If you’ve recently started reading tarot cards, you might be wondering how you can enhance your skills and become a better reader. Even if you are an experienced reader, you’re probably aware that there is always room for improvement.
No matter your current skill levels, there are many exercises you can turn to in order to sharpen your abilities. Not only are these exercises fun, but they also allow you to work with your cards on a personal level. This enables you to make your foundation stronger and become a master reader down the line.
So, how can you improve your tarot abilities?
There are many exercises you can do for this. You can learn the meanings of every card, keep a tarot journal, develop your intuition, practice reading every day, study symbolisms in more detail, learn different spreads, use crystals, seek feedback from other readers, and so on.
In this article, I’m going to take a look at some of the most effective ways to sharpen your tarot skills.
1) Choose Your Decks Intuitively
If you’re just starting out, or are looking to get more tarot cards, you should choose your decks intuitively. This is the first and a really important step in your journey. After all, every reader is different and will connect to different decks based on their own unique energies and personal preferences.
So, whether you’re browsing online or in physical stores, make sure you go through various decks and allow your heart to make the decision for you.
Usually, it is seen that you will just “know” which deck to choose. Some readers say that when they were choosing their first deck, it almost felt like the decks called out to them. ( call it love at first sight haha)
Try to see if this happens to you too. That way, you will start with a strong connection with your cards from the very beginning. And this will serve you every step of the way.
2) Know Your Cards Inside Out
This is logically the next important step.
Most of your tarot practice will depend on how much insight and guidance you’re able to draw from the cards. And for that, you need to know what each card represents. So, start by reading the guidebook that came with your deck thoroughly and memorize as much information as you can.
Be patient with this step because it can take some time to get familiar with the cards and their meanings. In the beginning, you might have to keep going back to the guidebook to see what a particular card means. Don’t get disheartened by this. Allow the knowledge to come naturally to you and get internalized.
To make this process a bit faster, you can try to spend as much time with the cards as you possibly can.
For instance, you can have them face-up on your table in the living room, nightstand, dining table, study table, etc., so that they are always in view. The more you look at these cards, the more you will be reminded of their meanings.
3) Develop Your Intuition
This is an interesting exercise and a must for all tarot readers.
But before I talk about how you can develop your intuition, I want to briefly talk about what it means. Basically, intuition transcends logical thinking. It is a feeling you get where you just know the truth without being able to explain why. This ability can lead you to insights that can seem “otherworldly.”
So, how do you enhance your intuition?
Well, perhaps the best way of doing so is meditation. The more you meditate, the deeper you’re able to go into the spiritual realm. It allows you to perceive things that your five senses cannot. I really believe it also enables you to get messages from your guardian angels or even ancestors.
Other methods include doing yoga, which opens up the various energy centers in your body and unleashes your natural intuitive abilities. You could also try to practice mindfulness which involves remaining attentive to the present moment. It allows you to be in touch with reality on a more fundamental level.
4) Keep a Tarot Journal
Many tarot readers keep a journal as a way to document their journey.
On the surface, this might only look like a feel-good habit, but it is actually much more powerful. You see, a tarot journal is basically a window to your entire practice. It is a snapshot of your progress till the present moment.
It allows you to record your readings, note down any insights you might get, document your intuitive flashes, and learn about any past patterns that might help you improve your craft. Basically, it’s an easy way to analyze the rights and wrongs you have done so that you can learn from your experience.
So, get yourself a journal and decorate it to make it personal. And whenever you feel like it, start scribbling.
5) Practice Every Day
Practice is the most important mantra to develop any skill or knowledge in the world.
The more you practice something, the better you get at it. yeah I know it is obvious haha.
It is literally how we humans are designed. So, keep your deck of cards close to you and practice whenever you feel like it, especially in the beginning.
One thing that might help is doing a daily draw. When you wake up in the morning, shuffle your cards and pick one out of the pile. Look at it and ponder upon it throughout the day. Think about what that card represents and what message it might have for you. And then, at the end of the day, note down in your journal how the card helped you or whether its insights came out to be true.
Similarly, you can do readings for your friends and family often. Since you know them personally, you will be able to ask them questions about the readings and whether they were accurate. You can then learn from their responses.
6) Dive Deeper Into The World of Symbolism
We all know that tarot cards are rich in symbolism that transcends limited interpretations.
The various colors, symbols, numbers, etc., used on the cards can convey endless messages and meanings to the reader based on the question at hand or the energies at play.
As such, there is no doubt that understanding symbolism is a major part of tarot reading.
So, you should dive deeper into the world of symbolism as a whole (not just tarot). You can start by studying some of the popular sacred symbols of various cultures and religions in the world. You can learn about the history of how various symbols evolved over time. There are lots of resources out there…
Then, you can go deeper into the symbolism used in tarot across different decks. Study every single card in as much depth as possible. Leave nothing behind. This will instill a natural ability in you to understand symbols in ways that other people can’t. And it will help you grasp and interpret the symbols like a master.
7) Trust Your First Impressions
It is often said that the first impression is the last impression.
Although this doesn’t always apply, there is some truth to that statement. Especially when it comes to spiritual impressions. If you have a knack for spirituality, you will sometimes get certain vibes about places, things, events, and people before you even fully experience them.
A lot of the time, you might ignore these vibes because your logical mind might tell you to not be “judgmental.” However, as spiritual practitioners know, your energy can instantly know things about various things and it is usually right. So, you have to learn to trust this sense of perception and apply it to your tarot readings.
