How To Draw Tarot Cards: The Beginner's Step-By-Step

Choose your deck

the one you feel drawn to

Every deck has its own energy and symbolism. The Tarot of Marseille, in use since the 17th century, suits everyday questions; the Belline Oracle speaks to those with some practice; the Angel Tarot brings comfort more than predictions. Let intuition guide you — the visual style of the cards counts more than you would think in the bond you form with them.

Get to know it

handle it, look at it

Take the cards in your hands, look at them, touch them. Understand the split between major arcana — life's big themes — and minor arcana, which deal with the everyday. Know them without trying to memorise them: meaning comes from contemplation, not recitation.

Set the moment

a quiet place, soft light

Settle somewhere calm, away from harsh light. A few candles help make this something other than a rushed consultation. Some readers cleanse their deck before starting; what matters most is taking a few breaths before you draw.

Word the question

clear, open, about you

This is the decisive step, the one that sets the quality of everything else. Write it down if you need to: a question you cannot write is a question you do not have yet.

Shuffle, cut, lay out

holding the question in mind

Shuffle slowly while keeping your question present. Then cut the deck — custom has you make three piles and rebuild them in whatever order feels right, or cut with your left hand. Then pick your method, from the simplest to the fullest.

Read, then write it down

the step everyone skips

Look first at how the cards answer one another, before their meaning in isolation: position and orientation change the reading. Then note everything — the date, the question, the cards, your first interpretation and what you felt. It is the journal that makes you better, not the number of readings.