Choosing Your First Tarot Deck
Choosing a tarot deck can seem daunting when you’re just starting. With so many options out there (Bohemian Cat Tarot, Steampunk Tarot, even Lisa Frank Tarot!) the choices become epic, fast.
Add the nerves around the system itself – it’s so complicated, how am I ever going to learn all 78 cards, do you mean I can read tarot? – and you’re on the fast track for overwhelm.
In a way, I’m eternally grateful for the limited options I had when I started. In the new age bookstore in my town there were probably only three decks, and among those only one really jumped out to me. It was the classic Rider-Waite-Smith, and it has been my go-to deck ever since.
Now, thanks to the magic of the internet, my collection has grown exponentially. Spending a great deal of time in the tarot-verse has me stumbling on beautiful decks often (with disturbing consequences for my budget!) So with those new to tarot in mind I’ve compiled my tips for choosing your first deck.
Let’s get things started…
1. Go Classic
I’m not one for giving direct instructions, so this is as close as I’ll get: If you want to start off learning from the source, get yourself a copy of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck (or the other OG decks of the other two major systems – the Marseille or the Thoth.)
As a reader who primarily uses the RWS, I’ll speak about that tradition. Not only does it resonate with me the most, but it also serves as an excellent jumping off point for learners.
This deck, published in 1910, is the basis of many modern tarot decks. Known somewhat creepily as “RWS clones,” they’ll be a snap to use after you’ve acquainted yourself with the original. The layout, 22 major arcana cards and 58 illustrated pips in four suits, is full of imagery and symbolism you can read so many ways. Think incorporating astrology, numerology, esoteric traditions such as kabbalah, or simply your intuition.
Personally, I adore the illustrations done by Pamela Coleman Smith. For those not taken by the original, there are many other versions available, mostly with retouched colors. Try the Radiant if you want a vibrant pop or the Universal for a more soothing look. The Albano-Waite even has psychadelic colors if you’re feeling trippy.
And conveniently enough, most tarot books address this system, so you’ll have no shortage of resources at your fingertips. With this in mind, I suggest grabbing a copy of this deck even if it’s not your #1 tarot true love - you can use it as a cross reference when using RWS books and other resources.
2. Shop Around
But say you’re not drawn to the classic, Medieval-style illustrations of the RWS and want to find something more exciting. Maybe you’re curious about a modern deck like The Fountain Tarot or a classic feminist deck like the Motherpeace Tarot.
This is where the internet is truly our friend. Google around and find decks you’re interested. Read reviews and look at as many photos as you can get your paws on. See how the cards are grouped and whether the illustrations resonate with you. You can find plenty of reviews on forums like Aeclectic and on tarot blogs. Keep it light – you don’t need to compile a treatise on why you’re choosing a certain deck. Just follow your curiosity and browse away.
3. Find a Hard Copy
There’s nothing like experiencing the real thing. If you have a metaphysical shop or even a bookstore that carries tarot, stop in and see if they have an opened copy of the deck you can see. Hold the cards, even give them a shuffle if you can. You’ll be handling your deck frequently and how they feel in your hand – the weight of the cardstock, the quality of the printing – is an important part of your experience with a deck.
If you have a friend who reads tarot, ask to see their collection. (I love showing off my cards, and there’s nothing more fun that connecting others with tarot. Plus, it’s fascinating seeing what decks people are drawn to!)
But fear not if you can’t see a deck in person – the quality of printing today is excellent and many reviews address the tactile side of cards. If you’re simply feeling drawn to something, go for it and trust your intuition. Which leads us to my final tip…
4. Follow Your Instincts
Tarot can be used practically and even analytically, but at its root it’s an intuitive tool meant to tap into our subconscious. It’s natural then that how you feel about a deck is the most important thing to keep in mind when making a choice. Your first tarot deck should resonate with a deep part of you, inviting you into its world with captivating images and mystery. Otherwise you won’t be called to work with it and your practice will be a slog when it should sing.
