My favorite form of divination is the Tarot cards. There are tons of books that will teach you how to interpret
the cards, how to shuffle, how to lay them out for a reading (spreads), and just about anything else you might
want to know. I'm not going to repeat that information here. First, I try to avoid book interpretations. I will
consult a book when I'm "stuck" in a reading. In other words, one card seems out of place, or just isn't speaking
to me. Sometimes looking up the book interpretation helps, sometimes it doesn't. Not then anyway. I keep logs
of all my readings because, more often than not, the meaning of that card will be made clear somewhere down
the road. It's helpful if I can look up the whole spread for verification.

IF YOU ARE NEW TO TAROT:

1. Buy a deck. Not just any deck, but one that has all the traditional symbols. I strongly reccomend the Rider
Waite deck for starters. Hanson-Roberts is another good one, and is my favorite. The Rider Waite comes with a
small booklet that gives brief explanations of the traditional interpretations. This is all you need for now.

2. Find an hour that you can be alone to aquaint yourself with the cards. Sit in a comfortable chair at the table
that is at a comfortable height for you. Have a pen or pencil and pad of paper handy. Now, hold the deck in
your hands, close your eyes and think about what you hope to achieve with your cards. Do you want to read
only for yourself? Do you want to read for others? If this is the case, do you want to read for pay, or for fun?

3. Shuffle the deck. How you shuffle doesn't matter. I have small hands, so larger decks are difficult for me to
handle. Getting these oversized decks shuffled takes some interesting maneuvers! Do whatever it takes, but
make sure they are throughly shuffled. (Some people will tell you to go through the cards one at a time before
shuffling. You can do that, but until you have infused the cards with some of your energy, you may have a
difficult time "connecting" with the various images.)

4. Put the shuffled deck on the table in front of you. Cut the cards from left to right. You will have 2 piles. Pick
up the pile on the left and place it on top of the second pile.

5. Turn over the top card. Look at it closely. Notice the colors, the images, and the "feel" of the card. What does
this card say to you? How does it make you feel? Write down all your impressions. Take you time, and TRUST
YOURSELF. There is no right or wrong way to interpret the cards. There is only your way.

When you read the cards, you are accessing you psychic self - your intuition, your higher self, your astral center.
You may wish to light a candle, burn incense, wear a crystal pendant, or have one on the table. This is all fine.
Do whatever you feel you need to do to get into the proper mindset.

6. Turn over the next card, and repeat step 5. Then do it again and again, or until you feel ready to stop.

You do not have to repeat this process with every card. There are 78 cards in the deck! It would take forever. I
don't know about you, but I don't have that kind of patience, or time. Besides, memorizing the cards is not the
purpose of this exercise.

What you are doing here is learning how to see the cards, and how to use the images on the cards to awaken
your psychic self.

7. When you are done, stack the cards and put them back in their box, or pouch, if you have one. Read your
notes. What do you think? What were the cards telling you today? Is there a cohesive message, or does it seem
to be all over the place?

8. Pick up the booklet that came with your deck. Look up the cards you drew and check your interpretations
against the ones in the book. Which makes more sense to you? Your interpretation, or the books? A
combination of both?
It's quite likely, your "off the cuff" reading is very close to the book.

9. Put your book and journal away. You're done for now.

When you're rested and ready, let's try a short reading. You might want to wait until the following day, but if
you're too excited to wait that long, give yourself at least an hour or two before trying again.

1. Close you eyes. Relax all the muscles in your body. Release any negative energy that you may be harboring.
Ask you deity to fill you will positive calming energy.

2. Think of a question. Practice the wording so that your question is as clear and specific as possible. You don't
want a question that can be answered by a simple "yes" or "no." The card don't work that way. They want to tell
you a story.

Examples: Should I stay at my current job, or should I look for another? I want to start a family, how should I
prepare myself for a new baby?

3. Once you have your question firmly in your mind, shuffle the cards while concentrating on the question.
Focus on this and don't let your mind wander.

4. Cut the cards as explained in Step 4 of the first exercise.

5. Take the top card and place it on the table. This card represents the PAST. Take the next card and place it to
the right of the first. This card represents the PRESENT. Finally, take the third card and place it to the right of
the last card. This card represents the FUTURE.

6. Look at all three cards. What are the suits? (Cups, Wands, Sword, or Pentacles) How many of each suit are
there? For instance, if you have 2 or 3 Cups, then the answer to your question is tied to your Emotions. Swords,
your Intellect. Wands, your creative self. Pentacles, your financial and educational situation. What about Court
Cards? Are there any Pages, Knights, Kings or Queens in your spread? These represent the people in your life
that will influence the outcome of your question. They can also represent aspects of yourself that may be in
control right now. Finally, are there any Major Arcana cards in your spread. The Fool, through The World
represent major influences in your life.

7. Write down the name and number of each card, leaving space for your interpretation.

8. Starting with the PAST position, interpret each card as you did in the first exercise. When you are done, you
may, if you wish read the booklet interpretations.

9. When you are done, collect the cards and put them back in the deck. Put the deck in its box or pouch. Sit back
and congratulate yourself. You've just done your first reading!