The Best Tarot Decks for Beginners
Tarot is one of my favorite hobbies—a one-card tarot read for yourself is such a nice way to start the day. But starting out with tarot cards can be overwhelming. How do you find the best tarot deck or a beginner’s guide to Tarot book? This post will help you get started!
The Best Tarot Books for Beginners:
The Everyday Tarot guide combines the very best elements of a beginner guide to Tarot with elements of self-help and wellness. There are lots of activities and ideas in this book for how you can use Tarot to help you reach your modern goals.
If you like the idea of Tarot but want a way to focus your readings, this book is for you. Rather than focus on broad ideas and concepts, this guide focuses specifically on romantic relationships, careers, and other types of goals.
The Ultimate Guide to Tarot
by Liz Dean
The Ultimate Guide to Tarot book goes into the mythology of Tarot, the major and minor arcana, different meanings, and different spreads. Liz Dean even includes connections to both astrology and numerology, if either of those traditions interest you. This one’s very comprehensive and is a great place to start.
The Ultimate Guide to Rider Waite Tarot
by Johannes Fiebig & Evelin Burger
This isn’t the highest quality Tarot guide, but the Rider Waite tarot deck is a classic and this little volume will give you a lot of info in a much smaller package than the ultimate guide.
The Best Tarot Decks for Beginners:
The Everyday Tarot Mini Deck is the companion to the Everyday Tarot book. It also focuses on actionable items and personal goals. The mini size means it's perfect for travel or work—great if you want to do a daily reading, no matter where you are.
The Wild Unknown Tarot Deck and Guidebook
by Kim Krans
The Wild Unknown Tarot Deck and Guidebook is one of my very favorites. It’s a beautiful deck with lots of gorgeous illustrations—it’s so nice that sometimes I just want to decorate with them.
The guidebook is nice for info on tarot spreads and meaning, though it doesn’t give a step-by-step guide. It’s a great deck, though, if you want something pretty (or to give a gift to someone who wants to get into Tarot).
The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Deck and Guidebook
by Kim Krans
The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Deck and Guidebook is newer than the other Wild Unknown deck, but just as beautiful. This deck features gorgeous illustrations of animals.
The Rider Tarot Deck
by Arthur Edwards Waite
The Rider Waite Tarot Deck is a classic, and for good reason. It’s not as pretty as the newer decks, but you can’t go wrong here, either. It’s fairly inexpensive and perfect for the beginner.
How to Start a Daily Tarot Practice:
1. Get a Tarot deck and guidebook.
If you are at all skeptical of Tarot, I think the Everyday Tarot set is perfect. I would read through the guide in its entirety once before you try to do a reading.
2. Start with one card spreads.
This is an easy way to incorporate Tarot into your busy life. Settle in with a cup of tea and pull your daily card. Spend a few minutes thinking about the ways it can fit into your day to day life or get out your Everyday Tarot.
3. Start practicing Tarot with friends.
If you want to start practicing with friends, I would recommend an easy three card spread with a fun, crowd-pleasing deck, like those linked above.
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Holly Genovese is a native Pennsylvanian and an American Studies Ph.D. student at the University of Texas at Austin. Her interests are in young adult literature, the occult, prison writing, and creative non-fiction. Find her writing at Teen Vogue, The Washington Post, The Rumpus, Electric Literature, The LA Review of Books, Bustle, and many other publications. Find her on twitter @hollyevanmarie.