If you grew up in a traditional religious household, you may believe that tarot cards are scary and dark, and something to do with witches and the occult. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Tarot’s history begins the Catholic church, and many Italian cities still have tarot readers offering readings on the streets. Like everything, tarot can be taken over by people who offer scary scenarios, but in fact, having a proper tarot reading is one of the most empowering things you can do. They are scarily accurate (but not to scare you, if you choose the right deck or the right reader!) The original Venetian deck is believed to have come from Egypt or India many moons ago.
A traditional deck has 78 cards. The 22 major cards represent big life events, and the 56 minor cars are for less important and daily events. There are four suits (wands for energy and creativity, cups for love and emotions, swords for thoughts and actions and pentacles for wealth and career).
People who are experienced can then, after shuffling, read what is going on in your life and offer advice, and sometimes predict the future, but only if you are willing to learn the lessons. You can ask specific questions before performing a spread. This can be from a daily reading (card of the day for energy to learn from) to a full 10-card Celtic Cross Spread. Tarot cards are simply tools to help you make better decisions.
Real Talk Tarot is a beautiful deck in a keepsake box, with a 64-page book. Updated from the classic Rider Waite version, this has no scary or dark pictures, and has lighthearted illustrated. The King of Cups in this deck is pictured as a handsome barista (!) and the Seven of Wands has a political protest on the street!
Tarot for Change is a book to help you read the cards for self-care and positive messages. Use the cards to live with mindfulness and compassion, and build meaningful relationships. This book breathes new language into the ancient wisdom of the cards. Kawaii Tarot makes the tarot cards Japanese-inspired and cute!
Will You Give Me a Reading? is a simple guide to reading tarot cards. Jenna Matlin has been reading tarot since 1990 and shows how to give helpful and accurate readings, how to ask the right questions and why the court cards are difficult to interpret. Also learn what to do, when your reading goes wrong!
Jenna Matlin is a clairvoyant medium who has been reading tarot since 1990. She is a full-time psychic reader and was named best spiritual guru by Philadelphia Magazine in 2019. She has read for thousands of people, both individually and in group settings, and she runs weekend-long retreats and readings at corporate headquarters. She also has a Master of Science degree in organizational psychology and executive coaching.
