, but it is all there if you need it. Learn the classic meanings associated with the decks you use most often.
10) Know other decks
I have found that all of the books that go with the decks I use bring a slightly different nuance or meaning to each card. Most of the time, the basic “gist” of the card is the same – but there are great differences in explanation that help to further a reader’s understanding of the messages expressed by the cards. It is very useful to study more than one deck of cards and a variety of books.
After the reading it is essential to…
11) Be Grateful!
Thank the Universe, Source – or your Angels and Spirit Guides for their help in the reading. This will help you nurture your relationship with your guides.
12) Cut the connection
You need to make sure to end the session in a distinct way, especially when you’ve been reading for a client. After you’ve expressed gratitude, make sure to cut the cord of energy that exists between yourself and the client. Otherwise, you might end up absorbing energy from clients long after the session is over.
These are the tarot tips that I have found to be most useful when I do readings for myself and for others. I hope you find them to be valuable!
