If you haven't noticed - either from the blog or from my Instagram - I've started to learn to read Tarot cards. This has been a great journalling, mediation, and self improvement tool for me. I highly recommend a little Tarot exploration if you're looking for some meaning in your life or you want to connect with your higher self. In my quest for mindfulness this year, reading Tarot has helped me be more self aware and has helped me become more spiritual.
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Learning to read Tarot can be developed like any skill. Study & practice is only part of the journey. Equally as important is your personal relationship with the cards and the personal meanings that resonate with you. There is a delicate balance between these two parts, and I don't think you can do one with out the other. I've created a study guide, found at the end of this post, to break the deck down for you so that grasping the common meanings is easier. But interacting with the Tarot will build that deep, intuitive connection. Here are some tips for working with the cards in order to understand what they have to reveal:
Learn with a Pictorial Deck
I've found the best decks to learn with are decks where every card is illustrated in detail. If you use a deck based off of the Tarot De Marseilles you'll find that only the Major Arcana cards are fully illustrated which might make it hard to connect with the meanings of the cards. For example - the Sun has a grand illustration while the 4 of wands is simply four sticks. The latter part of that example doesn't illustrate the celebration, harmony, and victory that the 4 of wands represents. It is easier to see that interpretation when the card is fully illustrated.
There are three decks I love for the imagery - the
Original Rider Waite deck, the
Wild Unknown Tarot, and the
After Tarot. The other deck pictured here is the
Luminous Spirit Tarot deck. Since there are commonly assigned meanings to each card, each card is illustrated reflecting that meaning. This is visual stimulation to help associate meanings and eventually you will be able to see the images in your minds eye. This can help if you're reading with a different deck or a non-illustrated deck (or even playing cards!) as you can pull from your memory bank. But the best part about these illustrations is that you can begin to create personal connections with the cards and have the images resonate with you in a personal way.
Do a Daily Pull + Journal, Journal, Journal
In order to gain this personal connection it is important to work with the Tarot daily (or as frequently as possible). This is as simple as a daily card pull. I've posted about my Mindful Morning Routine before - but each morning I set aside time for meditation & my daily pull for guidance. Journalling is another key part to connect with the tarot cards. So pulling a card a day and journaling the message your receive from the card will help you make that personal connection and form your own data bank of meanings. The best way to develop a skill is to practice as often as possible!
This is where your little white books and other Tarot resources come into play - like the study guide in this post. These resources are there to help you but you should eventually come to rely on your intuition and trust your own knowledge. Journalling daily will give you a data bank of personal meanings. You'll also grow through your studies, developing a deeper understanding of each card. Pulling a 3 of Pentacles right now in your journey may have a different meaning when pulling it in 6 months. Journalling will help with this process. You'll have a record to look back on and reflect!
Weekly Readings
To gain a better understanding of how the cards work together it is important to work with more than one card. You can do pairings of two cards or even bigger spreads if you like, but working with more than one card will help you create connections and see how the cards of the Tarot play together. A weekly reading is a great way to build these connections between the cards and build a relationship with the cards. I pull a theme card for the week, a card for the beginning, middle, & end of the week, then a card for the weekend, and a card for my lesson of the week. Expecting these energies through your week will better prepare you for any challenges and then when you run into the anxiety of the 9 of Swords on Wednesday you can form a more personal connection to keep with you each time you draw this card in the future. Make sure you're keeping your Tarot journal so you can reflect on the cards as you move through your studies!
Weekly readings can show you what themes are coming up for you most often. You can also learn to relate your daily pulls with the cards of your weekly spreads. How do the two energies play out? What will their interactions be? Journalling will help you build these connections. Writing things down helps you remember information & creating meaningful connections will solidify what the cards reveal to you.
Interact with Like Minded People
If you don't have anyone local to connect with, Facebook groups are great for finding like minded people. I find that there are tons of helpful tips, deck reviews, and card challenges. One of my favorite posts in these groups is card pairings where the group is asked their interpretations of two cards together. This is a great way to practice your skills but also resonate with new meanings. You can find kindred spirits in these groups and encouragement in your journey. There are also a ton of online Tarot Communities, but often they are locked behind paid memberships. These can be great for more specific classes and to support an individual you respect, but you can find similar communites for free on places like Facebook.
These groups will challenge your intuition with critical thinking, questions, and experiences. You'll learn tips for when you're stuck and you'll be able to share your tips with others.
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Learning the Tarot card meanings and developing a relationship with the cards takes times. This study guide breaks the deck down into easy to remember chunks so that you can begin to build your own associations. You'll find the meaning of all the suits plus the meaning of the numbers in the deck. Find keywords to associate with each card, learn to read the court cards with ease, and learn they key ways to interpret spreads.
This guide prints as a small 9 page booklet (print double sided using your printer's double sided print settings) & can be bound
like this or with staples. It is small enough to fit into your journal or notebook to keep the guide handy.
Sign up for the email list below then double check you email inbox - first email confirms subscription, second email (check your spam or promotions tab) will be your FREE ebook!
Contents :
- What is the Tarot? : Brief history of the deck, game, and Tarot today
- Composition of the Tarot Deck : Overview of the Major Arcana, Minor Arcana, Pips & Court cards
- The Suits : Keywords and description of each of the 4 suits
- Major Arcana + Numerology : How to relate the Major Arcana to the Pip cards with numerology & keywords for the remaining Major Arcana
- Understanding the Pips : Keywords & description for each numbered card of each suit
- Understanding the Court Cards : Brief description of each Court card and how it relates to each suit
- Questions & Spreads : Questions to ask + easy 3 card beginner spread
- Tips for Reading Cards : Key points to remember in order to create a complete reading
Plus there is a full size (8.5 x 11 inch) PDF to print or read on your iPad or tablet. I love using my
iPad mini for ebooks & PDF courses like this.
Here's an example of the relationships you can create by focusing on this study guide : The suit of Wands represent dreams & manifestations, and the number four represents stability and often stagnation. So you you can begin to associate the 4 of wands with achievement while working towards your dreams, but also the need to push forward. Since the four is such a low number, we have more work to do and must push forward. You can then relate the 4 to the 4 of Cups - the suit of Cups represents emotion and the 4 of Cups may represent a stagnation or an ignoring of new opportunities. Both of these meanings are enhanced by the imagery on the cards. This imagery allows you to dive deeper into the meanings to connect personally to each card.
I hope this little study guide helps you to connect with the cards and see the cards not as an intimidating deck, but as pieces of a whole. The deck is much easier to understand when you break it down and work with the pieces.
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So, in honor of my birthday - and for the fact that I figured out the sizing for the Mini Happy Planner - here is a free printable you can use during your birthday week. This week I left the icon circles blank because I really loved using my planner stamps for the icons. Leaving these blank means that you can customize them with planner stamps or digital icons of your own! How many times have you purchased a weekly kit only to find that you don't use all of the icons or don't even need some of them? This way you can create the ones you need. And hey, bust out those planner stamps if you haven't been using them. Learn more about how I use planner stamps here.
