Get ready to shuffle and slay

Forget witchcraft; the only magic at work in your Tarot reading is your own intuition. And yes, anyone can unlock this superpower. Here's how to turn these ancient cards for divination into an everyday tool for self-care and transformation. Get ready to shuffle and slay!

1. Select Some people suggest waiting for someone to gift you your first set of Tarot cards. We say: go right ahead and pick your own! Tarot is all about being actively pursuing self-knowledge. So, why be passive in obtaining the deck of your dreams, or anything else your heart desires? There are literally hundreds of decks out there - from 'Mystic Cats Tarot' to a bubblegum-pink Barbie deck. Selecting the right one for yourself is a great way to kickstart your intuitive powers. Our suggestions: - Rider-Waite-Smith: the OG of Tarot decks, its vivid scenes and richness of details help you become acquainted with the Tarot archetypes. Perfect for beginners. - She Wolfe Tarot: the most visually stunning deck out there, edged with dusty rose chrome. Celebrates the feminine divine, astrology and all things sensual. Worth the splurge.

2. Study You're holding your first deck: 78 cards! Where to start? Relax, slow down and familiarize yourself with the structure. This is how Karen Hamaker-Zondag, author of the ultimate Tarot guide 'Tarot as a way of life', breaks it down for us: "The classic Tarot deck contains 78 cards which are subdivided into two groups: the Major Arcana (22 cards) and the Minor Arcana (56 cards). The cards of the Major Arcana - called 'trumps' - represent archetypes and correspond to things that lie very deep in our psyche. The Minor Arcana show us how we express, or fail to express, these underlying patterns in daily life. These 56 cards are divided into four 'suits': the Wands (movement and action), Swords (thinking and logic), Pentacles (what we can perceive with our senses and translate into form) and Cups (emotions and dreams)."

3. Sense Don't stress out about memorizing the meanings of all the cards. Instead, use your senses to fast-track your connection to your deck. Take the top card from your new, preferably unshuffled stack, and really look at it. Imagine you are the character on the card. How do you feel? What is it like to luxuriate on your throne like the Empress, or step off the cliff like the Fool? Does it make you happy, sad or perhaps a little scared? Now, with a more analytical mind, look again. What do you see specifically? Zone in on every little detail; from the Magician's staff to the little girl offering flowers to Death. Explore how they relate to the characters; what do they add to the overall feel of the card? After writing down your observations, you can look up the 'official' interpretations of the card. We wanna bet that your intuition was spot on! Keep doing this till you've 'felt' every card.

4. Shuffle & Slay Yes, you're ready to shuffle! It's important to know that there is no 'right' way to do it. Think of it as your time to focus. Move the cards in whatever way feels comfortable, while thinking of a question. Keep shuffling till you feel connected to your deck and your purpose. Set the cards down in one, two or three piles. Alternatively, you can swirl the cards in front of you. Now, run your hand over the piles or swirled cards and pick the card that gives off some 'heat'. Trust your intuition and go with the flow! We suggest starting with three cards, pulled in the morning: one for your mind, one for your body, one for your spirit. See what the day brings, take notes, and check back in at the end of the day. Do the pulled cards make more sense now? Congratulations, you are well on your way to becoming a terrific 'Tarotista'!