Preparing to Consult the Cards

Initial Preparation

Before a reading begins, there should be some form of initial preparation. Consulting the Tarot is a contemplative process at the very least, and some believe a psychic one. Time should certainly be taken to attain an appropriate frame of mind and to attune to the cards. Some form of simple ritualization may be used to help with this, and many readers stress the importance of some kind of prayer or protecting visualization before the commencement of a reading. Those inclined towards a psychic interpretation of the Tarot view this as a necessary precaution to protect against negative energies to which the reader may be prey, others simply as a means to attain the balanced psychological state needed to get the most from the cards.

Framing the Question

Before the reading proper can be performed, the nature of the reading must be determined. This, in turn, will influence the selection of the spread to be used. If the reading is to be a general one or one concerning some area of the questioner's life, then the reading can commence with this in mind. If the reading is to answer a specific question, then the question must be formulated carefully. Like other methods of divination, such as the I Ching or Runes, the question posed must be simple and unambiguous.

Choosing a Significator

By this stage, the nature of the reading been decided and the spread selected. Some spreads and readers use a card chosen to represent the querent. This card is called the significator, and is normally placed face-up in the middle of a spread, with the other cards placed face-down around and on top of it. The card is not usually part of the reading, but a representation of the querent's position in the events and influences that the other cards detail. The significator may be chosen in a number of ways, from the purely mechanical methods of using a court card based on the querent's appearance (such as hair and eye color) or astrological sun sign, to the intuitional where the reader chooses any card based on what they know of or sense about the nature of the questioner or question.

Selecting the Cards

With the mind focused on the nature of the reading or the specific question to be answered, the cards are shuffled and sometimes cut, usually by the questioner. The cards are then dealt face-down from the top of the deck in the arrangement dictated by the spread being used. Once all cards required for the spread have been dealt, the process of interpretation can begin, with each card being turned over in sequence and interpreted according to its position and relation to other cards in the spread. Some readers prefer to lay all cards face-up from the start, but the more useful method is to allow the cards to unfold the story of the reading as they are turned up one by one, then to reassess the reading as a whole once all cards are on view.