Intuitive Card Reading For Beginners

If you follow me at all before now, you’ve likely seen me posting all sorts of posts, reels and stories with oracle, affirmation and tarot cards at some point.  I love doing card readings! I have a whole page for card reading here lol.  I find them to be an incredibly helpful tool for intuition, guidance, and self connection.

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If you didn’t know, Tarot and Oracle cards have been around for AGES!!  But they haven’t always been as “mainstream” as they are becoming. Thanks to social media.

When I first got into card pulling though, I was super intimidated.  I had no idea what I was doing, if I was doing it right, or why I was even doing it in the first place.

BUT!!  It is so not as scary or as “weird” as it may feel, initially.  Hang with me and I’ll fill you in on what you NEED to know to get started.

First, affirmation cards . . .

I personally started in the world of “card readings” by using affirmation cards.  I  love affirmation cards so much, I created my own.  And I might be a bit biased, but its my favorite affirmation deck.  You can find a ton of different kinds on Etsy or Amazon.

I found the use of an affirmation deck to be a great start.  It helped me get used to the shuffling of cards, intuitively picking one, and allowing it to provide the guidance I needed for the day; with little to no “extra” thought.  It is really that simple. 

Tarot and Oracle cards are that simple as well, in the whole scheme of things.   However, they do tend to need a little more thought.  So let’s get into it.

Why do we use Tarot and Oracle cards?

Tarot cards are an excellent tool to use when you are looking for a little guidance in your life.  This can be guidance of any kind really.  All you have to do is ask a question and be open minded.  They open the door to explore the situation/event/relationship etc on a more spiritual level.  Often times reassuring our own intuitive thoughts.

Here is a collection of the cards I have & love. Make sure to check back, as I keep updating it!

I think it’s important to remember, you are human and you have your own free will.  While Tarot/Oracle cards are meant to provide guidance and reassurances to our intuition, they are not definitive answers.  And no, the “death” cards are not predictions of your pending demise, you do not need to fear the “death” card or any card for that matter.  At the end of the day, they’re just cards and even though they are insanely “accurate”, they’re just meant for entertainment purposes.

Know the differences . . .

Oracle Cards

Oracle cards are another great place to start.  They’re my personal favorite - for many reasons - but the biggest being they’re much more open for intuitive interpretation.  Each deck has its own unique theme to it, with cards of guidance and wisdom.

A good deck will come with a guidebook which is a great tool to understand the card on a deeper level.  However, don’t limit your experience to the guidebook.  Oracle cards are amazing tools to strengthen your intuition.  Always go with that first, and expand on that with the book after.

Tarot Cards

Tarot cards have a much more rigid structure and set rules to them.  Aside from the type or theme of the deck you choose, they should all have the “same” 78 cards.  The cards are broken into 2 different categories.  The Major Arcana, which consists of 22 cards and the Minor Arcana, which consists of 56 cards.  The Major Arcana cards represent what would be considered the big picture.  Where as the Minor Arcana cards, represent the everyday challenges.  These are broken down into 4 suits, with each of the everyday challenges corresponding to one of the 4 elements - earth, air, fire and water.

In all honesty, learning Tarot is a long process.  There is a lot to learn.  But don’t let that stop you.  YOU CAN LEARN IT!  All you have to do is practice, practice, practice.

How do you practice?? 

Well, your average tarot deck will also come with a guidebook explaining the basic interpretation for each card; which is the same across the board.  As you practice and do card pulls, refer to your guidebook.  Take what resonates and leave the rest.  The more you practice, the quicker it’ll be to learn your deck, and you’ll start to be able to recall what each card symbolizes.  And of course, your intuitive guidance will strengthen as well.

HOW to do a card reading . . .

Now, onto the best part!  How to do a card reading!!  Luckily, the how to, is the same whether you’re using tarot or oracle cards and very similar to how I explained above with the affirmation cards.  Im going to explain how I personally do card readings, with some extra tips or ways to do it.

Remember, each of us tend to do things a little differently.  So take what resonates with you and go with whatever feels right, for YOU.  Intuition is your BIGGEST asset when it comes to card readings.

1. First, you need to know how to PICK a deck.  Go with what your intuition says.  Which deck are you most drawn to or curious about?  Maybe its a color or a style or a theme.  Go with what feels right.  As for Tarot cards, I would suggest getting a simple/original style deck as a starter deck.  It’ll make it much easier to learn and then you can branch out into a fun themed one, like my cat deck.

2. Grab your deck of choice.  I like to cleanse the energy of mine before each use.  You can do that with sage, sound, crystals, etc; dealers choice.  You can also clear the energy by knocking on the deck three times, as if you’re knocking on a door.

3. Decide on the type of card reading you want to do.  You can do a one card pull, 2 cards, 3 cards . . . or a more complicated card spread.  Most guidebooks will have a section explaining different card spreads — this as a great place to start.

4. I will often sit in meditation for a minute with my deck in my hands.  Feeling into the question Im seeking guidance on (whether this is for myself personally, or if Im doing a reading for someone else).  When Im ready, and while still thinking of the question at hand, I start shuffling the cards.  I also ask the Universe, spirit guides and intuition to guide and share with me what message needs to be heard for my highest good, or the highest good of who I am pulling for.

5. Now to picking cards.  There are a few different ways to pick your cards.  I suggest trying them all at some point.

1. When you feel like its shuffled enough, put the deck down in front of you and fan them out.  Hover and move your hand over the cards and allow them to tell you which card or cards to pull.

2. While holding the deck, allow your intuition to tell you where to cut the deck and pull cards that way

3. My personal favorite - while shuffling, you may find cards fly out of the deck.  I believe that card or cards are meant to be seen and those are the cards I use.  I’ll use my intuition to determine if I should keep shuffling and letting more fall out, or if Ive “pulled” what was needed.  There have actually been times where a card has flown out and I just put it back into the deck, chose cards by the first description above, and ended up with that same card that flew out initially.  Thats why I tend to go with this method to begin with.

6. Now “reading” the cards.  I always suggest to take a moment to look at each card.  What is the initial message you receive?  Give yourself space and time to allow downloads to come.  The guidebook is a great tool to get a deeper look into the card.  And sometimes the place to go when you have no idea what the card even means.  But always allow your intuition the space first.  If after reading the guidebook, you still don’t “feel” it was the right card.  Give it some time.  Just because you don’t like the answer or message, doesn’t mean it wasn’t meant for you.  Who knows, you might be going about your business in a few days and “ah-ha” it all clicks  — it’s happened to me before.

Thats all there is to it!  Trust me, its really not anything to be intimidated about, but I totally get it.  I was there once.  Now, I find myself being “pulled” to do card readings.  Whenever I feel like its a “random” feeling, I try and make the time to sit with my decks and do a card pull.  Those messages that come through, are some of the best downloads and usually the ones I share on social.

Did you find this helpful?  Are you ready to get your hands on a deck and get practicing?  Let me know how it goes!