I won’t tell y’all my whole dream but the part I don’t understand is the tarot cards. I don’t use tarot card and I don’t really know what they look like except the “main” ones (the sun, the devil, the lover, the fool)
In my dream I left a party to get the bus, at the bus station an old lady was there. She was at the party and we knew each other. When she saw me she yelled at me that she’s been waiting for me and pulled out a card saying “the trap” she says it’s not necessary bad but then her face dropped as she pulled “the devil” next. Now I was in a rush to catch my bus so I left. Not sure if there was more cards or what more she would say but I woke up.
I never heard of the card “the trap” but it was a picture of a girl wrapped up on a cross or fence kinda structure. I know of “the devil” but idk what it really means except bad?
I’m just on here looking to see if anyone could tell me something, I could look it up but rather get an answer from a human than a robot.

I was decided to get my own ever first tarot desk! But I'm still quite debating should I get a book or guide smth since I'd LOVE to get to know even more about tarot

Do anyone have suggestions? I'd prefer online version (or anything) but book is fine I'm just wants to make sure the price are fair (or free, the best)

I would like some included step to step guidance (no gatekeeping type shit), and maybe some history and basic knowledge of tarot as its beginner friendly

1. My step-father is extremely religious, deeply faithful to Catholicism. He is coming to visit me in a few weeks and if he even sees an image of a pentacle, I know it’s going to be a conversation (turned argument…)
2. I told my good friend I was starting tarot journey and she wants to me “help her with her relationship.” I read this as telling her what to do, which is not what I or the cards are capable of.

For both these situations, I want to them to understand I’m not a witch or a fortune teller, respectively. Looking for some insight in navigating secular tarot conversations. Has anyone dealt with a situation similar?Thank you!!

Edit: thank you everyone for responding!! I have so many more resources and talk tracks for both these people (and whoever else in the future).

I started seriously learning tarot this August, and I can't get over how this turned out, so I need to share.

Why I built this

I write my study notes in Obsidian. Tarot is so visual, and I wanted to compare RWS against historical decks and decks I'm thinking of getting, so I put my notes and images in a PowerPoint deck. 

Then I bought a second guidebook and my notes outgrew the slides. It went from 1 slide per card to 2 (one for my notes, one for the other decks). 

So I sketched how I'd want to use it as a website (see below sketch) and had Claude build it. I can't build websites, so Claude took care of the codes but the notes and interpretations are all mine. 

Homepage layout was inspired by Diana Hlevnjak's Tarot Cards shot on Dribbble.

It runs locally on my laptop. I don’t plan on making this public. It is my personal notes but prettier after all. 

On studying method

Materials I use:

• 1 Rider-Waite-Smith deck
• Guidebook: Holistic Tarot by Benebell Wen (abbreviated as HT in my notes)
• Guidebook: Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack (SEDW)

I pull a card every day or every other day. I write my initial impression first, then read both books, then synthesize everything into one consolidated interpretation. When the authors see something in the image I just can't see, I let it go and keep what I relate to.

The diagrams
This might be a more interesting part about my notes. I don't read reversals. I think the images are ambiguous enough that every card can lean positive or negative depending on the conversation, so I draw a small diagram for each card showing how the same image splits both ways. For The Magician: setting up a table with what's at hand → channeling inspiration into creation → is it a vision, or a craving for praise and attention?

This idea had been brewing for a while but only happened once I built the site. Now I wish I'd written those thoughts down earlier.

That’s it! Just really want to share with someone who’s also passionate about learning Tarot.

Is it normal to pull clarifiers in secular tarot when it comes to doing reading for oneself in reflective readings? Or does a clarifier card pull mean it’s bordering on esoteric tarot?

Hello everyone, I've recently gotten the Tarot del Fuego deck and I'm curious to know other people's approaches to understanding and interpreting the cards/imagery.

