What Are Tarot Cards? A Brief Explanation

what are tarot cards

Have you ever found yourself wishing you knew your future? Do you check your horoscope like it’s the daily news?

You may think you need to buy a crystal ball in order to learn about yourself and improve the future, but that’s not true. Tarot cards are a great way to have a little fun while learning about yourself.

Asking yourself what are tarot cards? You’re in the right place. Keep reading below to find out everything you need to know.

Basics: What are Tarot Cards

Tarot cards date back to the 15th century, but only took on their mystical values in the 18th century.

Normally, a standard deck comes with 78 individual tarot cards. These 78 cards make up two groups: Major Arcana and Minor Arcana.

The Major Arcana consists of 22 cards and are used to describe one’s journey in the world and mark certain events. They help to understand the universe around us and the lessons we can learn.

Fifty-six cards make up the Minor Arcana portion of a tarot deck. They depict trials and tribulations that people experience. This includes intellectual, spiritual, and emotional occurrences.

The Minor Arcana includes 16 Tarot Court Cards, each one representing a different personality characteristic. Also in the Minor Arcana are 40 cards, 4 suits of 10 cards each.

The four suits are Pentacles, Cups, Wands, and Swords. These represent earth, water, fire, and air, respectively.

The Magic Behind a Reading

A typical reading will start with a good shuffle of the deck. After cutting the deck, you will lay out the cards in a spread of your choice. Turn over one card at a time and respond to each one individually and then the spread as a whole.

Be sure to pay attention to any reversed cards.

Many popular decks will also come with a guidebook to assist in doing readings. This will help you interpret different spreads.

Some reading practices can open up into other spiritual and healing practices. For example, 10 of Cups Ministries works to assist people to reach life goals across many domains including love, career, and spiritual awakening.

How to Use Tarot Cards

People use tarot in a different way. At the core of their essence, however, is the ability to tell a story about someone’s life.

You don’t need to open up a side business a psychic to benefit from the mysticism of tarot. You don’t even need another person. Readings are great exercises to work on self-development and creating goals.

Maybe try meditating by doing a reading in a quiet place!

Find the Answers You Seek with Tarot

After reading this guide, you shouldn’t be wondering what are tarot cards anymore.

Whether you are interested in becoming more self-aware or providing readings to help others, tarot cards are an amazing medium to achieve those goals. A beautiful deck can also make for an amazing gift this year.

Have you already started your journey with tarot? Do you have a favorite card? Let us know in the comments.

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