Quick Answer
Tarot training involves learning the meanings of 78 cards, card combination reading, and spread interpretation. Most people reach functional reading ability in 3 to 6 months of daily practice. No formal certification is required to read tarot professionally in Canada, though structured courses from schools like the Tarot School or Biddy Tarot build credibility. Costs range from free (self-study with books) to CAD $500 to $2,000 for structured online programmes.
Key Takeaways
- Tarot has a 78-card structure with two main divisions: 22 Major Arcana cards representing archetypal forces and 56 Minor Arcana covering everyday life across four elemental suits
- Learning follows a three-stage arc: foundational card knowledge (months 1 to 6), fluent combination reading (months 6 to 24), and professional confidence (years 2 to 5+)
- The Rider-Waite-Smith deck is the standard starting point: its fully illustrated Minor Arcana makes learning more accessible than older Marseille or Thoth traditions
- Tarot serves two distinct purposes: predictive or fortune-telling use on one hand, and psychological self-reflection rooted in Jungian synchronicity theory on the other
- The Hermetic Qabalah provides tarot's esoteric architecture: the 22 Major Arcana correspond to the 22 paths on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, a framework developed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in the 1880s
What Is Tarot Training?
Tarot training is the structured process of learning to read a 78-card symbolic deck for insight, reflection, counselling, or divination. The training encompasses card meanings, symbolic imagery interpretation, spread layouts, reading ethics, and the psychological or philosophical frameworks that support skilled reading.
Unlike yoga or massage therapy, tarot reading has no regulated certification body, no government-required minimum training hours, and no licensing requirement in Canada. Anyone may read tarot professionally without any formal training. This means the quality of tarot readers varies enormously, and formal training serves primarily as a personal development path and a marker of professional credibility rather than a legal prerequisite.
Tarot's origins are disputed among historians. Cards were first documented in northern Italy in the early 15th century as gaming cards (tarocchi). The association with divination and esoteric symbolism developed primarily in 18th-century France, where occultists such as Antoine Court de Gébelin began attributing ancient Egyptian and Hermetic origins to the deck. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in London formalised the connections between tarot, Qabalah, astrology, and numerology in the 1880s and 1890s, producing the Rider-Waite-Smith deck in 1909 that remains the most widely used today.
Psychologist Carl Jung did not write specifically about tarot, but his concept of synchronicity (meaningful coincidence) and his theory of archetypes in the collective unconscious provide the most widely cited psychological framework for understanding why tarot readings feel meaningful. Mary K. Greer and Rachel Pollack later built on this foundation to develop the therapeutic and psychological approach to tarot that is now mainstream.
Understanding the 78-Card Deck
Before meaningful tarot training can begin, the deck's structure must be understood as a coherent system rather than 78 disconnected images. The structure is logical, layered, and internally consistent.
The Major Arcana (22 Cards)
The Major Arcana runs from card 0 (The Fool) through card 21 (The World). Each card represents a universal archetype or life principle. The sequence tells a symbolic story known as "The Fool's Journey," in which the innocent Fool encounters each archetype in turn as part of a complete cycle of experience and spiritual development.
Major Arcana cards in a reading carry significant weight. Their appearance points to major themes, deep patterns, or important turning points rather than everyday circumstances. When a reading contains primarily or exclusively Major Arcana cards, readers generally interpret this as pointing to a moment of considerable significance in the querent's life.
The Minor Arcana (56 Cards)
The 56 Minor Arcana cards divide into four suits of 14 cards each. The suits and their elemental and life-domain correspondences are:
- Wands (Fire): Career, creativity, ambition, passion, energy, and action
- Cups (Water): Emotions, relationships, intuition, the unconscious, and spiritual experience
- Swords (Air): Thought, communication, conflict, truth, and decision-making
- Pentacles (Earth): Material resources, finances, health, the body, and practical concerns
Each suit runs Ace through Ten, followed by four court cards: Page, Knight, Queen, and King. The numbered cards carry numerological meaning (Aces representing new beginnings, Fives representing conflict and change, Tens representing completion, etc.) that applies across all four suits. The court cards represent personality types, aspects of the self, or people in the querent's life.
