Getting Started in Tarot

Congratulations on your tarot journey, whether you're new or continuing I hope I have a new resource for you here!

Choosing A Tarot Deck

I recommend a standard rider waite smith. This could be a version by U.S. games, radiant rider waite, universal waite, smith-waite centennial, or 1909 original. This is what most tarot books refer to, so it makes it easier to reference almost any tarot book. It also has imagery that helps make it easier to memorize, and also engage in the larger tarot community. Although, if you're based in Europe, get a dusserre, grimaud or Fournier Tarot de Marseille deck. I'll have a future post on getting started with tarot de Marseille.

Lastly, you don’t need to be gifted a deck. Also please feel free to get decks that you enjoy the art or feel connected to–those just aren’t always the best decks to study from. 

A Very Brief History of Tarot

Rider Waite Smith decks have been around since 1909 and in the U.S. since the early 1971–when U.S. games began printing their Rider Waite Smith tarot deck. Before then tarot decks were imported and not common. Using playing cards for readings, or other types of divination like spirit boards or reading tea leaves (what my great grandmother did!) were more common. Throwing bones were common in some indigenous traditions, but not mainstream. Elder Futhark Runes were not common until the 1980s, and similarly with witch runes (which are wholly modern). 

But circling back to tarot–what decks existed before the 1900s? Tarot de Marseille. Tarot’s origin is that of the playing cards–brought to Italy in the 1400s and favored among aristocrats Tarocchi was a trump or trick taking card game. It spread throughout Europe through Italy to southern France (where we get the name Tarot de Marseille) and north to Paris, northern Europe and finally to Great Britain and Ireland. Each country had a slightly different take on it–change suits and other details. The spread of these cards, the use of them in divination is likely from the Romani influence. Romani people came into Europe around the same time and interesting, the spread of cards seems to correlate. Romani peoples are also where the ethnic slur “gypsy” comes from, as well as the fortune teller stereotype. If you chose to use tarot, please be aware of these stereotypes and history. In much of the world “gypsy” is still an ethnic slur and should be avoided. 

Learning Tarot

So you’ve got your deck–how do you get started learning? I recommend familiarizing yourself with the meanings of the Major Arcana and the suits. The Major Arcana are the 22 cards that do not have suits. The suits are typically pentacles or coins, cups, wands and swords.

Your deck may have these meanings listed. 

Typically the suits have the following meanings, but some readers may disagree. 

Cups: emotions and relationships

Coins/Pentacles: material world

Wands: thoughts, plans, ideas

Swords: Action, labor, conflicts or challenges

After familiarizing yourself with these basics we can get started doing regular card pulls or readings. I recommend 1-3 cards on a regular basis. Whether that’s daily, weekly, or as often as you can remember to do it, that will work. You could use a tarot workbook–there’s several great ones out there or you can keep your own journal with whatever notebook you like. Either method is effective. I recommend writing down your question, your cards pulled, your initial impression without looking at the keywords, and then the book’s keywords. You can then refer back to this to see how the cards tend to mean for you, see your growth and the act of writing things down will help you remember meanings and how it applies to real life. 

From there you’ll build familiarity with the minor arcana and the suits. Some usually come easily like the kings and queens. Others will take a little more time. Go through them similarly to the major arcana if you feel motivated to. 

Another method to help learn card meanings is using a super fine sharpie and writing keywords on them. I strongly recommend this for playing cards, and I recommend it over the printed keyword cards. Writing the keywords helps you memorize it, and the mass produced keyword tarot decks are visually busy and not that helpful from what I’ve seen with students. 

Further Reading 

Tarot Books Reading List Anything and Everything at your public Library

Tarot and Divination Cards: A Visual Archive By Laetitia Barbier

Secrets of Romani Fortune-Telling: Divining with Tarot, Palmistry, Tea Leaves, and More by Paulina Stevens and Jezmina Von Thiele

If you’d like my tarot meanings hand outs I have them as PDFs and I also offer online tarot classes both scheduled as groups and one on one.  I’ll also have more posts on tarot and tarot de Marseille as well.

If you see me leave out thoth decks entirely–I don’t actually have one! Crowley is an odd one, and I generally avoid things related to him. I may pick up a pocket size thoth deck one of these days for tarot study reasons. 

If you found this post helpful please consider supporting me through booking a class, reading, attending one of my events, leaving a review or just sending a nice message.