I know people who’ve started with decks outside of any major tarot tradition and developed a lush and personalized reading style with them because they feel deeply connected with the cards. For example, I had a student who resonated deeply with the natural imagery of the Wooden Tarot; as a former naturalist she was immediately able to craft profound and moving readings with the cards because of her natural connection with them. And that’s what’s most important.
Are you finding yourself being strongly drawn to the cards and you’re not sure why? Follow this instinct and get the deck.
I chose the RWS when I was 12 because I was absolutely fascinated with it. I saw the deck and knew I wanted to learn tarot. I was curious, nervous, and in awe of the magical world shown in the cards. Find a deck that does that for you and you’ll be enjoying the world of tarot for years to come.
Weekly Forecast: April 10-16
We enter this week full of practical ideas. It’s the very beginning of something new. An idea is hatching and we haven’t hammered out the details or narrowed down the scope. Far from it, in fact. The coming days are all about exploring potential before committing to action.
Our plans right now are new, flexible, and exciting. Maybe they seem more like a feeling than something concrete. This is a good thing! We want to harness the budding tenderness of our ideas right now and see where they can take us. It’s not a time to limit ourselves with practicalities and doubts. What’s the risk when it’s still all dreams and plans?
The Two of Wands shows us perking up and feeling motivated. Maybe we’re even feeling the itch of wanting to make things happen now. Pair this feeling with an unformed idea and you get some tension. We want to get started but we’re not quite sure what we want to do or how to do it. We think we need action, but we really need rest, time, and some creative introspection.
Again, the cards tell us this is natural. Instead of running away from our indecisiveness and uncertainty we should embrace it.
Well, where to then? The Seven of Cups points us squarely towards our imaginations. Beyond practical brainstorming, now is the prime time to get visionary about the future. In terms of thinking, we can go wild. Dream away, go to outlandish places. What’s the wildest, most extravagant outcome that our plan could result in. What do we want so much that we feel nervous even naming it?
This card instructs us to tap into our freewheeling, creative sides. If it’s natural to be indecisive now, we can truly explore all our options. We can do this visually, too. Art, self-expression, and playfulness will do wonders in giving us clarity as we solidify our plans. This can seem counterintuitive, especially given the logic-centric culture we live in. You mean we can abandon logistics and potential hazards, going straight to dreams, adventures, and fun?
In this case, yes. We don’t want to strangle the tender budding ideas just poking their heads above the ground right now. We’ll have plenty of time to think it all through later. In fact, the Four of Swords tells us that we’ll be entering a more logically introspective time after we let ourselves play in a realm of potential. We can trust ourselves here. Giving ourselves time to brainstorm, get creative, and then deal with practicalities will lead to something both doable and exciting.
This is our exercise for the week:
What are your wildest dreams? Put aside all your doubts, judgement, and fears. (Do this lovingly. They have things to tell you, too, though they can definitely be pesky. You’ll address them later.) Explore all sorts of options and then see what links back to the little idea you’re growing. How can they work with each other? Pay the attention to the way you feel when you don’t give yourself any limitations. Remember this feeling and do all you can to protect it when you decide to put your plans into action.
And once you’ve done all that?
Rest. Let all your ideas percolate, giving them plenty of time and space to settle. There’s a lot going on under the surface, and given a nice spell of nurturing and exploration it will soon be ready to burst out into action.
Weekly Forecast: April 3-9
Oh my, this week has a distinctly meandering and mystical quality to it. I’m imagining the feeling of walking up to an exhilarating ride at the fair – one of those bright and jazzy ones that whips you around while spinning upside down. After striding up confidently and exchanging our money we step aboard and secure ourselves with the not-so-comforting rickety seatbelts. Our bravura fades as we realize there’s no going back. We’ve never ridden this particular ride before. What will it feel like? Why are we doing this again?
