When you begin learning tarot, or any other divination craft, you will naturally want to follow the guidelines of readers who have come before you.
After all, they’ve paved the way in how to interpret messages from spirit and clearly convey guidance and warnings to the person you’re reading for.
For me, when I started on my tarot reading journey with my Rider Waite Tarot Deck, The Only Tarot Book You’ll Ever Need by Skye Alexander was my bible.
And I later discovered BiddyTarot which was a super helpful online resource as I started to work with my cards.
At the time, I was reading for friends and family, so continually cross-referencing with my reading materials to find out what the card meant wasn’t really an issue.
But, try as I might, I just couldn’t get all of the card meanings to stick. And this is where I discovered the art of intuitive tarot.
In this guide, I’ll show you how How To Do Intuitive Tarot Readings And More
What Is Intuitive Tarot Reading?
Intuitive tarot reading is where you allow yourself to interpret the cards by relying on your psychic abilities and your feelings, rather than just going by the traditional meanings.
Being in touch with your emotions as you start the reading is very important – you need to be able to differentiate between how you felt already and how the cards are making you feel.
I find that empaths are particularly adept at intuitive readings, but anyone can learn to do them.
There will still be a natural draw toward interpreting the more traditional meanings associated with some tarot cards. Some positive card meanings, or cards that are a little more benevolent in nature, are consistent. And that’s completely fine – it doesn’t mean you’re not an intuitive reader.
For example, if I draw The World card for someone, it will almost always indicate that they have an abundance of opportunities and the world is literally in their hands. They can form their own destiny. But, depending on the context of the reading, and what I notice on the card during that time, the meaning may change.
Now, after many years of practice, all of my online tarot readings are guided by intuition. If you’d like to learn more, please just get in touch.
I’d like to take a moment to welcome readers of Jenny Moonstone to Spirit Of Sapphire. I’ve recently acquired the website, which was previously used to promote intuitive reader, Jenny Moonstone. If you’re visiting from that site, I hope you’ll find some useful materials here.
How To Do An Easy Intuitive Tarot Reading
If you want to learn how to do an intuitive tarot reading for yourself, then using a simple, three-card draw to represent the past, the present, and the future is a good way to start.
Regardless of whether you’re trying to do a love reading, a career reading, or an overview of your current situation, this method can provide great insight. Here’s how to do it:
- Make Sure Your Cards Are Cleansed: First, you need to prepare your cards. We all know that crystals need to be cleansed of energy, but cards are exactly the same. And even if you’ve only used your cards for your own readings, it’s still super important to cleanse your cards before you start to work. You can use white sage, clary sage, lavender, rosemary, incense, clear quartz, or selenite to cleanse your tarot cards. Unlike crystals, however, it’s not really necessary to use the sun to charge your cards or even the moon. Which takes me to the next step.
- Shuffle Your Cards: Now that your cards are cleansed of any energy, it’s time to re-energize them and shuffle the deck. Shuffling the deck is important, not only because it ensures the card selection is random but this act also allows you to reconnect with the cards and infuse them with your energy. If I’m reading for someone else, I also like them to shuffle the cards too so their energy is involved in the reading.
- Select Three Cards: You can either fan the cards out in front of you, and choose the three that you are drawn to, or you can continue to shuffle the deck until three cards emerge (but this can often be slow).
- Start With The Past Card: The card to your left represents your recent past. Take a close look at this card and notice how it makes you feel. Do you resonate with anything in particular on this card and does it remind you of something you’ve recently experienced?
- Move On To The Present Card: Once you’ve taken all you can from the past card, focus your attention on the present. Is there a particular colour that is jumping out at you? This could indicate that you have a chakra that requires unblocking. What emotions does this card invoke in you? Trust your gut instinct and allow this card to show you the extent of your current situation.
- Finish With The Future Card: Finally, move over to the future card. This card offers guidance on what is to come in the coming days and weeks. How does this card make you feel? Are you joyful or does the imagery make you feel anxious? Perhaps there is animal symbolism on the card that you are resonating with? This could be an indication that this animal is due to enter your totem and is here to provide guidance. Whatever you glean from this card, bear this in mind as you move into the near future.
Intuitive Tarot: Top Tips
I’ve pulled together some of my tried and tested top tips to help you get started:
1. Creating The Perfect Space
While this isn’t necessary, it can be helpful to set the mood for a tarot reading.
I like to light some candles and do some breathwork before I begin. I also like to play soft, relaxing music to put me in the right frame of mind.
I always surround myself with crystals that heighten my psychic abilities or ones that help me connect to spirit. Crystals such as amethyst and labradorite are two of my go-to choices for this purpose.
