Let’s go over the basics!

There are (typically) 78 cards in a Tarot deck. These cards are first split into two groups, the Major Arcana (Cards 0-21) and the Minor Arcana (Ace-10 and Four Court Cards with four suits total). There are hundreds of different iterations of Tarot Card Decks with different imagery and labels for the cards, but most of them are based on the classic ‘Rider Waite Smith’ (RWS) deck which was originally released in 1909.

The Major Arcana is frequently described as ‘The Fool’s Journey’. Each card in the Major Arcana is a stepping stone along the Fool’s path towards accomplishing his goals. All of these steps are archetypal, every journey has a beginning and an end with different conflicts and resolutions along the way. Think of the Major Arcana as the main plot in a film, the Fool can be seen as the main character and the Major Arcana tells the story of his adventure.

The universal nature of the themes illustrated in the Major Arcana make them applicable to any type of question, but they are called ‘Major’ because they are important indicators in a reading. A reading that is heavy in cards from the Major Arcana may indicate that there are big things occurring, and the messages presented should be taken to heart.

The Minor Arcana also demonstrate journeys, but think of them more as sub-plots within the movie as opposed to stand alone features. Each suit represents a different type of mini-journey. Most decks divide the suits into the journey of passion and creativity, the journey of emotions and relationships, the journey of finances and security, and the journey of thoughts/ideas and conflicts. In a RWS based deck, the suits are named Wands (passion/creativity), Cups (emotions/relationships), Pentacles (finances/security), and Swords (thoughts/ideas/conflict). Every mini-journey starts at an Ace and travels through the subplot to a Ten, which represents the completion of that subplot.

You can’t have a subplot without main characters. Within each suit, there are four characters that may make appearances in a reading. In a RWS deck, they are usually named Page, Knight, Queen, and King. The Page is a youthful, naïve or curious person who embodies learning about the mini-journey being taken. The Knight is the reckless teenager, diving into the plot headfirst without taking the time to evaluate the entire situation. The Queen is the mature incarnation of the theme, typically filling a nurturing leadership role. The King represents someone who has mastered the mini-journey: a grown-ass person who has seen it all and knows exactly how to manage anything the sub-plot throws at them. It bears noting that while a lot of Tarot Decks are gendered in this way- the messages can be applied to any and all genders and aren’t limited to Queens representing women and Kings representing men.

The answer is honestly that it depends on what you’re looking to accomplish with your reading. Theresa Reed describes working with Tarot in her book, Twist Your Fate: Manifest Success with Tarot and Astrology: “Tarot is a practical tool for decision-making, creativity, and introspection. It can help weigh pros and cons, explore possible outcomes, and create strategies.”

Let’s go back to our movie analogy. Have you ever found yourself yelling at the screen because the main character is oblivious to something majorly important? You’re watching the romantic comedy, she’s sitting in the coffee shop engrossed in the book, but you the viewer are aware that her soul mate is actually sitting at the table directly behind her and she’s about to miss her chance. Or you’re watching a scary movie, and you’re yelling at the teenagers to not go into the creepy house because they’re definitely going to get murdered if they do? Well, in these scenarios you’re the main character going about your business, and the Tarot Deck is the viewer on the other side of the fourth wall that wants to shake you into seeing the things that are right in front of you.

The Tarot helps clue you in on the important plot points. It can get you to look up from your book in that coffee shop by having the busser drop a tray behind you, making a ton of noise. It can stop you from going into the creepy house by having a newspaper fly in on the breeze and smack you in the face so you can read the headline about the previous attacks at the address you were about to walk into. But it can also help with smaller, less pivotal moments in life as well. All you need to do is ask the right question.

Let me preface by saying that you don’t actually need to have a question to want a Tarot Reading. Remember, you’re the girl in the coffee shop and you might not know that you should be paying attention to your surroundings instead of your book. Our general readings let the Universe (or deity, or spirit, or whatever else you may choose to believe in) throw a light on what it thinks you should be paying attention to.

Tarot works best with questions that ask “why” or “how” as opposed to “what”. It wants to give you clues as to the actions you need to take in order to achieve something, but it also wants you to do the legwork. Bearing that in mind, a question phrased like “Will I….” or “Should I….” won’t yield good results. It implies that you have no agency, and Tarot Readings are all about making informed decisions for yourself.

Better ways to frame your question are “How can I…”, “What’s the best way to achieve…”, “What can I expect if I…”, “What’s the hidden opportunity with…”, or “What am I not seeing about xyz situation…”.

Tarot can certainly answer yes/no questions, but you will likely get more valuable answers with more context. Tarot is also not the best indicator of exact time. Don’t expect it to give you the precise day and time that you’re going to meet your soulmate in a coffee shop. But it may be able to tell you to pick up a caffeine addiction for the next six months to a year.