Yeah, you read that right, YOU can read Tarot cards! Reading the cards doesn't require psychic abilities, nor do you have to have any ancestral linkages to psychics or witches, etc. Seriously ladies and gentleman, you can read Tarot too!
I was first introduced to Tarot when I was 15 years old, however, only in the past few years have I devoted myself completely to truly understanding and using the cards every single day. I had an on-again / off-again relationship with the cards for years. It wasn't until I was in my thirties that I decided to really figure out what these cards were truly about. Often times, the majority of people assume that Tarot Reader = Psychic, but that equation is just so wrong! I mentioned this in a past blog (and I will continue to mention this wherever I can), Tarot is best used as a guide; a tool to help a person see things/events in a different perspective, to provide an opportunity to see things that are hidden or not in your conscious mind at the moment and most importantly to gain quick access to your intuition. The reason why Tarot can be used for divinatory purposes is because it lays out the energies, actions, choices, influences etc. that are present at the moment of the reading and with that knowledge, one can develop possible outcomes. You noticed I emphasized "possible" right? NOTHING is set in stone (unless, of course, you see physical birth or death in the cards). Never forget about free will; if you happen to change your mind and/or choices regarding the subject you're inquiring about than that will lead to a change in the outcome.
So what does a person need to do to become a Tarot Reader? The very first step? Get a deck of cards! I suggest starting off with the traditional Rider-Waite deck. See below (the image also links to Amazon's site).
I suggest the Rider-Waite deck mainly because it is the most often used deck out there and the majority of available learning resources use this deck to teach. Custom / themed tarot decks use the Rider-Waite system as a basis and then build upon it or change a card's names or imagery to accommodate the creator's interpretation of a specific card, but overall, the Rider-Waite deck is the best to use while learning.
The next step? Get a good Tarot Guide book that will provide a practical descriptive as well as explain a little bit about the symbolic imagery of each card. I highly recommend The Ultimate Guide to Tarot Card Meanings by Brigit Esselmont (the image also links to Amazon where you can buy it).
When cracking your book open, I would suggest giving it a cursory review at first, mainly taking note of the key words associated to each card and then I would take the deck out and go through each card taking note of what my intuition picks up from the images. Return to the book to do a more in-depth study.
So that is the minimum you would need to start reading Tarot! I'll revisit the topic of learning Tarot in later blog posts.
Till next time...