The Importance of Learning Systems, Not Just Definitions
The most common beginner mistake is attempting to memorise isolated definitions for each of the 78 cards. This approach is both inefficient and limiting. Skilled tarot readers learn the underlying systems: elemental correspondences, numerological patterns, astrological attributions, and symbolic imagery principles. Once these systems are understood, card meanings become derivable rather than memorised, and reading combinations of cards becomes far more natural.
The Three Stages of Tarot Learning
Stage 1: Foundational Knowledge (Months 1 to 6)
The first stage focuses on learning the deck's architecture and developing an initial relationship with each card. Activities in this stage include:
- Daily one-card draws with journaling about the card's imagery and how it connects to the day's experiences
- Studying the Major Arcana as a sequence, understanding each card's symbolism and place in the Fool's Journey
- Learning elemental associations for the four suits
- Understanding numerological patterns (what do all the Threes have in common? The Sevens?)
- Practising simple three-card spreads with trusted friends or for yourself
Books that support Stage 1 study include Learning the Tarot by Joan Bunning (available free online at learntarot.com), Tarot Plain and Simple by Anthony Louis, and Rachel Pollack's Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom.
Stage 2: Fluent Combination Reading (Months 6 to 24)
The second stage develops the ability to read cards in relationship to each other, interpret reversals, and work with more complex spreads. Key skills include:
- Reading combinations: what does the Three of Swords next to The Star mean together?
- Elemental dignities: how do adjacent cards of compatible or incompatible elements modify each other?
- The Celtic Cross and other multi-card spreads
- Reading for others, beginning with practice readings for friends
- Developing a consistent reading style and ethical framework
- Introducing reversals if desired
Books that support Stage 2 include Mary K. Greer's Tarot for Your Self, Angeles Arrien's The Tarot Handbook, and for those interested in the Thoth tradition, Lon Milo DuQuette's Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot.
Stage 3: Professional Confidence (Years 2 to 5+)
The third stage is about refinement, personal style, and professional practice. Activities include:
- Developing a signature reading style that integrates intuition with systematic knowledge
- Exploring deeper symbolic frameworks: Qabalah, astrology, alchemy, mythology
- Learning client management, boundary-setting, and ethical protocols for professional readings
- Building a practice through local events, online platforms, or referral networks
- Mentorship with experienced readers or participation in tarot study circles
Training Paths: Self-Study to Formal Courses
Tarot training does not follow a single prescribed path. The approach that suits you depends on your learning style, budget, time availability, and depth of interest in the esoteric dimensions of the practice.
Self-Study with Books and Online Resources
Many excellent tarot readers are entirely self-taught. The body of tarot literature is extensive and high-quality. A self-study curriculum built around three to five foundational books, combined with consistent daily practice, can produce a skilled reader within two to three years. Cost is minimal: a quality tarot deck (CAD $25 to $80) and a selection of books (CAD $100 to $200 total) is sufficient.
Free online resources include learntarot.com (Joan Bunning's complete course), the Biddy Tarot website (bidditarot.com) which offers free card meaning resources, and active communities on Reddit (r/tarot) and Facebook where practitioners share readings, ask questions, and offer feedback.
Structured Online Courses
Several established schools offer comprehensive online tarot certification programmes:
- Biddy Tarot Certification Program: Developed by Brigit Esselmont, one of the most widely known online tarot educators. The Certified Tarot Reader programme covers card meanings, reading techniques, and client readings. Cost approximately USD $997 to $2,000 depending on tier.
- The Tarot School (New York): Run by Wald Amberstone and Ruth Ann Amberstone, founders of the New York Tarot School and the Readers Studio conference. Offers correspondence courses and intensive workshops with a strong Hermetic tradition focus.
- Lisa Frideborg Academy: UK-based programme integrating tarot with spiritual development and coaching skills, oriented toward holistic practitioners.
