How to Do Your First Tarot Reading: A Beginner’s Guide

The first time I laid a tarot deck on my altar, it was under a Waxing Gibbous Moon at 87% illumination — that swollen, expectant light three nights before the Full Moon. I remember the weight of the cards in my hands, the smell of the new cardstock, and the quiet terror of not knowing what I was doing. I had my Rider-Waite-Smith deck, a piece of selenite I’d charged for exactly four hours under the previous Full Moon, and a cup of mugwort tea (Artemisia vulgaris) that my grandmother had taught me to brew for divination work. I sat there, the moon rising at 3:47 PM and setting at 3:12 AM, and I pulled three cards. The first one was The Fool. I laughed out loud. That card — that beautiful, reckless leap into the unknown — was exactly where I was. And in that moment, I understood something that no book could have taught me: tarot is not about getting it right. It’s about showing up. This guide is for anyone who has ever held a deck and felt that same tremor of uncertainty. I will walk you through your first reading step by step, with the moon as your anchor and your own intuition as your compass.

Choosing Your First Deck: Let the Moon Be Your Guide

Your first tarot deck is a relationship, not a purchase. I have seen beginners spend hours comparing cardstock weights and guidebook thicknesses, only to end up with a deck that never leaves its box. The Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) deck, first published in 1909 by William Rider and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith, remains the gold standard for beginners for one simple reason: every card tells a story through its imagery. The RWS deck typically costs between $24.95 and $29.99 from major retailers like Llewellyn or Amazon, and its 78 cards are printed on 350gsm cardstock — sturdy enough for daily shuffling but flexible enough for a comfortable riffle shuffle. I recommend the centennial edition, which uses the original 1909 artwork and costs around $27.50.

If the RWS aesthetic does not resonate with you, consider the Everyday Witch Tarot by Deborah Blake at $19.99, which uses modern, approachable imagery while staying true to traditional meanings. Alternatively, the Wild Unknown Tarot by Kim Krans at $28.99 uses hand-drawn, animal-based imagery that appeals to those who connect more with nature than with medieval symbolism. Whichever deck you choose, check the cardstock weight — anything below 300gsm will feel flimsy and may warp with use. I always tell beginners to hold the deck in their hands for at least five minutes before buying. Does it feel alive? Does it want to be shuffled? That is your first reading — the deck speaking through your hands before you ever pull a single card.

Once you have your deck, place it under a New Moon for three nights to cleanse and attune it to your energy. Wrap it in a piece of black silk or cotton cloth — black absorbs residual energy — and set it on a windowsill where the moon can reach it. The New Moon’s dark phase is ideal for imprinting your own intention onto the cards because no other lunar energy is competing with yours. I use a small piece of selenite (selenite is a form of gypsum with a Mohs hardness of 2, meaning it is soft and should be handled gently) placed on top of the cloth to amplify the cleansing.

Preparing Your Space and Yourself for a Reading

Before you pull a single card, you must prepare the space. I do not mean you need a dedicated altar room with velvet drapes and a crystal chandelier. I mean you need a surface that is clean, a space where you will not be interrupted for at least twenty minutes, and a way to ground your own energy. I use a small folding table set up in my bedroom, covered with a white cotton cloth that I wash after every Full Moon. White corresponds to the Moon in color magic — it amplifies clarity and psychic reception. On that cloth, I place a single piece of amethyst (SiO₂ with iron impurities, which give it that violet hue) to my left and a piece of black tourmaline to my right. Amethyst opens the crown chakra for intuitive reception; black tourmaline grounds and protects.

Light a candle — white for purity, silver for lunar connection, or deep purple for psychic work. I use a standard 4-inch white pillar candle from a local metaphysical shop that costs about $4.95 and burns for approximately eight hours. Do not use scented candles if you are new to tarot; the fragrance can distract your senses and pull your focus away from the cards. If you want to use herbs, burn a small bundle of dried lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) or sage (Salvia officinalis) for thirty seconds before you begin. Lavender calms the nervous system and opens the third eye; sage clears stagnant energy. I prefer lavender for first readings because it does not overwhelm the space the way sage can.

Ground yourself before touching the cards. Stand with your feet flat on the floor, take three deep breaths — inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for six — and visualize roots growing from the soles of your feet into the earth. This takes about sixty seconds. I have skipped this step more times than I care to admit, and every time I have pulled confusing, scattered readings. Grounding is not optional; it is the difference between reading the cards and letting the cards read you.

