Learn Tarot Card Meanings The Fun Way
Tarot Card On Table
Making connections that stick while learning tarot card meanings is hard. If you think about it, it is another language to learn. And you know how hard it was to learn English. I've forgotten most of the rules of grammar and rely on a program to keep me coherent anymore.
Learning tarot card meanings can be a daunting task. I mean it seems like you could read 34 different pages about tarot card meanings and be left more confused than when you started.
That's why I want you to stop. Collaborate and listen.
LEARNING HOW TO INTERPRET TAROT CARD MEANINGS DOESN'T HAVE TO BE HARD
As with anything I want to learn about in my life, my Virgo Rising dictates that I do research. Tons of research like I'm going to be taking the fucking bar exam no matter the subject that I study. I know. Totally ridiculous, but at the end of my preliminary research I then can determine how I should have done it, to begin with. And then I share it with you.
While finding a bazillion books and countless videos online is not a problem... finding something that helps you get started so you have a solid foundation, to begin with, is hard.
And by no means am I saying that there aren't deeper meanings and symbolism within the Tarot cards themselves. There are 78 cards and each one has its own meaning either with the symbols, numbers, zodiac, colors, etc.
Trying to memorize every symbol and meaning from the start is futile - unless you want to get pissed off right away and throw your fucking deck out the window. Cards can have all of these or some of these:
an astrological association
a color meaning
a tree of life pathway
a chakra associated
a numerology link,
color meanings
an element correspondence
These things don't even account for the symbols and archetypes on each card nor the upright and reversed meanings of the cards.
So, if you're brand spanking new and want to figure out how to read tarot cards, stick with me, kid. I'll get you started the easy way that no one ever tells you.
My first piece of advice is that you buy a traditional Ride-Waite Smith deck (affiliate link to Amazon). Believe me, even though the imagery isn't as cool as some of the new decks, you'll find it easier to interpret other decks in the future if you stick with learning the basics with a standard tarot deck.
The most important thing that I want you to remember is that tarot card meanings are different for everyone.
I realize now that's why it was so hard for me to keep the meaning of the tarot cards in my memory.
Let's start with the fact that a tarot card meaning can mean different things depending on the person asking the question, what the question is and how the cards interact with the other cards.
Knowing that you can see how connecting your own meaning to each card is very important rather than relying on someone else's rigid tarot card meanings.
Person A
Abundance, Nature, Femininity
Person B
Fertility, Pregnancy, Creation,
Person C
Creativity, Growth, Stability
Right there you've got nine meanings where some of the tarot card meanings are similar. That can be overwhelming for anyone who wants to learn but does some quick math... 9 meanings x 78 cards = 702 tarot card meanings, minimum.
That's makes learning tarot card meanings an intimidating process that many don't want to begin.
Four Ways To Learn Tarot Card Meanings
Before I share with you what you're going to do the first rule of fight club is that you commit to learning Tarot. Learning how to do anything requires that you make the commitment to stick with it. Make that promise to yourself and find 20 minutes a day to play with your cards.
Oops? Did I say play?
Yes, I did.
Have fun learning Tarot cards. You're not summoning the devil with the cards. This was one of those pieces of religious baggage I had to get rid of myself when I got my first deck.
There is a lot of religious dogma associated with Tarot cards and I'm not here to change anyone's beliefs. What I am saying to you though is that if you want to learn tarot cards so that you have a tool to understand more about yourself, then you're good!
While people can use Tarot and other modalities for divination (predicting the future in the Biblical essentially proclaiming that your power is greater than God's), I'm going to assume that this is not why you want to learn how to interpret tarot cards. Because where I think Tarot cards really show their value is in helping you see where you might not be seeing something that could help or hinder you in your current situation and you can then make a change.
And trying to predict the future for yourself with Tarot can make you think that you have no free will in this life. Which you absolutely do, so look to Tarot to help you connect with your intuition that sometimes feels like it's on the fritz.
Play, enjoy the art in the cards, and be open to what you can learn about yourself when you can craft a personal meaning for yourself for each card.
The easiest way to start reading tarot cards is by taking your cards out and trusting your intuition.
"But my intuition is shit! I dated a serial killer once and didn't know it until I saw him on 'The First 48'!"
Have no fears, while you may think that your intuition is shit learning how to interpret Tarot cards will definitely help you get it zipping along again. As for avoiding serial killers? Maybe learning how to read the Tarot will help you to avoid dating a future serial killer!
So, are you ready? This is the easy way to get started in learning how to interpret Tarot cards...
You can learn tarot card meanings by one of four methods:
Watching tarot reader videos
Reading books and blogs on tarot
By doing tarot readings regularly
Combining all of the methods above
The last piece of learning using that method is to then check in with your intuition and see if the meanings others have put forward make sense to you. If the meanings that others have provided for the tarot card don't make sense to you, then choose another meaning.
