Can Tarot be mastered through self-study?

Absolutely! You totally can. That's how I learned. If you treat Tarot as a 'language' or a 'tool' rather than some mysterious occult practice, you'll find self-learning to be easy and enjoyable.

Here are a few steps from my experience, which should be enough to get you started:

Step One: Choose an 'Easy-to-Start' Deck

Don't immediately go for decks with super cool artwork or abstract designs. For your first deck, I highly recommend the 'Rider-Waite-Smith' Tarot (RWS). Why? Because 90% of the tutorials, books, and online resources available today are based on this deck's system. Every card in the RWS deck (including the pip cards) features specific characters and scenes, making it incredibly easy to understand and associate with. Once you're familiar with this deck, you'll find it much quicker to pick up other decks you like.

Step Two: Don't Memorize, 'Read the Pictures' First

When you get your deck, don't rush to open the guidebook or buy a stack of books. Instead, draw one card each day and place it on your table. Don't think about anything; just look at the card.

• What's depicted in the image? (People, animals, weather, scenery...)
• How do the character's expression and actions make you feel?
• Is the overall color scheme of the card bright or dark?
• What story does it remind you of? Or what event in your life?

Write down these initial feelings in your own words in a notebook. This process is crucial; it's how you build a 'personal connection' with the deck, which is essentially cultivating your 'intuition'.

Step Three: Understand the Basic 'Grammar Rules'

Once you're familiar with the cards, you can start learning some basic frameworks, which will help you organize information more quickly.

• Major Arcana (22 cards): These can be understood as the 'main plot' of life. For example, 'The Fool' represents a beginning, and 'The World' represents completion. Each card signifies an important life stage or lesson.
• Minor Arcana (56 cards): These can be understood as 'daily affairs,' divided into four suits (Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles), each corresponding to four aspects of our lives:
  • Wands (Fire): Action, energy, work, creativity.
  • Cups (Water): Emotions, relationships, inner feelings.
  • Swords (Air): Thoughts, communication, challenges, conflicts.
  • Pentacles (Earth): Material possessions, money, body, practical matters.
• Court Cards (16 cards): Each suit has four court cards, which can be understood as personality traits or specific people you encounter in your life.

You don't need to memorize all of this in one day. Once you understand this framework, when you look at the card you draw each day, you'll know which category it belongs to. This will give you a general idea of what area of life it's speaking about.

Step Four: Start with a 'One-Sentence Interpretation'

Each morning, draw a 'daily reminder card' for yourself. Combining your 'picture-reading' feelings with its category, try to summarize its message to you in one sentence.

For example, if you draw the 'Three of Cups,' the image shows three people raising their glasses in celebration. Cups represent emotions and relationships. So you might interpret it as: 'Today might bring a social event worth celebrating' or 'Enjoy time with friends.' Then, in the evening, review whether what happened today had any connection to this reminder. This process is very interesting.

Step Five: Practice, Practice, Practice

• Start with simple spreads: Don't immediately challenge complex spreads like the 'Celtic Cross.' Begin by practicing with one-card or three-card spreads (e.g., Past-Present-Future). Keep your questions as simple and specific as possible, such as 'What do I most need to know about Project A right now?'
• Read for yourself: Don't be afraid of being inaccurate. Reading for yourself is the best practice because you know your own situation best and can quickly connect the card meanings to reality.
• Find a good book or blogger: Once you've developed your own understanding, then go back to books or online tutorials. You'll find that you can 'instantly grasp' a lot of the content, and it will also fill in many details you hadn't noticed (such as the symbolism of symbols, colors, and numbers). At this point, the knowledge truly becomes yours, not just something you've memorized.

To summarize my core advice:

Tarot isn't about 'fortune-telling'; it's like a wise friend that helps you 'review' and 'clarify' your current state, offering you a different perspective on how to think about problems. So, don't feel pressured, and don't be afraid to make mistakes. The self-learning process is also a journey of self-discovery. As long as you're willing to spend time 'chatting' with it, it will surely respond to you.

Absolutely! And I highly encourage self-study, because Tarot is, after all, a very personal tool.

Think of it as learning a new "language" or getting to know 78 new friends with distinct personalities, rather than memorizing a dry textbook. It might feel a bit overwhelming at first, but with patience and a step-by-step approach, you'll definitely master it.

Based on my experience, you can try the following:

Step One: Choose an "easy-to-start-with" deck. Don't start with decks that have overly artistic styles where it's hard to tell what's going on. Most people begin with the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (RWS). Why? Because every card (including the Minor Arcana) features specific characters and scenes; the imagery "speaks" to you, helping you better understand the card's meaning. There are many RWS-based decks available today with very friendly artwork; you can choose one that appeals to you.

Step Two: Don't rush to memorize meanings; first, "get acquainted" with the cards. Many people immediately grab a book and try to rote memorize: "Three of Cups means celebration, Ten of Wands means pressure..." This approach often leads to giving up easily. Instead, try drawing one card each day and placing it on your desk. Don't worry about its "standard" meaning; just look at the image:

• Who are the people in the picture? What are they doing? What are their expressions like?
• Is the color palette bright or dark?
• How does it make you feel? Happy, oppressed, or peaceful? Jot down your initial feelings. This is actually training your intuition and building a connection with the deck.

Step Three: Find a reliable "teacher" – a book or online resources. Once you have an initial feel for the cards, then consult books or online resources to see how others interpret them. You'll discover, "Oh, the pressure I felt, the book calls this 'burden' (like the Ten of Wands)." Learning this way is much more engaging than rote memorization.

• Classic Books: Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom is often recommended as a "bible," but it might be a bit profound. You can start with some more modern, simpler introductory books.
• Online Resources: Platforms like Bilibili and Xiaohongshu now have many Tarot readers sharing foundational knowledge, which is very intuitive. Find one or two bloggers you like and follow their teachings; it's very efficient.

Step Four: Start with simple questions and spreads. Don't immediately challenge the seemingly cool "Celtic Cross" spread; it will overwhelm you. Start with the simplest ones:

• Single Card Reading: Just ask a simple question, like "What do I need to pay attention to today?", and draw one card for the answer.
• Three-Card Spread: This is one of the most practical and versatile spreads. It can represent "Past-Present-Future," "Your Thoughts-Their Thoughts-Relationship Status," "Strengths-Weaknesses-Advice," and so on.

Step Five: Practice! Practice! Practice! Prepare a "Tarot journal" and record the question, spread, your own interpretation, and the subsequent developments each time you draw cards. Looking back after a while, you'll find your understanding deepening and your readings becoming more accurate. Initially, you can just read for yourself; once you're comfortable, you can practice for close friends for free (always get their consent and explain that you're a beginner).

Regarding "Intuition," that mysterious thing: Simply put, intuition is the ability to "connect" the card's imagery with your own life experiences and understanding of the question. Books give you the "common denominator" of card meanings, while your intuition is responsible for "localizing" it, making the interpretation more relevant to your specific current situation. Therefore, trusting your first impression is very important.

Finally, and most importantly: Don't be afraid to be wrong. Tarot isn't an exam; there are no standard answers. For the same question and the same spread, different people might interpret it differently, and even the same person at different times might focus on different aspects. It's more like a friend who talks with you and helps you clarify your thoughts.

So, go ahead and start with confidence! Self-learning Tarot is a very interesting process of self-discovery, and you'll get to know yourself better along the way. Have fun!