- The Temple of Tarot (UK): Certificate-level online study programme covering the full 78-card deck with historical and esoteric context.
In-Person Workshops and Intensives
Local metaphysical shops, yoga studios, and esoteric study groups frequently offer weekend or evening tarot workshops. These tend to cover foundational material (Major Arcana, basic spreads) and provide value through live practice and community rather than comprehensive solo training. Cost varies: CAD $50 to $300 for a weekend workshop.
Annual tarot conferences such as the Readers Studio (New York) and UK Tarot Conference bring together top instructors and offer intensive workshop days. Attending one of these conferences accelerates learning significantly through contact with high-level practitioners.
Mentorship and Apprenticeship
The oldest model of tarot training is apprenticeship with an experienced reader. Mentorship arrangements vary widely: some experienced readers offer formal apprenticeship programmes, others offer supervision of practice readings, and some work informally through study groups. Finding a mentor in Canada often requires engaging with local metaphysical communities, attending tarot meetups, or reaching out through social media to practitioners whose work resonates with your approach.
Spreads, Journaling, and Practice Methods
Regular practice is the most important factor in developing tarot skill. The following methods are recommended by experienced practitioners:
Daily One-Card Draw
Draw a single card each morning before consulting any external information about the day ahead. Write one paragraph in a tarot journal describing what you see in the card's imagery. At the end of the day, review what happened and note any resonances with the card. This daily practice over one year builds an intimate relationship with all 78 cards that no memorisation exercise can replicate.
Three-Card Spread
The three-card spread is the workhorse of practical tarot reading. Common configurations include:
- Past-Present-Future: The classic sequential layout
- Situation-Action-Outcome: Practical problem-solving focus
- Mind-Body-Spirit: Holistic personal reflection
- What to Embrace-What to Release-What to Cultivate: Growth-oriented
Celtic Cross
The 10-card Celtic Cross is the most widely used complex spread. Positions cover the current situation, crossing influences, the deep foundation, recent past, potential future, near-term likely outcome, the querent's own perspective, external influences, hopes and fears, and the final outcome. Learning to read the Celtic Cross fluently is a significant milestone in tarot development.
The Tarot Journal
A dedicated tarot journal serves multiple purposes: it records your growing interpretations of each card, tracks reading accuracy over time, captures insights from study, and provides a personal reference library that becomes increasingly valuable. Mary K. Greer's Tarot for Your Self provides structured journaling exercises designed specifically for tarot development.
Esoteric Foundations: Qabalah, Astrology, Numerology
Tarot's deepest dimension is its integration with three other Western esoteric systems: the Hermetic Qabalah, astrology, and numerology. Understanding these connections is not required to read tarot effectively, but it opens a significantly richer layer of symbolic meaning.
Tarot and the Hermetic Qabalah
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, active in London from the 1880s to the early 1900s, produced the most influential synthesis of tarot and Qabalah. Golden Dawn members including Arthur Edward Waite, Pamela Colman Smith, and Aleister Crowley mapped the 22 Major Arcana to the 22 Hebrew letters and corresponding paths on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. This mapping gives each Major Arcana card a specific position in a comprehensive cosmological diagram. The Rider-Waite-Smith and Thoth decks are both built on this architecture, making the Golden Dawn system the most relevant esoteric framework for contemporary tarot study.
Astrological Correspondences
Each Major Arcana card carries a specific astrological attribution: The Emperor corresponds to Aries, The High Priestess to the Moon, The Sun to the Sun, and so on. The Minor Arcana pip cards each correspond to a decan (10-degree segment) of the zodiac. These astrological links allow readers who study astrology to draw additional interpretive depth from the cards. Some tarot teachers consider astrological correspondences essential; others treat them as optional advanced material.
