How I Intuitively read Tarot 

I have taken to labeling myself as an “intuitive reader” – but what does that really mean?  I thought I would set out this blog post as an example of how I actually read tarot cards to give those newbie or aspiring tarot readers a solid example of how one person goes about the process.  And – of course – no need to follow this way – this is just an example you can them expound upon.

After I’ve gone through my ritual process and the cards are laid down, I start looking at what I have.  I usually lay all the cards face up at first so I can get an immediate overall impression before I begin focusing in on each card.  Now this is where the intuition first kicks in – at this point I’m not counting how many cards in each suit there are or seeing which cards are reversed.  Instead I am just getting that gut level feel – the spidey sense of what the cards are saying.  If I get an impression – be it a general feeling coming from the cards, a word I hear in my head, an image that passes through my third eye – I write it down on a piece of paper I have sitting next to me (totally as a tangent, I prefer individual pieces of paper for client readings over writing notes in a journal.  I like to throw my notes away after I have completed a reading as part of severing the energy connection – plus this guarantees privacy).

After getting an overall feel of the cards I go through each one individually.  First I start with the general meaning of the card – this can be that rote memorization you’ve done or  just what the picture is showing you.  I have general definitions I use for each card but this is usually a free flow process so I use the part of the meaning that comes to my mind first and thus is most relevant.

Then I relate the card to the position in the spread.  What does this particular card mean for the question asked.  This is where you get the standard “answer” that the client is generally looking for.  Both these card definition and the application can be done with no intuition theoretically – but I believe the phrasing used is all part of the intuitive process.

Next I look at the card and see where my eye is drawn towards – what part of the image do my eyes focus on – are the figures inter-relating with any of the other cards in the spread?  I may also see a different image in my third eye at this time.  This is where the real intuitive work comes in.  This is where the symbols start to fall into place and the deeper message of the cards plays out.  My main “clair” is clairvoyance with clairaudience taking up a close second so I may also “hear” a word or a phrase or a song at this time as well.

After going through each of the cards individually I again look at the picture as a whole.  How many cards of each suit are there, are any suits missing?  How many reversed cards are there?  Any repeating numbers?  I will focus on the elements that “feel” most important, disregarding the rest.

In my email readings I usually conclude each reading with some recommendations for “things to do” instead of just leaving the client with a message and no action plan.  I’m a big proponent of taking action and not remaining stuck.  And, of course, this action plan is usually metaphysical in nature.  I tend to recommend a crystal energy to work with and I will usually ask the clients guides for a mantra for them to use based off the reading.

And that is it!  These are the secrets behind how I personally read tarot cards.

So how about you?  Do you do anything different in reading tarot card?  Do you consider yourself an intuitive reader or are you more of an analytical reader?