Whenever someone approaches you for a reading, see what your first impressions tell you. When you get certain cards, be mindful of your first thoughts or intuitions. These will be your guiding light and help you do wonderful readings. Sometimes when your logic side takes over, you could easily misinterpret the reading…..
8) Connect With The Cards On A Personal Level
This is a really fun exercise and there are no limitations to what you can do here.
As you may know, a fundamental part of tarot reading is to establish a deeply personal relationship with your cards. You have to see your cards as an extension of yourself rather than external objects or tools. When you keep doing readings, this will come naturally to you.
But you can take things up a notch and make things more personal.
For instance, you can sleep with your cards under your pillow or on your nightstand. This will ensure that your subconscious mind stays connected to the energy of the cards. It will also ensure that your energies and core self get infused with the cards.
Another exercise you can do is go through every single card and relate it to your experiences, memories, or feelings. For instance, if you see the “Death” card, try to remember all the times in your life when you went through major transformations. When you see the “Sun” card, think about the times you experienced true joy.
9) Learn Different Spreads
This is a simple exercise where you practice different spreads for different types of questions.
Over time, it helps you recognize which spread would be better for which type of scenario, person, or question. Also, it will help you adjust the depth of your readings.
For instance, for simple queries, you can practice spreads that involve only one or two cards. As the queries get more complex, you can add cards to the spread to be able to draw more information. It allows you to explore the various aspects of a single question and divide it into various parts.
For instance, for a daily draw, a one-card spread is enough. But if someone wants to know about their career, it might require a deeper analysis, like their past journey, present status, future possibilities, and challenges along the way.
10) Seek Feedback and Learn
As you become more comfortable with this practice, you can start reaching out to other tarot readers in the world. There are so many awesome tarot readers out there… I personally feel honored and grateful to be able to learn from all of them…. 🙂
There are also many online forums and pages where you can join and meet other readers. These forums allow you to share your journey and experiences. As such, you can not only share your insights but also learn from other people.
When you feel stuck during your journey or a particularly tricky reading, you can even reach out for guidance. Spiritual communities are usually very open-minded, helpful, and understanding. People are ready to assist you in any manner and help you enhance your skills.
So, try to connect with like-minded readers and learn from their experiences. Seek feedback on your journey from them and incorporate their teachings into your practice to become a better reader.
11) Stay Open-Minded
The more open-minded you are, the better your tarot abilities become.
This is because tarot reading involves getting relevant information about a subject matter and interpreting the messages of the cards to help the querent. Now, in order to get the information you need, you need to have an open mind.
When you do this, you are able to better access higher realms and call out to your spirit guides for help. In fact, being open-minded ensures that you are in touch with the universe and the very fabric of reality. And when you are attuned to such a high level, information comes naturally to you… sometimes, even without having to try.
So, approach every reading with an open mind and avoid preconceived notions. Let the cards guide you… even if their messages seem strange, wrong, or unfamiliar.
12) Do The Positive/Negative Exercise
This is an interesting and powerful exercise that will help you remove any bias or preconceived notions you might have about certain cards.
You see, we all know that some tarot cards have more positive meanings while some have more negative meanings. But the truth is that no card is completely white or black.
In other words, even a seemingly positive card might portray a negative meaning while a seemingly negative card might convey a positive message. For example, the “Tower” card might represent chaos and destruction in general, but it can also lead you to important transformations in life so that you find your right purpose.
So, take out all the positive cards from the deck and see what challenges they may symbolize. When you’re done, take out all the negative cards and see what silver linings they present. Do this for every single card.
13) Learn From Other Divination Systems
Tarot is one of the most popular divination practices in the world.
But it is certainly not the only one. There are more systems that are widely popular such as astrology, numerology, runes, palm reading, and many more. In order to enhance your tarot skills, it might be a good idea to learn from other divination systems as well.
Of course, this might seem like a heavy task. After all, each divination system is as vast as tarot and you might need to devote time and energy to learn them. But the thing is, you don’t have to go in-depth into the other systems. If you just learn the basics, that should do.
What this does is, it helps you integrate insights from these systems. This enriches your tarot readings and adds multiple dimensions to your practice. As a whole, you gain a deeper understanding of what divination is all about. It’s almost like developing a new psychic ability.
14) Use Crystals And Stones
Crystals and stones are powerful objects that possess healing and protective energies. There are hundreds of crystals out there, each with its own unique properties and metaphysical abilities. There are some that can heal your physical health, some that can attract wealth, some that sharpen your intuition, and so on.
So, you could make use of these crystals and stones to become a much better tarot reader. You would probably need crystals that can enhance your intuition, clarity, energy, alignment with the universe, amplify your intentions, and so on.
Some great crystals and stones in this regard are Amethyst, Clear Quartz, Rose Quartz, Smoky Quartz, Blue Kyanite, Fluorite, Black Obsidian, etc. These can help enhance your energies, open up your chakras, ground you, connect with the cards, gain insights with ease, and so on.
15) Try Drawing Or Painting Each Card
This is another fun method to establish a personal connection with the cards as well as understand them much better. It involves drawing or painting each card during your free time (when you can completely focus on this practice).
It helps you learn more about their symbolism, and hidden meanings, and have fun at the same time!
Even if you are not good at drawing or painting, this is a fun little exercise that will help enhance your tarot skills in subtle ways. During a reading, you might recall insights or intuitive flashes that you had while drawing them. And this can certainly lead to more accurate results.