Understanding the Cards Through Lunar Archetypes

Tarot decks contain 78 cards divided into two main groups: the Major Arcana (22 cards) and the Minor Arcana (56 cards). The Major Arcana represents life’s big themes — the soul lessons, the karmic turning points, the archetypal energies that shape our existence. The Minor Arcana deals with the day-to-day: emotions (Cups), work and creativity (Wands), thoughts and communication (Swords), and material reality (Pentacles). Each suit has 14 cards: Ace through Ten, plus four Court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King).

I teach beginners to map the Major Arcana to the lunar cycle because the moon’s phases mirror the archetypal journey. The Fool corresponds to the New Moon — pure potential, a blank slate, the moment before anything begins. The High Priestess corresponds to the Waxing Crescent — intuition stirring, secrets half-revealed, the veil thinning. The Moon card itself (number XVIII in the Major Arcana) aligns with the Full Moon — illusion, fear, the subconscious rising to the surface. The World card corresponds to the Balsamic Moon — completion, release, the end of a cycle before the next New Moon begins. This mapping gives you a framework for interpretation that does not require memorizing 78 separate meanings.

For the Minor Arcana, focus on the numbers first. Aces are beginnings — like the New Moon. Twos are duality and choice — like the Waxing Crescent. Threes are growth and expansion — like the First Quarter. Fours are stability and structure — like the Waxing Gibbous. Fives are challenge and conflict — like the Full Moon’s tension. Sixes are harmony and flow — like the Waning Gibbous. Sevens are reflection and assessment — like the Last Quarter. Eights are movement and change — like the Waning Crescent. Nines are culmination and near-completion — like the Balsamic Moon. Tens are endings and new beginnings — like the Dark Moon before the New Moon. This number-based approach lets you read any card in any suit without needing a guidebook.

The Three-Card Spread: Past, Present, Future

The three-card spread is the most reliable structure for a first reading because it is simple, flexible, and surprisingly deep. You pull three cards and lay them in a row from left to right. The first card represents the past — the energy that has brought you to this moment. The second card represents the present — the current situation, the energy you are working with right now. The third card represents the future — the trajectory you are on if nothing changes. I have done over five hundred three-card readings in the past three years, and I still use this spread when I need clarity on a specific question.

Here is how I do it. I shuffle the deck while focusing on a single question. “What do I need to know about my creative project?” or “What energy am I carrying into this week?” I shuffle seven times — seven is the number of the Seeker in numerology, the number of spiritual inquiry. Then I cut the deck with my left hand (the receptive hand, the hand closest to the heart) and pull the top three cards. I lay them face down on the cloth, then turn them over one at a time, starting with the past position. I spend at least two minutes on each card before moving to the next. I look at the imagery first — what colors dominate? What symbols catch my eye? What is the figure doing? Only after I have sat with the image do I check the traditional meaning.

For example, if you pull the Three of Swords in the past position, do not panic. The Three of Swords shows a heart pierced by three swords — it represents heartbreak, grief, or painful truth. But in the past position, it means that pain has already occurred. It is behind you. The present card might show the Four of Cups (apathy, contemplation, waiting) and the future card might show the Ace of Cups (new love, emotional beginning, overflowing feeling). That reading tells a clear story: you have been hurt, you are currently in a period of withdrawal, and new emotional energy is coming if you open to it. That is a reading you can act on.

How to Read Cards When You Don’t Know the Meanings

Every beginner hits this wall: you pull a card, you recognize it, but you cannot remember what it means. The Page of Pentacles. Is that good or bad? Is it about money or study? You reach for the guidebook, and suddenly your intuition shuts down. I have been there more times than I can count. Here is what I do now: I treat every card as a stranger who has walked into my room and is trying to tell me something. I do not need to know their life story. I need to observe what they are showing me in this moment.

Look at the card’s color palette. Reds and oranges indicate fire energy — passion, action, anger, creativity. Blues and purples indicate water energy — emotion, intuition, depth, healing. Yellows and golds indicate air energy — thought, communication, clarity, intellect. Greens and browns indicate earth energy — stability, growth, material reality, health. If you pull the Seven of Wands and the background is bright yellow with a figure standing on a hill holding a staff, you can read that as: you are in a position of defense, you have the high ground, you are being asked to stand your ground. You do not need to know that