Tarot Talk & Technique

Searching through the forum, over the years we have had posts about members reversals techniques, but can't find a thread about shuffling. So if you use reversed cards in your readings..... How do you shuffle them in your practice? How do you decide how many to have in the deck? This the place for all reversed shuffling methods and techniques 🙂 There is a guide to shuffling techniques generally, here - https://www.thetarotforum.com/forums/topic/15717-shuffling-techniques/

Hi, I'm new here! Before this I know about tarot from a digital tarot app back then in 2017 or 2018, iirc. Back then I was so sceptical but now I started to learn tarot again and so obsessed! I wonder is there anyone here using a digital tarot deck? If you are, then do you feel any difference between physical and digital tarot on the reading result? I understand that the experience will ofc different because the digital card is, uh, cannot be touched. But a digital deck is handy and practical. What would you think?

This is something I have been thinking about recently and a subject for the more spiritual /astrology following/ Moon cycle following readers. Traditionally there is a belief you shouldn't do readings when the Moon is Void of Course. In traditional astrology, it's advisable to not start something new, try to get factual information or communication or divine. It's a window to prepare but not do, because the Moon is in an energetically weak position. Will explain the concept first - The Moon takes 29.5 days to go through all the signs in her (pretty fast) cycle and she spends 2.5 days on average in each sign. Some people follow these cycles in their lives…

I agree with this and many readers choose to never read reversals. It is not necessary, however, it does mean that each card has to be considered as though it may not be the positive meaning. For example, the 2C, that instant attraction from across the room, could also be meeting someone that intrigues, but is not truly out for your best interest, may be a physical attraction, may be a great friend, or someone that causes inner or outer turmoil, could be a constant irritant, or aversion. Seeing the reversed card is a clue that this meeting, this new connection, may be challanged. This thread is a poll about reading reversals and many share insights why they do one or the …

Last night I realized I only had 77 cards in my RWS deck instead of 78. I went through all my cards and figured out the four of cups is missing. i have no idea when I lost the card. I looked for it in places I thought it could be, but I couldn’t find it. What should I do? This is the main deck I use for readings. It’s an old friend, and I certainly don’t want to get rid of it. Should i purchase an identical deck and just replace the missing card? This is so terrible. I don’t know what to do.

Because the future is uncertain, I read that tarot cannot really foretell the future. Rather, it tells you about the present. Is this true?

How many hours do you think you spent with your tarot decks a day / week?

Hello, I got the chariot, the queen of coins, the emperor, 3 coins, and strength for how someone feels for me after saying happy birthday after we stopped taking after an argument 2 months ago. He replied thank you. And we kept it like that since. Any comments on it’s interpretation?

I've just bought several decks and also got velvet bags to store them in, which has me thinking about the best ways to store my decks when not in use. Obviously, out of direct sunlight and not near heaters and so on, but I wondered how others store their decks when not in use. Do you have a special rite or ritual when putting the cards away or taking them out? Do you have a special box or cloth you wrap them in? Do you display them somehow? (Daniel, if this is in the wrong spot, please move to the right one, thanks!)

I mean readings where you ask things like : what can I do to catch that person attention, so they like me? Or What should I do to recover my ex back? That sort of thing that seems "forced" Do you do that kind of readings? I have learned in my tarot journey and in my life that not everything will be as one wants, but then... I rather like asking things like "What are their feelings about me?" Would they want to back with me again (have a relationship ? And then if the answer is yes maybe ask for further advice. Advice readings to improve ourselves.. I support those.

Hello everyone. Recently, my mind has been going heavily in circles about a certain topic and I drew the cards a couple of times with different spreads. The results were similar with their message and now I am wondering about the origin of the cards' message? Am I attracting the cards based on my deeply engrained beliefs in my subconscious? Or is the result rather to be seen as an "objective advice"? I hope you understand what I am trying to ask. 😊

I’ve been getting into tarot lately and mentioned it to my friends and they made fun of me and said that tarot is girl thing. Curious if anyone else has dealt with this kind of reaction, and why people still see spirituality or introspection as gendered.

Is it the first-time sitter? Is it the very experienced person that has had many readings before? Is it the sitter who is "with it". Is it someone who has a common type of question i.e. love, career & money etc. Is it someone who has a very difficult question to address? Is it someone who is skeptical about tarot readings? Is it someone who has been to a fortune teller i.e. a Gypsie House? Is it doing couples readings? Is it a sitter who is very young or old? You get the idea. What is your favorite kind of sitter? And why? My favorite is when I don't know somebody's question and I know …

Hello, I always have trouble with the court cards. There are two major issue that I am experiencing: 1) The kings and the queens In almost every reading that I do, they make an appearance. But I find it hard to understand the following: • Who is this person that the king/queen is representing in a reading? For e.g., if I am reading on a topic related to my work and if I get King of swords, then I want to know if this king of swords is my boss or a co-worker or a new client. • How is this person related to the topic or to the other people (the other kings/queens) involved in the situation/appearing in the reading? For e.g., • If I get King…

In March I am offering an intro course on tarot. I'll be briefly reviewing: History to present day The top 3: RWS, Thoth, Tarot de Marseille Why people read: divination, self-inquiry, self-help and healing, storytelling, creative expression Approaches to learning how to read the cards Hands-on activity I'd appreciate any thoughts and suggestions.

