What Is Tarot Card Reading? The FAQ Guide To See Before You Start

Ian Parkin is the verified author of this article.

The Top FAQs about this form of fortune telling are:

  1. What is tarot card reading?
  2. How many cards should a Tarot deck have?
  3. Can tarot cards predict the future?
  4. Is a tarot card reading accurate?
  5. How do you prepare for a tarot reading?
  6. Are tarot readers psychic?
  7. How much should I pay for a tarot reading?
  8. How to do the Celtic cross tarot card spread?

FAQ 1: What is tarot card reading?

Tarot readings performed by adept practitioners can provide insight into the past, present or future. A deck of 78 oracle cards, usually based on Original Rider Waite Tarot Pack, is shuffled then some are laid out and interpreted for you in what are called divination spreads.

A good consultation can be insightful and exciting, your future is not static and upcoming events are not immutable. What your tarot reader can reveal for you is always subject to change caused by the free will of all connected. If your reader spots potholes down the road, he/she can gently guide you around them and you can claim your power to change the course of the future.

What Is Tarot Card Reading?

FAQ 2: How many cards should a Tarot deck have?

  • Unlike regular decks of 56 playing cards, a real tarot deck has 78 cards instead. Firstly, there are 22 cards of the major arcana. Then there are 56 minor arcana cards in four suits: Pentacles, Wands, Cups, and Swords.

FAQ 3: Can tarot cards predict the future?

  • According to history Gypsies in Europe first developed the divinatory side of the tarot. A deck of tarot cards can still be used as simple fortune-telling tool for predicting the future. It can also be a vehicle that reveals essential insights about your life journey. It can bring possible outcomes for present and future situations into the light. It can be used as a tool that helps us to make empowered choices. Readers will scope out each card in a tarot spread, paying particular attention to any hidden information revealed, which may prohibit you from attaining your goals. By working together, you can achieve the necessary clarity to make positive changes.

FAQ 4: Is a tarot card reading accurate?

  • Intuition can play a vital role in accurate readings. For instance, a tarot reader with highly developed intuition connects with source energy finding deeper card meanings as he/she reads the cards. Another reader might misinterpret what the cards represent, their relationship to each other in the layout, reversed cards and so on. So, in essence, the meaning of the cards may be correct, but the second reader failed to explore nuances intuitive tarot readers would easily discern. The person receiving the reading also plays a role in the accuracy of a reading. Don’t schedule a session when you are in a negative frame of mind or battling illness. Also, don’t try to cram a consultation in on your lunch break because you’ll be concerned about getting out of there by a certain time. Pick a time when you won’t be rushed otherwise you won’t put your heart and mind into it.

FAQ 5: How do you prepare for a tarot reading?

  • Make a list of comprehensive questions beforehand. If a ‘burning issue’ has been on your mind relay it first. This gives your reader a focal point. You’ll get an enlightening and more accurate reading when you prepare in this way. You will leave with greater satisfaction and a warm fuzzy feeling you got your money’s worth.

FAQ 6: Are tarot readers psychic?

  • Very often clients will go for a tarot reading with the misconception that all readers are psychic. Not all tarot readers are psychic and not all psychics read the tarot.

When The Cards Are In Psychic Hands

In a tarot reading with a psychic, the imagery on the cards can support the guidance by validating your reader's insight and frequently highlighting hidden issues.

Why do psychics like to use tarot cards when they obviously don’t need them? The simple answer is that somewhere between 'Once upon a time' and 'They lived happily after’ is the story of the soul’s journey on earth. Reading tarot cards act as psychic helpers by keeping the story on track.

Of course, the journey to happily ever after, can’t be attained in a 30-minute session. Think of your tarot reading as providing little vignettes that focus on one or two current challenges and how to resolve them.

Let’s suppose your concerns are all about getting your ex back. What if strong sensations concerning a large inheritance keep interrupting your psychic’s concentration?

