As Carl Jung wrote, “Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes” - and I’m ready to awaken my inner tarot reader! I’ve been drawn to the cards for ages, but my scattered attention (hello, ADHD brain) has made it tough to stick with YouTube tutorials or dense books.
Does anyone know of online courses that break things down into bite-sized, engaging lessons? I can carve out time in my schedule, but something flexible that doesn’t require three-hour study sessions would be perfect.
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Tarot Guru itself has one that I used.
I think a lot of people tend to get something that helps them start, but then we all kind of find our own way after a while. Rather than going out and buying a course, I would start by reading this and this.
Podcasts could work well for how you learn. I listen to them while doing other stuff - walking, cooking, whatever. Way easier than sitting through videos. I keep a notebook around to write down card meanings when they come up. Sometimes I’ll sketch the cards too, which helps me remember them better. I like to just keep a little drip of constant information and learning rather than trying to cram it all in at once.
Hey there!
I KNOW YOU SAID NO BOOKS BUT TRUST ME THIS IS A WORKBOOK. IT IS MUCH EASIER:
Yeah, ADHD and traditional learning can be rough. I like shorter chunks as well. The structure works well, it covers both the spiritual side and the practical stuff, like actually remembering what cards mean when you’re doing a reading.
Try just holding each card and breathing with it. No courses, no memorization, just you looking at the pictures. I started by spending a couple of minutes with one card each morning. Just looked at the colors and symbols. When you feel like it, check out Biddy Tarot’s free email series. It shows up in your inbox with basic info about the cards.
Just pulled the Three of Coins for my morning draw and it made me think about finding good teachers. Have you checked out Camelia Elias and Bent Sorensen’s courses?
What I like about them is that they don’t make you memorize anything. It’s more about looking at what’s actually in the cards instead of trying to remember a bunch of keywords. The lessons come in smaller chunks, which helps if you need flexibility. I get the ADHD thing, the Eight of Swords pretty much summed up how I felt trying to get through those huge tarot books. They teach tarot, Lenormand, and playing cards. Just know they use the Tarot de Marseille tradition, but if you’re used to RW,S their visual approach works with different decks anyway.
Try apps or digital flashcards. Labyrinthos has spaced repetition, which helps with memorization without being too much. I’d start with maybe 5 cards a day instead of trying to learn all 78 at once.
I found Daily Tarot Girl’s major arcana series recently. She’s pretty good for ADHD minds, breaks everything down into short videos that don’t drag on forever.
Her voice is calm and she explains the symbolism without making it complicated. Each lesson stays focused so you won’t get lost in too much information, but still covers what you need to know about each card.
There’s this course called Tarot Card Success by Sal Jade that might work for you. It goes on sale pretty often, so you don’t have to spend too much. What worked for me was the structure.
They have quizzes throughout that keep you engaged instead of just watching videos. I started taking notes as I went through each section, which helped when the quizzes came up. The lessons are in manageable chunks, nothing too long. It helped me when I was starting out and didn’t know where to begin. Anyway, hope that helps. Let me know if you check it out.
ADHD brain here too, and the only thing that worked for me was Joan Bunning’s free Learning the Tarot course.
I did it in 15-minute chunks each day. The lessons are broken into tiny sections with quick review questions. I’d read one part over coffee, then record a 60-second voice memo telling a story about one card. No long sessions needed. I also sketch, so I drew little symbols from each card in a pocket notebook. Those doodles helped me remember when my focus drifted. After three weeks, I felt like I wasn’t wasting my time or confused picking up my deck.
By week four, I did two practice readings for friends using the site’s sample spreads. If you try it, do one numbered card per day, one Major Arcana on Mondays, and save Sundays for the quizzes and a quick two-card reading.
I’ve tried a few of these courses. Here’s what I found:
Biddy Tarot has short modules (like 5-12 minutes each), which is nice if you don’t have much time. They have quizzes and practice readings, and you can use them on your phone. It’s pretty expensive though, and they send a lot of marketing emails.
