Romani Perspectives on How to Read Tarot

The first tarot decks were created in Italy around 1430, and they were intended to be a card game. Roma (an Indian diasporic ethnic group frequently mislabeled with the slur "Gypsies”) invented tarot reading and cartomancy in general as a job upon their arrival in Europe and popularized it across Europe and the UK, particularly throughout the 1700s–1880s. Roma were met with intense discrimination at this time in Europe, which continues today. Now that tarot, our survival trade, has become so trendy, it’s especially important to support and spotlight Romani readers and teachers who have mostly been erased, whitewashed, or misrepresented in mainstream occultism and are far more likely to be accused of scams than their white counterparts, directly because of centuries of ingrained racism.

What a lot of people consider to be the standard modern tarot deck is based on the Venetian or the Piedmontese Tarot. It consists of 78 cards divided into two groups: the Major Arcana, which has 22 cards, also known as trumps; and the Minor Arcana, which has 56 cards. One of the most popular decks is the Rider-Waite-Smith, first published in 1909. Its popularity is partly because it is in the public domain, meaning it’s no longer protected by copyright, so anyone can do their own version of it. As such, there are many artistic interpretations of this deck out there, so it’s a good one to learn.

The person responsible for the iconic imagery of this deck is Pamela Colman Smith (February 16, 1878–September 18, 1951), also nicknamed Pixie, who was a Black British artist, illustrator, writer, publisher, and occultist. She is best known for illustrating the Rider-Waite tarot deck for Arthur Edward Waite, but she was not credited at the time. Colman also illustrated over 20 books, wrote two collections of Jamaican folklore, edited two magazines, and ran the Green Sheaf Press, a small press focused on women writers.

Reading Tarot for Yourself

The art of reading for yourself is born of consistency and experimentation. To start, find a nice space to work and set your environment however you prefer. Clear your mind as best you can using breathing techniques, and set an intention to be open to spiritual direction. Ask for what you need from your deity/guides/universe/deck, or whatever suits you, to guide you with clarity.

How Often Should You Read for Yourself or Get Readings?

We encourage reading often or daily to practice if you’re learning, hoping to become professional, or are professional. Not everyone wants to read for themselves daily, though, and sometimes folks ask us how often they should get readings from professionals or friends. Here are some reading schedules that some people enjoy.

• Weekly, Moon Phase, or Monthly Forecast: If daily feels like a lot, some people like a tarot forecast for the week, moon phase, or month ahead.

• Seasonal/Holiday Readings: Some people like to read around their major holidays or seasons to help them decide where to focus their energies for that part of the year. Some do just solstices and/or equinoxes.

• Event-Based: Something wild happening? Feeling confused? Ready for a life change? Get a reading!

• Annual: Some people love just one reading a year, maybe around their birthday, or whatever date signifies a new year for them.

A Daily Tarot Practice

We highly recommend drawing a card every day to get to know the tarot better and to receive daily guidance from your deck. You can meditate on its meaning and message for a few minutes every morning. Better yet, journal a little about the card and what you think it means for you in the morning, and then check in again at night and journal about what you learned. We are all about testing your knowledge and checking up on your results. It can be helpful to ask a specific question to the cards so you get used to the way they communicate with you. You can ask whatever you like in a daily reading, but we have some suggestions for you:

• What do I need to know today?

• What do I need to embody?

• What will guide me today?

• What do I need to learn today?

• What will give me strength today?

• What can I let go of today?

How to Ask Questions of the Tarot

If you’re just starting out, start light. Even seasoned readers struggle to read for themselves about sensitive topics that they’re very emotionally invested in. If there’s something pressing that you want to read about but it’s too hard for you to be objective and get clarity, you can ask a professional reader or talented friend to do the hard work for you. Seeing how others read is a great way to learn too.

For your own readings for yourself though, ask open-ended questions. Avoid yes or no questions initially because tarot tends to be more nuanced than that. For example, asking a question like “Will I ever get married?” is too dependent on too many factors and choices that you and others would navigate. Instead, a more helpful question might be “What do I need to know about my love life right now?” or “How can I approach dating so I can find my life partner?”

It’s also helpful to ask questions that are meant to help you along your healing journey, spiritual path, purpose, or whatever feels like it would provide you with life guidance. Sometimes the specific things we want or worry about are more transient than we realize. What seems important now might not be next week due to totally unforeseen circumstances. It’s okay to ask specific questions about events in the near future, but ask some big picture questions too. Be sure to balance questions about the mundane or day-to-day with questions of healing and spirituality. Tarot helps you become more self-aware, so well-rounded inquiries are essential.

Example Questions

• What do my guides want me to know?

• What is blocking me?

• What is supporting me?

• What am I afraid of?

• Where should I direct my energy?

• What do I need to understand?

• What should I focus on right now?

• What can I release?

• What is my strength?

• How can I approach X for success?

• How can I be of service?

• How am I growing?

• What is the nature of this situation?

• What is X embodying?

• What is the conflict?

• What is the solution?