I love rides at the fair for this reason. It’s a leap of faith. I certainly don’t’ need to be running up to the Cyclone, feeling brave and excited. I’m doing it for the rush. To take myself out of the mundane and feel new – first feeling scared, then shiny and triumphant when my feet touch the ground again.
The cards for this week show us taking a similar leap of faith, one that’s motivated by our feeling of plenty, not neediness. We start out embodying the assertive and adventurous Queen of Wands. This is a card that uses confidence and solidity to catapult to the next level. Fiery, brave, and passionate, she seeks out challenges with the knowledge that they will only sharpen her skills. This week we want to be sharp, to be on the cutting edge, and we’re seeking ways to push up against our limits and boundaries. We know it will take us somewhere new.
This is both the fuel and pluck that brings us to the carnival ride in the first place. Once we get there, however, the mood shifts.
There’s nothing like the feeling before the ride starts. I usually close my eyes, feel the breeze on my face, and take a deep breath before it all begins. It’s all nerves, anticipation, and a bit of self-doubt thrown in the mix. We see a similar effect with the Eight of Cups, our central card. All the chutzpah that brought us to this new place is fading. We feel vulnerable and nervous, full of anticipation before the gears start moving and taking us forward.
When we harness our pluck and strength to start something new we set things in motion that are out of our control. This week we’re being invited to lean into the feeling of vulnerability that comes after decisions. Once we put something out into the world, the world then responds. We can’t say what will come next. We must trust that the bravery that brought us this far is sending us in the right direction.
The Eight of Cups is an encouraging card here. Like the figure in the picture we’re climbing up the stairs with our eyes closed. It’s a beautiful depiction of calm faith and awareness. With closed eyes we can contemplate our inner workings. How are we feeling? What are we noticing arise in this tender time? How do we feel just before the ride begins?
This card also shows us that we’re ready for new things. Ready to add more excitement, bounty, and fulfillment to our lives. We have eight full cups, why not set out in search of more?
If at any time we doubt this search during the week, we should look back to the Queen of Wands for motivation. We are powerful, determined, and creative, just like her, and ready to actively create as rich and magical a life as we can imagine for ourselves. There’s nothing wrong with plenty and vibrance. The Queen of Wands doesn’t stand for self-limitation and neither should we.
So after we’re buckled in, thinking about life, and relinquishing some control to the universe, where do we go next? This cycle isn’t quite ready to wrap up this week and we don’t be doing any of the dramatic spinning of the ride itself. Instead, The Hierophant shows us that we have some mystical surprises in store for us as we wait for the action to start.
What insights and beauty will we find when we take our own special risks this week? Pay attention the little moments of encouragement, insights, and signs that pop up. They can be interior observations, memories, dreams, and even synchronicities and signs in the world around us. Special things are afoot, in no small part thanks to our bravery and desire to experience new things.
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Weekly Forecast: March 27-April 2
What do we want out of life?
Yes, I know, what an epic question! But now is a good time to revisit our plans for the future. This can be big or small picture, by individual project or larger life goals. In either case, the cards for this week are directing our attention towards our ambitions.
Pay attention to your responses. Does the question make you feel energized, apprehensive, or neutral? No matter what you’re feeling, this week sees us all grappling with a sense of “what next?”
We enter the week with the affirming and powerful Chariot, a card that tells us our hard work has paid off in a satisfying, even epic way. We’ve made our parade through town, having achieved great things after harnessing our potential and persevering through hard work.
We can be assured this is no empty victory. We have both the scars and experience to prove it. Yet after mustering all that energy and creating something new, there’s a void in our lives. What do we fill the gap with on our way to the next project? How do we feel about ourselves when the external validation dies down?
Tellingly, we follow The Chariot with the King of Cups. We’re feeling like we’ve really accomplished something, at least enough to assume a position of authority and power of a king. Yet despite the mastery we see in the King of Cups, there’s an underlying sense of stagnation. With all their mastery, the Kings represent a set way of doing things that can lead to absolutism and entrenched thinking.
