How to read tarot cards
A practical guide for complete beginners, with three hands-on examples: what's in the deck, how a fair shuffle works, and what happens when a card turns upside down.
1. Know the shape of the deck
A tarot deck has 78 cards. Tap the ring to see how they split. Once you know the four suits and the Major Arcana, every card has a context before you even read its meaning.
Major Arcana
22 trump cards numbered 0–XXI, from The Fool to The World. They carry archetypal life themes: love, change, endings, hope. Around 28% of the deck.
See the Major Arcana cards →2. Ask a useful question
Good tarot questions are open and about you: “What do I need to understand about this job?” works better than “Will I get the job?” Avoid questions about other people's private thoughts, and never use cards in place of a doctor, lawyer or financial adviser.
3. Shuffle (and why it's fair)
Physical readers riffle or overhand shuffle until it feels right. Research by mathematicians Dave Bayer and Persi Diaconis found about seven riffle shuffles are needed to mix a 52-card deck well; a 78-card deck needs a few more. Online, this site uses the Fisher–Yates shuffle, which gives every possible order an equal chance in a single pass. Step through it on seven cards:
- 1Fool
- 2Magician
- 3Priestess
- 4Empress
- 5Emperor
- 6Lovers
- 7Chariot
Press "Next step". Each step picks a random card from the unshuffled part (left of the marker, inclusive) and swaps it into the last unshuffled slot.
With 7 cards there are 7 × 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 5,040 orders. With all 78 cards the number of orders (78!) has 115 digits: effectively no shuffle ever repeats.
4. Lay out a spread
Decide the positions before you draw. For your first readings, use three cards: Past, Present, Future. See all spreads.
5. Read each card in its position
Start with your gut reaction to the image before you look anything up. What is happening in the picture? Who looks comfortable, who looks stuck? Then read the traditional meaning and ask how it fits the position. The Five of Cups in “past” reads as an old grief; in “future” it reads as a warning to notice what remains.
6. Decide how to handle reversals
An upside-down card doesn't mean the opposite; it usually means the same energy blocked, turned inward, delayed or overdone. Flip one and compare:
The Star upright
- hope
- renewal
- calm
After the Tower comes the Star: a figure pours water under a clear night sky. It is healing, quiet hope and the feeling that you can trust the future again.
Four common ways readers interpret a reversal: Blocked: the energy is there but cannot get out. Internal: it plays out inside you rather than in the world. Delayed: it is coming, just not yet. Excess or lack: too much of the upright quality, or too little.
7. Connect the cards into a story
- Count the Majors. Several means big life themes are involved.
- Check the suits. A dominant suit tells you which area of life the reading is really about.
- Look at numbers. Repeated numbers highlight a stage: many Aces means beginnings, many Fives means friction.
- Find eye lines. Figures on RWS cards face left or right; readers often follow where they look.
8. Write it down
Note the question, the cards and your first impression. Rereading old readings is how the meanings become yours, and it's also the honest test: you will see how much the reading was about your own thinking at the time.
Ready? Draw a free reading or start with the card of the day.
Questions people ask
Can anyone read tarot?
Yes. You do not need a gift or a special deck. You need to know roughly what the cards mean and to be willing to think honestly about how they relate to your situation.
Do I need to be given my first deck?
That is a superstition. Most readers buy their own. A Rider–Waite–Smith style deck is the easiest to learn with because most books and sites, including this one, use its imagery.
How long does it take to learn tarot?
You can do a useful three-card reading on day one with a meanings reference. Knowing most cards without looking them up usually takes a few months of regular practice, such as a daily card.
Should I read reversals as a beginner?
Many beginners leave them out until the upright meanings feel familiar. Every reader on this site has a toggle to switch reversals off.
Is it OK to read tarot for myself?
Yes, and it is how most people learn. The main risk is reading what you want to see; writing the reading down before interpreting helps.