In the world of divination, tarot often grabs the limelight with its mysterious imagery, deep lore, status in the public zeitgeist and promises of insight. Many Youtube tutorials suggest that as a beginner you can “just pull cards and see what feels right!” But is it really suitable for beginners? How can a deep art be described as “...a practice rich with history and cultural knowledge…it is a science of the mind” (Wen, Holistic Tarot, 2015) yet be accessible to anyone without prior knowledge of its profound complexities without issue? Tarot is not simply a deck of cards. It is a sophisticated system that demands respect, dedication and serious study beyond “vibes.”
Understanding Tarot’s Complex System
Tarot is a detailed and sophisticated system that has evolved over centuries. Like all intricate systems—whether it is music, martial arts or foreign languages—it requires genuine respect and dedication if you are going to do it right or even charge money for readings. Without understanding its complexities and nuances, your connection to tarot might remain frustratingly superficial.
Let’s go beyond beginner. Rachel Pollack emphasizes this complexity when she notes the distinction between the subconscious and unconscious, explaining that the unconscious “balances and supports us by joining us to the great surge of life beyond our individual selves” (Pollack, Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, 1980). This level of psychological sophistication is not something you can grasp in a weekend workshop, put into working practice and start ethically charging money for.
Consider what mastering tarot actually involves:
Multiple correspondence systems: Each card connects to astrological signs, planetary influences, Hebrew letters, Kabbalistic paths on the Tree of Life, numerological significances and elemental associations. These are not arbitrary connections—they form an intricate web of meaning that took centuries to develop.
Historical and cultural contexts: Understanding where tarot came from, how it evolved from playing cards to divination tool and the various schools of thought that shaped its modern form enriches your practice immeasurably. The systems listed above are culturally specific and without respectful knowledge of these cultures leads to misinterpretations.
Methodological approaches: There is a structured methodology behind tarot that goes far beyond intuition. Different schools—from the Golden Dawn tradition to modern psychological approaches—offer distinct frameworks for interpretation.
The Problem with “Intuitive” Tarot Reading
In recent times, the term “intuitive tarot reader” has gained tremendous popularity, especially on social media platforms where quick readings and instant spiritual insights are the norm. However, many experienced occultists and serious tarot practitioners cringe when they hear this term. Why?
Let me be clear: I’m not dismissing intuition. All divination systems employ intuition to some degree—it is the bridge between the conscious mind and the deeper wisdom we are accessing. But here is the crucial distinction: intuition should complement knowledge, not replace it.
When someone claims to be purely “intuitive” with tarot, several problems arise:
It undermines the structured methodologies that have been refined over centuries of practice and study
It can lead to projection where the reader’s personal biases and assumptions override the actual message of the cards
It dismisses the embedded systems like Kabbalah, numerology and western astrology that give tarot its depth and precision
It creates inconsistent readings that lack the coherence and wisdom that comes from understanding the cards’ interconnected meanings
High-level interpretation requires more than just feeling your way through the cards. As Pollack writes, “It is not enough just to foresee a likely outcome for us to change or prevent that event. We must understand why it is coming and we must work on the causes within ourselves for the things we do and the ways we react” (Pollack, Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, 1980). This level of understanding does not come from intuition alone. It requires deep knowledge and lived experience of the system.
Oracle vs. Tarot: A Distinct Difference
This is where many beginners get confused and frankly, where the spiritual marketplace often misleads them. Many metaphysical shops or spiritual businesses know that tarot is not just an art—it is a buzzword. People sign up and pay money for tarot readings not oracle readings. Because tarot is older, more famous, it is more powerful in discerning if “she/he/they will come back to me?”...right?
This is more than likely the motivation for the modern phenomena of “intuitive” tarot readers. Tarot is an immediate brand and familiar product that customer bases are familiar with that quickly passes the need to establish product trust. Oracle decks can be vastly different from one another adding an obstacle of unfamiliarity in the way of purchase. “Inituitive tarot reader” is a slapdashed title used to disqualify the need for proper study by asserting self-belief and alleged talent ahead of the established foundation that the art of tarot has. Ironically, if these readers admitted to themselves that they do not want to take tarot seriously and leaned into oracle cards, they would actually be living true to that “intuitive” moniker. This is largely due to most oracle decks being artistically based rather than heavily correspondence based like tarot. While some oracles go beyond a deck and seek out to construct new systems, many are artistry inspired by intuition, allowing for readers to act a bit more freely with interpretations.
Oracle Cards: The Accessible Gateway
Oracle cards are wonderful tools and their value should not be diminished. They:
Provide immediate intuitive usage, allowing for a faster learning curve
Do not require knowledge of complex correspondences or systems
Can be themed around anything—angels, animals, goddesses, affirmations
Allow creators complete freedom in the number of cards and their meanings
Are perfect for daily guidance and gentle spiritual nudges
If you are drawn to card divination but find tarot overwhelming or want to immediately exercise your psychic faculties minus prerequisites, start with oracle cards. There is no shame in this—they are powerful tools in their own right.