A far cry from the dynamic, go-getting energy of The Chariot.
This jump seems rife with “shoulds.” Are we acting like kings simply because we feel it’s what we should do next? Does getting what we want make us feel nervous and scared? Are we feeling like we need to repress these negative emotions and put on a cloak of authority to distance ourselves?
The King of Cups is a card that can distance from emotions like a true champion. This can be for good or bad. We need to be able to look beyond the tumult of our emotions when they threaten to overwhelm us. This is especially useful when dealing with the emotions of others in volatile situations.
But when it comes to the personal realm, too much detachment can be truly harmful. If we don’t know what we’re feeling, how can we make the decisions that are best for us? Perhaps the success of The Chariot has made us feel uneasy. Getting what we want can have unintended consequences. If that was possible, we might wonder, what else can I do?
This open ended question is the natural habitat of self-doubt and restrictive thinking. Because we don’t know what will happen next, we’re able to fill this space with uncertainty and negative thoughts. This can be even more powerful after a big accomplishment. What if we never do anything as good again? What if that’s all we’ve got?
Running to a King of Cups stance – being emotionally detached, calm, and stable – makes perfect sense. Who can critique someone who is knowledgeable and judicious? Not many people, but who wants to rule when there are other adventures to be had out there in the world?
This brings us to the Knight of Cups, a card that tells us we need to build on the pioneering energy of The Chariot and continue seeking new experiences. We’re not ready to settle down into a Kingly role just yet. We have too much youthful vim and vigor, too much ambition and creative thinking.
Now is a time to embrace our ambition, get adventurous and romantic in our thinking, and find the next invigorating project to propel us forward.
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Tarot Cards for Spring
Last week we had a visit from the Ace of Wands. It was a very on the nose tarot reading: a waxing moon (increasing energy) with a sprouting branch emerging from the clouds. To me, this was Tarot-ese for “Spring is coming!” And it had me thinking, what other cards personify Spring?
The way I read, time shows up as a feeling instead of a moment. So we might see a certain feeling emerging where we feel energized and refreshed, ready to start anew and cultivate different paths. To me, all these qualities reflect Spring, while more enclosing, hibernating energy suggests Winter.
Below I’m sharing the four cards that I find refelct all the balmy goodness of Spring, along with my takes on each of them.
VI of Cups
Innocence, blossoming, tender memories, meaningful traditions.
This card radiates the fresh innocence that comes with Spring. It’s young children playing at a family picnic, chicks hatching from their eggs, and the warm bashfulness that comes with new romances and friendships. It also embodies the rose-tinted nostalgia that can float in on the warm breeze. The feeling of looking back with fondness on old memories, perhaps looking to rekindle them in our lives through traditions and reaching out to family members and friends. When I look at this card I envision flowers blossoming, fragile, bright, and dewy.
Ace of Wands
New growth, emerging into a new state of being, energy, vitality.
The Ace of Wands shows us the determined exuberance of Spring. Every year buds from on tree branches and bulbs send out shoots to burst through the soil. It’s inevitable and massively energetic. You can’t stop Spring. The Ace of Wands embodies power of the season. It’s a time of creativity, production, and a certain amount of extravagance. Flowers and plants don’t hold back – it’s their time to set the stage and enter the world. In reading, this ace asks us to embody this passion, embracing boldness and brightness.
Four of Wands
Celebration, new romance, appreciating bounty
I know this card is usually interpreted as cozy and traditional, but I get a decidedly more sensual vibe here. If the Four of Wands is all about celebration and romance, I see no problem expanding this to life itself. The delicious feeling of warm air on your skin, walking barefoot and feeling the grass on your toes after months of being stuck in fuzzy socks, reconnecting with your body (and your lover(s)’s). It’s a card that brings pleasure and love front and center, celebrating them for all their giving, joyful glory. Radiate your pleasure outwards, share it with others, and give it a central place in your life.
