Everything You Need to Learn to Read Tarot Cards
Below are my favorite resources that helped me to learn tarot and a few recommendations on beginner tarot decks. I am a mass consumer of most things written and have found a few podcasts that help me learn tarot, not just chit chat with tarot readers (not that that’s bad) but when I wanted to learn tarot, I wanted people to go in depth about the cards. I also included some Youtube channels that teach tarot because I realize more people prefer watching to reading.
Books
The Ultimate Guide to Tarot by Liz Dean
This was one of the first books that I ordered when I started my journey. And I really wasn't super impressed with it when I started. It wasn't until I had gotten a little more familiar with terms like the Kabbalah and symbolism that this book really began to shine. It gives you a brief overview of so many aspects of the tarot in bite size pieces that make it totally understandable for all levels.
Holistic Tarot by Benebell Wen
This book is awesome for a full coverage of everything and anything tarot. Wen takes a very analytical approach to how she reads that cards and focuses on memorizing the meanings as well as learning how to read the card for the situation. This is a HIGHLY recommended book for anyone who reads tarot or wants to learn.
21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card by Mary K Greer
I enjoy this book because when you are learning tarot, you may be overwhelmed with the amount of stuff that you need to memorize to be ‘a good tarot reader’. This book helps break down the cards into all of the parts that we may be doing, but not really noticing what we’re doing, like looking at colors or describing the scene.
78 Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack
The deck of tarot tells a story of the journey of The Fool (card 0) and his/her journey through life and the major and minor challenges that they overcome. Rachel does an awesome job of really bringing the story to life with this book. It really helps you start the story telling aspect of the card instead of stating one word keyword descriptions for each card.
Your Tarot Court by Ethony Dawn
I haven’t picked this book up yet, but it’s definitely on my wish list. I added it here because the court cards are something that everyone struggles with and this book I have heard nothing but good things about since it came out.
Tarot for Yourself by Mary K Greer
This is a fun book to connect with tarot in general. This book is full of exercises to relate the tarot back to yourself and helps you get to know yourself on a deeper level using the tarot deck of your choice.
Blogs
I love reading blogs. Pinterest is my BFF. Here are some tarot and witchy blogs that can really teach you a lot if you spend some time to surf around their posts.
This one (of course..)
YouTube
I’m going to be honest and say that watching YouTube is not my favorite way to learn things. I would prefer reading a physical book, but here are a few YouTube channels that have some solid info.
Benebell Wen does deck reviews and a video series to accompany her book, Holistic Tarot, as well as a whole host of different topics that she chats about her opinion on called “Bell chimes in”. Can you tell that I'm a bit of a fan girl?
Masters of the Tarot goes in-depth with some of the biggest names in tarot.
Tarot Oracle has a tarot lessons section on its page that helps you learn different aspects of tarot.
Podcasts
As I mentioned before, I like to learn about the cards, not just listen to people chat when I am full learning mode. Here are a few podcasts that will teach you about the cards on your commute to make it a bit less hellish.
Tarot Bytes from the Tarot Lady
Beginner Tarot Decks
I prefer decks that tell a story within the cards. I find decks that have one single image on the card hard to really connect with and find those decks are better for people who have worked with tarot for a while or are only interested in learning the definition in the little white book that comes with the deck.
Rider Waite Smith having at least one copy of this deck when you are first starting out is a really good idea because most books use this deck as the basis of their descriptions.
Everyday Witch Tarot I recommend this deck because it is very easy to connect with and the images are pretty straight forward. It does have a witchy touch and the cards are easy to shuffle. If you like a deck that is a little more mystical and witchy- this deck is def. for you.
Shadowscapes Tarot this was my first deck and still the deck that I have the best bond with. I know bonding with decks sound weird, but once you have a deck, you will totally understand. The images on these cards aren’t 100% a RWS clone, but are able to be interpreted easily.
If you liked this list, or found it helpful, please share this list with others!
Learning the tarot court cards can be complicated for some people. Here is an exercise that you can do that can help you really get to know the tarot court.