Would you consider yourself a new reader? How about a reader who is a bit dusty and needs a pick-me-up? This workshop is especially for you if traditional ways of learning tarot aren’t working. Perhaps you keep returning to your deck, but it just doesn’t seem to click, or you look up readings on an app but feel more confused than before.
The first thing I teach is that fluency must be taught at the same time as vocabulary and technique. It should not be relegated to later lessons once you have memorized all the cards. My goal when I teach tarot is to get you, the reader, reading tarot with the first two cards you ever look at.
When we aim for fluency of reading right out of the gate, we are often quickly rewarded with sessions that will delight and surprise us. This is incredibly motivating. The other reason why I think fluency is so important is because becoming comfortable with reading right away defeats anxiety, and it is that anxiety that often kills our ability to listen for those intuitive hits.
How to Read like a Pro in Six Easy Steps
· Assign only one word to each card. That’s it.
· Break your deck into piles of each type. Put the major arcana in one pile. Put the minor arcana of each suit (from Ace to 10) each in its own pile. Then put all the court cards in one pile. You should have six piles.
· Read for others right away.
· Read with 3 cards, no less than that.
· Use a succinct question.
· Read the cards like a graphic novel.
Step One: Assigning One-word Meanings
Here’s the thing, you don’t need to learn every single possible and historic meaning of each card. Just do enough so that you can get your point across. Since I first recommend only one word per card (okay, two words if you force me,) it should be relatively quick to learn all 78 cards. For each card write one word that you think is the best word for that tarot card on a sticky note and put it on the back of each card. You will be using your deck as flashcards. As you go through your day, run through these instead of picking up your phone. When you feel confident that you have memorized the card, take the sticky off the deck.
Step Two: Break Your Deck
Don’t attempt to tackle all 78 cards at once. First start off only reading with the major arcana. Then add the minor arcana one suit at a time. Finally, add the court cards last. Don’t feel the need to rush it. The time frame is based on your comfort level. Don’t worry about breaking your deck into parts, you will still get a good reading with 21 cards (and however many cards you add). Tarot always seems to find a way to get its message across. If you start small and work your way up, you will be amazed to see how tarot answers questions in a variety of ways.
Step Three: Read for Others Right Away
The third recommendation might be the absolute hardest of them all. You are probably going to ignore this one (all my students do,) but trust me when I tell you how powerfully quick you will gain fluency in tarot by following my third rule. Okay, are you ready? It is this: do not read for yourself. Read for everyone else. Read for anyone who will let you. Read for things happening in the news. Read on questions posted on advice columns on relationships. Read for people you meet on social media or at in-person tarot groups. Read about the weather. Read for your dog. I mean it, read for anyone and everything except yourself.
Step Four: Read with Three Cards, No Less
This step might feel revolutionary because what I’m telling you to do flies in the face of just about every single piece of advice new readers get. But hear me out: stop doing one-card-a-day draws. When you do this, you are essentially creating a condition where you are expecting one itty, tiny, bitty, little card to be able to adequately answer a question. You are inadvertently making reading so much harder on yourself. In fact, I honestly think one-card pulls are actually more of an advanced technique.
Step Five: Use a Succinct Question
This step is so powerful that I dedicate a whole chapter to it later in the book. For now, when you are doing readings for others, try to get to as specific a question as possible. For example, stay away from vague, open-ended questions like, “How will my day go?” and turn it into something specific such as, “Will my boss meet with me to discuss my plans, today?” or “What does my boss think about the plan I submitted?” Use unambiguous questions whenever possible. If you are reading for someone, then work with them until you get a question that is clear-cut.
Step Six: Read the Cards Like a Graphic Novel
This is honestly my preferred way of reading, and this is the way I will show you throughout the book. When you pull your three cards, do not assign any position (like past, present, future) to them. Just lay them out and look at them. Then, use your one-word vocabulary for each card to build a sentence.
With these simple six steps you will be reading confidently in no time. In my workshop, I will guide you through this process to free yourself into becoming the best tarot reader you can be: uniquely you!
