Pulling Daily Tarot Cards: A Full Guide

Lisa Stardust
·7 min read

In this installment of Practical Magic, Lisa Stardust explains how to conduct daily tarot card pulls for yourself. Always remember that magic is for believers, but this column can also simply serve as a guide to getting in touch with yourself — magically or not.

Collective daily tarot pulls on Instagram and TikTok are becoming more and more popular. This guide is to help you get the most out of your pulls by teaching you how to get the most accurate information from your tarot cards, as well as how to understand their energy on a more intimate level. Soon enough, you'll be a pro at cartomancy.

How To Get The Best Daily Tarot Pulls:

First things first — before you pull tarot cards or even open your deck, try to determine the emotional and mental state that you’re in. If you’re not in a good mood, the cards will pick up on the negative energy and be inaccurate. They like to be respected and shown love.

Pick a deck of tarot cards that you’re vibing with. IMHO, it’s great to have two or three decks on hand to choose from. Sometimes your spirit guides will call you to use one over the other, or the imagery of one deck will resonate with you more.

Light a white candle to call in the spirits who can help you to heighten your intuition. An invocation is a great way to set the tone of the tarot reading. Ask your spirit guides to give you light, wisdom, clarity and the truth that you seek from the tarot pull. Center and ground your energy to be present for the tarot reveal.

Think of a question you want answered for the day. Ask open-ended questions that the cards can answer and explain. Tarot can answer “yes” or “no” questions, but getting such concise, definitive answers requires deep dives into the symbolism of the cards. For a regular daily tarot pull, you’ll get more accurate answers if you ask a question that can be answered by the meaning of the card. (For example, ask, “What will the exam be like?” Don’t ask, “Will I pass the exam?”) Only ask a question once during the daily pull. Your cards may get annoyed and the spirits might get frustrated at you, which will mean inaccurate results. Don’t over-ask and exhaust the cards. You’ll know when this happens, because they’ll give you strange answers.

Start shuffling the cards. As you shuffle, it helps to meditate on the question that you’re thinking of asking. You can shuffle any way you want! Some people like to spread the cards out after shuffling and pick a card that they feel drawn to. Others like to feel the energy of the cards as they are rubbing their hands through the deck. Once you find a card that radiates with energy or power, take it out of the deck.

You can pull one or three cards at a time. I prefer to pull three to tell a whole story. Being that we all have different relationships with each card, the connection you feel with it will best explain the information being shown to you. Think of yourself as a painter, using your knowledge as the brushstrokes. You can tell the story you want based on how you relate to the cards.

Interpretation is the last step of daily tarot pulls. The card you grab doesn’t necessarily predict your future — it explains the vibe around you. The great thing about tarot is that you can work with what’s being revealed at the current moment in time. You have free will! You can work with it OR choose not to. You control your own destiny. The cards are simply there to give you insight or read situations for filth… when they feel like it.

Understanding The Cards:

The Major Arcana

There are 22 Major Arcana, or trump cards, in the deck. All of these cards are numbered from 0-21. They are the important and karmic lessons in life. The Major Arcana point to big feelings, emotions, and decisions. They start with The Fool card, which means beginnings, and end with The World card, which means endings. It is a full journey.

The Minor Arcana

There are 56 Minor Arcana cards, with 14 cards numbered from ace to ten in each suit that represent the essential elements of life. The suits are Wands (fire), Cups (water), Swords (air), and Pentacles (earth). Each number and suit represent a different perspective. For instance, the Ace of Wands is the manifestation of inspiration, while the Ace of Swords is an intellectual breakthrough.

For more tarot basics, head here.

Tarot 101: Basic Guide to Tarot

Answers to your tarot questions.

Reversals:

Reversals are when you pull a card and it appears upside down. Pulling reversals can mean many things: that the card needs cleansing, that the shadow side of the card is being expressed, or that the messages are flipped. (Many professional tarot readers do not read reversals. They believe that a card means what it means and ensure their cards are always upright to guarantee that they don’t pull reversals. It's up to you as the tarot reader on how to proceed.)

Pro Tips:

Journaling your daily pulls will allow you more insight into them. Not only will you learn a lot more about yourself, but you’ll develop a relationship with the cards over time by processing your thoughts, emotions, questions, and the answers that have been brought to you.

I like to take a picture of the card that I pulled for myself that day and set it as the screensaver on my phone. That way, I can visually manifest and lean into the meaning of the card throughout the day. Also, it serves as a reminder of how to best deal with any situations that come my way.

How To Care For Your Tarot Cards:

It’s super important to cleanse your cards everyday, or between pulls and readings. Cleansing is also crucial if someone else has used your deck, if you bought a used deck, or if the cards have gotten dirty. If you’ve been pulling a lot of reversals, had an intense reading, or your energy is drained and the readings are not resonating, try cleansing your cards.

To cleanse your tarot cards, first place all of your cards back in order. Then, you have a few options for the cleansing process:

  • Set a selenite or smoky quartz crystal on top of the cards to enhance clarity and detox negativity.

  • Put your cards in a sealed bag, and then in an airtight container with salt.

  • Place your deck under the Full Moon to charge, clear, and reset its energy.

  • Open the window to push the negative vibes out of your surroundings and off of the cards, and use copal incense, which will cleanse the energy of the deck. Make sure the energy is being ushered out of your environment, as well as the cards.

  • Keep your cards on your altar or in a safe place. Wrapping them in a cloth or placing them in a bag is ideal for safe-keeping.

Treat them well! After all, they are sacred.

How To Care For Yourself After Pulling Tarot Cards:

After you’ve pulled cards, it’s time for a vibe check. What is your own energy like? It’s common to feel anxious or exhausted after getting deep with the cards. Therefore, it’s important to also cleanse your space and your body. Try deeply inhaling and exhaling to calm yourself, take an Epsom salt bath to detox your aura, or cleanse your space with a lavender smudge stick and open a window to usher out the energies.

Tarot Decks And Books:

Now that you know how to conduct your own daily tarot pull, here are a few tarot decks and books on tarot reading to get you started and build on what you know!

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Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue