Tarot reading
Draw Tarot cards from the 78-card Rider-Waite-Smith deck using one of five spreads, from a single card to the ten-card Celtic Cross. Tap each card to turn it over and read its upright or reversed meaning, along with a short summary of the whole spread.
Where this comes from
Tarot appeared in northern Italy in the 15th century as a deck for playing games; only in late 18th-century France did Court de Gébelin and Etteilla give the cards esoteric meanings. The deck used here is the Rider-Waite-Smith, printed in 1909 and drawn by Pamela Colman Smith to A. E. Waite's design. The draw is random. The keywords and the upright and reversed meanings are a modern popular reading written by Nhật Nguyệt; on many cards they differ from the meanings Waite gave in 1911.
1. Choose a spread
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Classical allusion
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
William Shakespeare · Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5
What no one has shown
No study has shown that a randomly drawn card says anything about the drawer's affairs. The theory that Tarot comes from ancient Egypt has no evidence either.
Read on
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What is Tarot, and how do you read the cards you draw?
Tarot appeared in northern Italy in the 15th century as a deck for playing card games. Only in late 18th-century France did Court de Gébelin and Etteilla turn it to fortune-telling. The deck used here is the Rider-Waite-Smith, printed in 1909 and drawn by Pamela Colman Smith to A. E. Waite's design.
A full deck has 78 cards. The 22 Major Arcana run from 0, The Fool, to 21, The World, each carrying a large theme such as beginnings, choices or endings. The 56 Minor Arcana fall into four suits, Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles, each with Ace to Ten plus four court cards: Page, Knight, Queen and King.
Readers usually tie each suit to an area of life: Wands to work and will, Cups to feelings, Swords to thought and conflict, Pentacles to money and work. Most follow the Golden Dawn in pairing Wands with Fire and Swords with Air, though some schools swap the two. Numbering differs between traditions too: Rider-Waite-Smith puts Strength at 8 and Justice at 11, while the French Marseille deck does the reverse.
Each card can land upright or reversed, with even odds here. Upright cards are read for their main meaning, reversed ones for their harder side: something blocked, not yet ready, or pushed too far. A few cards are often taken too literally: Death is usually read as one thing closing so another can begin, and The Tower as a sudden change.
In a spread of several cards, the position matters as much as the card. The same card in the Past position speaks of what is behind you; in the Challenge position it points to what is in the way. After reading each card, look at the spread as a whole: how many are reversed, and which suit turns up most.
| Spread | Cards | Positions and when to use it |
|---|---|---|
| One Card | 1 | No positions. Suits a quick question for the day. |
| Yes or No | 1 | Upright leans Yes, reversed leans No. |
| Past, Present, Future | 3 | Past, Present, Future. Follows one matter along a timeline. |
| Love Spread | 3 | You, Them, The connection. |
| Celtic Cross | 10 | Present, Challenge, Foundation, Recent past, What you're aiming for, Near future, Yourself, External influences, Hopes and fears, Outcome. |
Frequently asked questions
Can Tarot predict the future?
There is no scientific evidence that randomly drawn cards foretell events. Many people use Tarot to question themselves instead: the card offers an image, and you hold it up against what is going on.
Is a reversed card always bad?
Not necessarily. A reversed card is read for its harder side: slowed down, blocked, or overdone. Many readers skip reversals entirely and read every card upright.
How do the Major and Minor Arcana differ?
The 22 Major Arcana carry the big themes of a life. The 56 Minor Arcana deal with more everyday matters, sorted into four suits. A spread heavy with Major Arcana is usually read as a large matter, mostly out of your hands.
Why do some books number Strength 8 and others 11?
Because the two traditions number them differently. The older Marseille deck has Justice at 8 and Strength at 11; Waite swapped them for the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. The deck here follows the Rider-Waite-Smith numbering.
Did Tarot come from ancient Egypt?
There is no evidence for that. The oldest surviving Tarot cards are playing cards from 15th-century northern Italy. The Egyptian theory came from Court de Gébelin in 1781, before anyone could read Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Do I need to memorise all 78 meanings?
No. Every card you draw is shown with its upright or reversed meaning. If you want to read on your own, learn the four suits and the ranks from Ace to King first, then the 22 Major Arcana.
Is my reading saved?
If you are signed in, each draw is saved to your account page. If not, nothing is kept, so take a screenshot if you want it.