Question by : How can I learn to read tarot cards accurately?
I don’t know where to start. I want to do a reading on myself and maybe in time to my friends but I want it to be accurate so that I’m not misleading myself.
Best answer:
Answer by Colanth
There are tutorials online. But “accurately”? It’s a game, not a newspaper from the future.
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
Get a reliable book and a good deck and practice, practice, practice!
You will need a decent deck to start out with. Normally, many people–including myself–suggest the Rider Tarot (aka Rider-Waite deck, aka Rider-Waite-Smith deck). This is the most popular deck out there, and rightfully so. I have numerous decks, but I always go back to this deck for accurate readings.
You’ll also need some good books. I suggest “Power Tarot” to many people because it has several categories for each card–love, finances, work, etc. However, there are no reversed–when a card appears upside down–definitions in this book. You’ll find many books completely ignore or go over quickly the definitions for reversed cards. Normally, it’s best just to start out shuffling so the cards do not get turned upside down, but as you progress you might want to learn more about reversed cards, so I suggest Mary K. Greer’s “Complete Book of Tarot Reversals.” You can find these books and Tarot decks on tower.com or amazon.com. I would buy the books used from sellers on amazon so you’re not paying as much as the retail book, but don’t buy a deck used unless the seller states the deck is still sealed and brand new!
Some readers–including myself–will suggest when getting a new deck to sleep with it under your pillow for at least 3 days, but some readers say it doesn’t matter. The wonderful thing about Tarot is there are no rules, you do what feels right and natural to you.
In addition, as you progress, you’ll find out that you might have expanded or completely different meanings for the cards than what you’ll find in books. It’s best–especially when starting out–to keep a Tarot journal. Write down the date, the spread that was used, and what cards were in what positions, and the definitions you’ve come up with for the cards. It’s best to keep a time frame on your questions (i.e. 3 days, 4 weeks, 6 months, etc.) and then go back to your journal after that time and find out if you were right or wrong with your interpretations. This helps you learn what the cards mean to you.
Hope I’ve helped…