Hi everyone. I got my first tarot deck today. I’ve been reading about tarot and the cards for a little time now. I’m completely new to this though, but I felt a calling for guidance. Does anyone have any advice for a beginner? Cleansing, blessing, readings, anything… 
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I’m also new to tarot but i usually do a one card draw in the morning. But before I draw I meditate and imagine myself in a white circle and just ask my guides to help protect me from negative energy and help me choose the right card. Or I do the same for my 3 cards spread and I always thank my guides and deck after I’m finished. But I’m still very new to do this so hopefully someone more experienced will respond and help you a little better.
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This is just what I do when I get a new deck… so whatever you feel called to do is definitely the way to go.
I cleanse it with smoke & as I am doing so I say a little incantation/invocation/prayer… not really sure what you would call it. It basically asks for the deck to be cleansed of all negative energies & invite in good energies for the highest good of the deck, the questions, and those that are involved with the reading. (Right now I really only read for myself, but I have helped people interpret their own readings of the cards before 
) I place a clear quartz point or clear quartz crystal in with the deck… I keep them in pouches that I have either made or found that the decks will fit into. Then I sleep with them either beside my bed or in my pillowcase for at least a few days.
When I use the decks for my daily readings, I usually hold the deck in my hands & take 3 deep cleansing breaths focusing on the question I am asking & I have my calming music playing. As I shuffle, I continue to focus on the question until I feel it’s time to draw cards. I take the top 3 cards off & place them somewhere within the deck then draw the next 2 cards for my reading.
The first part I do is whether it’s a tarot deck, an oracle deck or runes, witch’s runes, lithomancy stones, or charms.
I have a notebook journal… I write the date at the top, the deck I am using, how many cards I drew & the question. Then I write what the first card is, my initial intuitive impressions, what energies or feelings I’m getting from the cards, things that come to mind, things I notice, any patterns, & then any keywords or phrases that I know from how I read them… I use basic numerology of 1 - 10 & then what I know about each of the suits.
- Cups
- water 
, emotions, ebb & flow, flow of emotions & feelings - Pentacles
- earth 
, tangible things, finances, things you can touch - Wands
- fire 
, motivation, passion, relationships, inspiration - Swords
- air 
, thoughts, the mind, communication
Then I put the cards together kind how card 1 goes with card 2 and what they are telling me about the question or situation that I asked about that day. Which can depend on when I do the reading… whether it’s in the morning or in the afternoon.
Those are really basic references for the suits. @Amethyst wrote up some nice keyword poems in 
Tarot Poems by The Gifted and Talented Amethyst
I’ve made my way from 1 card to 2 cards each day for my readings & they are really working out for me & how I read them for myself anyway. 
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@Susurrus How funny… I sleep with my deck in my pillow case too! I love the idea of adding a crystal!
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The clear quartz is an amplifier of energy & kind of a master healer… so I add it to the box until I can make or come across a pouch for my decks!
I love 
sleeping with them in my pillowcase, I just feel closer to them & my energy is with them each night.
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What a coincidence, I just bought some quartz points today, same day my deck came. 
I think I will sleep with mine as well. Ty. (Quick response, I will get back more in depth shortly).
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Hi @Assyla555,
Congrats on your first tarot deck! It’s the start of something new and exciting- may your new cards serve you well and offer lots of helpful guidance for you going forward
You’ve already got some wonderful advice- I second the daily draw (even if you don’t have any questions in particular, just drawing a card to get a feel for today’s energy is a very helpful practice) as well as sleeping with the deck under your pillow.
And have you come across the Tarot Course yet? The course gives a lot of general information about readings and building a practice along with a thorough break-down of each of the cards. I’ll drop a link here in case you’re interested! (The course is free with your S8 membership)
And if you’re looking for some fun spreads to try, just search “tarot” on the main site- there are many there you can check out! Feel free to adapt the templates to your needs if you feel called to do so 
Good luck and blessed readings! 
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I keep meaning to do that course! Thanks for the reminder!
And @Susurrus - thank you for sharing your process! I’m still super new to tarot and appreciate all of the tips 
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Oh! You’re both very welcome. As I go through learning different things change slightly to what feels comfortable.
Today I’ll admit I looked at my cards & was like 
alright I get it… & didnt journal… kind of my own little witchy temper tantrum I guess 
I was basically told to cut the crap & do what I know I’m supposed to be doing. So that was like my… humph… to the cards 
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It’s a good one- I hope it helps you on your tarot journey, @Assyla555! Good luck with your studies!
It’s my pleasure, @Aurora_Hestia! If you decide to jump into the course too, I hope you enjoy it- have fun with your studies! 
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So far so good. I really love this site. There’s so much great information! It’s hard to stay on topic lol. Thanks @BryWisteria 
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Haha I know the feeling well! There really is an abundance of content around here- sometimes I feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland browsing through it all
It’s my pleasure, @Assyla555!
