How to prepare for a tarot reading

When you’re scheduled to do a tarot reading for someone, what should you do in advance to get ready for it?

Do you have to spend hours in deep meditation?

Should you be clearing your workspace, or clearing your deck?

Setting out crystals or other tools?

You can do all of the above, if you feel it’s necessary.

You can also do none of the above – especially if you don’t feel it adds anything to your process. (That’s right: You can read tarot without any big, fancy rituals involved.)

So what do I do to prepare for a tarot reading?

I like to take advice I received from one of my teachers, Rebecca Gordon: Go out and live your life.

What does that mean?

Go outside. Go about your day.

Watch for any signs, patterns, or themes that might speak to the flavour of the moment.

Tune into the energy of the day: What kind of mood are people in? What’s the pace of the world around you?

This may or may not have anything to do with your reading, or with your querent.

But it will help you become present and attuned to the moment at hand.

And being present is so integral to showing up with clarity and focus when it comes time to deliver a reading.

It also helps you to feel centered in your mind and body.

It’s so easy to rush around, or get distracted by doom-scrolling online. It’s so easy to start to worry about tomorrow’s to-do list, or get pulled in unexpected directions by that new email or text message that just popped up.

Take time to go through your day with presence and patience. Avoid over-complicating your routine as much as you can and let yourself be the human that you are.

That’s really all it takes to prepare for a tarot reading.

Until next time,

Liz

p.s. Looking for more tips to help you improve your tarot skills - without tons of complicated techniques or rituals involved? I've got tons of free resources to help you get going. Check them out here.