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How to Read Tarot Cards Yourself: A Simple Method

Tarot · ~8 min read

We often imagine that reading the cards takes a gift, formal training, or years of practice. In reality, all you need is a clear method and a little honesty with yourself. Here's how to go about it, step by step, without jargon and without any magical promise.

What a reading does — and what it doesn't

A card reading is a support for reflection. The images, the symbols and the way they line up force you to put words to what you feel only vaguely, to name a block, to consider an angle you hadn't seen. That's where its real value lies: it makes your situation easier to read.

A reading, on the other hand, does not reveal the future with certainty, does not tell you what another person is thinking, and never replaces professional advice — a doctor, a lawyer or a financial adviser remains the right person for questions of health, law or money. Keeping that limit in mind is what separates a nourishing practice from an anxious one.

The method in six steps

1. Ask a question that concerns you

This is the decisive step, and the one most often rushed. A good question is open, centred on you, and leaves you room to act.

• ✅ "What is holding me back in this project?"
• ✅ "What do I need right now that I'm not giving myself?"
• ✅ "How can I approach this difficult conversation?"
• ❌ "Does he love me?" (it puts the answer outside of you)
• ❌ "Will I get a raise in March?" (closed, predictive, unverifiable)

Tip: if your question starts with "will I" or "when," rephrase it with "how," "what" or "on what." You'll move from passive waiting to a path for action.

2. Settle for two minutes

No elaborate ritual is needed. Turn off notifications, breathe slowly three times, read your question aloud. This short pause makes a concrete difference: it shifts you from "scroll" mode to "attention" mode. It's that attention, more than the atmosphere, that makes the reading useful.

3. Shuffle and cut

Shuffle the deck however feels right — riffle shuffle, overhand, spreading them flat, it doesn't matter. Some cut the deck with the left hand, others draw at random from a fan: these are conventions, not rules. Decide too, before you begin, whether you read reversed cards or turn them all upright. When starting out, ignoring reversals makes the reading much simpler.

4. Choose a spread that fits

More cards doesn't mean more clarity. Three formats cover almost every need:

• One card — the daily card. Perfect for learning and for a one-off question: "what's the tone for today?"
• Three cards — past / present / future, or situation / obstacle / advice. The most versatile format for a specific question.
• Five cards in a cross — situation, obstacle, resource, advice, direction. Save it for important questions, once you've got the basics down.

Write down the meaning of each position before you turn the cards over. Otherwise, it's tempting to bend the positions to whatever suits you.

5. Read the cards together, not one by one

The classic beginner's mistake: reciting three memorised definitions without ever connecting them. A living reading is built in the following order:

1. Look at the image before opening any guidebook. What do you see? A figure moving forward, backing away, waiting? What's the mood? This first impression counts.
2. Take the position into account. The same card doesn't evoke the same thing in "obstacle" as in "advice."
3. Observe the whole. A lot of Major Arcana suggests a deep, structuring theme; a majority of Minor cards points more toward daily life and the concrete. You'll find the detail of the great figures in our guide to the 22 Major Arcana.
4. Tell it in one sentence. "I'm in a phase of withdrawal, what's holding me back is the fear of disappointing, and the path suggested is to ask for help." If you can't form a sentence, the reading isn't done yet.

6. Finish with an action

A reading with no follow-up stays a pretty interlude. Note one single thing to do in the coming days: a message to send, a boundary to set, a break to take. It's that tiny gesture that turns the reading into real movement.

What it sheds light on day to day

After a few weeks of practice, people often notice three effects. First, you put words to fuzzy states: "I'm tired" becomes "I've said yes to three commitments too many." Then, you spot your patterns: by keeping a reading journal, you see the same cards come back at the same moments — a sign that an underlying question isn't being addressed.

Finally, the reading serves as a pause. In saturated days, sitting down for five minutes to ask "where am I at?" has value in itself, independently of the cards. Many people use the reading exactly like that: a regular appointment with themselves.

Watch-outs

• Re-drawing until you get the "right" answer. If a reading doesn't please you, note it and let it rest. Stacking readings on the same question dilutes everything and feeds anxiety.
• Looking for dates and certainties. The cards offer symbolic paths, never guaranteed facts. A reading that announces something as inevitable is a reading to be wary of.
• Deciding on a treatment, a lawsuit or an investment based on a reading. Use the cards to clarify what you feel, then go consult a qualified professional for the decision itself.
• Reading for someone else without their knowledge. Prefer to turn the question toward yourself: "how do I position myself with this person?" rather than "what is she thinking?"
• Dependence. If you can no longer make an ordinary decision without a reading, take a break. The practice should widen your freedom, not shrink it. And if the anxiety persists, talking to a health professional remains the best option.

Frequently asked questions

Do you have to be given your deck as a gift?

No. That idea is a recent tradition, not a rule. Choose a deck whose images speak to you: it's your ability to react to the illustrations that makes for a good reading, not where the deck came from.

Can you read the cards for yourself?

Yes, and it's actually the best school. The known difficulty is emotional involvement: sometimes you read what you're hoping for. Two simple safeguards help a lot — write down your question and the role of each position before drawing, then reread your reading a few days later, in the cold light of day.

How often should you draw?

One card a day to learn, and a fuller spread when a real question arises — no more. On the same subject, let at least a week pass before drawing again: the situation needs time to evolve.