Learn tarot
Tarot guides
Where tarot came from, what the pictures on the cards mean, how the cards connect to the sky, and how to read a spread. A new guide is added every week.
New this month
The Celtic Cross tarot spread, step by stepThe best-known ten-card tarot spread: how to lay it out, what each of the ten positions means, and how to read the cards in pairs so the spread makes sense as a whole.
Tarot and the phases of the moonThe eight phases of the moon, what each one has traditionally stood for, the tarot cards that match them, and a simple monthly practice that follows the moon.
Getting started
The cards
The four tarot suits: Wands, Cups, Swords and PentaclesWhat each of the four tarot suits covers, the element it belongs to, how each suit tells a story from Ace to Ten, and what it means when one suit fills a reading.
What the numbers mean in tarot, from Ace to TenEach number from Ace to Ten carries a similar meaning in all four tarot suits. A guide to the ten numbers, with the cards that show them best.
Tarot court cards: pages, knights, queens and kingsWhat the sixteen tarot court cards mean, how the four ranks differ, three ways to read a court card, and what each one looks like when it goes too far.
The Fool's journey through the major arcanaThe twenty-two major arcana cards read in order as one story, the journey of the Fool from setting out to the World, and how to use it in a reading.
Reading the cards
How a three-card tarot spread worksWhy three cards are enough, the most common three-card layouts, the one used on this site, and how to read three cards together with a worked example.
Reversed tarot cards: what upside down meansWhere reversed meanings came from, the four common ways of reading an upside-down card, and how reversals work in the readings on this site, with examples.- The Celtic Cross tarot spread, step by stepThe best-known ten-card tarot spread: how to lay it out, what each of the ten positions means, and how to read the cards in pairs so the spread makes sense as a whole.
Symbols and pictures
The symbols in tarot cards, and what they meanThe objects, animals, plants and colours that recur in the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot, where they come from, and how noticing them helps you read a card.
Crowns, hats and headwear in tarotWhat the crowns, wreaths, helmets, hoods, halos, blindfolds and everyday hats in the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot tell you about the figure wearing them.- Animals in tarot and what they meanThe dogs, lions, horses, birds, fish, cats and other animals in the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot, which cards they appear on, and what they add to a reading.
Tarot and the sky
Tarot and the sky: star signs, planets and the moonHow tarot and astrology came to be linked, which tarot card belongs to each star sign and planet, and how the moon's phase is used in the readings on this site.- Tarot and the phases of the moonThe eight phases of the moon, what each one has traditionally stood for, the tarot cards that match them, and a simple monthly practice that follows the moon.