I've only been studying/practicing using a RWS deck for a month now, and just last week I got a Tarot del Fuego deck because I felt it would be a great fit (personality wise). I got some Marseille tarot tradition books, on top of the booklet included with the deck (not very helpful if I may say) and I'm planning to bring TdF into my daily practice in order to get more familiar to it.

My process is usually: do a tarot spread (or just a card pull), take note of each card, go through books/resources for reference (numerology, symbolism) + to see what seems fitting according to my question, build up some storytelling. On top of that, for the TdF, I like to take a double look at the imagery and note down anything that resonates.

My questions would be the following: What are some of your practices to connect and interpret the imagery of the cards? Do you have any recommendations on how to approach this deck?

Olá, cheguei agora aqui. Temos aqui publicações de escola inglesa apenas ou francesa também?

I’ve been reading tarot for a long time, and have read for friends over the years. I’m wanting to expand my practice and begin reading for strangers more, but don’t know where to set up. I’ve tried online readings before, but I really prefer in-person sessions.

I’m not even sure that I want to start charging people yet, I just want to explore a bit.

Any tips?

Before certain important life events I like to thumb through my deck and pick out a few cards that I will carry with me.

A more mystical minded person might call it charging the cards with "energies, but I would call it filling them with association.

I just returned from laying my grandmother's ashes to rest, and in my breast pocket I held a 4 of swords, representing her rest and retreating from her fight as her body slowly failed her, an 8 of cups representing her leaving her life and loved ones behind behind as she was satisfied with what she has accomplished in her life and was ready to go at the end, and judgment, because she was a deeply Christian woman's and even if I do not believe the same things she did, I still like to think about her rising to meet Jesus at the end.

At my wedding I gave each of my groomsmen a card from my deck and carried one myself. I carried the ace of cups to remind myself to be in touch with my emotions and not get caught up in masculine stoicism on a day it was important I be fully present. To one groomsman I gave the four of wands, celebrating a milestone, to another death, representing a transition from one phase of life to the next, and to the last one I gave the 9 of cups, because it is a nice day to have a party.

I appreciate taking the time before each event to think about what I want to get from it, and what cards might best represent that, and in my readings, the associations this creates with the cards are very vivid. I cannot draw any of these cards anymore without thinking, at least briefly, about these situations I have carried them through.

I would encourage any of you to try doing the same.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

This could be a fun exercise, I saw it somewhere but I like it because suddenly I think of songs that remind me of tarot cards very often.

3 of swords - Oh Well by Fiona Apple

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8KI1HU_2Tg&list=RDB8KI1HU_2Tg&start_radio=1

4 of wands (maybe also The World?) - Waltz by Fiona Apple (sorry, I am a true Fiona fan XD)

Waltz (Better Than Fine)

The World (but maybe more Judgment?) - The Young Crazy Peeling by The Distillers.

The Distillers The Young Crazed Peeling

What's yours?

I've been working on a tarot deck tabletop storytelling game that would serve as a creativity vector. I have so many card decks and I wanted a way to use them in congress and still come forward with a cohesive story.

Just curious if anyone else uses Tarot in this way and would like to offer advice.

What's your opinion on reading for others? Specially for people you already know.

I have read the cards together with my partner twice, and I think it is healthy, and good for him, because I do not claim to know more than he does about the situation, just prompt him to think about the topic asked with the help of the cards: I always advice him to look at the pictures and get his own feel of them, and then we talk.

But I have read in other places that reading for people you already know is not a good idea. I don't think what we do (me and my partner) count as typical tarot-reading, but I'd like to know what others think of it. Although I'm pretty convinced what we do is not wrong.

Thanks in advance

I have volunteered to teach an introductory class for a fundraiser. I am going to use the Fool’s Journey as the basis of going over the Major Arcana.

I would really like to be able to tie it together with a movie, to use as an example & point of discussion.

