Congrats, you have your first (or third? twelfth?) tarot deck (maybe The Cosmo Tarot???)! But, um, now what? While you can gaze at the different cards, touch them, shuffle them, talk to them, dream about them, you can also learn how to properly read tarot cards. Tarot can help you predict your future, understand yourself better, and give your friends insightful readings.
Odds are, your tarot deck came with a booklet sharing the meanings of the cards and maybe instructions for a simple tarot spread or two. But maybe those short synopses about the cards aren’t quite enough and you want to dive deeper! Or maybe you want to get into the history of tarot or learn more about alternate ways to read the cards. Or maybe you’ve been doing daily one-card pulls and three-card spreads for yourself a while and you’re ready to level up to more complex spreads—like a Celtic cross spread. Or maybe you want to learn to use tarot for a specific purpose, whether that’s incorporating it into your self-care practice or developing a tarot side gig to earn some extra ca$h.
Whatever aspect of tarot you’re interested in learning about, there’s probs a tarot book for that. And you might want to pick up more than one. See, there are dozens of different approaches to tarot out there—just ask five tarot readers if you should read your own cards and you’ll probably get five very different answers!
Let’s dive in!
[1]
FOR TOTAL BEGINNERS
How to Read Tarot: A Modern Guide
Jessica Wiggan’s How to Read Tarot is a simple, straightforward introduction to the practice. Based in New Orleans, Jessica is the owner of the apothecary BehatiLife, from which she runs the Sacred Circle Tarot School. Get it for Dhs47 on Amazon.
[2]
FOR SELF-CARE
Tarot for Change: Using the Cards for Self-Care, Acceptance, and Growth
Tarot for Change is the first book by Jessica Dore—who has a fan base of more than 130K followers on Twitter, thanks to her daily card pulls and insightful tarot readings. Instead of using tarot for fortune-telling or divination, this book includes guidance on using tarot for growth and self-care, intended for both beginners and pros who want to take a new approach. Get it for Dhs58 on Amazon.
[3]
FOR INSTAGRAM-SAVVY READERS
Everyday Tarot: Unlock Your Inner Wisdom and Manifest Your Future
Written by Brigit Esselmont, founder of the platform Biddy Tarot, Everyday Tarot is a modern guide to learning tarot, with chapters on using the cards for work, self-discovery, and relationships. Once you’ve read it cover to cover, head to the Biddy Tarot website or Instagram for countless tarot spreads you can recreate at home. Get it for Dhs70 on Amazon.
[4]
FOR PRACTICAL PPL
How to Deal: Tarot for Everyday Life
Sami Main’s How to Deal: Tarot for Everyday Life focuses on using tarot for self-reflection and practical decision-making in your day-to-day activities, from navigating friend drama to asking out your crush. Also, that cover? Gorgeous. Get it for Dhs55 on Amazon.
[5]
FOR PERSONAL GROWTH
Tarot for Self-Care: How to Use Tarot to Manifest Your Best Self
Minerva Siegel’s Tarot for Self-Care offers tarot spreads and card analysis specifically designed to encourage self-check-ins. She presents tarot as a meaningful ritual that helps encourage personal growth. Get it for Dhs58 on Amazon.
[6]
FOR ANYONE WHO LOVES A MOTTO
Daily Oracle: Seek Answers From Your Higher Self
Designed to work as a tarot deck, Jerico Mandybur’s Daily Oracle contains a sentence or two of advice on every page. Flip it open at random every morning or when you’re looking for guidance. Get it for Dhs66 on Amazon.
[7]
FOR RIGHT-SWIPERS
Tarot for Love & Relationships
If you’re dating someone, you probably have a lottt of questions, from Do they like me back? to What is her birth time??? to Did he see me just accidentally Like that 77-week-old pic on Instagram??????????? Well, the tarot can help you out with all those Qs. Probably. Get it for Dhs114 on Amazon.
[8]
FOR GOAL SETTERS
Tarot Tracker: A Year-Long Journey
If you’re someone who keeps a journal or tracks your progress toward a goal, you need Tarot Tracker—it includes a tarot calendar, a journal to keep track of daily readings, and instructions on tracking patterns throughout the year. Get it for Dhs92 on Amazon.
[9]
FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE AN AESTHETIC
Tina Gong’s tarot guidebook is notable for its gorgeous illustrations throughout. Each page on card meanings is accompanied by a full-color illustration—plus text on interpretations, reflections, and actions. Get it for Dhs59 on Amazon.
[10]
FOR COMPREHENSIVE INFO
The Only Tarot Book You’ll Ever Need: A Modern Guide to the Cards, Spreads, and Secrets of Tarot
This tarot guidebook by Skye Alexander and Mary Shannon has a little bit of everything, from spreads to interpretations to a discussion of tarot ethics. Get it for Dhs40 on Amazon.
Via Cosmopolitan US