Numerological Patterns
Numerology runs throughout the tarot in two ways. Within each suit, the numbers Ace through Ten carry consistent thematic meanings: Aces are beginnings, Twos are balance and partnership, Threes are growth and expression, Fours are stability, Fives are conflict and change, Sixes are harmony and reciprocity, Sevens are reflection and challenge, Eights are movement and mastery, Nines are completion and attainment, and Tens are culmination and transition to the next cycle. These numerical meanings apply across all four suits. Within the Major Arcana, the Pythagorean numerological tradition and Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophical approach to numbers both inform deeper readings of the numbered cards.
Reading Tarot Professionally
Professional tarot reading in Canada requires no licence or certification. However, building a sustainable professional practice requires attention to legal, ethical, and business dimensions that most training programmes cover only superficially.
Legal Considerations in Canada
Tarot reading is generally classified as entertainment in Canadian provinces rather than as a professional counselling service. This classification means readers cannot make specific medical, legal, financial, or therapeutic claims. Several Canadian municipalities have bylaws governing fortune-telling services. Check local bylaws before establishing a public-facing practice. Presenting yourself as a reflective or insight-based reading service (rather than a fortune-telling service) generally reduces legal complexity.
Ethics in Professional Reading
The American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Certification Board of Canada have both published ethics codes that professional readers use as standards. Core principles include: maintaining appropriate scope of practice (not providing medical or legal advice), maintaining client confidentiality, not making predictions that cause fear or dependency, and being transparent about the subjective nature of interpretation. Mary K. Greer and Tom Little's Understanding the Tarot Court includes a useful chapter on reading ethics.
Building a Practice
Canadian tarot readers build practices through several channels:
- Local events: Psychic fairs, metaphysical expos, markets, and pop-up wellness events
- Private clients: By referral through existing networks
- Online readings: Zoom, email, or asynchronous video readings for national and international clients
- Retail settings: Partnerships with metaphysical shops, yoga studios, and wellness centres
- Social media: Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube channels build audiences for paid services
Hourly rates for experienced professional tarot readers in Canada range from CAD $60 to $200 per hour for private sessions, with email readings typically priced at $30 to $80 per spread. Building to a sustainable income typically takes 2 to 4 years of consistent marketing and audience development.
Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness (A New Edition of the Tarot Classic) by Pollack, Rachel
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to learn tarot?
Most people can learn the basic meanings of all 78 cards within 3 to 6 months of regular daily study. Developing fluency in reading, where you can interpret card combinations and give coherent readings without a reference book, typically takes 1 to 2 years of consistent practice. Professional-level reading, including the ability to work with clients confidently, generally requires 2 to 5 years of dedicated study and practical experience. The tarot is a lifelong study; many experienced readers with decades of practice continue to discover new dimensions in the cards.
Do I need formal tarot training to read professionally?
No formal certification is legally required to read tarot professionally in Canada or most countries. Tarot reading is generally classified as entertainment in most provinces, not a regulated professional service. However, formal training or certification from reputable schools demonstrates credibility, deepens your knowledge, and gives clients confidence in your skills. Many professional tarot readers complete structured courses through schools such as the Tarot School (New York), the Temple of Tarot (UK), or the Biddy Tarot certification programme to establish credentials.
What is the best tarot deck for beginners?
The Rider-Waite-Smith deck (published 1909) is the standard recommendation for beginners because virtually all training materials and books use it as their reference. The fully illustrated pip cards (numbered Minor Arcana) make learning card meanings more accessible than older decks like the Thoth or Marseille traditions. Once you are comfortable with the Rider-Waite-Smith system, you can explore other decks. The Thoth Tarot (Aleister Crowley and Frieda Harris, 1944) offers deeper Hermetic and Qabalah symbolism, while the Marseille tradition preserves older European cartomancy patterns.
What is the difference between Major and Minor Arcana?
The 78-card tarot deck divides into two sections. The 22 Major Arcana cards (The Fool through The World) represent archetypal forces, significant life themes, and spiritual principles. They are numbered 0 through 21 and carry more weight in a reading, often pointing to major transitions or deep-seated patterns. The 56 Minor Arcana cards cover everyday situations and practical matters. They divide into four suits (Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles), each containing 14 cards (Ace through 10, plus Page, Knight, Queen, King). Each suit governs a different life domain: Wands for fire and ambition, Cups for water and emotion, Swords for air and intellect, Pentacles for earth and material concerns.