Little Red Tarot’s Alternative Tarot Course has good reflective prompts and some creative spread ideas. They have sliding-scale pricing which is cool. There’s not much video content though, and if you want to drill traditional card meanings, this isn’t really built for that.
For Udemy, you can find some cheap tarot classes with captions and speed controls, plus you keep access forever. The quality is all over the place though, some instructors are good, others not so much. You won’t get much feedback from the instructor either.
When my focus is shaky, I look for courses that mix short lessons with live practice. Reading with a partner in a small group helps me tune in.
Tarosophy study groups and Ethony’s Tarot Readers Academy have swaps and feedback hours that feel supportive, and that bit of accountability kept me showing up.
To build pattern sense, I take one number a day across all four suits. Notice how the fives tend to feel restless and the sixes steadier. After a while, it starts to stick. On restless afternoons, I set a 15-minute timer and do a tiny two-card read for a fictional character. I jot one line and put the deck away while I’m still interested. Three-hour marathons can wait. Short sessions work better for me.
A couple of quick details would help point you to a good fit.
Do you prefer Rider-Waite-Smith imagery, or are you more into Marseille pips and numerology?
Do you learn better from video/audio, or from written prompts?
If you lean Jungian, look for courses that treat the cards as archetypes and offer reflection prompts instead of straight keyword drills. A small study ritual can help focus: one shuffle, one breath, pull a card, write one sentence. You could also draw a ‘study ally’ court card to set your focus for the week.
Do you want a certificate, or just to feel comfortable and practical with your readings? Would a small practice circle with gentle feedback feel helpful, or does solo study feel better right now?
There are a lot of courses out there but most of them are a waste of time I think.
I get the ADHD struggle with tarot learning.
For shorter lessons, Lisa Papez’s ‘Tarot with Training Wheels’ series on YouTube might work, her videos are usually 10-15 minutes and she breaks things down into smaller chunks, covering individual cards and simple spreads.
Since dense books are tough, you might like ‘Kitchen Table Tarot’ by Melissa Cynova. It’s written in a conversational style with short chapters you can dip in and out of. She keeps things practical without all the mystical jargon.
For online courses, the cheaper or free ones often work better than those pricey $200-500 courses. The expensive ones usually have long modules that might be overwhelming. Look for courses that let you go at your own pace, Little Red Tarot’s Alternative Tarot Course focuses on building daily habits rather than marathon study sessions.
Following tarot hashtags on social media can help you find readers who do mini-lessons and daily card pulls. Good for staying engaged without committing to hour-long videos. Just be ready for the algorithm to spam you with pick-a-pile readings.
Hey, I get the focus struggle. I found a short micro-course (under 40 minutes) that helped. It uses simple memory tricks for card meanings and breaks things into small lessons, so it’s easy to dip in and out when you have the energy. No big info dumps - just straightforward ways to work with your deck and remember what each card means.
Since you want bite-sized learning, try starting with audio. The Easy Tarot Lessons podcast by Dusty White has 15-30 minute episodes you can listen to while walking. Then you could test yourself with a 3-card read when the moon is waxing. I keep a simple note system, one page per card with just the basic meaning (keep it under 20 words), one image, and sometimes a quick voice note. Works well in Notion or Google Keep. I review mine during the waning moon, but honestly, sometimes I forget.
For quick practice, the Deckible app lets you pull a daily card and journal right on your phone. Takes like 5 minutes, which is perfect for scattered days. One thing that’s been working for me is setting a timer, 7 minutes to study one symbol, 5 minutes to read one card for a question, 3 minutes to jot down what clicked. Then maybe once a month, around the full moon, I’ll do a bigger spread.
If you need accountability, Focusmate sessions help. I try to book two per moon cycle, one at the new moon to figure out what I want to focus on, another around first quarter to actually practice.