✨ 3 key ingredients before reading the cards:

1️⃣ Intention

Start out with a clear intention to find out what insights the tarot will reveal to you and how it will help you (or the person you are reading the cards for) to gain a broader perspective on any given matter. Do not underestimate the power of intent!

2️⃣ Focus

Focus and concentration when reading the cards is a fundamental condition for them to show you the answers you seek, in the most accurate way possible. So, when you are reading the cards, try to empty your mind, take several deep breaths (meditate for a few minutes if possible) and focus on the question or issue you want to clarify. Then, start shuffling the cards, still focusing on the question, and only stop thinking about the question when you feel finally ready to put the cards on the table.

For reasons not fully explained scientifically yet, the tarot works, but it requires total concentration so that the answers can be fully revealed. If, while shuffling the cards, you find yourself thinking about something else, stop! Regain your focus, shuffle a little more, and ask again for the orientation of the cards. Otherwise, the answer will probably not be as accurate as you need it to be.

3️⃣ Belief

There is one more important ingredient to access the truths available through the cards: belief in the tarot and in its results. The tarot is a magical instrument, and one fundamental property of magic is that the more you believe in it, the more you can experience it. If you are skeptical, redouble your concentration, so that there is no room for doubt in your (un)conscious. Try to suspend your distrust – at least until you put the cards on the table. You will be surprised by the results! As a rule, the more you trust in the power of the cards, the more powerful they will become.

🙏 One final ingredient which I feel is also important is feeling gratitude towards the cards and their guidance, and treating them with the respect and care you would treat a dear friend, teacher or mentor.

⚠️ Over time, you will find out that some settings and rituals – such as lighting a candle – can help you go further with your readings. However, based on my personal experience, the main ingredients are the ones listed above.

🏞 Image credit: “1 – The Magician”, Rider-Waite-Smith tarot, illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith in 1909.