“You can expect a number of cards to be drawn based on your question/topic/situation and the cards will bring you guidance, messages, and answers.” These “answers” aren’t ones that you are responsible for. The reader will draw narratives and conclusions for you based on the cards you’ve chosen together.

A tarot card reading can take anywhere from five minutes to one hour, depending on how many questions you have and who you’re working with.

You can choose to state your question directly to the reader or you can withhold that information. However, most tarot readers will prefer to understand an overall theme of what you'd like to discuss (think: love, career, family, etc.). If you’re looking for a more general reading, a tarot reader can work with that, too.

It’s important to note that this isn’t a prophetic process. As Rossetto explains, one should view a tarot reading as a “self-care practice” as opposed to a device that predicts your future. While many people think tarot will “give” them the answers, tarot is just a way to connect to the answers you have within yourself.

A tarot card reading allows us to dig deeper into our psychological blockages, find answers from our past, and help guide us forward.

The aim of a tarot reading is to explore a question about the self. You pick cards to help you reflect on possible answers, interpreting the meaning of each in relation to what you asked. Keep in mind that tarot cards are tools for introspection, and for that reason it’s best to keep questions open-ended.

Oracle cards and Tarot differ in lots of ways with the main difference being that Tarot cards follow a specific structure and typically contain 78 cards. Oracle cards have no set structure to them and can vary in the amount of cards each deck contains. With Tarot, once you learn the meanings of the major and minor arcana and the suits you’ll be able to interpret and recognize most any tarot deck. Oracle cards tend to be more straightforward and some even have the meanings written on the front of the cards. Oracle cards will vary completely from deck to deck, sometimes they will have a theme, sometimes not.

Both Oracle and Tarot cards can have the same purpose and intention for divination and to get clarity around a situation. Both types of cards can be worked with intuitively and both tend to have a variety of symbols and imagery to help stimulate your psychic senses. Both tarot and oracle cards are used in spiritual practices, divination or coaching sessions to gain clarity and insight around situations.

Both Tarot and Oracle cards act as a mirror of the current energy. They will reflect the truth of your situation and point out possible ways forward. Think of reading the cards as a conversation with a trusted mentor or your higher self. There is no judgment or “negative” or “positive” messages. There is only the reflection of energy and an opportunity to find a way forward through self-knowledge and an understanding of circumstances

• What do I need to be aware of right now?

• Where should I be focusing my energy or attention?

• What do I need to appreciate about myself today?

• Why is my mother like that?

• What’s my biggest challenge for the day?

• What do I need to know about my love life?

• What should I be doing career-wise?