Learning to read tarot cards might feel intimidating at first — 78 cards, dozens of symbols, and spreads that look complicated. But after years of reading tarot professionally at Durga Tarot, I can tell you it’s a skill anyone can build with practice. Here’s exactly how I’d walk a beginner through it.
Step 1: Get to Know Your Deck
Before you do any reading, spend time simply looking through your deck. A standard tarot deck has 78 cards split into two groups:
- Major Arcana (22 cards): Big life themes and turning points — cards like The Fool, The Tower, and The Sun.
- Minor Arcana (56 cards): Everyday situations and emotions, split into four suits:
- Cups – emotions, relationships, intuition
- Wands – ambition, creativity, action
- Swords – thoughts, conflict, communication
- Pentacles – money, career, physical world matters
You don’t need to memorize every meaning right away. Start by simply noticing the imagery on each card — what’s happening in the scene, what emotions it evokes, what colors and symbols stand out.
Step 2: Learn the Meanings Gradually
I always tell new readers: don’t try to memorize all 78 meanings at once. Instead:
- Start with the Major Arcana, since these carry the most universally recognizable themes.
- Move to one suit of the Minor Arcana at a time.
- Use a guidebook or app as a reference in your early readings — most experienced readers still occasionally check meanings.
- Pay attention to the number on Minor Arcana cards too. Aces often represent new beginnings, while 10s represent completion, regardless of suit.
Step 3: Choose a Simple Spread to Start
A “spread” is just the layout you use to lay out your cards. Beginners should start small:
- Single card draw – Pull one card each morning and reflect on how its meaning shows up in your day.
- Three-card spread – Represents Past, Present, and Future (or Situation, Action, Outcome). This is one of the most versatile spreads for everyday questions.
- Celtic Cross – A more advanced 10-card spread for deeper questions, usually introduced once you’re comfortable with simpler layouts.
Step 4: Set a Clear Question or Intention
Before shuffling, take a moment to focus on what you actually want insight on. Vague questions get vague answers. Instead of asking “What does my future hold?” try something more specific, like “What should I focus on in my career right now?”
Step 5: Shuffle and Draw
Shuffle the deck while holding your question in mind. There’s no single “correct” way to shuffle — some readers use an overhand shuffle, others prefer spreading the cards face-down on a table and mixing them by hand. Draw your cards once you feel ready, and lay them out according to your chosen spread.
Step 6: Read Upright vs. Reversed Cards
If a card comes out upside down (reversed), many readers interpret this as a variation on the card’s core meaning — often suggesting a blocked, delayed, or internalized version of that energy. As a beginner, it’s completely fine to start by only reading upright meanings until you’re ready to add this extra layer.
Step 7: Connect the Cards Into a Story
This is where reading tarot becomes more art than memorization. Rather than interpreting each card in isolation, look at how they relate to one another:
- Do multiple cards share a suit or number? That’s often a sign of a strong underlying theme.
- Does the “future” card in a three-card spread build naturally on the “present” card, or does it suggest a significant shift?
- What feeling do the cards create together, beyond their individual definitions?
In my own readings, this step — weaving individual cards into one coherent narrative — is what separates a flat, textbook reading from one that actually resonates with the person in front of me.
Step 8: Keep a Tarot Journal
I recommend every beginner keep a simple journal of their readings:
- The question you asked
- The cards you drew
- Your initial interpretation
- What actually happened afterward, or how the reading felt in hindsight
Over time, this becomes one of the fastest ways to build genuine confidence and personal fluency with the deck — you’ll start to notice which cards tend to show up for you and what patterns feel most reliable in your own practice.
Step 9: Practice Regularly
Like any skill, reading tarot improves with repetition. Draw a card daily, do a weekly three-card check-in, and don’t be afraid to read for friends or family once you feel ready. Reading for others is often when your interpretation skills grow the fastest, since you have to explain your thinking clearly.
A Few Tips I Give All My Students
- Trust your first impression of a card before flipping to the guidebook definition — often your gut read is picking up on something relevant.
- Don’t rush. A meaningful reading takes time to unfold; resist the urge to interpret quickly just to “get an answer.”
- Approach each reading with curiosity, not fear. Tarot works best as an open conversation with yourself, not a test you’re afraid to fail.
Want to Learn by Watching a Professional Reading?
Reading tarot is something you can absolutely learn on your own — but many of my students tell me that watching an experienced reader work through a real spread accelerated their learning far more than books alone. If you’d like to see this process in action, or want a reading of your own while you continue learning, I’d love to help.
Book a session with me at Durga Tarot and see how a professional reading comes together.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to learn to read tarot?
Most beginners feel comfortable with basic readings within a few weeks of regular practice, though building deeper intuition and fluency with the full deck is an ongoing process, even for experienced readers.
Do I need a special deck to start?
No. Any tarot deck works, though many beginners start with the Rider-Waite-Smith deck since it’s widely documented and easy to find guidebooks for.
Can I read tarot for myself?
Yes, many readers — including professionals — regularly read for themselves. It just takes a bit more objectivity, since it can be harder to stay neutral about your own situation.
What’s the easiest spread for beginners?
The single-card draw and the three-card (Past, Present, Future) spread are both great starting points before moving on to more complex layouts like the Celtic Cross.