← The tarot course · Lesson 1 of 6
Before you shuffle, it helps to know what you are holding and how to use it.
Tarot is a deck of 78 cards full of symbolic images. It isn't a modern invention or a crystal ball: it's a language of symbols that, used well, helps you look at a situation from another angle and ask yourself better questions. At astralpaper we treat it that way, as a tool for reflection, symbolic and for entertainment.
What it is not: it doesn't reliably predict the future, it doesn't replace a professional when something serious is going on, and it doesn't decide for you. The cards suggest; you decide.
The big themes and the underlying stages (the Fool, the Star, the Tower…). When they appear, they set the tone of the reading.
Daily life, in four suits: wands (energy and action), cups (emotions and bonds), swords (mind and conflict) and pentacles (body and money).
Approach tarot with curiosity, not anxiety. A reading doesn't tell you what will happen; it gives back, in order, what you already sense, so you can decide better. If a card doesn't resonate, don't force it.
The best way to learn tarot is by drawing cards. Try a spread, free and with no sign-up.
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