5 Ways To Learn Tarot Cards

Image ©Herkimer Blue, Tarot Cards Images
 ©Osho International Foundation,
Jonathan Saiz, fountaintarot.com,
Renata ThelemaDreamsArt

Learning tarot can seem daunting if you consider there are usually 78 cards in the deck, all with different meanings (and layers of meaning..). Here are 5 different ways that might help you get started...

Tarot is a very personal activity - everyone will find their own way of using the cards, from interpretations to shuffling and spreads used. Learning tarot can take time, depending on how deep you want to go into symbolism and layers of meanings. I'm always up for new ways to learn, and I've seen many suggestions for how to learn and remember the cards. Here are just a few I thought were interesting to note.

1. Card of the day
This method is a commonly recommended one. The idea is that each morning you draw one card and during the day, keeping that card in mind, look for moments or opportunities where that card seems relevant. This helps to understand possible meanings for the card. You could draw 3 cards instead, one for the morning, one for the afternoon and one for the evening.

Alternatively draw a card in the evening and see how it matches up to your day. I prefer this method as it avoids worrying about cards that might indicate issues or challenges coming up when doing a daily draw in the morning.

I personally find this method really useful. Cards can have very layered meanings, and and as I like to read Tarot intuitively I've found it helps me find new nuances or interpretations of the cards I might not have thought of yet.

2. Memorization
You can simply memorize the given meanings for each card (sounds like the least enjoyable method to me...). If you like testing your memory this might be right up your alley! Don't forget though, there may be layers of meaning not given in the given guidebook or traditional meanings but which make sense for you. So I would say be open if you find alternative interpretations arise in your Tarot practice over time.

3. Dive Right In
Start doing readings, perhaps with only a few cards rather than a large spread, referring to the given meanings and/or your intuition, and gradually you will become familiar with the cards. There's no better way to learn than by practicing, so doing readings in addition to other methods listed here is probably one of the best ways to learn.

4. Place a card in a visible spot
Place one card everyday somewhere where you are likely to see it a few times during the day. This can help you become familiar with the imagery and provoke thought about the card. I've not tried this myself but I can see how it might be a useful technique for others.

5. Object divination
Something I've recently come across is using Tarot (or Oracle or other divination cards) to find out what is in a container. I've had a lot of fun with it! It works like this: get a container and ask someone to put an object inside without showing you what it is. Then using the cards ask questions such as 'What colour is the item in this box', or 'What is the object in this box used for' , drawing one card for each question (see examples of suitable questions in my blog post here). This is a fun way to help attune to your intuition, and can make a nice change from doing readings for people or situations. I've done this a number of times with great results.  It might seem a bit trite, but what I've experienced is that it works just as well as method 1 above in giving me nuances or insights to meanings of the cards which I hadn't thought of and can then be used in other readings.


Learning Tarot isn't just about learning the meanings of the cards but learning to have better intuition and divination skills.  Methods 1 and 5 above I think are great for this. Do you have a preferred way of learning Tarot or cartomancy in general? Share your experiences in the comments below!