The Art of Reading Tarot Cards

What are Tarot Cards?

One of the oldest forms of divination, reading tarot cards is as popular today as it ever was. Tarot card origins are shrouded in mystery, though some speculate that they may have begun in ancient Egypt.

Tarot decks are visual. Each card is illustrated with pictures and symbols that are interpreted by the reader. There are so many decks available today that you can easily find one that speaks to you more clearly than the others.

A deck of tarot cards contains seventy-eight cards. Twenty-two of these cards are the Major Arcana, also known as Trump cards, while the remaining fifty-six cards are the Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana contains cards like the Fool, the Lovers, the Tower and the infamous Death card.

The Minor Arcana Tarot Cards are divided into four suits: Wands, Swords, Cups and Pentacles. They deal with the day to day things in your life. All the cards in each suit are numbered. Each suit has a meaning.

See below for all Tarot Card interpretations

Tarot Card Meanings

The meaning of a tarot card is influenced by the position of the card as it is drawn from the deck, the position it occupies in the card layout, and by the cards that are positioned before and after it.

Tarot Card Meanings - The Major Arcana

The Major Arcana Cards are meant to represent important aspects in life.

Read the meaning for each Tarot Card within the Major Arcana

Tarot Card Meanings - The Minor Arcana

Suit of Wands
Wands are usually shown as a staff that may or may not have living leaves on it. Each suit represents one of the four elements. Wands stand for fire and are considered masculine. Wands are passion and enthusiasm, and are often interpreted to refer to your life's work.

Suit of Swords
Swords are also masculine, and represent conflict and strife. The element of Swords is air. Swords are associated with logic and abstract thought or legal matters. When Swords show up in a reading, you may need to think about your issue rationally.

Suit of Cups
Cups are usually illustrated as bowls, chalices or vessels of some kind that can hold liquid. The element for Cups is water. Cups are seen as feminine and representative of relationships and emotions. While it can deal with romance, just because Cups turn up in a reading doesn't necessarily mean that the reading is about romantic encounters.

Suit of Pentacles
Pentacles, or Coins are usually illustrated as golden disks that have a pentacle on them. Pentacles are feminine and associated with the element of earth. Because of this, fertility, finances, traditions and family are the usual things associated with this suit. Growth, nurturing and steady energy are part of the suit of Pentacles.

How To Read Tarot Cards

During a reading, the questioner must either tell their question to the reader or they must hold it firmly in their mind. The reader will pull cards from the deck or may have the questioner do the choosing without seeing the faces of the cards. The reader will arrange them according to the type of reading they are doing.

The simplest reading is only three cards. The first represents the past, the second the present, and the third the future.

Another more complex reading is the Celtic Cross. This reading will cover the past, present and future as well as any obstacles that may lie in the way. Additional cards may be chosen to give insight into what may happen as the future unfolds.

Learn the celtic method for reading Tarot Cards

Another way to learn how to read Tarot cards is to take advantage of our free tarot card readings. The program is an excellent resource tool that'll allow you to see many different types of spread layouts.

Explore All Things Psychic - Home