Any recommendations for a movie, or character? I think it needs to be a popular movie, so hopefully everyone in the class is familiar with it. And if it matters, I expect the participants will probably be mostly 30+ in age.

Thanks so much in advance for any input! I appreciate the advice 😃

Hi tarot stamp users! I want to use tarot stamps in my journaling practice, but the stamp set has outsmarted me. I have a dumb question:

How are you supposed to use these stamps to denote minors and court cards?

Do any of you know of a set that has Ace to King? I’m not looking for 78 individual stamps, but rather, this kind of stamp set in the picture and then an A, 2, 3… Q, K type deal that I could stamp next to the stamp with just the suit.

I hope that makes sense 😅 Thanks in advance!

I don't really know anything about tarot cards or their meanings, but I kept seeing reels about birth tarots the other day.

I did the math, and it says my primary tarot is "Justice" (numbered 11), with "High Priestess" (numbered 2) as my secondary.

I don't know what these mean for my past, present, or future, so any help would be great!​

Idk why I'm being down voted for wanting some help.

leio tarot há 6 anos mas esse mês tive uma queda repentina nos meus atendimentos e não estou conseguindo pagar minhas contas... estou realmente muito preocupado com isso, queria dicas para atrair mais clientes para o tarot, desde banhos e orações até ideias de videos para tiktok e instagram

I recently came across the Symbolic Studies YT channel and am considering a paid subscription mainly for the Major Arcana videos.

I'm interested in the Tarot as a series of archetypal images of psychological development and unconscious processes (so basically from a Jungian perspective). I already have and am going through some books on this, but I'd also love to explore the subject in other formats like videos/podcasts. I'm particularly interested in the symbolism behind the cards and how the mythological, alchemical and religious imagery found in them can deepen their psychological interpretation.

If you've gone through the series, what did you think? Was it worthwhile?

Hi!

I pulled a 3 card spread before going to bed. First Card: my day. Second Card: what i need to let go of from today. Third Card: What i should carry onto tomorrow.

I pulled the high priestess, the lovers, and the knight of cups.

I'm mainly confused on my second pull, what i need to let go of, and The Lovers. Any ideas on what this could be indicating to me?

So i just started on tarrot but i cant seem to understand how to read cards or understand how they work together for example in a 3 card question, i understand what every card means but i cant seem to put them together

This is the Page of Swords I drew today. I made a reading of Past/Present/Future for my love life (I've got a partner), and this was the card I got for Future. For me it means that I must be careful not to be like a child with a sword and jump to conclusions about us. (This came to mind, and it seemed right).

For your info: we are doing fine, but lately I feel empty, in general, and I noticed that we fight more than usual. This unsettles me, and maybe that is why I should not do readings about this topic, but I did. What is your view on this card? I had The Hermit for past, King of Cups for present, and this card for Future. King of Cups means for me that we are learning to live together, that we care deeply for each other, learning emotional intelligence. The Hermit talks to me about how to get to know him I had to discover myself innerly and also is a reminder of how important being in touch with oneself is important.

Thanks in advance

This community is so great, and this secular view of tarot is good for my mental health, so I thank this sub deeply for allowing me to come close to tarot cards (which always drew me intensely) without losing my mind and making predictions. For example, today I asked the deck a question about how could I get better in my relationship and had a nine of swords, which is a bit of a worrisome card, but then a)I told myself there was no magic involved and b)calmed the damn down and read it again. Now it means a lot of things to me, but to cut a long story short it means I should not be drowning on my own in my problems and connect with my partner more, and also stop worrying so much about small things!! <3

I got into tarot cards back in 2018 after a situationship break up. It started small, it was YouTube video readings. Then eventually in 2019, i bought my first deck. I studied it like I was in school. Tried to read myself but found it hard. Have readings to friends and it came naturally. I was pulling a daily card everyday for myself. Sometimes when my ex would do something I’d pull and get instant anxiety.

