How Do I Even Start Learning Tarot?

So you just bought your first tarot deck… or have been stalking one on Instagram and have been on the fence about it because you don’t even know how to use cards.

How do you go from knowing nothing about the tarot to being competent enough to read for yourself or your friends?

Personally, I learned by watching YouTube videos (a ton of them) and by hardcore studying. I was a little bit of a nerd in school and actually enjoyed typing up exam reviewers, so memorization was huge for me even with the tarot. That said, the memorization only actually worked when I finally found a deck I could understand. I would literally read the little sheet of meanings that came with the deck every night before I went to bed. For weeks.

But not everyone learns that way, so for all you newbies and tarot-curious folks, I’m drawing up a list of different self-study methods you can use depending on your learning style. Natch, you can also learn tarot by signing up for workshops or taking online classes, but that’s a topic for another time! I started learning the tarot through self-study, so I am certain that these techniques below work and are substantial enough to begin. Use all, pick one, or do a combination of a couple of these—see what works for you and start shuffling… and know that learning the tarot is a constantly shifting and evolving process (we can never say we’ve learned it all!).

If you want to learn the tarot by watching videos…

Kelly-Ann Maddox, who used to go by “The Four Queens” on YouTube was my number one resource when I first learned the tarot. She’s well-spoken (with a lovely British accent), super smart, and has an incredible understanding of how tarot works. I must have gone through her entire Trainee Tarot Course three times in the beginning, with pen and notebook in hand—yup, I took notes.

This 10-video playlist is comprehensive, well-structured, and best of all, FREE. It’s an amazing resource that I feel even seasoned readers should go back to every now and again just to refresh themselves on the basics. Watching this entire playlist is going to take a lot of time and your full attention. It’s not for the light-hearted tarot-curious spectator. If you’re determined to get serious about the cards, you’re going to sit through and absorb all of it.

There are several approaches to tarot (super witchy, astrological / Kabbalistic, technical, etc.) and Kelly-Ann’s take is more psycho-spiritual, which is how I personally read the cards. She has an affinity for Jung and archetypes and looks at tarot as a way to peep into our subconscious—a philosophy that’s certainly inspired me to create PM.

If you want to learn the tarot by reading…

“WTF is Tarot? … & How Do I Do It?” is legitimately my favorite tarot book. Of all time. It took me two or three days to finish it, and I probably would have read the whole thing in under 24 hours if I didn’t have work / life to deal with. Written by Bakara Wintner, who I’ve been following online since the very beginning of my tarot studies, it’s a fresh, irreverent, modern, and relatable take on the tarot. I wish this book was out there when I was first studying, I think I would have taken to the cards really quickly and easily if I had started with this resource.

Bakara relates every tarot card to personal experiences and she breaks everything down in a super accessible way. It’s a very real world, read-tarot-with-Cheetos-powder-on-your-fingers approach to the cards. While Bakara does practice with crystals and does a little bit of ritual work, she explains the tarot in a way that’s very real, down, and dirty (in a good way). I love her no-nonsense approach.

If you want to learn the tarot by listening…

I’ve taken a ton of online courses by Lindsay Mack (I signed up for so many, I haven’t even finished them yet lol). Her podcast, Tarot for the Wild Soul, tackles cards and relates them to overarching themes that are relevant to current times. She also does interviews with different personalities in the tarot and spiritual community, which relate to whatever tarot topic or card she’s tackling in an episode. Lindsay’s voice is super soothing, almost like podcast ASMR (lol). If you want to learn tarot while driving around, cooking, or doing other work, this will make an excellent resource for you.

I’m personally a huge podcast listener and used to be subscribed to a ton of shows! Because so many episodes were popping up on my feed, I went into unexpected overwhelm and have had to deal with the pod-anxiety (it is real!) by unsubscribing from a couple of shows, including Lindsay’s. But every now and then, I do a dedicated Tarot for the Wild Soul search and find an episode to listen to.

Learn more about this tarot newbie’s guidebook and journal here.

If you want to learn by journaling…

It feels a little gross to be pimping my own product in this blog post… but listen, I created this e-book to help people learn the tarot my way, so I can’t not mention it.