Tarot Cards: The Structured System
Tarot, on the other hand, is a completely different beast:
Fixed structure: 78 cards divided into Major and Minor Arcana, with specific suits and court cards
Layered meanings: Each card carries multiple levels of interpretation depending on context, position and surrounding cards
Embedded systems: Deep connections to Kabbalah, astrology, numerology and hermetic philosophy
Historical continuity: Centuries of accumulated wisdom and interpretation
This is why you cannot simply read the tarot as a story of pictures in a 5 card spread. While there is validity to this, it is only one wheel on the divination automobile. Benebell Wen illustrates this in her modern classic Holistic Tarot, which I encourage readers to pick up. In essence, yes, there is a moving narrative in the tarot. But the narrative is not determined by plot, action or the heavy impression of its characters. Tarot’s narrative is driven by a greater “why.” Understanding this greater “why” leads to purer extracts of the Fool, Two of Cups, the Tower and so on, within the reading.
Avoiding Spiritual Bypassing
Without proper grounding in tarot’s systems, it is easy to use the cards for spiritual bypassing—using “intuitive” readings to avoid dealing with real issues or to tell people what they want to hear rather than what the cards actually say.
A tool as complex and powerful as tarot should not be approached lightly or casually. This is not gatekeeping—it is about honoring something that has profound potential when used correctly. For the sake of both honor and efficacy, let’s do better people.
Let me address what happens when tarot is approached superficially, because I see the casualties of this approach regularly in our esoteric communities:
Misguided Readings: open the potential for genuine harm. Desperate clients see the Death or Tower cards might be compelled to quit their jobs and a reader without proper understanding or intuition may just feed into bad assumptions.
Spiritual Consumerism: Collecting tarot decks becomes a substitute for actually learning tarot. I know people with 50+ decks who can’t explain the difference between the suits or why the court cards progress the way they do. The cards become Instagram props rather than tools for growth.
Disrespect towards clients: When you read for others without proper knowledge, you are disrespecting their trust and investment. The role of a reader is to help seekers along the way typically in crisis management with the insights offered by the archetypes embedded in the cards.
Initiating into Tarot
For those truly committed to learning tarot—those who understand this is a years-long journey, not a tiktok/reels/shorts view away from mastery—I recommend treating your entry into tarot practice as an initiation. This is not about fancy rituals (though you can certainly create one if that resonates with you). It is about approaching tarot with the seriousness it deserves.
The Daily Practice Method
Here’s a time-tested approach that many serious practitioners have used:
Choose your teaching deck: Select one tarot deck to bond with initially. I recommend not collecting multiple decks right away—commit to one first. The Rider-Waite-Smith is traditional for good reason (again not my personal jam), but choose what truly calls to you while also acknowledging there are some decks that have been made that prioritize aesthetic over well-meaning correspondence. If western style is your jam, I am a big fan of the Kabbalistic Tarot, Raziel and Alchemical Tarot.
Daily card meditation: Divine one card each day, but do not just glance at it and move on. Study it. Research its correspondences. Journal about it.
Dream Incubation: Sleep with it under your pillow—let its symbols work on your unconscious mind. This is a game changer.
Progressive understanding: Do not move to the next card until you truly understand the current one. This means knowing its astrological correspondence, its numerological significance, its place in the Fool’s Journey, its elemental nature and its shadow meanings.
Study the masters: Read the foundational texts. Yes, this means tackling Pollack’s Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, which has been called the “Bible of Tarot” (Amazon Reviews, 2023). It means checking out Wen’s Holistic Tarot, which offers “a complete guide to using the tarot to foster personal development” (Wen, Holistic Tarot, 2015). And now we can add to intermediate studies, Mat Auryn’s The Psychic Art of Tarot (2024) Do not just like it—fall in love.
Practice readings systematically: Start with single cards, then move to three-card spreads, then gradually work up to complex layouts. Document. Look for patterns. Test your interpretations against actual outcomes.
Rachel Pollack shares a Hasidic proverb: “Why did God make humans? Because God loves stories” (Pollack, Tarot Wisdom, 2008). Tarot is our way of participating in that divine storytelling, but only if we respect its depth, honor its traditions and commit to the long, rewarding journey of true understanding.
The question is not whether you should study tarot—it is whether you are ready for what tarot will demand of you. If you are, then welcome to a tradition that spans centuries, crosses cultures and opens doorways to wisdom you never knew existed.
Services
Cosmic Axis Reading: a transformative three-part divination experience rooted in Maya cosmology that helps you find your center and align with your true purpose through a sacred seven-card spread representing the five cardinal directions.
Mayan Pyramid Path Reading: a comprehensive divination service using a sacred 13-card pyramid spread based on Maya numerology to reveal your life’s natural energetic rhythm and help you navigate major transitions with clarity and courage.
Mayan Astrology Birth Chart Reading: an in-depth soul blueprint analysis that reveals your cosmic destiny through ancient Maya Telluric Astrology, analyzing your daysign, trecena, Venus cycle, Lord of Night, birth year energy and peak manifestation days based on your exact birth moment.
References
Auryn, Mat. The Psychic Art of Tarot: Opening Your Inner Eye for More Insightful Readings. United States: Llewellyn Worldwide, Limited, 2024.
Pollack, Rachel. Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot. San Francisco: Red Wheel/Weiser, 1980.
Pollack, Rachel. The Forest of Souls: A Walk Through the Tarot. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications, 2002.
Pollack, Rachel. Rachel Pollack’s Tarot Wisdom: Spiritual Teachings and Deeper Meanings. Woodbury: Llewellyn Publications, 2008.
Pollack, Rachel. Interview by Nicola Tyson. Upstate Diary. Accessed 2025.
Wen, Benebell. Holistic Tarot: An Integrative Approach to Using Tarot for Personal Growth. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 2015.