What are tarot reversals?
A reversed tarot card is one that appears upside down in a spread. Reversals are optional in tarot reading; some readers use them and some do not. When used, reversals typically indicate energy that is blocked, internalised, delayed, or expressing in a more challenging way than the upright meaning suggests. For example, the upright Strength card suggests courage and mastery, while reversed it might point to self-doubt or suppressed strength. Beginning students often focus on upright meanings first, adding reversals after 6 to 12 months of practice.
How do I memorise all 78 tarot card meanings?
Effective memorisation strategies include studying the cards in groups (all Aces together, all Twos together, etc.) to understand numerical patterns; keeping a tarot journal where you record daily one-card draws; working with imagery by describing what you see before consulting a book; learning elemental correspondences (Wands=Fire, Cups=Water, Swords=Air, Pentacles=Earth) to derive meanings logically; and practising with study partners. Most experienced readers do not actually memorise fixed definitions but learn to read the symbolic imagery intuitively, with foundational knowledge as a scaffold.
What tarot spreads should beginners learn first?
Beginners should start with the single-card daily draw for the first 1 to 3 months, developing a relationship with each card individually. The three-card spread (Past-Present-Future, or Situation-Action-Outcome) is the next step, teaching basic interpretation skills. The Celtic Cross, a ten-card spread that examines a situation from multiple angles, is the most widely used complex spread and worth learning after 3 to 6 months. Creating your own simple spreads based on specific questions is also a valuable skill that develops over time.
Can tarot be used for spiritual development rather than prediction?
Yes. Tarot has two broad schools of use. The fortune-telling or predictive tradition treats cards as indicators of likely future events. The psychological and spiritual tradition, popularised by Carl Jung's concept of synchronicity and amplified by writers like Rachel Pollack and Mary K. Greer, treats tarot as a mirror for the psyche, a tool for self-reflection, meditation, and accessing intuition rather than prediction. Many modern practitioners combine both approaches, using the cards to explore inner landscape while remaining open to synchronistic timing patterns.
What is the Hermetic Qabalah connection to tarot?
The connection between tarot and the Hermetic Qabalah was formalised in the late 19th century by members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, including Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Colman Smith (who created the Rider-Waite-Smith deck) and Aleister Crowley and Frieda Harris (who created the Thoth Tarot). They mapped the 22 Major Arcana to the 22 paths on the Tree of Life, the 10 numbered pip cards to the 10 sephiroth across four worlds (corresponding to the four suits), and incorporated astrological attributions into each card. This system gives the tarot a comprehensive philosophical architecture that supports deep esoteric study.
How do I find a reputable tarot course or teacher?
Look for teachers with verifiable experience, published work, or established reputations in the tarot community. Reputable training paths include the Biddy Tarot Certification Program (online), the Tarot School (New York, offers distance learning), the American Tarot Association (ATA) certified reader path, and university-based extension courses in symbolism and comparative mythology that complement tarot study. Books by respected authorities such as Rachel Pollack (Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom), Mary K. Greer (Tarot for Your Self), and Alejandro Jodorowsky (The Way of Tarot) provide foundational education regardless of course choices.
Sources & References
- Pollack, R. (1980). Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness. Thorsons.
- Greer, M. K. (1984). Tarot for Your Self: A Workbook for Personal Transformation. Newcastle Publishing.
- Decker, R., Depaulis, T., & Dummett, M. (1996). A Wicked Pack of Cards: The Origins of the Occult Tarot. St Martin's Press. Academic history of tarot origins and divination use.
- DuQuette, L. M. (2003). Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot. Weiser Books.
- Jodorowsky, A., & Costa, M. (2009). The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards. Destiny Books.
- Wang, R. (1978). An Introduction to the Golden Dawn Tarot. Samuel Weiser. Documents the Golden Dawn Qabalah-tarot synthesis.