VII of Pentacles
Cultivation, plenty, joy through work
The Seven of Pentacles brings the bustle of Spring down to earth. Here we see how the work we put in during this season can grow into plenty and prosperity. It’s about getting down into the dirt and planting the seeds you want to see grow in the month to come. Spring, it tells us, is the season to cultivate the traits, projects, and situations we want to see in our lives. It’s hands on work we can get absorbed in, smelling the dirt on our hands and feeling the satisfaction of sore muscles.
What about you? What tarot cards do you find full of Spring energy? Share in the comments below.
Weekly Forecast: March 20-26
This week we’re hearing a call to make a big decision. It’s time for a change, one that we may have been ignoring for a while. Naturally so, of course. Big shifts come with healthy uncertainty – why leave something that’s working perfectly fine? Where exactly are we going next?
There’s no way to confirm an outcome before we take the action. Planning, weighing options, and researching will help us, sure, but once the ball is set in motion… who really knows? Without risk we can become stagnant, and yet foolish risk can lead to unnecessary suffering.
The cards for this week give us as good of a go ahead as we could wish for. Two affirming Major Arcana cards leading towards a King tell us that assured motion towards a goal that’s close to our hearts will result in a feeling of clarity and mastery.
Being human, however, means that leaping from one powerful card to the next comes with some difficulty. Let’s dive into each a bit deeper and see where we can gain some guidance as we move towards something truly majestic.
We begin with Judgement, a card that represents a powerful call. It’s a moment where we must heed a summons, usually one that comes from our hearts. As I write this I can hear a flock of Canadian geese honking as they fly above my house. Every year they make a long migration, flying south for the winter and returning up north in the spring. They make this long journey instinctually; when they start flying it’s not because they logically know they need to get going, it’s because they feel it.
Judgement urges us to take a similar approach, looking to our bodies to tell us where we need to fly next. Now is a good time to check in with yourself. What feels right to you in this moment? What is pulling on your heart, telling you to try something different, to take a risk? Listen to your instinct rather than your brain.
It may be that our instincts have been trying to tell us something for some time now. We don’t have many opportunities to connect with this side of ourselves. Unfortunately, it has been systematically devalued as we favor logic, rationality, and control above all else. The hard-to-pin-down nature of instinct is too difficult to quantify and measure, so we cast it by the wayside with little thought.
Strangely enough, the cards are showing us that if we decide to embrace our instinct for change we’ll end up in a place of increased clarity and control. Tricky, tricky! Learning to magnify our inner voice and take it seriously will make us more powerful and decisive? We see this in the King of Swords, a card that represents power over one’s thoughts and mind. Perhaps the cards are trying to tell us that an integrated mind – one that values both instinct/intuition and logic/rationality – is the most powerful.
This brings us to The Chariot, another card that illustrates control over opposing factors. Or what appear to be in opposition. This card urges us to take the plunge and commit to what our inner voice is telling us. Once we let the call ring loud and clear we must do something about it – bring it into the light and make it visible. The Chariot is an extremely affirming card. It suggests that we can make this next move triumphantly. Our undertaking will be successful and well-received so long as we integrate ourselves fully and stay true to our original motivations.
The overarching message here is to be confident in our intuition and motivations. We can’t do this without knowing them deeply, so be sure to really understand what it is you’re after before you take the plunge. How does this decision reflect your higher values? How can you best use you strengths and truly be yourself? Once you’ve answered these questions, however, (or once you feel in your body that the time has come) make the move! You are primed for this next phase and ready to march out of the gates triumphantly. We could use every bit of heartfelt, authentic action right now. Heed the call and get going!
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Weekly Forecast: March 13-19
Spring has come early this year. In my neighborhood many of the flowers have already burst through the ground and bloomed. The daffodils have run their course and the lilacs and azaleas are taking up the torch.
We’re entering a brighter world. Just last night all of us in the United States set our clocks forward, ushering in longer and lighter days. (And also a few sluggish mornings as we make the adjustment.)
