Tarot FAQs

Tarot is a deck-based system used for reflection, storytelling and intuitive guidance. A standard deck uses symbolic images to help you explore a situation or consider different perspectives rather than guarantee the future.

Begin by learning the basic structure of the deck, then draw one card each day and record your first impression alongside the guidebook meaning. Move to simple three-card spreads when you feel comfortable.

A Rider-Waite-Smith-based deck is often easiest because many books and courses explain its imagery. Choose clear artwork, a helpful guidebook and cards that feel comfortable to shuffle.

Yes. The idea that a first tarot deck must be gifted is a tradition, not a rule. Buying your own deck lets you choose imagery and a style that you genuinely connect with.

Most traditional tarot decks contain 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. Some modern decks add extra cards, so check the guidebook supplied with your deck.

The 22 Major Arcana represent major themes, turning points and archetypal experiences, from The Fool to The World. In a reading they often highlight the broader lesson or central energy of a situation.

The 56 Minor Arcana explore everyday experiences through four suits, usually Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles. Each suit contains numbered cards and four court cards.

Reversed cards are optional. Beginners can read every card upright first and add reversals later; depth can also come from the question, card position and surrounding cards.

It is a simple layout using three cards, often read as past-present-future, situation-action-outcome or mind-body-spirit. Decide what each position means before drawing.

Common gentle methods include knocking on the deck, using sound, visualisation, moonlight or placing it beside a suitable crystal. Keep cards away from smoke, moisture and strong sunlight if these could cause damage.

Yes. Use a clear, open question and write down the reading before reacting to it. If emotions are high, pause or ask a trusted reader for a more neutral perspective.

Read as often as it remains useful and grounded. Avoid repeatedly asking the same question in search of a preferred answer; allow time to reflect and act on the guidance.

Open questions work well, such as What should I understand about this situation or What action could help me move forward. Tarot should not replace qualified medical, legal or financial advice.

An oracle deck is a guidance deck whose theme, number of cards and structure are chosen by its creator. Meanings usually come from the artwork and accompanying guidebook rather than a standard tarot system.

Tarot usually follows a recognisable 78-card structure, while oracle decks can use any number of cards and any theme. Tarot offers a shared symbolic system; oracle cards are often more direct and flexible.

Pip cards are the numbered suit cards. Some decks show story-like scenes on them; others mainly show repeated suit symbols. If pictures help you learn, preview these cards as well as the Major Arcana before choosing a deck. Neither style is a requirement for reading tarot.

Compare the actual card dimensions, print size and sample images. A smaller deck may be easier to hold but can make details harder to see; a larger deck gives artwork more space. Packaging measurements are not always card measurements, so check which dimensions the listing provides.

First name the skill you want help with, such as connecting cards or understanding your deck’s system. Ask for a syllabus and sample lesson, then check whether you will practise that skill and receive feedback. Confirm the required deck, total cost, access period and what any certificate records. Sasha Graham’s published advice also stresses boundaries: avoid teachers who shame students, manipulate them or insist only their method is legitimate. If the sample does not teach you anything useful, keep looking.

Further reading: Sasha Graham: Choosing a Tarot teacher.

Related guide: Beginner reading method.

Treat identifying a card and accessing its picture or meaning as separate needs. If you read braille, check whether a deck supplies names only, which braille system it uses and whether its guide is accessible. Raised lettering does not imply raised artwork. Tarot Garden’s service, for example, labels titles but excludes the booklet. Blind reader Veronica Harrison describes learning the pictures through other people’s descriptions. As an optional study setup, pair a card you can identify reliably with a description or guide entry you can access, then try one card before buying a set. Choose the format that works for you; braille is not required.

Further reading: Tarot Garden: Braille service details · Veronica Harrison: Learning tarot while blind.

Related guide: Card size and handling.

Not necessarily. Check whether the set includes a brief meanings leaflet, a longer companion book or digital instructions, and which language it uses. If you want worked examples or learning exercises, look for a contents preview rather than judging the amount of guidance by the word booklet.

