Learning to read tarot cards can be a very daunting prospect, but why is that so, and has it put you off?
I would not be surprised to learn that you feel you couldn’t, or you shouldn’t, learn to read the tarot cards and I think it’s because there is a plethora of extraneous information out there which can be mind boggling! AND there are so many people who appear to be ‘in the know’, that it would seem to anyone, just starting out, that it is a mahoosive task to even choose who to turn to, where to go, and what tarot deck to start with, never mind the thought of learning 78 tarot card meanings. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Add to this the different types of tarot decks, different interpretations of cards, and even the ongoing debate about the origins of tarot, the negative hype, and the mystique that has been attached to tarot over the years, including the banning of tarot by religious groups, it is understandable why anyone might be wary. And this is how Simply Tarot emerged as a shining beacon to lead the way.
There is a huge interest in tarot reading, coming from all sorts of people, from different walks of life, and it is growing rapidly and, at last, it is being brought into modern day light, and becoming more acceptable in many places and many ways. Thousands of people go straight to the horoscopes in newspapers and magazines as a matter of course and without any guilt or misgivings, and I don’t see tarot in any different light than reading horoscopes. Horoscopes are hugely popular and socially acceptable to read, whereas the tarot has an unfair (in my opinion) bias against it.
Our website, Simply Tarot, was developed specifically to bring those who are interested in tarot to the understanding that, not only does the tarot give truly sensible advice, especially if you are using our tarot deck ~ The Tarot House Deck ~ but also that tarot can be used in its simplest form and there is no need to acquire a huge amount of historical, mystical, deep and meaningful knowledge for anyone to be able to read tarot cards successfully.
How does the tarot work?
Quite simply, the tarot cards are pulled whilst the Reader is thinking about a specific question or issue. The tarot cards which are pulled out are then interpreted with regard to that question/issue. How do I know what the meaning of the tarot card is? I hear you ask. Well, most tarot decks come with little books on the meanings of the cards (some don’t of course, and that is not likely to help), and it very much depends on that deck as to whether you will feel drawn to continue with tarot reading, because so much depends on the deck’s visual appeal as well as the information that comes with it – not everyone can keep buying tarot decks till they find the right one, so it can often be a make or break situation. You might love it straight away, or you might be put off tarot altogether because it does not make sense to you.
Simply Tarot created a deck that comes with a leaflet of simple meanings which allows the new reader to make the semblance of a reading from the word ‘go’ just by reading the meanings out. After a very short time, it becomes clear that there is a thirst for much more information, regarding the cards, as they come out in readings. Our website provides a fuller meaning for each card, and in time, with regular use, each card becomes recognisable without having to commit each one to memory by rote. Very shortly you will find you can bring together the different cards when they appear side by side, and understand a deeper level of meaning/interpretation. Not much further down the road, it suddenly occurs to you that when certain cards come up at certain times, there is a feeling that it might mean something slightly different…….this is when the cards are ‘speaking to you’. Then you realise that you are fully reading the cards, and believe me, if you use the cards fairly regularly then it doesn’t take long to get to this stage.
Although our deck is very good for beginners, it also serves very well for experienced Readers (myself for one). Experienced Readers are adept at looking at a card and using their intuition to read it, and I can say The Tarot House Deck works well in this respect. The good news for both the new and the seasoned tarot Reader is that every single image and meaning (short and long) is available to look at on our website, so that the make or break decision happens well before you open your purse or wallet and that is worth its weight in gold!
Let me just straighten out some of things that might put you off, or might turn you on: *I was raised a strict Catholic. I know how the tarot is taboo to many people. I was delighted at how lovely tarot reading was, when my daughter introduced it to me. Yes, I was wary/scared/sceptical, but I am now so glad I tried it. *Great mysteries surround the Death card. 
In most decks this card is also card number 13 (that ol’ superstitious number) and, historically it became the most feared card of all. It just means something has/will come to an end. Now, I have lost people in my life – their deaths were not predicted by this tarot card, BUT life does bring pain, at some time, to everyone and this is one of the cards which helps us to deal with the loss of something precious in our life. In addition I think our Death card image is quite cute 🙂 *Another myth is that you have to be psychic, or magical, in some way to read the tarot. The truth is you don’t. My own belief is that we are connected by various energies throughout the Cosmos, but many people read the tarot without any specific belief in anything otherworldly. *Truthfully, you don’t need to know the history of tarot to read the cards (that saves a lot of delving) but you might find eventually you are interested in knowing, but you can gather this information, as and when you like. *You can read the tarot just for yourself, but you would be amazed if you did readings for friends and family, believe me. *There are some things the tarot will NOT answer because it is not right for you to know just now, and that is just something that has to be accepted from time to time. *At the very least, doing a tarot reading will get people talking and discussing things that often need to be aired – and I think that’s a good thing. *There is probably always going to be a vast market for tarot readers (good ones) * There are Charlatans out there, but hey, there are in most fields of work (including politics if I may make so bold as to say!)
I have THREE simple pieces of advice:
1 Do, first and foremost, respect the feelings of the people you read for.
2 Do respect tarot cards and don’t use them for bad purposes (that’s how Charlatans are made)
3 Do learn to trust your instincts early on when looking at a tarot card. Allow your gut to help you out.
So, Simply Tarot recognised, through experience and research, that people want to find out about tarot, learn to read the tarot, and to do it in the simplest way. We created our own deck with simple but beautiful images, with straightforward meanings that can be revealing at first attempt. Our website tries to fill those gaps of growing interest in tarot without becoming too heavy or overwhelming, and the art is to keep it relevant and easy to understand – our growing audience indicates that we might well be achieving that.
The upshot is this. The tarot has amazing qualities, but over the centuries it has undoubtedly been forced down a dark and dingy road by those who either feared it, or those wanting to keep it a secret in order to make it their own speciality and to make it more mysterious than it actually is. Tarot is, and should be accessible to everyone, because it can open the mind to self analysis, to make us think about our behaviours and how/why these might, or might not, be working for us, and that’s a good thing. There doesn’t have to be anything spooky about tarot, it just can take you by surprise, a little, by its accuracy at times. You can take or leave the guidance a tarot reading gives you, but there is no doubt that we all need, at times, some help, some hope that we can get a handle on our troubles, or hopes and dreams, and tarot cards are the perfect tool for this. If you would like to look at some tarot readings to get an idea of how the cards work, you might want to read your Tarotscopes to get the feel of how our deck looks and how I interpret the tarot cards (it’s all my own work and provided at no cost whatsoever). You might also want to go to choose your own ‘Card of the Day’ to see how even just one card can tell you so much.
I hope I have turned you on to Tarot and shown that it is nothing to be feared and, if I have, why don’t you get started with The Tarot House Deck today and learn along with us?
Good luck
Patricia
Leave a Reply