About Tarot Reading

Tarot uses 78 cards, all of which have their own symbolism. When you draw cards in a particular order into a spread, each position in the spread will pose a different question about your life. You are not asking the cards to make decisions for you. You are using the cards as a prompt, similar to journaling, only you have pictures to help pull stuff out of your subconscious. Our free tarot reading online works in the same way. The cards are drawn at random, you read the meanings, and you relate them to whatever situation you're dealing with.

The 6-Card Spread

This is a Major Arcana only spread. Six cards, six questions, and by the time you get to the end you'll have a pretty good idea of where you are and where you're going.

1. Where You Are Now

The first card sets the scene. It reflects your current emotional state, the energy you're carrying, and the situation you're sitting in right now. Sometimes the card is what you were expecting. Sometimes it indicates a feeling you've been suppressing. This card is the baseline. Everything else in the reading builds on this.

2. The Thing Holding You Back

Card two names the block. It could be a fear, an old habit, a person, a belief you picked up somewhere along the way. Whatever it is, this card brings it out into the open. A lot of readers say this is the most uncomfortable card in the spread, because it usually points at something you already kind of knew but didn't want to admit.

3. Your Hidden Strength

Now the spread flips. Card three shows you a resource you already have that you may have forgotten you have. A skill, quality or bit of wisdom from the past. Something that's been there all along. This card is designed to balance out card two. You may have a block, but you also have the means.

4. What You Truly Need

Card four cuts past what you want and shows you what you actually need. Often there is a difference between the two, and this card shows you that gap. Maybe it's rest. Maybe it's being honest with someone. Maybe it's having the courage to relinquish a dream that ceased to be useful to you a long time ago. It's speaking symbolically. You complete the rest.

5. The Next Step to Take

Card five indicates movement. Not a massive overhaul in your life, but the next small step you should take that aligns with the rest of the spread. Think of it as a door. The card shows you where the door is, it doesn't push you through it.

6. Where This Path Leads

The final card looks to the future. If you allow the energy of the spread to continue, if you take what you've learned and apply it, this is the general direction that things will flow in. It is not a prediction carved in stone. Tarot doesn't really work like that. It's a probable outcome based on the current trajectories.

Tarot Reading Tips

Here are a few things worth keeping in mind before you sit down with a deck:

  • Start with a real question. Not "will I be happy", but something specific like "what's going on with my job situation right now". Vague questions get vague answers.
  • Take your time with each card. Read the meaning, sure, but also sit with the image. Notice what jumps out. Your gut reaction matters more than any guidebook.
  • Write it down. Even a few notes after the reading will help you to track patterns in your readings over time. You may notice the same cards appearing when certain themes arise. That's when tarot becomes really interesting.
  • You don't have to believe in anything mystical for a tarot reading to be useful. The cards are a tool. What you do with the reflection is up to you.