Tarot Cards

I’ve gotten a lot of requests to do a one stop shop reference for tarot cards, so let’s get to it!

Disclaimer: this has just been my experience with the cards. Results may vary!

What is tarot?

Tarot is a super fun French card game originating circa 1530.

This game consists of four suits with numbers 1 through 10, and then king, queen, knight, and page.

In addition there are 22 trump cards (not in association with the president) with those archaic-looking images on them.

I suggest playing tarot, especially if you like trick-taking games.

Okay… what about divination?

Oh, right. That didn’t come about for another 250 years!

Fans of the occult and mysticism saw those 22 trump cards and began to use them as a tool in their practice.

Some philosophical practitioners believe these cards actually date back to the ancient Egyptian time period and were some of the last remaining remnants from a book that contained the mysteries of life collected in the missing library of Alexandria.

It’s still up for debate whether this is true or not.

How do tarot cards work for witches?

First off, you don’t have to be a witch to read tarot cards.

Hell, you can just do it for fun.

But there are some basics to follow when reading tarot cards:

1. They’re not traditionally used to tell the future.

I know I put this under divination, but that’s a misconception about divination in the first place. The thing you might be thinking of is scrying, where someone uses their tools or their mind to see something that will happen.

No, Tarot cards are used to divine yourself.

What matters to you, what you should focus on, what to do to reduce anxiety, etc.

2. There are a lot of preferences for how to deal your cards.

So, there’s going to be a theme in the next few sections. No matter what anyone else does, the best thing for each individual to do when reading tarot cards is to do what feels right for you.

That being said, some practitioners cleanse their decks by passing it through incense before each drawing.

Some hold the deck in their hands and charge it with their energy.

Others charge the deck overnight under moonlight or near their crystals.

Some shuffle while meditating on a question.

Others wait for the cards to be dealt before asking the question.

Some wait for cards to fall out while shuffling.

Others draw deliberately with a careful hand.

Remember the golden rule: This is about you and your preferences. Do what feels right.

3. Who is answering these questions?

The beautiful thing about witchcraft is that it’s versatile.

Do you have a patron saint? Ask them!

Do you have a deity? Ask them!

Do you have a pantheon? Ask one or more!

Do you worship the cosmic universe and the sheer magnitude of an infinite reality? Ask away!

Do you believe only in the magic of the individual? Get down with your bad self and ask your intuition!

You do you.

How to interpret your cards

Okay, baby. You just opened a whole can of worms!

There’s a lot to uncover here, so I’ll keep things simple and to the point.

I find it interesting to look on other people’s blogs and see how they interpret each card, but maybe you want your own system.

There are a few hard and fast “rules” that you certainly aren’t obligated to follow.

1. The face cards are a process

Starting with The Fool card (0) all the way to The World card (XXI).

This can be interpreted as the progression of man and where you are in the process of your desires.

2. The four suits correlate to an element and an action

Wands generally represent fire and the awakening of change. This means it’s time for you to take quick action on something.

Cups represent water and the fluidity of your gut feeling. This means it’s time to listen to your intuition and maybe take things slow.

Swords represent air and your mental health. This means it’s time to release your anxiety and just get the job done. Press on!

Pentacles represent earth and the physical realm. This means it’s time to get grounded and use common sense to move forward.

3. Sometimes a card will be dealt upside down

This is called a reverse and it doesn’t mean you’re about to die.

It generally means there’s a counterpoint the suit is trying to make.

For example, if you want to know if you should ask your boss for a raise, you might draw the 10 of wands reversed. This could mean that you should take quick action because money is now being allocated, but as a counterpoint, a raise would mean much more responsibility. Are you prepared for that? Change could come with consequences and a heavy burden.

Deck personalities

I’ve had one tarot deck in my whole witchy career.

That might come as a surprise, because people usually have several, but I fell in love.

Remember that deck I showed you at the beginning of this post? The very second I opened it I got a paper cut.

I was a giddy little witch who spent $30 of my hard-earned money even though I was on a budget and this bitch gave me a hearty “Fuck you”.

Some others might take this as a bad omen that the cards wouldn’t cooperate, but this energy resonated with me and I knew I’d found the one.

Now, I’m not attracted to brutality and trauma, but there was something about this deck that told me it wasn’t going to sugar coat its answers.

You might find that the longer you practice with your deck, the more you discover a personality in there.

You might even decide to only use certain decks for certain questions.

They can be funny little things.

Okay, Cat. How do you read tarot cards?

I’m glad you asked! I certainly didn’t set this up. I don’t know what you’re talking about!

For my deck with its big dick personality I like to do a spread.

A spread is any number of cards drawn successively.

I generally like to draw three cards. One representing what was holding me back in the past, one that I can focus on in the present, and one that will help me for the future.

Then I consult a reference book or web page. Hey, I’m new to this too!

No one should ever be afraid to ask for help, especially if they’re just starting out.

As for other spreads, there are more complicated and elaborate ones that give the reader a more detailed insight. I like those too.

“I’ve read tarot cards before and this wasn’t even close to my experience.”

If this is you, I want to know more!

Leave a comment about your deck and how you read.

Reply to other comments and get connected.

You can also message me personally for the Contact Me page and it won’t be seen publicly.

As always, subscribe for more tips and tricks here at That Big Witch Energy blog!

Best regards and happy haunting,

Cat