Are you looking to get the most out of your tarot readings? Whether you’re a beginner tarot reader or an expert, there are many ways that you can improve and enhance your readings. In this blog post, we will discuss 14 tarot hacks that will help you get the most out of your tarot readings. We’ll cover everything from how to choose the right deck to how to prepare.
These best tarot tips and tricks will help you connect with the tarot and get clear, accurate readings every time and make you feel like an experienced reader even if it’s your first time!
Step-by-Step Tarot Reading Tips for Clear, Accurate Tarot Readings
These helpful tips are designed to walk you, step by step, through tarot readings and make sure that you hit all of the important parts, especially when you’re reading for someone else! There may also be times in your tarot reading that you feel stuck–these tarot hacks will help you with those, too.
When in doubt, keep it simple and always return to your intuition.
1. Start with meditation or focused breathing.
You don’t want to begin a tarot reading with any negative energy or poor mental state. The very first thing you should do is to begin with a couple deep breaths. Relax your shoulders and put your focus on your third-eye and your intuition.
Reading tarot requires a hefty dose of letting go… Let go of your worries, anxieties, and ego so you can tap into your psychic abilities. Focus on your self-acceptance of where you are right now.
2. Keep your space free from clutter.
This is an important step you don’t want to miss: make sure the space you’re using for the reading is clean and free from clutter. The vibrational energy from your clutter may have a direct impact on the reading, and it may have a vibrational impact on your state of mind during the reading.
3. Pick the right tarot deck.
When choosing what deck you want to use for a tarot card reading for someone else, it’s best to use a tarot deck you’re familiar with and have a personal connection to. This is the best way to feel comfortable with the deck.
If you have a new deck and you’re really excited to use it, now is not the time. Stick to the tried and true for more significant readings or if this is your first time.
When you are already comfortable with multiple decks, use your intuition to choose which one to use. Personally, I see, in my mind’s eye, a bright light or aura surrounding a deck that is in vibrational alignment with the situation I’m reading on.
RELATED POST: The 20 Best Tarot Decks for Beginners
4. Shuffle and clear the tarot deck.
Pro tarot readers know the importance of shuffling and clearing your deck before reading. Shuffling is meant to cleanse the deck energetically and help erase any energetic imprints from previous readings.
Keeping a clean crystal like clear quartz on top of your deck after shuffling is a great way to keep the energy pure and ready for for your reading! Burning sage or herbs is another way to clear your deck, or knock on it a couple times.
5. Keep the spread simple.
If you are a new tarot card reader, you don’t have to do a Celtic cross spread or horseshoe spread. It is best to start with a simple three-card spread. This will help you get familiar with the tarot and how it works.
Once you feel comfortable with the tarot, you can try doing more complex readings. There are many different spreads that you can use, and each one will give you different insights.
You can either ask a specific question or leave the question open-ended. Personally, I find open-ended questions the best, because tarot is designed to give you insight, not direct answers.
6. Know the tarot card meanings as best you can.
Tarot reading is not about predicting the future. The tarot is a tool for guidance and self-exploration. It can help you to access your own intuition and inner wisdom, and it can give you clarity on issues or questions that you may have.
Make sure you know the difference between Major arcana cards (major spiritual events in our lives) and the minor arcana (daily events or feelings).
Here are a few other specific meanings of the cards you should have down before your first reading:
- The Death card doesn’t mean physical death, but rather the end of a cycle and new beginnings.
- Drawing a Court card can mean a person in someone’s life, or an archetype they should embody! (Clarify with another card: if you get another court card, you know it’s a specific person in their life!)
- The Devil card is all about our vices and shadow side–not the actual devil.
But remember, there are different meanings for every card, for every situation. Keep an open mind and do your best.
7. Use your intuition for what you don’t know.
This tarot tip is one of the most important! When you’re new, it can be daunting to try to remember all the individual cards in a deck of tarot cards. (There are 78 of them, after all.) When you don’t know, use your intuition.
Look for clues in the imagery on the card. Tap into your gut instincts or open your third eye to feel what the card is trying to convey. This can take some practice, but developing your intuition is always worth the time.
8. Ask for clarification.
If you are not comfortable with something that is said during a reading or a card that comes up, you can always ask the cards to clarify.
You’re not a fortune teller in a traveling circus, you’re a tarot practitioner. When there is confusion or conflict, stay calm and ask the tarot deck for a clarifying card. Hopefully this card will be one that helps tie the other cards together in a cohesive way.
9. Keep everything confidential.
This isn’t as much as tarot tip as much as it is a professional tip…
Tarot readings are confidential. What is said during a tarot reading should stay between you and your client or friend.
10. Stay non-judgmental.
You may have a particular association with a card, but when the person for whom you are doing a reading sees it, they may have a completely different idea in mind. This is okay! The reading is for the person, not for you, so read the energy and allow the person to make their own judgments.
They might also have certain questions they want answered that feel petty or off to you. Don’t allow this to seep into the reading. Instead, you might offer that rephrasing the question could offer more clarity.
11. Ask the person what they see in the card.
If the deck you are using is particularly visual and has lots of visual clues, don’t be afraid to ask the person what they notice, or how the card speaks to them.
Good tarot readers develop a rapport and personal connection with the people they’re reading for. Make sure the reading isn’t a one-sided conversation.
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12. Give your opinion but don’t force advice.
The best tarot readers are those that interpret the cards and stay grounded and centered, not letting drama overtake them. The last thing we want to do is to make the person come away from a reading feeling like they can’t handle whatever life is about to throw at them.
13. Supplement with oracle cards.
If you’re confident or want to use more than one deck, try an oracle card deck! They’re great for specific questions or giving advice because the cards’ meanings are often more niche than a tarot’s “big-picture” style.
RELATED ARTICLES:
Oracle vs. Tarot: What’s the Difference?
The Best 20 Oracle Decks for Beginners
14. End the reading on a positive note.
If the overall reading or a particular card was negative, draw another card as something to look forward to. Ending on a high note is essential. We want our clients to feel that there is hope. We want them to come away from a reading feeling good.
At the end of the day, the only thing you can do is your best!
A Few More Quick Useful Tips
- If you haven’t ever read for someone before, try reading for a close friend or someone you feel comfortable with.
- Make sure you practice on a regular basis to get comfortable and develop your own relationship with the cards.
- Read tarot books to develop your craft.
- Find new ways to connect with your tarot decks on a personal level, and make sure to do readings for yourself.
- Follow and watch tarot practitioners on YouTube or Tiktok.
- Do a daily draw to familiarize yourself with a new deck.
- Keep a tarot journal. (I don’t use anything fancy–I just made my own!)
- Keep learning tarot spreads. There’s a spread for every situation!
- Join the tarot community on social media. Tarot professionals and newbies alike are happy to talk and share a lot of information about their own interpretations or specific questions you might have!
Conclusion
My top tip… the most important thing I want to share with you is this:
Trust your instincts and follow your divine wisdom. There are all kinds of different ways to conduct a tarot reading, and they’re all valid! Take your time, go slow, and listen to your intuition on a deeper level.
Your inner guidance will always serve your highest good!
Good luck on your tarot reading journey!
READ MORE: The 10 Worst Tarot Cards to Draw in Any Reading