Much love and many blessings!
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Oh yes, down the rabbit hole lol. I’m going to make a goal to at least get through the videos, no notes, just to have a general understanding of the cards. Even if I forget, which I’m sure I will lol. Once you have a kid your brain has a way of making you forget everything! Lol
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@Susurrus Do you keep the boxes the cards come in? I feel like I should just in case but man it’s a pain taking my cards out of the box, the wooden box, and the bag haha. Maybe just keep the box off to the side or something?
And one more thing for anyone who does Tarot. Do you prefer to do a daily draw in the morning or evening? I read somewhere that I should do it in the evening so as not to be influenced by my card. However, by the time I can draw my card in peace I get too tired to go into detail about the interpretation.
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I need to get a separate journal for my tarot. For now I’m keeping track in my Book of Mirrors. I’m going to have so many notebooks. I write everything down as we don’t have a printer in the house. I’m using a cell phone to be on here. I could go to the library to print. Hmm. I’m going to have so many notebooks/journals lol
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This really depends on the deck & the size of the boxes or guides… typically I make or find some kind of pouch to put them in & store the boxes… either under my bed 
or depending on how well they are made & if I am drawn to them (sounds weird, but like my Celtic 
Tarot, I love the box & the way it opens & I don’t know, but I have it right now under my bed. The same with my Tarot of the Divine box) Other boxes I have recycled because when I make the pouches they are made for the deck & then I put the guidebooks away somewhere with my other witchy books.
I don’t read using the guidebooks from the deck anymore. I read mostly intuitively then using what I know about each suit, numerology, court cards, major arcana, minor arcana, symbols, patterns, what sticks out from the image… things like that.
But for instance, in the Tarot of the Divine 
, I will read the cards but sometimes based on the images, I will see which fairy tale, folklore, or story it is derived from. For the 
Celtic Tarot, I will read the little story before the card meanings too depending on the draw. So I always save the guidebooks & they are put on a bookshelf or in my nightstand drawer, but the boxes… it really depends on how drawn to them I am feeling.
When I journal for the day, I will add in the other readings that I do for the day, as oracle draws. On Wednesdays when I do my stones & runes I add those into my everyday journal 
too. The tarot draws because I write so much & want to see how my day plays out after the reading, I have a separate notebook 
set up based on classes that I took, but I kind of meshed them together & do it my own way. The second part of that day’s reading, I will do before I read my cards the next day.
I do the draw, then interpret the cards, & the next day I will write about my personal experience of the previous day with events & situations, lessons learned or new insights & the people that were a significant part of my day.
I try to do mine in the morning 
but that doesn’t always happen. So if I find that I have something to do, wake up late & need to do other things, or whatever the reason, I will do them either in the afternoon to late afternoon. Anything after about 4 PM, I personally will wait until the next day to do any of my tarot draws.
I have a journal, my tarot notebook, and the little written BoS… my journal serves as my book of mirrors I suppose. I will journal, free write, and my Wednesday or Daily oracle draws will go in there… but in a more general way… the message being received & a brief meaning of the rune, stone, or card that I have drawn. I do have journals I am very tangible. I would rather write things than be on my computer. Also, I have found that when I write things, I either… retain the information better and/or release a good portion of the energy behind what I am writing. It depends on the subject matter I guess in that way 
I do have planners of sorts, I print those as I need them or buy an actual planner that I can write in… I do have a calendar app that will alert me of appointments for the next day, but without the physical planner, sometimes I just can’t totally recall what it is I want or was going to do for the day or week. Plus I write like… astrological aspects, moon phase, affirmations, and intentions, and it allows me to add in a specific timing for things like meditation or working with my deities. So right now I am really trying to figure out the flow of my days and where those will fit in for me.
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Oh ok. That makes sense. I’ve saved some makeup packaging because I loved it so I understand saving the Celtic boxes. I do have a wooden box and pouch that came with my deck. I think I may keep this box for a bit just in case and then decide if I really want to keep it. It’s just an ordinary Rider-Waite box. Yellow, nothing too special about it.
This is what I’ve been trying to do. When I get a new card I look it up on here and watch the video.
Oh ok, great idea. I think I might try that instead.
This is why I like to write things down as well rather than print them. I am thinking about printing out some basics though. Not just for tarot. Not sure what yet lol.
That’s how I am. I forget to check my phone calendar but it does remind me of appointments and such. The tangible planner helps me view my week and what needs to be done. Otherwise I completely forget about things, happens all the time haha gah lol
Same. Just going with the flow over here as well. Seeing what works best and when. Doing things when the time presents itself. Thanks again @Susurrus. I really appreciate you taking the time to write all that out for me. 
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Oh, it’s not a problem at all! Its my own little things & my tarot journal changes as I either combine the personal experience or events or how I read the cards. It has changed from 1 to 2 cards & then how I read them too.
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