Creators may rename suits or court cards to fit a theme, and some decks also change numbering or add cards. Use that deck’s own guide to understand the mapping. When following another book or tutorial, check that its card names and system match your deck.

No single colour key should be assumed to fit every deck. Barbara Moore describes how artists use different palettes and gives her own colour associations as a reader. Start with the artwork and that deck’s guide rather than automatically importing a colour chart. A pale blue background might affect the mood you notice without supplying a separate prediction. If an edition changes the colours, check whether the creator explains the change. You can also focus on shapes, actions and written guidance when colour is not a useful part of your reading.

Related guide: Beginner tarot guide. Further reading: Barbara Moore: Color (Llewellyn, 2013).

It may help, but check the deck title, creator, publisher and edition first. Artwork, card names, extra cards and the included book can differ between releases. If you want a precise match, compare the publisher’s edition details or ISBN rather than relying on similar packaging.

Look at a range of Major Arcana, numbered suit cards and court cards. Check whether the pictures are easy for you to distinguish and whether the text is readable at card size. Also consider the imagery you want to spend time with, rather than choosing from the box illustration alone.

Explore our beginner tarot guide.

Record your question, the deck and edition, the cards and their positions, your first observations, and then the guidebook’s interpretation. Keep your own thoughts separate from quotations or source notes. This gives you a clear study record without treating a card draw as proof of what will happen.

Try moving small groups of cards between your hands, or spreading them face down on a clean, dry surface and mixing them gently. Choose a method that is comfortable and does not bend the cards. You do not need an elaborate shuffle; follow any care guidance supplied with the deck.

Sort it using the contents list or guidebook for that exact edition, separating any title, reference or extra cards. Compare names as well as the total count, because a duplicate can hide a missing card. Keep the packaging and purchase details, then ask the seller or publisher about the discrepancy without assuming a particular replacement policy.

Compare the title, creator, publisher, card size, included guide and edition details with the publisher’s own listing. Ask about unexplained differences before buying. Counterfeit decks do exist, but a low price or unfamiliar box alone does not prove that a deck is counterfeit; get confirmation from the rights holder when in doubt.

Measure the full stack of cards, including its thickness, and compare the container’s usable internal dimensions. Allow space to remove the deck without bending corners, and decide whether the guidebook needs to fit too. Keep loose accessories separate so they cannot press into the cards, and store the deck somewhere dry.

Ask whether they want a reading and agree the question, boundaries and whether any notes will be kept. Make it clear that interpretations are reflective rather than certain predictions. Let the person stop at any time, and ask separately before sharing their question, cards, photograph or personal story with anyone else.

Start with the question and each card’s position instead of trying to force every card into one message. Even Waite’s historical reading instructions interpret cards in relation to the subject and surrounding reading. As a reflective exercise, one card might suggest an opportunity while another highlights a difficulty. Write down two plausible interpretations and what evidence in everyday life would support each. It is also fine to leave a reading unresolved.

Related guide: How to start a grimoire.

Further reading: A. E. Waite: An Alternative Method of Reading the Tarot Cards.

No. You can return it to the deck and continue with the method you chose. Deliberately dealing cards is a documented approach in Waite’s historical instructions; interpreting fallen cards is not required by every reading method. If you enjoy using “jumpers”, decide beforehand whether you will include them and how. A card slipping from your hands does not, by itself, establish that it carries a supernatural instruction.

Related guide: How to start a grimoire.

Further reading: A. E. Waite: An Alternative Method of Reading the Tarot Cards.

Some broad themes may transfer, but do not assume the systems are interchangeable. Rider–Waite–Smith uses narrative pictures throughout its numbered Minor Arcana cards; traditional Marseille decks use arrangements of suit symbols. Thoth has its own esoteric correspondences. Start with a guide for the system you are using, then compare deliberately. If you borrow an interpretation from another system, note that choice rather than treating a difference as a mistake in your deck.

Related guide: How to start a grimoire.

Further reading: U.S. Games Systems: Learn About Tarot Reading.