Hudson Valley Tarot

Using Intuition when Interpreting the Tarot Cards

The most important skill to develop to give an amazing tarot reading is intuition. First let’s clarify one thing. Is intuition the same as psychic skills? I view Intuition as an inner knowing and psychic skills as more of a data dump than an inner knowing. Many people see them as the same thing. I just wanted to clarify my way of defining the two.

When you begin learning tarot and are ready to try giving a tarot reading, use your intuition to enhance your interpretation of the cards. You know what? You should even go with intuition over learned meanings 100% of the time. In the beginning it may be hard to trust yourself. I get that! I’ve been reading for 20 years, and I still question myself! Just go for it. Lay it all out there. I’ve found that when I give my intuitive answers during a tarot reading it’s always gotten good feedback from the client. 

Still Nervous?

Still nervous to read tarot for others? Here’s my secret to getting the practice you need to trust your intuitive voice without fear of getting it all wrong aaannd still get paid. Read at parties! First off, people are more relaxed at parties (dare I say a little tipsy?) and are in a less serious mood when getting their reading. Second, if it’s a corporate party, they have most likely not paid for the reading which means less pressure on you. Finally, at parties they are not recording anything or getting a written summary of the reading so they won’t remember all the details. It really is the best place to practice trusting your intuition and getting confirmation that it is always better to follow your inner voice. How do you do this? Here are some easy ways to practice using your intuition during your tarot card reading.

Developing your Intuition

Start your readings with a scan and first impressions. The key to tapping into your intuition is by not thinking. It’s all about observing your reactions to something. If you are doing a reading this means scanning all the cards in the spread and acknowledging what your first impressions and feelings are when you look at the tarot cards together. Look at the cards and notice what you feel, see, and experience. Don’t think about it or elaborate on it in your mind, just let it come. Now, write it down or say it out loud.

Here’s a great exercise I learned from Mary Greer and it is so simple yet so effective! Turn over a card and just blurt out the first thing that pops into your mind! That’s it! I practiced this in a small group during her class and we each took turns doing this for another in the group and we were all blown away by the messages we got! Most had nothing to do with the tarot card meanings themselves but still packed a punch when delivering the message.

When you lay out the cards look at the figures in the card and ask ‘what would this person be saying to me if they could talk?’.  Ask it in relation to that card’s position in the tarot reading. For example, let’s say you pull the 2 of Wands and the position is “what’s blocking me”. You might imagine this card it saying to you

“Oh you little dreamer, you want so bad to travel but you don’t want to leave your nice safe walls you have here, do you?”

Try this yourself now. Just don’t think about it. Don’t try to recall the meaning of the card. Don’t worry about getting it right. Just try it. Try it a few times and see what you come up with!

Always Trust Yourself

If you want to be a good tarot reader it is so important to trust yourself and if you start doing that right from the beginning, you will be on track to becoming an outstanding tarot reader! Trust yourself and most of all have fun!