Tarot Journal

Articles on cards, spreads and practice: how to read Tarot and what the cards mean

Questions about the Tarot Journal

What is the Tarot Journal and what is written here?

These are longer pieces on Tarot: whole suits and groups of cards, how spreads are built, reading practice and the basics for beginners. An article gives what a single card entry cannot - the links between cards and the context they are read in.

Where should a beginner start learning Tarot?

With two things at once: the 22 Major Arcana and one card a day. The Majors carry the big themes and stick in memory fastest, while daily practice teaches you to connect a card's image with what actually happened. Bring in the Minor Arcana and the suits as the next step - one suit at a time.

How is a Journal article different from a card page?

A card page answers the question "what does this card mean" - upright and reversed meaning, keywords, a breakdown for love, work and money. An article answers "how does this work" and covers a whole group of cards at once. Individual card meanings are easier to find in Tarot Card Meanings.

How do I read the suits: Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles?

Each suit covers its own area of life. Wands are the element of Fire: intention, action, the pace of events. Cups are Water: feelings, relationships, inner state. Swords are Air: thoughts, words, conflicts and decisions. Pentacles are Earth: money, work, the body and everything tangible. If one suit repeats in a spread, that is its main theme.

What languages are the articles published in?

In four: Russian, English, French and Ukrainian. This is not on-the-fly machine translation - each language has its own version of the article and its own address, and the language switcher in the header takes you to the same article rather than back to the section front page.

Do I need to pay or register to read the articles?

No. The Journal is fully open and free, and no account is needed. The subscription on this site applies only to reading interpretations and reading history - it has nothing to do with the articles.