The Practical Magic Starter Deck’s official companion book features traditional tarot card meanings (based on the Rider-Waite Smith) and links all that information to the PM Starter Deck. The e-book also has journaling prompts for every tarot card because I believe that the best way to learn the tarot is to form your own meanings to each card. The premise is—you learn the foundations of the cards, you hear why I designed the cards a specific way, and then you use all that information to carve out your own definitions. That way, when you pull cards for yourself, you’re not struggling to remember meanings—all you have to do is rifle through your own personal experiences to figure out what the cards mean.

The book breaks down the tarot according to two systems: Rider-Waite style meanings and numerology. I use both systems in the way I read (Kelly-Ann goes through this very thoroughly in her Trainee Tarot Course).

Cool? Cool.

And JSYK, this is an e-book because I had zero funds to create a printed version when I first wrote this. (Ah, the life of a small biz owner!) Readers have actually printed this book out themselves and some have even had it professionally bound (I salute you!!!). It’s been two years since I created the PM Starter Deck though and thanks to you, my little tarot biz, has grown maybe enough for me to actually create a printed version of this. If you’re interested in a print version, I’d love to hear your thoughts. It’s still a challenge for me to gather up the funds but if interest is strong enough, I shall look into the possibility! Please drop me a line here.

Finally, regardless of your learning style, here are ways to learn that I feel everyone should look into.

To learn how to read the tarot, you need to experience a tarot reading yourself.

If you really want to know what it’s like to read for someone (or even for yourself), it’s imperative that you sit across a reader and be on the receiving end of a reading. This will answer so many questions that I know are on everyone’s mind:

how to shuffle the cards
how to pick cards after shuffling
how to form questions
how to interact with someone you’re reading for
how to string together cards to tell a story
how to figure out the answers when you’re not even sure what the cards mean… and so much more.

I get that readings cost money and not everyone has the means to pay for a reading, but guess what? There are free resources online—you just have to know where to look.

Click through to see the Sunday Reading teaser trailer.

The one free reading I will never stop recommending is Bakara’s Sunday Reading. Bakara (from WTF is Tarot?) does a collective live reading every week—you just have to tune in to her Instagram. The readings are done live but are up for 24 hours after for you to view. She uses two card decks she co-created, the Wayhome Tarot and Postcards from the Liminal Space, both of which are staples in my collection and I use regularly for myself.

It doesn’t cost you anything to partake in Bakara’s free reading and you’ll learn a ton. I mean, I tune in on the regular, not just to receive messages but also to learn.

There are a ton of free readings on YouTube that you can easily get lost in. However, not all tarot readers are created equal and I wouldn’t suggest doing a blind search because you might end up watching some hokey fortuneteller who will teach you nothing about how to read cards. Stick to Bakara, and you’ll at least be sure you’re getting someone legit.

Again, I hesitate to talk about myself in this blog post, but whatever… if you follow me on Insta, you’ll know that on occasion, I do free one-card readings too. When the Q box pops up on my feed, go ahead and participate because even a one-card reading can show you how things are done. And if you’re so inclined and your budget permits, you can also get a reading from me.

Last tip?

You have to shuffle your cards and start reading.

All the studying in the world isn’t going to get you anywhere if you don’t pull cards for yourself or for other people. Don’t be worried about getting it wrong. As long as you establish, from the very beginning, that you’re pulling cards in order to learn, everything is forgiven. Don’t take your initial draws too seriously (in fact, don’t take your draws too seriously even when you’re slinging professionally!). Keep an open mind, battle your nerves, and know that while Google* has answers to everything, your intuition will lead you to the answer you need.

*speaking of Google, you may be tempted to look up the meaning of every single card you draw. This is convenient but super confusing. I suggest picking one or two resources and sticking to them (I am a brand loyalist by nature, so…). Whether you choose a physical book, an e-book, or even an online resource for meanings (Labyrinthos is excellent!), refining your list of sources will help you at the beginning of your tarot journey. Keeping things streamlined and simple will eliminate confusion :)

I hope this post was comprehensive enough for you. Again, you can go through all these techniques and resources, but the best tarot teacher is an actual tarot reading.

Here’s a list of readers whose services I’ve tapped and highly recommend:
• Nicole Mayefske, Big Mouth Tarot
• Kelly-Ann Maddox
• Kelly Fitzgerald, The Truth in Story
• Reina Bambao