Intuitive Tarot – How To Read Cards Without The Books

In another article on this site, I wrote all about working with the traditional meanings of the cards, giving permission for any reader, novice or veteran to consult the deck books or other resources as they read, if that’s what feels good for them.

 I stand by this as my preferred way of reading for myself and have been reading like this for almost thirty years.

 But I still enjoy using my intuition to interpret cards and certain spreads. This is called intuitive reading.

Intuitive reading means leaning into what the cards in their imagery and their positions in your spreads mean to you, either outside of or alongside of the traditional meanings.

Some readers swear this is the best (and for some, the only) way to read tarot. You can make that judgement for yourself.

How to Read Tarot Intuitively

Take up your preferred deck.

The deck’s theme will impact how you interpret the cards, so work with a deck with imagery that appeals to you either personally or for the story you’re working on.

Lay your spread. 

You can use a traditional spread or an intuitive spread. An intuitive spread sees you placing the cards however you decide in the moment. Do whatever feels right.

Look closely at the drawn cards.

How do the images make you feel?

What do they make you think?

Are there symbols on the cards, either classic symbols like pentagrams, moons, mountains, water, or other more interpretive symbols? For example, what might a cat symbolize in the context of your spread? What about a person’s clothes? Their body position or facial expression?

Is the coloring light or dark? 

Is the picture playful or heavy?

What stories do the scenes evoke?

How do these elements combine to relate to your question or reading?

Most often, I will do an intuitive reading of a card and then consult the books and other resources to add further nuance to my interpretations of the cards if needs be. 

I find it useful in intuitive readings to not think about expressing or explaining the meanings, like the kinds of explanations you’d read in a book, just feeling through the keywords, emotions and senses. This works better when reading for alone for yourself.

Like everything in tarot culture (and writing), how you choose to approach the practice is up to you. Choose one way, try another, combine multiple ways of reading tarot, and walk your own path through the arcanas.