As I’m a clairvoyant, as well as a tarot reader, I often use protective crystals such as black tourmaline to keep me safe while working with other realms.
2. The Best Time To Do A Tarot Reading
There’s no perfect time to do a tarot reading, but if you want to work with Mother Nature and use her power, then doing a reading under a full moon or a new moon can be helpful.
It can also be really powerful to do a tarot reading on sabbats and festivals such as Litha or Lammas.
But in reality, you can do a tarot reading whenever you need to.
The only thing you need to really consider when choosing when to do your reading is to select a time when you won’t be disturbed. So, if you have children, it can be helpful to wait until they’ve gone to bed.
3. Calling In Your Spirit Guides
Now it’s time to ensure your third eye chakra is open and ready to receive messages from the spirit realm. It’s also time to call upon your guides to help you.
We all have a spiritual team that is made up of our guides, our angels, and our loved ones and ancestors. Call upon those in your spirit team to protect and guide you as you conduct your reading.
If you’re open to communicating with spirit, then you can even invite them to step forward, with love and light, and interact with you.
4. How Many Cards To Choose
How many cards you choose for your intuitive psychic reading will very much depend on what you want to achieve.
If you want an answer to a question, then a one-card draw would be perfect.
If you want to do a quick view of your current situation then a three-card reading, like the one I walked you through above, will suffice.
But say you are doing a New Year tarot reading – which I do for myself and my sister at the beginning of every calendar year – then you will want to choose 12 cards in total to represent each month of the coming year.
5. Trust Your Instinct
It’s easier said than done, but don’t doubt yourself. If you’re drawn to a particular element of the card, or a card is making you feel a particular way, then trust it! Because it’s happening for a reason.
It can be difficult to learn to trust your intuition, especially when you first start out, but the more you practice, the easier it gets and the more psychic guidance you receive.
6. Don’t Neglect The Small Details
Look for small details in the card that stand out to you. This could be a colour that is grabbing your attention and that you feel relates to one of your chakras or a chakra of the person you’re reading for. It could even denote that a certain colour crystal is needed for healing.
For example, if you’re particularly drawn to green in the card you’re working with, it could indicate that the heart chakra needs healing and green crystals could help with this.
Similarly, there could be a number that catches your eye. Don’t dismiss this as insignificant – it could be related to an angel number and could really enhance the reading.
6. Give Thanks To Your Spirit Team
When you finish working with your spirit guides and ancestors, it’s important to give thanks.
You can even light a candle on your altar, if you have one, to show your gratitude for their help and guidance.
Other Methods Of Intuitive Reading
Intuitive readings can be done with tools other than tarot cards. Let’s take a look below:
Oracle Cards Or Angel Cards
Intuitive readings can also be done with oracle or angel cards.
Oracle cards and angel cards are generally a little easier to understand as they will often come with a word or a sentence printed on the card to accompany the image.
However, I would still encourage you to use your intuition when working with these tools.
Oracle cards and angel cards can often be quite busy, which is great for an intuitive reading because there’s lots to look at.
You may start by focusing on the animal symbolism, the crystal featured on the card, or the angel at the centre of the image, but before you know it, you are looking at something in the background that really enhances the reading.
As I mentioned above, it can be really helpful to focus on the elements that catch your eye the most – be they numbers, colours, or even small symbols.
And, you can layer your oracle cards with your traditional tarot cards to really enhance the messaging. This is something I almost always do for my clients and for my personal readings.
I’ve included a YouTube video at the end of this guide which shows how I work with oracle cards.
Runes
Runes are an ancient form of divination – they pre-date the use of tarot cards.
It is thought that runes were first used by Germanic tribes but they are still popular today.
Runes are symbols carved into stone, crystals, or sometimes wood. Each symbol carries a specific meaning. The way in which the runes come up when you cast them will form the basis of the information that spirit or the Universe wants you to receive.
Although each rune has a traditional meaning, you can still work with your intuition and form a message based on how the rune makes you feel or where it appears in the reading.
I’m just starting my journey of learning to work with runes, so if you would like to learn more I’d encourage you to read this guide.
Final Thoughts
Intuitive readings are beautiful as they don’t tie you to the traditional meanings of the cards or any other tools you are using, instead they build upon them.
Using your psychic gifts and your inherent intuition can be really powerful, and it means that each reading is truly unique.
If you feel comfortable doing so, and you know how to keep yourself safe, then I would absolutely encourage you to welcome spirit to step forward too when you do a tarot reading as it can really transform the messaging.
It can be daunting to step away from the guidebooks and start to read tarot cards based on how they make you feel, but the more you practice intuitive tarot, the easier it becomes.
I will be launching an online course teaching you how to do intuitive tarot in the near future so watch this space.
