Tarot tips and tricks
How to Improve Your Tarot Skills Even if You Don’t Have a Physical Deck
A Simple Method To Enhance Your Tarot Reading — With or Without a Deck
The cards give you images and symbols to focus your vague intentions and transform them into action. Your will is the magic. In other words, you are the magic. If you can create something in your heart and then act on it to make it happen, that is magic. Very simple, very straightforward — no witches, no spells, and no broomsticks.
― Theresa Francis-Cheung, Teen Tarot: What the Cards Reveal About You and Your Future
My fascination with tarot reading started in my teens when I stumbled upon Rachel Pollack’s “Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom” — a classic book of Tarot symbolism and psychology — in the esoteric category of our local public library.
Before gaming took over, the library used to be my place of escape, and with that book, I found the spark that ignited my curiosity about tarot. I wondered where I could get a deck. I was surrounded by people who saw tarot as some kind of witchy voodoo — a taboo practice that was feared and shunned (This, of course, piqued my interest even more). I had never seen a deck in my life before, and it was before the days of the internet, so I was clueless.
Acquiring My First Tarot Deck
I got my first “deck” when I was 21 by subscribing to a monthly mail-order astrology pack. It included 3 tarot cards per month, lessons, tools for astrology, and other divination methods like runestones. It took quite some time for me to finally have a full deck.
Of course, being young and having other priorities, I never bothered to learn the cards that I already had. I mean, I skimmed through the accompanying sheets about the cards but then happily went about my normal routines, waiting for the next month to bring me new cards.
Anyway, long story short: Once I finally collected all the cards in the deck, I started practicing readings on myself - and had much success reading for my family as well. But life happened, and I just didn’t have time for it anymore. If I only knew what I know now, I would’ve prioritized tarot over partying and being irresponsible…
Rediscovering Tarot
I completely forgot about tarot for about 10 years.
Until, one day, a random Pick-A-Card YouTube video popped up in my feed. I really can’t recall who the reader was or what the video was titled, but I am forever grateful for that moment. I was like, “Oh, my God. I forgot how much I loved it. I need to get a deck again!” Because by then, I had long misplaced the deck I had collected so tediously long ago.
And that’s where my obsession with decks began.
The Deck Collection
I’ve only received one deck as a gift - the cutest, tiniest little deck I’ve ever seen, called Tarot Nova. All my other decks, I bought myself. But some of them are fake — I foolishly (or naively, depending on how you look at it) believed that Tarot cards on Wish are not counterfeit.
I also found a shop on Facebook that claimed to be a tarot card factory shop. Their catalog made it look like the real deal because it showed booklets and original casings included. I was so excited because they were really affordable. But when I got them, alas, they were just the same decks as those you get on Wish with QR codes to scan if you want to read the booklet and no attribution to the original creators of the decks. I was super disappointed and really felt cheated by their false advertising.
But anyway… I am busy remedying this by slowly but surely (yet again) replacing each one with the real deal. I’ve got a few more to go, but I don’t use the counterfeit ones at all. I have since collected almost 50 additional, original, decks, varying from tarot, oracle, and angel cards.
Let’s Forget The Counterfeits
The very first deck I bought for myself was the Universal Waite tarot deck — a soothing and naturalistic version of the original Rider-Waite deck. I consider this as my first deck because I don’t believe that the ones that came with the mail-order packs were the real deal either.
I figured starting with the traditional Rider-Waite system would be best, and I favored it over the Thoth — a complex system based on Kabbalah, astrology, and occult knowledge — or the Marseille — a simple and symbolic system that originated in Milan.
I got immersed in the world of tarot and took courses from Sal Jade — a bestselling tarot instructor and intuitive healing coach — and others on Udemy or Youtube to further my skills even more.
Over the years, I’ve also learned a lot by myself, so I want to share a useful tip with you. This is especially helpful if you are interested in learning tarot but don’t have a physical deck yet.
The trick is using an app!
I use the Labyrinthos Tarot Reading app — a free and fun app that teaches you tarot through games, stories, and quizzes. But you can use any free app that suits you. The key is to use the app’s features, such as the free 3-card daily reading that Labyrinthos offers.
I’ve been able to improve and develop my intuition and connect more with the cards since using this method, and I can’t wait to share it with you.
The Method
It’s so simple, yet very efficient. Instead of getting the daily reading at the start of my day, I get it at the end of my day. Then I try to relate the cards that were drawn to what happened during my day.
For example, yesterday I drew the Wheel of Fortune, the Hermit, and the Ten of Cups. I thought about how these cards reflected the feelings of my day, and I realized that:
- I did get an unexpected opportunity when one of my friends told me about an income opportunity, and I was accepted (Wheel of Fortune).
- I spent a lot of time working, and thus alone, in front of my PC (Hermit).
- I felt blessed and grateful when, after work, we attended a family dinner and I was surrounded by all my loved ones (Ten of Cups).
So can you see that by doing this, you will be able to see how the cards mirror your life and perhaps give you more insights into a situation and the card itself?
The Benefits
For me, some of the benefits of using this method are:
- I don’t have to rely on a book or memorize keywords to do my readings. Instead, I can rely on my own experiences, feelings, and intuition to interpret the cards and guide my readings.
- By relating the cards to my own life, I understand them better and remember them easier.
- It helps me gain new perspectives and better awareness of my situation.
The Challenges
On the flip side, some of the challenges I face are:
- It’s not always easy for me to see how the cards connect to my day. I need to stay open-minded and look for deeper meanings or symbols that may bring a connection.
- I’m sometimes tempted to get another reading if I don’t like the cards. It’s hard, but I resist the urge because I want to trust that there was a reason for those cards in the first place.
- Finding time is sometimes a challenge. Also, sometimes, I forget. But I try my best to make a daily habit because it really only takes a few minutes and makes such a big difference in my Tarot journey.
Conclusion
Of course, it’s ideal if you do this exercise with a physical deck, but using an app is a convenient option for you if you don’t yet own one and want to start learning.
I hope you feel inspired to try this for yourself and see how it works for you. If you do, please do let me know how it’s going and what you think of it!
I’d love to hear your feedback.
Thank you for reading, and happy tarot reading!
