1. Start with a question you can work with
Open questions give the cards room: "What do I need to understand about this job offer?" works better than "Will I get the job?". Ask about yourself and your part in things rather than what someone else is thinking or doing.
If you have no particular question, a card of the day or a simple past, present, future reading is a good way to check in.
2. Choose a spread
A spread is a set of positions, each with its own question. Start small: one card, or three. The Celtic Cross is wonderful but has ten positions, which is a lot to hold until three feel natural.
- One card: a theme for the day or a quick yes-or-no.
- Three cards: past, present, future, or situation, action, outcome.
- Five to ten cards: decisions, relationships and big questions, once three-card readings feel easy.
3. Shuffle and lay the cards
Shuffle in whatever way feels comfortable while you hold the question in mind. When it feels done, cut the deck if you like, then lay the cards face down in the spread's order. Turn them one at a time.
If a card falls upside down, you can read it reversed or simply turn it upright. Both are respected ways to read; decide before you start.
4. Read each card in its position
Before reading any meaning, look at the picture for a moment. Who is there, what are they doing, what is the mood? Then read the position's question aloud and answer it with the card. The same card says different things as the past, as advice or as an outcome.
Only then look at the card's written meaning, and notice where it agrees with what you saw and where it adds something.
5. Put the reading together
Step back and look at the whole table. How many Major Arcana are there? Is one suit everywhere? Are there repeated numbers, or many reversed cards? Do any two cards seem to talk to each other?
Finish by saying the reading in one sentence, in your own words, and choose one small thing you will do or watch for.
6. Write it down and look back
Note the date, the question, the cards and your one sentence. A week or a month later, read it again and ask honestly how it turned out. This is how you learn which cards and spreads speak to you, and it is the fastest way to grow as a reader.