I've watched many tarot readers that have their own meanings that make sense to me and other meanings that I don't understand at all. The meanings that I don't understand don't stick in my mind at all.
When you tune into your intuition, do a gut check, and see how the meaning resonates (or not) with you then you will be able to start building your internal tarot dictionary.
Steps To Develop Your Own Tarot Card Meanings
The first step is to trust your own meaning before anyone else's meaning. While I do believe that one of the keys to learning is to start with a Rider-Waite deck and work on getting the basic meanings to have a starting place, know that you are free to make your own meaning with the card.
There are tons of people that are purists and do not like it when people make up their own meanings. That's their prerogative. My opinion is that if you want to be proficient at anything is that you need to have fun learning. All this to say is that I do not believe there is a wrong or right way to read tarot cards because you will start awakening your intuitive abilities along the way and the specific meanings will take a back seat to the official tarot card meanings.
The second step is to get a notebook and take the time to go through each of the 78 cards, one by one, and start writing your interpretations of each card.
The third step is to go back through the cards and put them in piles according to the basic emotions* of:
Happiness
Anger
Fear
Sadness
Disgust
Surprise
Then go back to your notebook and document each card's emotions. There are no right or wrong answers when you see that a card could go into either pile. For instance, I could look at the 4 of Cups and see a guy that is sad or maybe he's disgusted with life but this is for you to choose what you see in the card.
*you may not find a card for every emotion and that's okay
The fourth step is to use the cards to thread together a story. Since you've gone through your tarot deck and have come up to your own conclusions for each card, now take the time to come up with stories.
People learn things a lot easier when they hear a story and you will, too. Each story has a beginning, middle, and end that you will come up with by simply looking at the images on the cards.
Next, we're going to go through your cards and pull out the Suit cards. These are the Minor Arcana cards that have the suits of Cups, Wands, Pentacles, and Swords.
The suits are:
Cups are about emotions, intuition, love, relationships
Wands are about action, passion, movement
Pentacles are about material wealth, money, home, health
Swords are about intellect, logic, knowledge
The Minor Arcana cards relate to our daily life.
Pull out the Suit cards and place them in four piles by suit. That is a pile of Cups, a pile of Wands, a pile of Pentacles, and a pile of Swords.
Take one pile of cards and lay them out in a row from Ace to Ten.
Grab your journal and pen.
Write a story that has a beginning, middle, and end about what you're seeing as the cards go in order. (you can start your story with "Once Upon A Time") Make this story as funny or as serious as you like. Hint: There are 10 cards so the beginning, middle, and end will be 3 cards each, and the ending that sums of the story are the last X (10) card.
Repeat with the next pile of Suit cards until you've gotten through the four suits.
By using your imagination to create a story you're also tapping into your intuition to find the meaning in the cards.
You're looking to find the meaning in the cards that you come up with and make sense to you... at least that's the way that I look at it because your brain activity is the same no matter how you choose to label this process.
DOING YOUR FIRST TAROT CARD READING
Wait! What? I'm. Not. Ready.
Oh, silly goose, you are ready and you're not going to use the little guidebook that came with your deck. Not yet.
The fifth step is to practice by doing easy three card spreads for yourself. When you look at the cards, go back to telling the story. Are the cards looking at each other, what do you imagine they're saying to each other, or what party were they attending together, and what happened?
Here's what you're gonna do:
Think of a question to ask that's open-ended such as: What has been blocking me from making more money? What can I do to uncover my soul's purpose? What actions can I take to bring love into my life? What are my strengths? How am I sabotaging myself?
Shuffle your cards and think of your question
Lay down three cards
Read the cards
1st Card: Current Situation
2nd Card: Obstacle
3rd Card: Advice
As you do this reading, you may want to write down your intuitive thoughts about your reading. In your journal, document what question you asked, cards came up in your reading in their respective positions. Then write down what your interpretation is in terms of emotions, feelings, symbols, objects, and colors? What is your gut reaction to these cards?
BUT IS IT CORRECT?
Only you can answer this. And you may want to try to do a few more readings to see what you find.
I find that each Tarot deck has its own way of communicating (or your way of understanding of the cards) and it will take a bit of time to get the vibe of your deck.
My hope for you is that while you learn tarot card meanings, that you take your time, have fun and don't feel that you have to be bound by meanings that others have come up with for the cards. Over time, you will come up with meanings that make sense to you and when you connect to your own interpretation of a card, you'll never forget it during a reading.
But if you want to have a cheat sheet by your side, please do. Just make a promise to yourself to that one day you won't use it for too long.
The more that you practice creating stories that you find in your cards, the more tarot card meanings you will cement into your memory.