I didn’t want to write a post about “how to start reading tarot,” because what the heck do I know? But I do get questions a lot about where a beginner should start and what resources I’d recommend, so I figured it would be okay as long as I gave a big disclaimer that this is just how I, personally, learned to read the cards. This is by no means the “right” way, because I don’t think there is one! Pick something that works for you and run with it. Also, I have my top 10 tips for the tarot beginner right over here if you’re looking for some o’ that!

To start, I should say that I don’t have that long, deep history with tarot that many readers have. I was raised a good Catholic schoolgirl, then about-faced and turned into a staunch nonbeliever in anything that seemed vaguely spiritual or woo-woo (go figure.) I came across my first deck completely by chance at the Renaissance faire a few years ago. I picked up The Mermaid Tarot because it was pretty and I wanted a cool souvenir and that was that. 

The more I learned about the cards, the more my closed-off mind opened up and I realized there was more to this than I thought – and maybe the world was more magical than I had given it credit for. Some time after that I discovered witchcraft from a tarot YouTuber and I fell down the rabbit hole from there. And here we are! I went from a Catholic to a skeptic to a raging tarot-reading heathen. It happens. 

Anyway, that’s my story. But more importantly, here are the resources I used when starting out, and some I wish I’d found sooner! (Like usual, affiliate links are marked with a *. This means if you buy the thing through my link, I make a tiny commission at no extra cost to you! Thanks for supporting your friendly neighborhood tarot blog ♥)

What I Used:

LearnTarot.com – This website is pretty incredible and is the #1 resource I used when I was learning to read tarot. It’s formatted like a class and has exercises to do throughout to help cement the lessons in your mind. And it’s totally free. Like what?

Biddy Tarot – I used Biddy Tarot alongside LearnTarot for more in-depth info on each card! I’m not a huge podcast person, but Brigit also has an epic podcast where she interviews a TON of amazing tarot readers from the community. 

Tumblr – While the tarot community on Tumblr has had its fair share of drama, I found it to be a great way to connect with other tarot readers and develop my personal reading style! There are SO many people out there with different aesthetics and attitudes, it was really helpful to see so many different points of view. It’s also an endless resource for tarot spreads or ideas for new ways to use the cards! Plus, the decklust is real. I discovered so many of the decks I own through Tumblr! It’s a great way to keep up with what’s new in the tarot world and meet friends who are interested in the same stuff as you. I wrote more about finding my tribe in an earlier post, but having a group of tarot friends seriously helped me out so much when I was learning. 

The LWB – I totally used the little white book that came with my deck to help me learn! While this might not be super useful in the long run, as they tend to be tailored to the specific deck you’re using and not to tarot as a whole, it did help me to see some of the places that the LWB deviated from traditional meanings. It helped me get to know my deck better and also to realize that there really are no wrong answers – a card can mean something different to everyone! 

What I Wish I’d Known About: 

Little Red Tarot – In this day and age, tarot-reading methods where the King represents a man and the Queen represents a woman and the Lovers are a heterosexual couple are outdated and not representative of the actual spectrums of gender and sexuality. Beth’s website takes an amazing look at the cards outside of these narrow binaries through guest posts and tackles topics such as race, motherhood, and healing, among others. Plus, Beth writes about her own life so beautifully that you’re going to love following along on her journeys! I haven’t taken her Alternative Tarot course, but I would love to in the future – it looks like an incredible way to get to know your deck!

Holistic Tarot* – Okay, first of all you could straight-up kill someone with this book. It’s massive. Benebell Wen does not pull any punches when it comes to delivering the straight dope on tarot reading and every card in the deck. This book is awesome because it removes spirituality and magic from the equation and looks at the cards themselves. Whatever your beliefs are about tarot and spirituality can come later, but I think it can be really hard to learn to read the cards when you’re also having dogma about being psychic or using energy forced on you, too. (Take it from someone who didn’t believe in anything she couldn’t see when she first started out.) You don’t have to worry about that with Holistic Tarot – while Benebell does cover some of the different belief systems that surround tarot and what’s actually happening during a reading, she doesn’t approach the cards from those standpoints. 

78 Degrees of Wisdom* – This is basically the tarot Bible, but I didn’t end up picking it up until last year. It really changed the way I look at the Major Arcana and I’m currently working through this while journaling about each card. It probably would have been helpful to have this muh earlier in my journey than when I found it. 

The Tarot Lady – Theresa Reed is a tarot goddess. She’s been slinging the cards for decades and she is SUCH an amazing resource, especially if you’re thinking about reading tarot for others! She has a free eBook that’s super helpful for learning the cards and a whole series of eBooks for readers who want to go pro. Plus, she’s regularly giving away her secrets for free on her blog and in her newsletters. She also has a tarot coloring book* coming out this fall (just in time for my birthday! hint hint, mom and dad…) so what’s not to love about that?? 

Ethony – If you like watching videos, check out Ethony’s YouTube channel. From deck reviews to spreads to tips and tricks, she is a fountain of information about tarot and oracle cards! She even has an oracle deck of her own coming out SO soon and I can’t wait!!

A caveat: Although all of these resources are incredible, at the end of the day I firmly believe that your intuition is your best teacher. It’s good to get an overview of the cards and dive into their symbolism and history, but if we all read based solely on those meanings then there wouldn’t be anything that made each reader unique! Your own experiences, your own intuition, and your own meanings are what will set you apart as a tarot reader. Don’t feel pressured to adopt the traditional meaning of a card if your gut is telling you it means something else! 

Have you used any of these resources? Do you have any you’d recommend to a tarot beginner? Tell me about it in the comments, I’d love to hear! 🙂