So of course, yesterday had to begin with a cold snap and a little snow. Aside from giving me a good opportunity to use up the last of my firewood, the last gasp of frostiness just seemed past the point.
Even though it’s as definite sign of winter as you can get, the snow didn’t last long. The ground has been basking in the warmth for weeks now – it’s balmy temperature melted the snowflakes in no time. Thank goodness.
The cards for this week show something similar happening to us all. We’ve been soaking up lots of energy and change (just look at the last few forecasts!) that has warmed us, gradually bringing us to a serene place of emotional fulfillment.
This relative peace might be surprising. We’ve been busy with all sorts of big picture developments and the momentum from all this change will carry over into the week for a bit. Overall, however, all the action is subsiding, giving us a beautiful opportunity to let things be and experience the gentleness that comes with knowing ourselves better.
The Ace of Wands shows us how we’re bursting into a new phase. Aces signify beginnings and this hand grasping a budding branch reflects both the literal season and our blossoming this week. We’ll be feeling inspired in the most natural way, ideas emerging with ease and grace.
It’ll be invigorating, but without the stress that comes with “making things happen.” Now is a good time to focus on the beauty and fun in our plans and ideas. While we’re creating them - it's a good moment to avoid rushing into frenetic doing. Like content chickens, we get to sit on our eggs a while, daydreaming before they hatch.
The Waxing Gibbous card furthers the theme of development. All of this is moving us towards a serene depiction of The Queen of Cups: Lunar tides bringing calm waters to lap at our feet. It’s a lovely image that reinforces the glorious full moon we saw last night. We’re in a phase of alignment with nature that is set to bring out the best in us, particularly in our emotional and creative spaces.
So how can we foster the energy of the Queen of Cups? Now is a time to pay gentle and loving attention to ourselves and our feelings. What brings us joy and contentment? How can we move towards these things, making them a more integral part of our lives?
Looking at The Queen of Cups we can see how focusing on our emotional lives with curiosity and acceptance brings both peace and stability. We all know that water changes constantly – it can be flowing, tumultuous, serene, and violent. It can cascade from the sky as rain, follow the moon with the tide, and even blanket the ground as snow.
In Tarot water symbolizes emotions and relationships. The Queen of Cups governs over them with flexibility and grace. This week the cards are urging us to hold ourselves gently and look at the waters in our lives, in whatever form they take, with acceptance and nonjudgement.
This is how the Queen keeps her power and remains grounded while being so close to a sea of feelings. No matter how much the waters change she accepts them for what they are. In peering into them she is able to learn about herself more and become inspired by her changing self.
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Weekly Forecast: March 6-12
I don’t know what it is, but I have a strong need to convince myself and others that I am not into drama. I’m a rational person! I’m calm, considered, caring! Life is just fine for me in its dependable routine, thank you very much. I’m perfectly content over here.
Or am I?
We see declarations like this a lot in delicious, hard to resist reality TV – characters emphatically telling the camera that they hate stirring up drama and then… stirring up some ridiculous and highly entertaining conflict.
This thing is, without these shenanigans we wouldn’t tune in. It would be boring. Like any romantic movie worth its salt, the story needs some easily avoidable misunderstanding to add tension and spice.
This feeling can pop up in our everyday lives, causing us to do a double take. Me? Bored with my life and craving a dramatic disruption? That is, if we even catch it in the first place.
It’s important to admit that we can often create the situations we like to bemoan as if they fell down onto us from the heavens spontaneously. Sometimes we want to feel like the stakes are high and our decisions are charged with big meaning.
After all, it’s more satisfying to run around trying to put out a fire than it is identifying a small tweak you need to make so that your week is more productive.
This week finds us tempted to confuse confusion with calamity. When we see a powerful card like The Tower it can refer to actual events or simply our intense reactions. We might be tempted to assume that this card, in all its fiery drama, trumps the rest of the reading. There it is, front row and center. Something terrible is coming our way!
In other words, a nice, heaping serving of distracting drama.
