A friendly 101
Tarot & Oracle Cards
A deck of pictures that helps you ask yourself better questions.
Never held a deck? Perfect. Here's how to find yours and pull your first card.
Starter picks
Not sure where to start?
Three easy first picks from our shelves.
The basics
So... what is a tarot deck?
Tarot began as a card game in 1400s Italy. Fortune-telling came later, in 1700s France.
Tarot has 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana in four suits. Oracle decks are freer, with any number of cards.
Most people read cards as prompts, not predictions. Pull one, look at the picture, notice what comes up.
Choosing
How to pick yours
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Tarot or oracle?
Want the classic system with loads of free help online? Tarot. Want simple and themed? Oracle.
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Classic is easiest
A Rider-Waite-Smith style deck is the easiest to learn. Nearly every book and video uses it.
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Fall for the art
Moons, animals, angels, witches. The one you keep looking at is usually the one.
Using it
Your first 60 seconds
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Shuffle
Shuffle any way you like while you think of a question, like "What should I focus on today?"
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Pull one card
One is plenty. Lots of people pull a card each morning with coffee.
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Look, then read
What do you notice in the picture? Then check the guidebook for its traditional meaning.
Learn it in 10 minutes
A short, friendly cheat sheet to keep next to your new thing. Print or PDF.
QuickStudy guide
The Tarot QuickStudy
Every Major Arcana card, the four suits and three easy spreads in one quick guide.
Starter kit
Tarot Starter Kit
A beginner deck, its QuickStudy guide and a selenite bar to keep it all fresh. Everything you need for your first reading.
Good questions
Questions people ask us
Tarot vs oracle: what's the difference?
Tarot always has the same 78-card structure. Oracle decks each make up their own.
Do I need to be psychic?
Nope. Most readers use the pictures as prompts. The guidebook covers the meanings.
Best deck for a total beginner?
A Rider-Waite-Smith style deck, like Tarot Original 1909.
Do I need to cleanse a new deck?
Only if you like the ritual. Some people shuffle well, knock three times or rest a crystal on top.
Is the Death card bad?
Traditionally it's about endings and change, not literal death. Most cards are less spooky than they look.
Wander a little