Here is where your Tarot Journey Begins
Tarot is a great parable for our lives, the story of our journey.
What is Tarot?
To start your Tarot journey, begin by understanding that the Tarot consists of 78 cards. These cards divide into two groups called ‘arcanas’—a word that means ‘secret’ or ‘mystery.’ When laid out in numeric order, the 22 Major Arcana cards tell a story called ‘The Fool’s Journey.’
The Fool is the Tarot’s main protagonist. He is also a representation of the person who is approaching the cards for a reading. This could mean that The Fool represents you (if you’re reading for yourself), or the person you’re reading for.
The Major Arcana contains 22 of life’s major lessons, mysteries that are common to all of us on our journey in this physical reality.
The remaining 56 cards make up the Minor Arcana. If you’re familiar with playing cards, you already know their structure: four suits, each numbered Ace through 10, followed by the Court cards—Page, Knight, Queen, and King. These Minor Arcana cards represent the daily challenges and victories we face.
How does Tarot Work?
If you’ve encountered Western religions, you’ve likely read or heard the parables Jesus told in the Bible. How many times have you heard of people flipping their Bible open to a verse that was applicable to them in that very moment?
How have those parables affected you or been applicable to your own life?
Every time you turn to your cards, you are creating a new parable, right there, on the fly. You’re creating a story that reflects the lessons you’re actively experiencing in that moment! Consulting your cards will help you see the bigger picture, make choices, develop your intuition, and yes, even hint toward future lessons. As you start your Tarot journey, you gain insight into your life‘s journey.
What is the difference between Tarot and Oracle cards?
“Oracle” is a parent category for all kinds of decks, whether or not they follow a specific rule set or pattern. There are angel Oracle decks, chakra Oracle decks, even cat Oracle decks!
Tarot is an Oracle deck that follows specific rules. You can call “Tarot” an “Oracle” deck, but you can’t call all Oracle decks “Tarot.”
A Tarot deck always includes at least 78 cards (though some artists add bonus cards). It divides the cards into 22 Major Arcana, 40 Minor Arcana (Ace through 10), and 16 court cards. Every deck represents the core 78 cards in some form, and it centers its story around The Fool’s Journey.
Like Tarot, there are some other Oracle decks that must follow a rule set in order to use a specific name. Examples of these include Kipper and Lenormand.
Your Tarot Journey Begins by Choosing a Tarot Deck
Selecting a deck is a very personal choice. If you’re a beginner, I recommend you at least have a classic Rider-Waite, because the majority of learning resources (including this site and my courses) use this deck as a baseline for symbology and meaning. You can always expand your deck collection, or pick one with imagery that resonates with you. View all our decks here, and truly start your Tarot journey today.
Okay, you have a deck. Now what?
Each individual card tells a story, and together, these stories reveal all of the Tarot’s meanings. Learn these stories and you’ll immediately be able to string them together into an accurate reading. Use the imagery of the cards to recall keywords that remind you of the stories you’ve learned. Experiment with different spreads or layouts that define the “plot points” of the story (like “past, present, future”). Learning to read the cards and understand the stories they tell is essential when you learn Tarot.
Jump in and read, whether you know all the stories or not! I can always tell which of my students will become a successful reader by how fast they start reading for themselves and others. Whether you pull a card-of-the-day for yourself or read for others, start reading right away. Push yourself to discover parts of the Tarot that are unfamiliar. Overcome areas that give you trouble. Never stop learning. Commit to sharing what you’ve learned, and use it to help those around you on a daily basis. Practice and feedback are the things that set apart a Tarot amateur from a Tarot professional.
