Many of us, when beginning to work with the tarot, lay out the cards and immediately look up ‘the answers’ in a book. I think this is a mistake. We are more capable of reading the tarot cards intuitively than we think.
How the tarot cards were developed and designed
The tarot cards have their origins in 15th Century Italy, when they were created as a card game. During the Renaissance, tarot cards began to be used for divination, and packs such as the Tarot de Marseille were created using much of the imagery and symbolism that we see in modern cards today.
Many popular tarot decks today are based on the set designed by Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Colman Smith. In 1909, occultist Waite commissioned Smith to create the designs for the cards and gave her strict instructions on what to include in each card of the major arcana or ‘keys’. Much of this symbolism came from the older cards and included Pagan folk legends, Greek and Roman mythology, Eastern mysticism and Egyptian iconography. Waite also used symbolism from Kabbalah and Christianity in the cards
With the minor arcana or ‘pip’ cards, though, Smith was given a completely clean slate. This means that all the imagery you see on the minor arcana cards were designed solely by Pamela Colman Smith. According to Beckie Billingham, assistant curator of prints at the Victoria and Albert Museum, she specifically designed these to be read intuitively, so they are a great starting point for reading the cards in this way.
Why we already know how to read tarot cards
We have been telling stories since we emerged as humans, and we have been using symbolism for just as long. This means we recognise many of the symbols included in these cards. We know them from myths and fairytales, from artworks, novels and films, even from comics and advertising. We instinctively recognise the fool or the grim reaper from novels, art, film and TV. We know that an abundant garden can represent the innocence of eden, fertility, creativity, peace and harmony in art or literature. We are familiar with the meanings of cups as containers, such as in the grail myths and coins. We understand that coins represent material abundance and wealth. These images and ideas are woven through the fabric of human culture.
A different way of looking at the tarot
Perhaps our habit of looking up the meanings of the cards in a book comes from the idea that tarot cards predict the future, rather than, as I believe, helping us tap into the currents of life in order to make sense of them and adapt our behaviours accordingly.
I believe reading the cards is more of a conversation. This conversation is between our subconscious – including our deepest fears and desires – and the world – both material and immaterial – in which we play out our lives. It may also be, depending on your beliefs, a conversation with universal or divine energies, gods and goddesses, ancestors or spirits and/or our higher self or the more intuitive parts of our minds.
Some of us may use the tarot to switch out of logical thinking and find more intuitive answers to our dilemmas. Others may see it as a way to connect with some divine consciousness beyond ourselves – the choice is ours.
But either way, the cards cannot possibly have one meaning for everyone if they represent only one half of a conversation.
Our personal biography also affects how we respond to the cards. In his book Spellbound, Psychologist Daniel Z. Lieberman, MD points out that, ‘Because of their symbolic nature, the meaning of the cards will be unique for each individual and will change with the changing circumstances of his psychological state.’ So, for example, butterflies might mean transformation to one person and fragility to another. Snow may make you feel bleak or cosy. You may be excited by the prospect of a journey or daunted. You may be daunted by a journey today but the same potential journey might have you fired up with enthusiasm next week.
How the tarot helps us to tap into our unconscious mind
Our unconscious mind influences our life more than we often think. It can be the source of negative feelings, blocks and limiting beliefs. It can be the cause of strong emotions or reactions we have that we don’t fully understand.
Because the tarot uses symbols and archetypes, it allows us to access our unconscious mind. This is because our unconscious mind runs on symbols – it has no words. The images and symbols of the tarot help us access and translate messages from the unconscious so we can use them to enhance our lives, overcoming difficulties and making better use of opportunities.
While I believe we should start our tarot journey with our own intuitive understanding, that is not to say that I think we shouldn’t also read other people’s ideas about the meaning of the tarot. Many of the images on the cards are illustrated with ‘ancient mystical symbols that had been rediscovered during the renaissance’ according to Lieberman who goes on to point out that at this time the ‘use of these symbols was so widespread that people were as familiar with them as we are with our own cultural icons, like Santa Clause’. Becoming familiar with the symbols used in the cards can definitely add to our interpretation.
Tarot basics
Because we may be less familiar with the symbolism used in the tarot as people in the past, it can help to have a basic understanding of how the tarot works before we begin.
Major arcana
The major arcana cards represent life’s big themes, struggles and questions. Who are we? How should we live? What matters in life? Where are we on our journey? What is our next big step?
The 22 cards of the major arcana also represent our life journey, but it is a journey we take many times. When we reach the end of the tarot journey, we simply return to the beginning to learn the lessons anew, perhaps on a deeper level.
Minor arcana
The minor arcana is more about the nitty gritty of everyday life. Each suit has cards from 1- 10, which also represent a journey on a smaller scale than the major arcana, and then 4 court cards: Page, Knight/Knave, Queen and King. The court cards often represent the people in your life or yourself.
While these cards do not show us the epic themes featured in the major arcana, they are often very relevant to our everyday lives and can help us to handle the decisions and challenges that we come up against day to day. They can offer insights into our ordinary circumstances such as our relationships, work and spiritual lives. They can also offer practical advice and help us change aspects of our lives that are not working for us
The four suits of the tarot
The four suits of the tarot’s Minor Arcana each correspond to a classical element and govern different aspects of human experience.
