| A basic tarot reading consists of seven steps, that are | | | | Next comes the actual tarot reading. Tanya Kapoor |
| - Rituals, Shuffling, Selecting, Turning, Reading, | | | | who has been doing tarot reading for her clients in |
| Discussion and Refining. | | | | India, dubai and other parts of the world uses the |
| Rituals are an important part of reading the Tarot, but | | | | knowledge of the Tarot to comment on the |
| whatever those rituals may be will be uniquely yours. | | | | impressions of the meaning of the Tarot card. Do not |
| Whatever rituals you employ, including the methods | | | | just go by the book definitions of the cards and say |
| you use to lay out and read the cards, keep them | | | | whatever comes into your mind. Look at the image on |
| consistent. Before Tarot reading, make a silent opening | | | | the card and remark on the card themes as they |
| statement such as a prayer or affirmation, or a | | | | come to mind. Whatever your first impressions are, |
| greeting to your inner guide. | | | | they're correct, says Tanya. Then analyze the |
| Always shuffle face-down, so no one sees the tarot | | | | meaning of the tarot card in connection with its position |
| cards, and avoid bending the cards as this is no time | | | | and comment on it. Try not to second-guess yourself |
| for fancy tricks. Beyond that, there are a number of | | | | or over think what you are saying. You are going to |
| methods of shuffling. You can hold about half the deck | | | | learn to tap into your intuition, not your intellect. |
| of tarot cards in each hand, and insert one half down | | | | As a tarot reader, after you have given your |
| through the other half. Another method, Hold the deck | | | | interpretation of the cards, ask your subject if anything |
| face down in your dominant hand. Push some cards | | | | you have said was particularly meaningful as regards |
| from the top with your thumb into the other hand. | | | | some issue in their life. If yes, reinterpret the cards in |
| Then, push again, but this time to the bottom of the | | | | more detail, specific to the circumstances that they |
| new pile. Continue alternating a push to the top, then | | | | describe. If your client says no, nothing sounds familiar, |
| one to the bottom until all the cards have been | | | | ask them questions and re-phrase the themes of the |
| transferred. | | | | cards and you may well be on the right track, but need |
| Selection involves spreading the tarot cards in a line or | | | | to explain the cards in a different way for the client |
| semi-circle, face down, above the area you will use for | | | | until something rings a bell. |
| the layout. Ask your subject to choose a card, then | | | | Once your subject gives you some feedback, |
| slide it face down to the first position within your | | | | reinterpret the cards in a way that is specific to the |
| chosen layout, keeping it vertical, not horizontal. Add | | | | subject situation. Tell a story tying all of the cards |
| new cards in the same order to complete the layout. | | | | together, explaining them in as clear a way as possible. |
| Now turn over the first card from side-to-side, so it is | | | | Tying all the themes together, and perhaps using a |
| not reversed by you. Tell your subject the significance | | | | different way of explaining them which might make it |
| of that tarot card position in the spread, studying the | | | | even clearer to the client. |
| Tarot card to get a sense of its meaning, both alone | | | | Focus on the positive aspects of the cards, and stress |
| and in that position. Turn the next card only when you | | | | that nothing is carved in stone and the subject actions |
| are ready to focus on it, repeating until all the cards are | | | | can change the situation later. |
| turned. | | | | |