How to read tarot cards: a beginner’s guide

To read tarot, you ask a clear question, shuffle, lay out a set number of cards in a spread, and read each card through its position. Then you read the cards together: their suits, their numbers and the story they tell from first to last. The meanings come from tradition; fluency comes from practice.

By Wendy Zhang, Founder of Solacely · Updated November 16, 2026

1. Get to know the deck

A standard tarot deck has 78 cards. The 22 Major Arcana, from The Fool to The World, describe the big themes of a life. The 56 Minor Arcana describe everyday events and fall into four suits:

Wands (Fire): action, ambition, creativity
Cups (Water): feelings, love, relationships
Swords (Air): thoughts, words, conflict
Pentacles (Earth): work, money, health, home

Each suit runs from Ace to Ten, followed by four court cards: Page, Knight, Queen and King. Learning the suits and what each number means gets you surprisingly far. A Five is a stage of conflict in every suit, so the Five of Cups is emotional loss and the Five of Pentacles is material hardship.

2. Ask a good question

Tarot answers open questions best. Phrase the question around something you can understand or influence:

“What do I need to understand about my situation at work?”
“How can I approach the conversation with my sister?”
“What is standing in the way of this relationship?”

Questions about other people’s private thoughts, or fixed predictions of dates and outcomes, tend to give muddy readings. Keep yes or no questions for a single clear decision, and use the yes or no spread for them.

3. Shuffle and draw

Shuffle while holding your question in mind. Any method works: overhand, riffle, or spreading the cards face down and mixing them on the table. If you read reversals, turn part of the deck around as you shuffle so some cards come up upside down. Stop when it feels right, then either deal from the top or fan the cards out and pick them one by one.

4. Choose a spread

A spread is a layout where each position has a meaning. The position changes how you read the card in it: the Tower in a “past” position is an upheaval you have survived; in a “near future” position it is a warning.

One card: a theme for the day, or a quick check-in.
Three cards: past, present and what comes next. The best spread to learn on.
Five-card love spread: you, them, the bond, what is in the way, and where it is heading.
Celtic Cross: the classic ten-card spread for an important question.

5. Read each card in its position

Turn the cards over one at a time. For each card, notice three things before you look anything up:

The image. What is happening in the picture, and how does it make you feel?
The traditional meaning. The core of the card, upright or reversed. The card meanings library has all 78.
The position. Translate the meaning through the position and your question. The Three of Cups as “what is in the way” might mean a social life that leaves no room for the relationship.

6. Reversed cards

A reversed card keeps its theme, with the energy blocked, turned inward, delayed or overdone. The Sun reversed is joy that is dimmed or postponed; the Five of Swords reversed is a conflict winding down or regret after it. Reversals add nuance, and you can always leave them out while you learn.

7. Read the cards together

This is where a reading comes alive. Step back and look at the whole spread:

Major Arcana. Several Majors mean a significant chapter. None means everyday matters within your control.
Suits. A dominant suit shows where the situation lives; a missing suit shows what is overlooked.
Numbers. Repeated numbers repeat a stage: two Aces are new beginnings, three Tens are endings.
Court cards. Many court cards put people at the center of the question.
Flow. Read from the first card to the last as a story. Is it getting lighter or heavier?
Elements. Neighbouring cards of Fire and Air, or Water and Earth, support each other; Fire beside Water, or Air beside Earth, create friction.

Every reading on Solacely does this synthesis for you, so it is a good way to see the method at work. Try a three-card reading and compare the summary with your own impression.

8. Practice every day

Draw one card each morning and write a line about it. In the evening, note where its theme showed up. After a month you will have met a third of the deck in your own life, and those meanings will stay with you far better than anything memorized from a list.

Frequently asked questions

Can you read tarot cards for yourself?

Yes. Reading for yourself is how most people learn. A daily one-card draw and a short journal note is the simplest way to start.

Do you need psychic abilities to read tarot?

Tarot reading is a skill built on the meanings of the cards, their positions and how they combine. Intuition grows with practice, the same way it does in any craft.

How long does it take to learn tarot?

Most people can do a useful three-card reading within a few weeks of daily practice. Learning all 78 cards in depth, and reading them fluently together, takes months.

Should you read reversed tarot cards?

It is a personal choice. Reversals add nuance, showing energy that is blocked, delayed or turned inward. Many beginners start with upright cards and add reversals later.

What is the best tarot deck for beginners?

A Rider-Waite-Smith style deck. Its fully illustrated cards are the basis for most books and websites, including the meanings on Solacely.

What questions should you ask tarot?

Open questions you can act on work best: “What do I need to understand about…”, “How can I approach…”, “What is in the way of…”. Keep yes or no questions for a single clear decision.