I’ve been wondering if I really need some special gift to start reading tarot for myself, or if that’s just something people say to make it seem more mystical than it actually is.
Honestly, I’m a bit skeptical when people insist you need to be “naturally intuitive” or follow strict meanings from a book - couldn’t the cards just be a tool to help us reflect on what we already know deep down? I’d love to hear from others who started reading without considering themselves particularly psychic or gifted.
Is it like riding a bike and anyone can do it or is it just something a special few will ever be able to do properly?
I treat tarot as a skill you build. I started by pulling one card and jotting a quick note to revisit later. Practice and patience ended up doing the heavy lifting, not some hidden gift.
Yes, absolutely, anyone can learn. Anyone who tells you otherwise is gatekeeping and does the community a disservice. Luckily, we don’t have much of that here, and we have a recent thread on learning to read the Tarot, which is full of fantastic advice.
I sucked at tarot for months. Kept trying to memorize meanings from different books, but they all said different things and I could never get further than just repeating the basic card meanings.
I don’t consider myself especially gifted or “psychic” but I think that was for the best. It made me actually study and work at learning to read the cards.
From my experience, you really don’t need psychic abilities to read tarot.
I started without any special gifts and the cards still gave me useful insights. In fact, I think there’s probably a good argument to be made that the Tarot can help you find innate gifts you might have, but you certainly don’t need them to get started.
They’re basically a tool for reflection, helping you see patterns and think about things from different angles. Some people do develop their intuition over time, but plenty of readers never do and still get value from their practice.
Just start with a basic deck and see how it goes. Don’t stress about whether you can sense energies or whatever.
I think opinions with the Tarot are as varied as the people who read them. Some readers will stick to intuitive readings while others study the meanings deeply, but I think even if you’re relying on intuition, it’s a skill you can work on like any other.
And even if you don’t ever read the cards like someone you see on YouTube or something, that doesn’t mean you can’t use them to great benefit.
Tarot cards help access the inner knowledge we already have. They reflect back what’s in our subconscious. Many experienced readers use them as a focusing tool for their insights. You can work with the cards just to explore your own mind, trust that feeling when something clicks.
Often, you’ll find you know more about your situation than you thought. The cards work whether you approach them psychologically or mystically. No special abilities needed, just openness to what comes up.
Sometimes I feel like anyone can… apart from myself
Really, though, yeah, it’s something anyone can pick up. Ignore anyone trying to gatekeep and tell you that you need some special ancestry. Nonsense. We’ve had it here before and they were banned for just picking fights with people.
Back when I started, I was convinced you needed something “special” that I couldn’t really put my finger on. Tried going to those daft workshops to help you unlock whatever gift I thought I needed to use my cards and actually get a response.
Then one day, my daughter grabbed my deck and started doing readings for her stuffed animals. No training, no mystical awakening, just looking at the pictures and telling stories. She may have picked up bits from hearing me do readings, but most of her spread was just from what she saw right there in the images.
The “*you need to be psychic”*thing is such a weird gatekeeping move when you think about it. I’ve taught hundreds of people now and the ones who struggle most are actually the ones trying too hard to be psychic instead of just… looking at the cards and saying what they see.
Anyone can do it. Just takes practice to get real meaningful advice from it.
The Death card shows transformation, the Ten of Swords shows rock bottom - you don’t need supernatural powers to recognize these patterns.
They tested professional chess players. They don’t have a higher IQ than average, but they do spend an ungodly amount of time playing the game and studying patterns. Doing Tarot readings is the same. We learn to spot patterns and we practice until we know what these patterns are trying to say.
Sure, some people are naturally better at pattern recognition or storytelling, same way some people pick up languages faster. But I’ve never met anyone who couldn’t learn to read tarot with practice.
The real skill is learning to trust what you already know.
There’s actually research on this outside of the Tarot world. A psych professor did a whole study showing tarot works through projection and pattern recognition, the same cognitive stuff everyone’s brain does automatically.
We’re literally wired for this kind of symbolic thinking. We all are. Some just spend longer practicing on applying it with the Tarot more than others.
Some people might have better balance to start, but anyone can learn to pedal and steer. The “special gift” is really just paying attention to the cards and your ability to stay focused and dedicated while you learn.
The cards are a language of symbols. You can learn the grammar and vocabulary from books, but fluency comes from using them to have conversations with your own subconscious. Don’t let anyone tell you that you need a secret password to use it.
I have aphantasia (can’t visualize anything in my mind) and zero intuition, but I read tarot fine. Just memorized the traditional meanings and notice patterns.
My friend, who claims to be super intuitive, actually struggles more because she second-guesses herself constantly. Sometimes being “psychic” seems like more of a barrier than a help tbh
Sounds like the kinds of things people used to say because they didn’t want people to do their own readings or learning for themselves.
Tarot isn’t that complicated once you start working with it. Just as long as you’re sticking with it and being consistent, most beginners quit long before they really give them a chance to start reading real messages.
Anyone can learn if they stick with it. I know plenty of regular people who became good readers. What bugs me is people charging hundreds for courses or saying you need their special method. You really just need a deck and time to practice.
Not only can anyone read the Tarot, but there is nobody who can give good readings from a natural gift without effort and practice.
“Just use your intuition” is awful advice for beginners. You wouldn’t tell someone learning piano to just “feel the music” without teaching them the scales first.
The same principle applies.
Learn the system. Learn the numerology, learn the elements, learn the story of the Major Arcana. Once you have that framework, your intuition has something to build on. The insight comes from seeing how the established meanings connect in a new way.
Anyone can follow a recipe and create something edible, but some people possess a natural touch that makes it special. I’ve taught tarot to lots of friends and family over the years, and everyone connects with the cards differently.
There’s no wrong way to read, no rules on who can and can’t and no requirement for anyone to be able to do it other than the effort and dedication to learn. You just need curiosity and practice.
Start with yourself, then maybe read for a patient friend. You’ll figure out pretty quickly if it clicks for you or if you need more time with it.
I don’t believe in psychic anything. But I use tarot almost every day.
But not just “anyone” can read the Tarot. It takes more effort than most beginners expect to get to the point where you are clear and certain about the messages you are getting.
Most people don’t have the dedication and effort it takes to learn. That is the real blocker.
No special talent is required. The cards act as prompts to notice what’s already there, whether you keep it down to earth or lean more mystical. That’s been my experience, anyway.
Ever notice how you sometimes know stuff without knowing how you know it? That’s intuition working.
When a card randomly falls out of the deck, does it ever feel weirdly relevant to what’s happening in your life? Tarot reading isn’t about gaining some new skill, you just learn to listen to the thoughts that are already in the back of your mind.
Sure, some readers seem more natural at it, but 99% of the time, they’ve just practiced more.
When Pamela Colman Smith did the illustrations for the Rider-Waite deck in 1909, she wasn’t some special psychic or anything. Just an artist who knew her way around symbols.
You don’t need any special gift for tarot. If you’re drawn to it, that’s enough. Practice brings out whatever intuitive skills you’ve got, whether you think it’s psychology or something more.
