How To Use Tarot Cards

Tarot cards are a tool. They can be used to better understand our own psyche, explore our subconscious and be mindful of the conscious. When you pick up a deck of cards – like any tool – you need to know what you plan to use it for and what your ideal outcome will be.

Imagine picking up a hammer. You probably won’t get much use out of that hammer if you don’t have a project in which to use it. You may even end up thinking the hammer is useless and giving up on it. We need a project to use a tool and the same applies to Tarot.

When it comes to using Tarot, we are the project. It’s ourselves that needs work and using this tool will help us with this work. As a Tarot reader, I become a sort of contractor for the self when I work with clients. I come in to assess what needs to be done, and then I grab my tools and get to work.

How do you make tarot cards work?

The more receptive you are to hearing guidance and suggestions from the cards, the better they work. All the guidance the cards offer comes from divine guidance and subconscious understanding. If we are too close-minded to believe in divine guidance, we’ll struggle to read the Tarot.

Similarly, if we can’t be vulnerable and allow our subconscious to speak, then making the Tarot cards work will be tricky.

When people ask me how to read Tarot cards, being an open book is the number one suggestion. Sometimes being honest and vulnerable with yourself is harder than being vulnerable with others, so this is where many people get stuck.

Can you read your own Tarot cards?

Yes, you absolutely can read your own Tarot cards. In fact, that’s one of the primary ways I use my Tarot cards.

Reading for yourself is tricky though. Sometimes it’s easier for someone else to read your cards for you because they can tell you what you need to hear. When you do a reading on yourself, your brain will often try and spin things so they sound more like what you want to hear.

This is why you have to build the skill of stepping outside of yourself. To become an impartial and objective judge of your inner world.

All you need in order to do a Tarot reading on yourself is a spot to relax and meditate, a journal and of course your cards. The key to self-readings is to make sure you and your subconscious mind are as relaxed as possible.

The more relaxed your subconscious mind is, the easier it will be to give it a voice through the cards. Then, you’ll be able to communicate seamlessly with all the different parts of your psyche.

How to use Tarot cards for the first time

Whether you want to break in a new Tarot deck, or you are picking up a deck for the first time there are plenty of ways you can prep.

One thing that I love to do – and this is down to personal preference – is to sleep with the deck under my pillow before I use it. If you’ve got thin pillows then this may be less than ideal. In this case, you can just pop it by the side of your bed.

This helps you to connect the energy of your deck with your own energy. Sort of like creating a new bond, you’ll be able to swap energy and become more closely connected with it.

I always advise cleansing your Tarot deck before you use it as well. A deck can pass through many hands before it gets to you, so cleansing it just helps to give you a blank slate to draw from. Once your energy is shared and cleansed, you can get going with your reading.

For a new deck, you’ll want to give the Tarot cards a really good shuffle. The deck will come in chronological order so we want to mix things up as much as possible to ensure we get a good selection of cards. Once you’ve shuffled to your heart’s content, spread out your cards and get going with your reading.

When not to read Tarot cards

There isn’t really a good and bad time to read Tarot cards specifically. However, there are times that can offer you clearer or more organised readings.

Making sure your mental state is calm and ready to receive information is always best. As I mentioned before, putting yourself into meditation and allowing that subconscious to come forward always offers the best readings.

If you already feel frazzled, or like you can’t focus on anything in particular, it may be best to avoid reading. This is because you can end up just making yourself more frustrated and confused. I always find that my readings are pointless when I’m all over the place. A better use of time is taking care of yourself. You don’t need more information from the cards, you just need to destress and regroup.

If you’re as in love with Tarot as I am and want to know different ways to use Tarot cards, then you can take a look at my annual Introduction to Energetic Tarot course. Or, if you miss the deadline, why not take a look at some of my Tarot workshops and free masterclasses?

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