So you want to know what tarot is. I’ll answer it simply,
Who knows
ok but what does that mean tho?
Tarot cards are actually a card game from Italy made a few couple hundred years ago. it took off with the Romani people using it as a form of divination, also known as cartomancy. as for what’s actually happening on the table- there’s a few different ways to look at it.
some people believe they’re communicating with angels, others may think they’re talking to a spirit that resides within the deck itself, some may think they’re communicating with Jesus and some might think they’re talking to deceased loved ones or ancestors. some may believe they’re not communicating with anybody at all and they’re simply seeing a mirror; allowing their own perception reflect off the cards before them. whatever you believe- there is no wrong or right answer.
I start a reading by splitting and shuffling the deck until the cards catch on themselves, then I shuffle like normal and wait for the cards to jump out. I don’t do spreads or plan a card count in advance. I just take what’s given to me. I lay out the cards in however I feel is correct and I go from there. I use a combination of knowledge surrounding the symbols in the cards as well as their traditional meanings + intuition. if you’re not a fan of intuitive readers then I might not be the best choice for you, but I suggest you give it a chance and see how accurate it feels.
tarot decks are basically playing cards with the addition of the major arcana. so you know clubs, hearts, diamond and spades? same thing as wands, cups, pentacles and swords. ace through 10 with the addition of 4 court cards: the page, the knight, the queen and the king. Major arcana cards are the infamously named ones such as The Devil, The Tower, The Lovers, The Moon and the 18 others I don’t feel like writing out.
tarot cards are always going to have the same meaning across the same 78 cards, even if there is a different artist behind the deck. I take hints and symbolism from the unique imagery of each deck, but ultimately the message of the card weighs more.
so that’s pretty much the basics if you wanna get into it without getting too into it. feel free to reach out if you have any questions or check out my other posts if you wanna get more information on the decks I use.
happy reading <3