The worst feeling in Tarot is getting (or giving) a surface level and super generic reading. The querent is left feeling like they didn’t really learn anything, and the reader hasn’t added anything to the session.
So what actually makes the difference between a basic card pull and a reading that really lands?
I’m convinced it comes down to working on two things. Firstly, your intellectual grasp of the cards (which might surprise some people) and your intuitive abilities (and I’m not saying you need to be some gifted born psychic to work with the Tarot properly).
Honing Your Intellectual Understanding of the Tarot
The intellectual side is your foundation. You need this before anything else clicks. You don’t need a PHD here, but the readers that really surprise me are the ones that have spent time studying the Tarot.
Please note: I’m never trying to attack anyone who is getting started with the Tarot or just wants to keep things simple. This is only if you want advice on how I think you should be looking to develop your reading style.
Go Beyond Beginner’s Tools. Those little guidebooks are fine when you’re starting out, but they’re basically just someone else’s cheat sheet. If you want depth, you gotta dig into the actual systems behind the meanings.
Understand the “Why” Behind the Meanings. Memorizing meanings is one thing. Understanding where they come from is completely different. Understanding why this card and/or position means this message means you’re actually understanding and not just repeating someone else’s understanding. You don’t need to do all this at once, but start getting into:
Numerology: Why the numbers matter
Symbolism: What those images actually represent
Elements:Fire, water, air, earth - how they play into everything
Kabbalah and Astrology: The systems that tie it all together
Once you get these pieces, you start seeing patterns everywhere. You won’t need to worry so much about the guidebooks or cheat sheets of card meanings.
The readings basically build themselves.
Embrace the History. The Tarot pulls from all these Western esoteric traditions - Platonism, Kabbalah, Hermeticism. The imagery of the cards is a representation of divine emanations and universal archetypes. Heavy stuff, but it changes how you interpret the message.
Let Context Be Your Guide. This is the first thing everyone should be working on with the Tarot. When you actually understand the systems, you stop giving those generic “you will meet a tall dark stranger” readings. You can get specific about what’s happening in someone’s actual situation.
Systematize Your Knowledge. The deck is basically a complete system that maps out existence. Start noticing the patterns - like how all the sixes deal with harmony and stabilization. The deck is an interconnected wheel, far more than just a pile of individual cards. This shift in perspective is the foundation for giving better tarot readings that actually resonate.
Another note: I know we’re really talking about the RWS here but the reality is I think this advice applies to any system.
The intuitive part is trickier to explain, but just as important.
Integrate Your Intellect and Intuition. Your intuitive hits aren’t coming from nowhere. Usually, it’s your brain processing all that intellectual knowledge faster than you can consciously track. The more you know, the better your intuition gets.
Make the Conscious Choice to Use Intuition. You don’t have to be born with it. Just decide you’re going to start paying attention to those subtle feelings and impressions. The decision to develop it is the biggest step.
Practice and Seek Feedback. You get better by doing readings. A lot of them. You need to actually ask people if what you’re picking up resonates with them. That’s how you learn to trust yourself and get past the doubt. This can be hard as a new reader because we don’t want to put ourselves out there and risk being told “no,” but it is the fastest way to learn.
Trust the Experience Sometimes you’ll get an impression that makes zero sense to you. Say it anyway. Half the time, the person will be like “oh my god yes” and you’ll have no idea why it landed. But it did, and that’s what matters. But that said…
Share What is Beneficial. Not everything that pops into your head needs to be said out loud. Some impressions are just for you to understand the context. Share what’s actually going to help the person sitting across from you.
Far from an exhaustive list, but I hope it helps someone. Let me know if you have any questions, or please feel free to add some of your own advice for me and others. Love and light
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For newer readers, the only thing I would add is that everything should be based around the context of the whole spread. Not forcing the Tarot to only work with a single card or something like yes or no.
Let the context of the spread tell the story. Let the cards speak!
I ended up ditching YouTube tutorials and digging into real tarot books. There’s that thread for beginners learning to read Tarot,and I don’t really consider myself a beginner at this point, but I did get this.
It’s a workbook, not a “book”.
Styled as the easiest way to learn the Tarot, but it’s (more importantly) an effective way. If anyone wants to improve their reading depth, I would do this.
I know experienced readers don’t want a “beginner” guid,e but trust me. Set aside our ego for a moment and even a revisit to the basics can help.
These days I keep readings tight by sticking to the exact question. If they ask about career, I read the Tower as a work shake-up, since that’s the context. I put the question at the top of the page and check each note against it. When I don’t, the reading starts to sound like it could fit anyone.
We need more guides like this. Maybe a series of pinned threads for readers who want to improve their skills.
I think the other poster said it right, ego is a problem for all of us. It is hard to learn because it is hard to admit (even to ourselves) we are not perfect and we could improve.
I think some people tend to lean more toward one side or the other (intellectual or intuitive). Not right or wrong but I don’t believe it needs to be entirely 50/50.
This really resonates. I agree if we could pin this and show new users. The cards literally come alive when you stop trying to force meaning from your head and let the energy speak through them instead.
The same card can feel completely different depending on whether someone’s operating from fear or love. Like pulling the Tower for someone - if they’re gripping onto control, it reads as catastrophe. But if they’re already surrendering to change, it becomes liberation.
Single card meanings don’t mean anything without this kind of context.
The intellectual foundation you mentioned is spot on. Once you understand the underlying patterns and energy dynamics, you stop needing to memorize anything. The meanings just flow because you’re reading the actual energy, not just symbols on cardstock.
Something that shifted my readings completely was realizing that sometimes the most powerful thing isn’t what the cards say, but helping someone recognize where their energy is focused. Are they asking out of desperation or curiosity?
That changes everything about how the reading lands.
Trust your gut when something feels off, even if the “traditional” meaning seems to fit. The cards are just the doorway - the real reading happens in that energetic space between you and the querent.
Okay, but how do you deal with querents who want you to tell them their future basically?
They come in expecting concrete predictions and get frustrated when you discuss energy and patterns. I try explaining that tarot shows possibilities, not certainties, but some people just want that fortune-teller experience.
Do I just give them what they want or keep trying to educate?
I ended up dropping a lot of the rigid tarot rules-stuff like one set way to read reversals or keeping my deck to myself. I go with what feels right. The readings come out cleaner and more like my voice. Not saying its for everyone.
I started pausing on whatever the picture triggers before opening a guidebook. With the Hermit, the lantern once made me think of fumbling for my keys in a dark hallway, and it matched the person’s situation better than the usual ‘soul searching.’
The numerology thing was also really big for me.
All the fives are about conflict/change, all the fours are about stability/foundation. Once I got that, I stopped needing to memorize 78 individual meanings.
Now I just combine: number energy + suit element + my intuitive hit = the message.
So much simpler than trying to remember what every single card “means” in every position.
I’ve been giving myself more time to pause after I lay out the cards. Used to fill the silence right away because I felt awkward, but taking a breath first helps.
The readings feel better when I don’t rush. Sometimes the right interpretation comes to me when I’m not forcing it. Still get nervous sometimes, though, especially with new clients.
