Tarot and Cartomancy

How does it work?

I post a lot of tarot spreads through out my blog because I very much enjoy tarot and using it in my practice but not everyone fully understands how tarot works or why it is used. Tarot images are archetypal ideas which mingle with the ordinary constituents of the flow of the unconscious, and therefore is applicable for an intuitive method that has the purpose of understanding the flow of life, possibly even predicting future events, leading to the reading of the conditions of the present moment.

Simply put, tarot allows us to tap into our subconscious understanding of what’s happening and invoke synchronicity in our lives.

How to get started with tarot

Beginning to read tarot can seem very difficult and intimidating. 78 cards total and each one has a different meaning behind them. The different arcana, different spreads, and different decks that each have different picture and sometimes even a different interpretation.

Many beginners feel they must study and memorize everything about tarot before they begin to practice it but that is just not true. This might work if you have an amazing memory but most people do not.

Follow your intuition: This is very important as it will help you in really getting to know your deck. Examine details on the card and see what you notice. Often these details hint to the card’s overall meaning. Certain cards appear negative but are, in fact, either positive or meaningful depending on like cards drawn with it. Death and The Devil are the most misunderstood and feared cards. You need to look at the deeper meaning behind the card, its art, and the conceptual meaning. What symbols or items do you see? Does that help to answer your question?

Oftentimes, intuition is how a professional tarot reader reads for a client. Most professionals know the traditional meanings, and from there can infer the overall meaning of the spread.

From there, read the accompanying book to either check that you were correct or to give additional details because it is difficult to memorize every card, every meaning, and every combination. Were you close to what the book says? Don’t be upset if you weren’t because it takes time to become proficient. You didn’t learn to read overnight so don’t expect to be able to read tarot overnight.

Oftentimes, intuition is how a professional tarot reader reads for a client. Most professionals know the traditional meanings, and from there can infer the overall meaning of the spread.

From there, read the accompanying book to either check that you were correct or to give additional details because it is difficult to memorize every card, every meaning, and every combination. Were you close to what the book says? Don’t be upset if you weren’t because it takes time to become proficient. You didn’t learn to read overnight so don’t expect to be able to read tarot overnight.

A previously mentioned tarot tip was to do a daily tarot card draw and record your findings. When doing that drawing, ask simple questions such as “what do I need to look out for today?” or “What do I need to work on today?”. Intuitively read your card first before you check the book for accuracy. Write down or just reflect on the differences between your intuitive reading and the traditional meaning.

Putting the cards in action like this and applying it to your everyday life will not only help you learn and remember the traditional card meanings, but also get you more comfortable reading intuitively and finding your own meanings and answers too.

One of the most common misconceptions is that tarot is a tool used to TELL you your future, but it is actually a tool for GUIDING you. Don’t ask yes or no questions. Instead of “Will I be rich?”, try asking something like “What can I do to become financially stable?” and let tarot be your guide. But also, do not become too hung up on the answer because your future is constantly changing.

Effective Tarot Questions:

What do I need to know about my love life?
What do I need to know about my career?
What do I need to know about the situation with my sister/ brother/ mother/ husband/ friend/ etc?
How can I move my love life forward?
How can I move my career forward?
What’s trying to come into my life?
What’s the strongest foundation to build upon?
I can go 2 ways. Help me decide which way to go.
What are the pros and cons of these 2 choices?
How can I make the best possible decision?
What should I do about the situation with my work?
What shouldn’t I do about it?
What should I do about the situation with my sister/ brother/ mother/ father/ spouse/ etc.?
What shouldn’t I do about it?
How can I further my future?
Where is love in my life?
What am I ignoring?
What am I not seeing?
What’s holding me back?
What am I denying?
What am I seeing that is not true?
What have I forgotten?
What could trip me up?
What can I learn from the past?
What is the future telling me?
What cycles are impacting me?
What have I learned?
Where am I strongest?
What should I look out for?
What should I improve?
What, if anything, needs to be done?
How can I communicate this in the best way possible?
How can I improve my relationship with…..?
How can I improve my ability to…?
How can I make the transition from…. To….?
Can you help me understand why…?
Can you give me insight into….?
What do I need to know to decide on….?
What do I need to understand/ know about….?
What do I need to know to get along better with….?

Once you have become comfortable with the cards from your daily draw, try a simple 3 card pull. The 3 cards can represent many different things but try to keep it simple.

Example:

• Past, present, future
• Situation, action, result
• What I think, what I feel, what I do
• You, another person, your relationship

For more examples, check out the 3 Card Spread. It has an even longer list of potential uses of the 3 card draw. Now, let’s take the first example. The card you draw to represent your past could represent how you felt in the past, how you feel looking back now, or a situation you were in before. The second card, the present, might represent how you currently feel about where you are in life, a current situation, or it could even reflect your fears or your desires that are effecting your current situation. The third card, the future, could represent the path you need to get to where you want to be, or it could be a result of the steps you are taking in the present (which could be good OR bad).

Remember the cards aren’t dealing you a definitive prophecy of what’s to come. How you interpret the cards will depend on the question you asked, the relationship that they have to each other and your own intuition when reading them!

There are a lot of different tarot and oracle cards on the market. Some of these decks are just gorgeous, and have all sorts of themes and art styles. Each deck will carry its own energy, symbolism, and meanings through the art. If you are drawn to a gorgeous, non-traditional deck and want to learn on that, go for it!

If you’re interested in learning the “traditional” meanings of the tarot cards, choosing a more traditional deck or one that is similar in imagery which could make it easier to follow each suite’s story and pull the traditional symbolism intuitively from the artwork so you learn it more quickly.

When trying to understand the meaning of Tarot, it is very helpful if we can keep in mind that we are dealing with symbols, and when we realize that, we immediately find ourselves in the regions of our subconscious mind.

Minor Arcana

Major Arcana

The Major Arcana are the archetypes that represent major life themes and changes. The Major Arcana can be split into 5 groups of similar cards for easy reference and in order to achieve a more in depth understanding of their significance; People, concepts, and qualities.

I will have more information to follow on both the major and minor arcana but this is just a quick down and dirty of their meanings.

Interested in a topic of your own? Just ask here and I will be glad to post it!
Instagram: 3 Cats and Cauldron
TikTok: 3 Cats and a Cauldron
Spotify Podcast: 3 Cats and a Cauldron (Soon to come to all of your favorite podcasting platforms!)

From our altar to yours, with love from the sea,

Click here for an Index to all posts