Where do I start? Can I even start? Do I have to wait to be gifted a deck? Do I need a teacher?
There are so many myths around tarot and starting out on your journey with it.
Some backgrounds do say you need to be gifted a deck by someone. There are many stories of where this comes from. One of which was to do with the Romany community. You were taught by an elder, and you were taught respect, care and secrecy as part of it. This was in part because they were persecuted. And having a deck of divination cards on you would be evidence of who you are, or that you were dabbling in the spiritual arts, and so you were punished for it. During World War II this meant concentration camps and death for many.
However, much like a Tarot practice, and your personal connection to it, how you obtain your first deck is an individual thing. I, like many, was not gifted a deck. I bought my own. Two actually - if you ever see my deck collection, you'll understand how obvious that is. I have not been cursed or had negative consequences from it. My personal belief is that everyone should read Tarot. It is a great personal self-care tool.
But where to start?
First of all, you are going to need a deck. I always recommend the Rider Waite Smith (often Rider Waite, as Pamela Coleman Smith is often neglected as the artist) Tarot deck. This isn't because it is the most beautiful deck or the easiest to connect with, but solely because most resources for learning about Tarot, use this deck - in images, for reference, for keys within the cards. I always advise getting a journal, and I'll explain why.
At the start of your day, take your deck and shuffle the cards in any way you see fit - hand over, casino, riffle, wash, etc - and ask your question. For this task, I suggest "what do I need to know today?"
Then, when you feel drawn to do so pull one card. sit with it for a moment.
now, take your journal and write down all the "messages" you get intuitively from the card. this can be a word, a person, a thing, an animal, anything - there is no right or wrong.
Then, research the card and it's base meaning. if it doesn't match up with your message or feelings, that is OK. Normal, even. Pop the journal away and go about your day. As you end your day, get the journal out. write about your day. then look at how your intuitive message marries up with the day. And also, how the "traditional" meaning marries up too.
This is a great way to see how that card can resonate within your day-to-day life, and you can use this experience to help solidify your relationship with that card.
Picture from Liminal 11 - who make amazing books and decks!
Now, do you need a teacher?
This is a personal thing too. If you feel having a teacher to guide you through learning is helpful, and your way of learning things, then absolutely, you can get a teacher, or take a course - there is no need to spend hundreds or thousands on one though. and no need for accreditation - there is no required certificate.
You can also learn to read without a teacher. That's what I did. I did the journal thing (that's how I taught myself), and I used resources.
As I go into these, I need to highlight something - there are 3 main systems for Tarot - Rider Waite Smith (most popular), Tarot De Marseille and Thoth. There are variations between them all, and you may feel more drawn to one than the other. As my personal experience is solidly set foundationally in RWS, I will continue with this system from here on in.
My best recommendation for a resource it the Labyrinthos App. It is free on Android and Apple. It is incredible. Amazing keywords, a cute little avatar that you can upgrade as you complete your learning journey. You can do little quizzes to test your understanding. It also has resources on Astrology and Lenormand (another cartomancy modality) too.
As book recommendations, I would go to Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack as a great and decently thorough starter book. How To Deal is a fun modern, but brief, quick start guide to Tarot. As you go for a deeper dive, the Holistic Tarot by Benebel Wen is an astounding resource. A bit of a tome, but amazing for an intermediate and above. Queering the Tarot by Cassandra Snow is great for those in the margins of the LGBTQ+ perspective. The foreword is by Beth Maiden, who has a wealth of information and fresh perspectives on her blog - https://littleredtarot.com/category/blog/
Carrie Mallon has a great explanation on the card meanings and tarot practices. Also, one of the creators of the Spacious Tarot deck - https://carriemallon.com/
These are just some jumping off points to get you started.
There are so many different perspectives on Tarot. None are wrong.
You can be a novice reader and be as accurate as someone who has read for 20 years. same as any art. the more you practice, the more you hone your skill. There are varying levels of talent or accuracy, but no reader is ever correct or incorrect.
And noone ever knows everything about Tarot. After 16 years, I still learn something new about it every single day.
It is a personal journey, so don't compare yourself to others.
If you pull a card, and you read it one way while another reader gets a different message neither of you are wrong.
But the biggest thing on this journey is not to doubt yourself. Question, assess, review what you divined, yes, but doubt - no. Your message may be accurate in ways you never thought when you received it. Or it may lack resonance on part of it. either way, take what happened and use it as a learning experience. If we don't go wrong, how do we know where we need to work and grow?
The hardest thing to do is to trust your intution and believe in yourself. Tarot gives us an opportunity to work on that, and grow in our self-confidence.