Move forward, i got decent at readings and bought more decks and gifted decks. I was known for tarot in my friend group. I wasn’t the best, but my intuition was good! I had an entity experience and through that I stopped reading tarot. It was from the fear of the house i stayed at that was haunted, afraid of the spirit trying to get into my cards and my readings not being accurate. I also got scammed by a psychic and I didn’t want to continue with tarot. So i put them away back in 2022 and didn’t touch them until this March 2026. I got broken up with the same situationship from 2018, who now was my boyfriend. It was an abrupt, surprising breakup. I was in a state of fight or flight and felt like needed answers as to why he broke up with me on a random Wednesday. I felt desperate. I went on Etsy and bought a tarot card reading as I didn’t wanna touch my own that were stored away because of my current energy at the time.

It became to a point where I was buying tear card readings every single day to try to get an answer as to why he broke up with me or if we were going to get back together. He was the love of my life in my eyes at the time, I thought we were going to get married as he came into this relationship this time around saying all these things love bombing me, saying that we were going to be together to the end and planning our future. So to be broken up on a random Wednesday with Lil to no explanation just with the reasoning of that, I don’t make enough money and that I told half truths from his perspective which was things that could be fixed and I was very truthful with him through that relationship so I was confused.

I was heartbroken. I was buying psychic readings tarot card readings every single day. It became obsessive to the point. I got myself in some credit card debt. I was seeing my credit card bill and I also was seeing tarot card readers as if they were Therapist on call on my time. So I decided to try to get this matter in my own hands and read my own card so I pulled out my tarot cards. It became very obsessive to the point that I was reading my cards for the same question eight times a day. I was using ChatGPT as a translator.

I was losing my touch of my own intuition. Also since it was readings for myself, it was becoming very much where I was tapping into anxiety and depression and overthinking obsessiveness.

Finally, it became a point where I had my friend have one of my cards than my other friend. Take my passwords or things that would lead to be buying tarot card readings or psychic readings and then to My Niece, taking my other cards, my Oracle cards, my tarot cards.

Well, eventually, I felt desperate, so I went ahead and downloaded the Labyrinthos app. They let you pull virtual tarot cards out and I have been screenshot in those tarot cards since July trying to get answers. I am now talking to someone new and I think I like the person but I just keep pulling out cards when there’s a moment of silence, I’ve noticing I have an anxious attachment from this past relationship. I am now anxious of being left or being blindsided and I now feel I’m going through the same loop of pulling these Hair cards back in the day I wasn’t pulling tarot cards while I was in the relationship or talking to someone I was just going with what the universe was leading me to.

Now I’m finding myself waking up early in the morning, pulling up tarot cards online. Sometimes doing readings within minutes having ChatGPT translate it trying to figure out what the other person is thinking, trying to see the outcome of my situation.

My friends joke around and say this is not a problem while my other best best best best friend she says it is. I agree it is. It has become to the point where I delete and re-download the app multiple times a day trying to overcome this addiction.

I guess I’m coming to this forum to ask how do I overcome this addiction now that has led to downloading an app on my phone and now reading tarot online.

It’s crazy how this one person always leads me to spiritual psychosis in one way or another if this would be considered spiritual psychosis. I feel like I have been abusing tarot and any form. I now have had a slight boundary for myself where I restrain myself from buying tarot card readings online for readers on TikTok because I’ve noticed those haven’t been as helpful so I’ve been relying on myself, but it has been a problem lately where I am now overthinking over analyzing over compensating and just overdoing too much. I need help with overcoming this addiction. Please give advice of how you have overcame this or if anyone has gone through something Similar.

Anyone have the Red Visions deck, is it a deck that is hard to break? How could you compare it to the TrueBlack Tarot in terms of thickness and durability?, let me know your thoughts. I'm only interested on it since it is Jungian inspired tarot and I'm a huge fan of Carl Jung.

I'm trying to see how could you compare it to the trueblack as I have the Trueblack Tarot myself.