Tarot Do’s and Don’ts

Asking for divine guidance? I got you covered! Here are things you should know about tarot as a budding reader and first-time querent.

The pandemic truly paved the way for the rise of mystic practices such as astrology reading, crystal healing, and especially tarot reading. In fact, tarot readers are gaining more traction through TikTok as more people seek answers and assurance. This provided a lot of curious individuals, including me, an insight into the exciting practice that eventually pushed many to learn its ways.

Tarot has drastically changed my life in the last 7 months since I started practicing. Although it is not enough to say that I’m an expert, I have my fair share of experiences as I also read for other people. It first became a fixation – a mere hobby to spend my time on – until I realized how much I enjoy helping others through the magick of tarot. Thus, I am here to share my experience as a self-taught intuitive tarot reader.

What is Tarot?

Contrary to popular belief, tarot is not just fortune telling. It is a method of divination that can provide insight into your innermost wisdom and guidance from your higher self. I find it best used for introspection and putting your subconscious thoughts to the surface.

A tarot deck is composed of 78 cards separated into Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana is made up of 22 cards that represent important stages and lessons in life. It starts with The Fool and then ends with The World.

Meanwhile, the 56 Minor Arcana cards are all about daily life events grouped into four suits: Cups, Swords, Wands, and Pentacles. Cups interpret matters of the heart such as love, emotions, and intuition. Swords represent your thoughts, ideas, and communication. Wands give meaning to your energy, passion, sexuality, and creativity. Then, the Pentacles tackle the matters of the material world such as wealth, dreams, and careers.

@chaoticwitchaunt Let’s Talk Tarot! Ep 1: the Basics of Tarot #tarotreadings #divination #tarottok #witchtok ♬ _Cute – Gabe Lost

Tarot Do’s and Don’ts

Just like anything else, reading tarot has its own set of rules and ethics for both readers and their clients, also known as querents. For a better and more resonating reading session, both parties should connect and establish boundaries. I learned this through encounters with querents who disrespected my time and energy during readings. So, here are a set of do’s and don’ts for both tarot beginners and tarot querents.

Do’s and Don’ts for Beginners

• Do establish your limits in your reading sessions. Avoid questions regarding pregnancy, death, medical and legal matters, or anything that you are not an expert on. Be honest about what you do not know.
• Do read and research on tarot before reading for others. There are several tarot readers out there who do readings without knowing the meaning behind each card. Although intuition plays the most part in the readings, you should at least know the basics and history of what you are doing.
• Do create and explore different tarot spreads. This truly helps in understanding the cards’ message. You do not have to follow the usual spreads like the Celtic Cross. You can make your own that you find easier to interpret.
• Don’t let your clients abuse your energy. Set a schedule and amount of questions per session. As you gain more experience, put prices on your readings. Some people will take your service for granted. I even had an experience with a querent who asked me what to do with their bathroom.
• Don’t meddle in other people’s lives without their consent. It is quite disappointing to see readers use their service for clout. Tarot should not be your way of getting in with the chismis and using it for conspiracy theories. Thus, be sensitive and respect other people’s privacy, especially when they are vulnerable.
• Don’t read when you are not mentally and emotionally stable. Your thoughts and emotions also affect your readings. It is important that you are able to connect with others without being bothered by your own problems. Always put yourself first!

Do’s and Don’ts for Querents

• Do respect your reader’s boundaries. Always ask about their disclaimers and limitations because every reader is different. Understand that tarot reading is no joke. Many readers treat their practice as sacred. In addition, readers also have their own lives outside their tarot account so respect the time and energy they decided to share with you.
• Do find a reader that matches your energy. There are definitely a lot of readers out there, but there will be a few that you will truly resonate with. As I said before, there are different kinds of readers, and what may work for them may not work for you. Find someone that will easily connect with you.
• Do expect something in return. It is disrespectful to assume that all tarot readers offer free readings. Some would do it during the start of their practice or offer it during their TikTok lives, but it is still polite to ask if there is a need for payment. If not, at least leave feedback for their reading. Before randomly messaging them a question with your crush’s full name and birthdate (which you should not do by the way), keep in mind that many of them are doing this for a living.
• Don’t ask closed-ended and mundane questions. While yes or no questions are often asked in readings, tarot works best in providing advice and guidance. Furthermore, it is no place for you to ask questions like “Who would show up tomorrow?” or “What should I wear?” Do not give your reader that headache.
• Don’t expect that everything will resonate. Take your reading sessions with a grain of salt and allow your readers to make mistakes. Things may or may not happen, and that is due to a change of decision or a shift in energy. Only use tarot as a guide, not your personal map.
• Don’t disregard the reading just because you didn’t like the message. The card did not just jump out of the shuffle without reason. Consider everything first before denying something that you should have been doing. Personally, I would tell you what is wrong even if it is brutal as long as it is for your benefit.

Not everyone will understand this practice, and that’s okay.

Readers should not expect that people would immediately open their arms to divination given that we live in a religious country. It is also not our job to convince them to do so. We have our preferences and opinion on things, and spiritual practice will always be subjective to our own beliefs. By the end of the day, we all have to respect our differences.

Are you also interested in tarot? Share your thoughts in the comments. If you liked this article, click here to read more.