In this reading, The Tower is a red herring. We’re feeling a creeping sense of dissatisfaction and we don’t know why. Are we more tempted this week to run around like the sky is falling than walk towards our dissatisfaction and investigate its source? Maybe the answer is yes, and this is entirely, understandably human.
Sometimes the energy of The Tower is a welcome distraction from the drudgery of the everyday, though we might not want to admit it at first.
Luckily, we have a choice. Do we turn our lives into a high drama because we’re feeling a tad anxious? Maybe the resulting freakout will be cathartic, but it will also send things tumbling we might not want to fall.
Or do we choose the less romantic route and explore why we’re craving the dramatic shakeup in the first place? In doing so, we have the opportunity to circumvent the chaos and skip ahead to pursuing what we really need to add zest to our lives.
Either way, this reading cheekily suggests, we’re going to have to contend with our dissatisfaction. The dominant color in these cards is a tepid, seafoam green. We see it in the background of both the Four of Cups and the Eight of Cups, but it’s also present in the robes of the people plummeting from The Tower.
This tells us that we’re carrying the feeling with us whether we like it or not. After we fall from the tower, we dust off our robes, and guess what? They’re still green.
So whether we choose to stir up a kerfuffle of distraction a la The Tower this week or not, we’re going to have to contend with these sticky feelings. The Four of Cups sees us wanting to ignore them, but in doing so also ignoring possible solutions. As we move forward in the week, however, we see ourselves journeying into a horizon of seafoam, embracing our true emotional landscape and moving towards it with bravery and curiosity.
Whether we reach this place of acceptance by wrestling through our dramatic distractions or stepping around them, now is a good time to think about what we’re missing and how we can seek it out for ourselves. The lovely thing is we can’t avoid these little adventures in life, so let’s get exploring and use restlessness to bring excitement into our lives instead of preventable chaos.
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How Many Cards Should I Use in a Reading?
So many cards! (From the Fountain Tarot)
A lot of people ask me how many cards they should draw for a reading. Conventional wisdom suggests that more is always better. The reading will be more in-depth! You’ll get more details! More information!
But tarot is a detailed, ever-shifting system. It’s one of the reasons why I don’t read with reversals: Each card has almost endless information. With all the magic of the illustrations and symbolism, it's easy to get plenty of information.
Case in point: the weekly forecasts. Three cards might not seem like a lot, but I spend a lot of time winnowing them down to a readable length. My goal is to make them concise and helpful instead of spazzy and rambling. (Believe me, this can be a challenge with my tarot enthusiasm.)
As you can see, three cards gives me more than enough information to fill three pages, and more if I let myself go wild (see this week's add-on to the forecast, for example!)
I like to approach readings with detail in mind. If I want to focus on my intuition and see where it takes me I'll start with just a few cards, say anywhere from 1-3. After really exploring them I'll draw more for clarification or expansion into whatever came up.
This is a great method for when you don't have a clear-cut question or situation in mind, as is often the case when I read for myself. Using my first smaller draw I'll identify what I need to focus on and then build from there. It's also an approach I use in a lot of my client readings to see where the cards want to take us.
Larger spreads are just divine for situations you're well aware of like "I'm at a crossroads with my career what do I need to know moving forward?" or "What should I foucs on in my relationship?" These questions give structure to all the cards you pull and put them into easily identified contexts.
Larger spreads also give you lots of information, so if your'e looking for a ton of input or feeling adrift they're helpful and exciting. They can serve as a map where you can survey the scene and make plans to move forward.
And, of course, the're magical and beautful to look at. I often spend weeks revisiting and digesting the large readings I do for myself. There's nothing more satisfying than watching the messages of the tarot emerge in your life in real time.
So to end on a short and snazzy note, start small and follow your heart when it comes to tarot readings. The cards can be taken in many different directions. Think about where you'd like to go and plan accordingly. There's no need to limit yourself, but know that each card packs quite the punch of insight.