Tarot Tips: Connect with Your Cards

Whether you are holding your first deck or you have been reading for years, it is easy to get stuck in the "dictionary" phase—constantly checking a guidebook to see what a card is supposed to mean. The best way to truly learn tarot is to move the cards out of the book and into your actual life. Here are three creative exercises to help you build a personal, intuitive connection with your deck.

1. The Photo Album

Think of your tarot deck not as a set of symbols, but as a family photo album. Every card represents a specific moment, feeling, or memory from your past.

The Exercise: Shuffle your deck and pull one card at random. Look at the imagery and ask yourself: “What memory does this card capture?” Don't worry about the traditional definition; go with the first life event that pops into your head.

Example: The Star

The Memory: It’s New Year’s Eve in the mid-90s. I’m working the second shift at a textile mill in South Carolina. It’s midnight, and I’m stuck waiting for my relief to show up so I can go home. I step outside into the cold air to look at the stars. Suddenly, the person I’ve had a huge crush on walks out to join me. We stand there, shoulder to shoulder, watching fireworks go off in the distance. In that quiet, magical moment, I feel like anything in the world is possible.

2. Tarot Haiku

Sometimes we over-explain things. Writing a Haiku forces you to distill a card's entire essence into just a few syllables. A Haiku is a short form of poetry originally from Japan. it follows a strict structure of three lines with a specific syllable count:

• Line 1: 5 syllables

• Line 2: 7 syllables

• Line 3: 5 syllables

The Exercise: Go through your deck systematically. For every card you flip over, write one Haiku that describes its energy.

Example: Three of Pentacles

The merchant watches (5) 

The passage of ships at sea (7) 

Awaiting profit (5)

3. Your Social Circle

This exercise helps you understand how different energies interact. It turns the "people" in your life into the "characters" of the Tarot.

The Exercise: Make a list of friends, family members, or co-workers. Based on their personalities, assign them a tarot card. Once everyone has a card, "pair them up" to see how those two cards might interact. Does the fire of one person clash with the water of another? Does a "King" energy overwhelm a "Page"?

Example: The High Priestess & The Knight of Swords

Imagine your quiet, intuitive best friend (The High Priestess) is working on a project with your impulsive, fast-talking cousin (The Knight of Swords).

The Energy: The High Priestess wants to sit back and wait for a "gut feeling," while the Knight wants to charge ahead and finish the task immediately. This pairing shows a relationship where patience is constantly being challenged by a need for speed.

By using these exercises, the cards stop being pieces of cardstock and start becoming a mirror of your own world.

Carolina Dean 
Tarot Master