How to Get the Most Out of Your Tarot Reading

The first time you watch a tarot reading, it can feel like walking into the middle of a conversation. There are oracle cards, a layout on the table, cards you may not recognise, and the reader is already halfway through a story. I remember that feeling well. Here is how I make sense of a reading, and how I think you can get the most out of one.

Every reader has their own way

Some readers are purely intuitive. They pull cards from the deck, look at them and say what comes. Others build a narrative around a known spread, like the Celtic Cross, which is the one I use. And some mix the two. A Tableau, for example, has areas that are set in advance, and the other cards are then interpreted intuitively.

I prefer the structured way with a story on top. The Celtic Cross has a layout that is easy to follow, and it lets me build a story out of the cards rather than hand you a list of meanings. None of these ways is better than the others. It is simply a matter of which one you enjoy listening to.

How a reading is put together

In my readings, the main spread is the core of the story. In the Celtic Cross that means the past, the future, how you are coming into the situation, and above all the action and the outcome that sit around it.

After that, many readers, me included, go back over the cards for a second pass, or pull a few extra cards to add another layer. These are called clarifier cards. I’ll write more about them separately, but the short version is this: stay for them. They often show something you missed the first time round.

Readings are general, and tarot speaks in energies

Most of my readings are general. I am reading for a lot of people at once, so tarot speaks in energies, and an energy looks different in every life.

Take the Chariot. For one person it may look like making a decision and putting it into action. For someone whose work involves driving, it may be much more literal. I try to give examples, but I can’t know your life, so part of the reading is translating the energy into yours. If a card doesn’t fit at first glance, it can help to ask what that energy might look like in your own days.

Listen for the action and the outcome

If I could point to one part of a reading, it would be the action and the outcome. In my opinion the action is the most useful part. A reading that only describes what is going on is a nice story. The action is where the energy turns into something you can carry with you, and the outcome shows where that energy may be heading.

That is why I always add clarifier cards to those two positions. When I am unsure about another area of the spread, I add one there too.

The inner world and the outer world

It also helps to listen for two layers.

The inner world is what is going on inside you: your thoughts, your feelings, what you tell yourself about the situation.

The outer world is what is going on around you: people, situations and events.

Some cards speak to one, some to the other, and sometimes to both at once. If a reading seems a little off, it may be talking about the other world. This is also one reason I read for the moon and rising signs as well as the sun. If you haven’t met them yet, I explain them in which zodiac reading should I watch.

A little bit of psychology

A lot of tarot is psychological. I don’t see a reading as a fixed future. I like to talk about energies and how everything is connected, and I come from a life coaching background, so a few metaphors sneak into my readings.

One I like is the river of life. How are you floating in it right now? Are you swimming against the current, holding on to a branch, or letting the water carry you? Tarot is a way of looking at how you are floating at the moment. The cards are guidance for reflection. What you do with them is entirely yours, and in my experience a reading is most useful when you notice how it connects to your own life.

There is a positive angle in every situation

I always look for the positive angle. Even when a spread is heavy, there is something in it you can take with you into your day. That is what I want you to walk away with. It is also the main reason I add clarifiers: they often bring a lighter, more hopeful layer to a difficult card.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to know the cards to follow a reading? No. I explain the cards as I go, so you can listen to the story without learning meanings first. Over time you will start to recognise the cards and the way they combine, and it gets easier.

Which kind of reader is right for me? Whichever one you enjoy listening to. Some people like the flow of an intuitive reader, and some like the structure of a spread they can follow. Try a few and notice who you come back to.

What if the reading doesn’t match my situation? That is normal with a general reading. The cards describe energies, and an energy can show up in many different ways. Ask yourself what that energy might look like in your own life, and whether it is speaking to your inner world or your outer world.

Why do you pull extra cards at the end? Those are the clarifiers. There are only 78 cards, so one card on its own can mean many things. The extra cards add detail and often show a positive angle, especially on the action and the outcome.

Do I have to watch the whole reading? You don’t have to, but the end is often where the action and the clarifiers come together, so it is worth staying for.

Watch this week’s readings

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General guidance for reflection and entertainment. Not financial, legal, medical or any other professional advice; please seek that separately from a qualified professional.