Do you reshuffle and pull new cards? Flip the reversed cards upright? Do you apply some larger meaning to the spread (for instance, I've heard it said that when all cards are reversed it signifies an internal conflict on the part of the querent, or that it means somebody is moving)? Other?

Does tarot have anything to do with anything that is "new age"? I was unsure of what the term "new age" actually meant, so I Googled it and this is what I came up with... New Age. noun. 1. : a way of thinking arising in late 20th century Western society and adapted from a variety of ancient and modern cultures that emphasizes beliefs (as reincarnation) outside the mainstream and that advances alternative approaches to spirituality, right living, and health. _______________________________________ What is your thinking just how the tarot fits into all things that are new age? What do you think the general public's percep…

Greetings everyone, I purchased a small velvet cloth as an additional layer on my table, but the border is horrid - ugly in my eyes. I'm going to trim it with proper shears. But, how do I seal the sides so that it does not continue to fray? Is there a liquid or something similar that works? Asking my crafty folks. Thanks.

Hello, I just found out about TT&M yesterday and I am really glad to be here. In one of my tarot books there is a quote saying, "There are no bad cards in the tarot, just lessons to be learned." This quote sort of changed the way I do readings. For example, I used to think the 10 of Swords was a bad card and so did one of my querents, until I learned that the card meant the ultimate end of the situation & in the card, we see a figure laying on the ground with 10 swords in his back/spine. He's dead right? But a bright sun pierces the darkness of the blackest night letting you know that a new beginning and a new day is dawning letting you kno…

I spent some time sorting out all of the tarot techniques, methods and practices that I use in my own work, many of which have appeared as (very) Frequently Asked Questions in the online tarot community over the years, and turned them into a kind of "punch-list" that might be used as an overview for the more traditional practitioner. These are all personal preferences, and there is a tiny bit of "bio" thrown in to get me to 42 iterations (Douglas Adams fans will understand). Many are questions that I'm sure we've all asked ourselves. 1. Type of shuffle: Overhand, riffle or other? Overhand; sometimes “casino shuffle” 2. Querent handles cards, Yes or no: Yes, shu…

Happy New Year everyone! My question is do you believe it's okay to do a reading for someone who is in the public eye like a politician or a celebrity...even though they don't know you? I guess what I am trying to say is that I've always avoided questions that have always invaded other people's privacy...questions like "Does Johnny love me?" I would always reframe those type of questions for the sitter. Would I be out of line to do a YouTube video on a political figure (a three-card spread like Issue/Action/Outcome), even if I don't know the person? The person in question here is Elon Musk. He is the richest guy in the worl…

I remember many years ago on Aeclectic there was a member who asked a question about the history of a treasure that had recently been found. Who left it there and why? I'm not sure if anyone ever found out the answer, but there may be a way we can unearth such secrets. Does this sound like an interesting way to use the cards? I would like to start up some Tarot 'research' activities like this that people can participate in. Here's one activity: A question is asked - maybe someone sees something in the news and wants to find out the answer to it - it could be a historic person, treasure, ancient civilisations, such as Atlantis or wh…

I stumbled across a book titled “Mastering the Tarot” by Paul Fenton-Smith. I read a couple of pages as I was curious about its potential based on the title. I feel there are more than enough beginner tarot books and not near enough intermediate/advanced ones. However, I scoffed and stopped reading as soon as I saw an entire page about how one should ONLY read for other people and literally NEVER read tarot for oneself. His reasoning being that one is too emotionally invested in the outcome and cannot be objective which will cloud the reading. I find this to be ridiculous. Yes, we are invested in the outcome of a reading for ourselves and we want only good things…

Lately, I have been feeling that Tarot is mirroring me and reflecting my subconscious more than telling me about the future. I do understand that the future is not set in stone and that things can change according to our energies. But sometimes with the readings I feel hopeless because it mostly shows me what I want to see. If I dont want to encounter a situation and ask for the future outcome, the resultant card would be a No. If I do want to encounter the situation, the resultant card would be a Yes. And this is when I do the same reading twice, but a week apart. And in the end, I end up in a third situation. I think what I am trying to ask if yo…

I took some time off of my decks and they've been packed away until recently. Now that I have them out, I've been going through them, just counting and basically checking that all is well. I noticed a few of my decks have "hardened" into a brick and kinda feels tacky when trying to separate them. Is this normal? Only a few, most are great, even duplicates of the hardened ones are great. Weird.