- Wands are aligned with fire and represent action, creativity, passion, new ideas and willpower. They deal with our ambitions, inspirations, and the energy we bring to our endeavors.
- Cups correspond to water and govern emotions, relationships, intuition and matters of the heart. They reflect our inner feelings, connections with others, and the ebb and flow of our emotional landscape. They are also a container that receives the inspiration of fire as well as our emotions.
- Swords are linked to air and represent the realm of intellect, communication, conflict, truth and consciousness. They are a more rational suit than the cups. This suit addresses our thoughts, decisions and challenges.
- Pentacles (sometimes called coins) align with earth and deal with the material world—money, work, health and physical manifestation. They concern practical matters, resources and the tangible results of our efforts. They represent how we might make the results of our inspiration, emotion and intellect manifest in the world.
Preparing to work intuitively with the tarot
As this is a post about reading tarot intuitively, I am wary of giving a set of instructions for anyone to follow. However, I will include some ideas that work for me or that I know others use effectively. Feel free to take what works for you and leave the rest. There is no right or wrong way to use the tarot for your own personal benefit.
Space
I like to create a space that feels separate from the world when I read tarot. This helps me switch from the mundane details or life into a more intuitive way of being. I keep my cards in my dressing table drawer and use my dressing table as an altar to lay out the cards. I usually pull a card every day and I do not bother with any fancy rituals for this. However if I am doing a spread, I will usually light a candle and burn some incense.
Protection
I do not usually feel the need to protect myself when reading tarot cards. However, if I am going through a difficult time or have a big decision to make, I will often do some deep breathing and grounding before I begin. This helps to ensure I don’t bring my own negative feelings and thought patterns into the reading. Some people like to protect themselves before using the tarot and you can use whatever protection method you find most appropriate.
Intention
Before you begin to work with tarot it is wise to set an intention for the reading. This can be as simple as stating ‘I am open and ready to receive whatever guidance I need right now’ to asking a specific question.
Making notes
The quickest way to learn to read the tarot is by always taking notes about each reading. Write down the cards you were working with and the intention for the reading. Make notes on your impressions for each of the cards and your overall impression for the reading. You may find that ideas come to you over the few days and nights after the reading, too. Don’t forget to write these down. In this way you will begin to understand what each card means for you and how that changes in different circumstances.
Ways to read the cards
There are hundreds of ways to read tarot cards. From the way you shuffle and cut the pack or choose the cards. But here are a couple of ways to get started. Don’t rush to learn all the cards at once, take your time and you will develop a more meaningful relationship with them that will allow you to use them as a tool whenever you need to tap into your intuition.
The intuitive read
Begin by taking a few deep breaths and grounding yourself in your body.
Lay out the cards face up. Try not to focus on any one card too intently but allow your gaze to flow over them. Pick three cards that attract you in some way – not necessarily on an intellectual level – but more as an emotion or bodily feeling. It’s not easy to push our intellect to the background as we have been taught to think rationally most of the time, but it is worth practicing.
In your journal, write down your initial impressions of these cards.
You may like to answer the following questions taken from Alice Grist’s The Book of Tarot
- What is my very first feeling when I look at this card?
- Do any words, memories, colours or unexpected thoughts spring to mind?
- As I gaze a little longer, what details do I notice?
- If it is a character card, does this card remind me of anyone I know or any characters from stories, TV film etc..?
Note down any other thoughts or feelings you have about the symbolism in the card and what it might mean for you. Think about whether the card is from the major or minor arcana and what that might say about your current situation. Consider what suit the card is and how that might relate to its meaning? Also, look for connections between the cards you have chosen and what they might be telling you when taken all together.
Once you have done this, leave the cards where you will see them over the next few days and notice if anything else comes to mind.
After a few days, if you wish, you can look up the meanings of the cards in a book or on a website for further explanations of the symbolism in the cards.
The three card spread
Another simple way to read the cards is a three card spread.
With this spread you ask a question and then draw three cards. I generally shuffle the cards and then cut them with my non-dominant hand, then take the first three cards and lay them out in a line.
The first card drawn represents past circumstances that have influenced the situation, the second represents the current situation and third offers guidance on potential solutions.
In the same way as you did with the previous exercise, write down your initial feelings and reactions to the cards. Note how you think the card may relate to your own life and what the connections between the card might be trying to tell you. Spend a good amount of time with the cards paying attention to colours and images, characters and situations to see what they might be revealing about your own life. As before, leave the cards where you will see them for a few days and see what else comes up, then look up the cards in a book or website for further information if you wish.
Learning to read the tarot intuitively takes practice, however you may be surprised how much you get from even these first intuitive readings. Reading the tarot intuitively also builds your intuition and you may notice that you become more in touch with your intuition in everyday life. For example, you may start to notice signs and synchronicities more often or sense the right thing to do in a situation more intuitively.
I hope this post has given you confidence in your ability to read the tarot intuitively.
Blessed be
Eva x