Here is where tarot comes into play. What if the next card is the 9 of Pentacles, which signifies ‘big inheritance’? What if the real reason you want your ex back is strictly financial? Now, the upcoming inheritance becomes quite significant. Suddenly, the prospect of getting him back doesn’t seem as attractive. You might decide to keep things as they are rather than pursuing a different situation.

Let us be perfectly clear - psychics do not need help from metaphysical tools, such as tarot cards, runes, crystal balls, etc. Some psychics like to include tarot cards with a psychic reading to give the people the experience they want. Despite our enlightened society, most people aren’t well educated in the divinatory arts. Many people still like to see psychics as a woo-woo experience, with their incense, astrology speak, crystals, cards and candles. In essence, they can’t fathom a psychic pulling insights and direction out of thin air. They want dramatic effects! Shuffling the cards and making a big production of laying them out actually provides a comfort level to quasi-skeptics. So, why not?

Before they read for the public, many psychics work with tarot cards as part of developing their natural talents. But there is a huge difference in interpreting the cards through intuition and referencing specific meanings from a book. Psychics in-training are taught to rely on their intuitive abilities to screen-out generalized meanings of the cards in favor of detailed personal information.

Be mindful that the actual tarot cards do not have mystical powers, rather using them can assist the psychic elicit the best guidance in your tarot reading.

Looking For A Psychic Tarot Reader?

Ian Parkin is a clairvoyant reader with over 35 years of psychic and metaphysical experience

Ian Parkin is a clairvoyant reader with over 35 years of psychic and metaphysical experience. He works with consciousness, energy, intuitive insight, and has a solid grounding experience in metaphysical wisdom.

A long-time reader of the tarot Ian has taught others how to intuitively read and understand tarot cards for themselves. He has studied and incorporates many areas of metaphysical knowledge into his readings.

His psychic tarot readings will help you see the situation clearly, reveal hidden information, and guide you toward the best possible outcome. He reads with empathy, insight, and connection to the highest spiritual vibrations of love and light. Everything is totally confidential, solely to help you, and to reveal the highest truth for your growth.

Clairvoyant Readings Direct with Ian Parkin
"the predictive psychic for when real insight matters"
Available in 24hrs by Email and Phone, Skype, or Zoom by appointment

Ian Parkin is the owner and webmaster of this site and has provided professional psychic advice and coaching around the world for over 35 years.


FAQ 7: How much should I pay for a tarot reading?

  • This is a bit like “How long is a piece of string?” While there are several variables to consider, the average rate you will find with the big online networks is about $5 per minute. However, you can always start with the free readings if you are just looking for a little entertainment.
Get a Live Tarot Card Reading Right Now

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FAQ 8: How to do the Celtic cross tarot card spread?

  • The Celtic cross is the most common layout. Shuffle the deck while thinking of a specific question. Then slowly draw ten cards, one at a time in this specific order.

  • Place #1 upright in the middle position to represent you now. Laying #2 sideways over the first card represents what blocks your path. (The rest will be placed upright) Next #3 goes below #1. You can interpret this one as the root cause of the block. Now lay #4 to the left of #1 to reveal your recent past. #5 sits above #1 and suggests new possibilities. #6 drops into the right of #1 so you can understand where you are headed. Study this card as it can reveal a short cut to your desired destination. You now have the basic cross from which you can build the full spread with cards 7, 8, 9, and 10 placed in a vertical line to the right of your cross. (7th lowest and 10th highest) #7 reveals how you see yourself. #8 represents the environment that influences your journey. #9 Releases your fears. Notice them and let go. #10 predicts the future outcome as related to your question if you can follow the guidance in the full Celtic cross spread and choose to take action using the best of your ability and will.


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My pick of Tarot Reading Kits from Amazon, publishing affiliate may get a commission

The Essential Tarot Kit: Hanson-Roberts Book and Card Set - by Rosalind Simmons

The Book of Shadows Complete Tarot Kit - by Barbara Moore 

After Tarot Cards Kit - by Corrine Kenner 

Easy Tarot Kit: Learn to Read the Cards Once and For All!  - by Josephine Ellershaw  & Ciro Marchetti 

Wiki - Esoteric Tarot