How to Tell the Future Through Card Reading

You don't need to pay a professional psychic for a card reading. Telling your fortune, or other's fortunes, is very easy. We are all psychic and receive messages from the Universe. If you are still unsure of your own psychic abilities see my other articles entitled "No You Are Not Crazy, You are Psychic" and "Explanation of Different Types of Psychic Abilities." There are links to the right for easy access. So you don't need a translator for your messages from the Universe. They are readily available to you. But sometimes we find it difficult to receive those messages. Maybe we are doubtful of our own abilities, maybe we aren't really listening, or maybe the messages we are receiving are just not clear. This is when card reading can help. You can use cards as a vehicle to figure out messages from the Universe in a an easy and direct way.

In the past, card reading was done mainly through traditional playing cards or Tarot. Readers today are fortunate that with society's growing spiritual expansion, there are more decks available now than ever. Those new to card reading may find the vast number of decks overwhelming, but be assured you cannot choose the wrong deck. Card reading is a very personal experience, whether you do it for yourself or for others. Choose any deck that you like. If you want, you can either go online and do a search for card reading decks, or go to a metaphysical store and browse what is in stock. Get whatever deck grabs your interest. You can't go wrong. That said, there are some decks that are easier for first time users than others, but do not let that limit your choices. There are tarot decks that have images and card meanings on them that are very simple to use. Just open the pack and essentially your are ready to go. Traditional decks, such as playing cards and tarot, will take a bit more work to read, but are well worth the effort. Regardless what type of card deck you choose, the Universe will provide you with the messages you need.

Below is the book that I started with, and still use, when determining card meanings with playing cards. But it is not important what book you use, or if you choose to determine your own card meanings. What is important is that the Universe knows how to convey messages to you.

Once you have selected your deck of either traditional playing cards or tarot, I recommend that you pick up a guide telling you what each card means. When I started I found a book at a local metaphysical store. If you don't want to get a book that offers card meanings, then just take out the deck and one by one go through each card. Hold the card in your hand, look at it, take a few deep breaths and ask yourself what this card represents. Don't worry about if you are right or not. There really is no right answer. As mentioned before, this is a very personal practice. If you ask ten different readers what a particular card means, you are likely to get ten very different meanings. Sure, there are "traditional" views of what a card meant in the past, but for the sake of receiving messages the Universe is only interested in getting you the message, in the easiest way possible.

Let me quickly share my own experience beginning with fortune telling with playing cards. I had seen others use playing cards in the past, and wanted to try it on my own. I came from a religious family, so I was afraid of tarot back then, of course now I know better, so I decided that traditional playing cards were a good option. I was skeptical of my own abilities so I picked up a book to help me figure things out. Turns out this was an excellent idea. The Universe led me to a book that was easy to use and got me started right away. It detailed specific card meanings and various card spreads. I chose a very traditional, easy spread, The Secret of the Sevens, and got to work right away. Now I can't say that I was proficient with the cards from day one. There were lots of cards to learn, and trying to figure out how they worked together was a challenge, but after some practice it became easier to figure out what the messages were. The book served several purposes for me: it provided me with meanings for the cards so I didn't have to meditate on each one and come up with my own meaning, and it detailed different traditional card spreads so that when cards ended up next to each other the meaning shifted. I still use the book when I am stuck trying to figure out a message, or to try a new spread. The Universe uses the book as a key, much like a map has a key. The key acts as a translator to figure out what the message is. It doesn't matter what book you choose, or if you don't choose a book at all. The important point is that you know what each card means to you, so that the Universe knows how to convey messages directly to you.

Before getting into the nitty gritty of card spreads and meanings, I can't stress enough the importance of using your own intuition. Sure you can deal out cards, but you will need to determine how to best interpret how the cards fit together. So ask your guides for help. Call on the angels if you like. Ask the Universe to guide you, or whatever you like that helps with your own intuition. When you pull cards that stump you, close your eyes and ask for guidance. And the images you get, will provide you with direction on what the cards mean. This may sound very odd to those new to spiritual practices, but I assure you that it is a very natural thing. It is like closing your eyes and taking a deep breath outside, smelling the fresh flowers and being able to determine what they are. Psychic abilities are as natural as all your other senses. Society had just lost touch with that side of the human experience. So embrace your spiritual side. That said, I will advise you to make sure that you protect yourself when opening up for spiritual guidance. Ask only that the highest vibrational energies assist you, and ask for protection from your angels, guides, or whomever you use for protection. You can envision the Universe sending a protective white light to surround you if you like. And personally I never, ever channel. Someone may want a reading to connect with a passed individual. That is fine, but I never allow them to talk through me. Channeling is serious business left to those who are adept at it. As a beginner I strongly recommend that you do not channel. With assistance from the Universe, and only high vibrational energies you will find card reading to be a wonderful and easy way to receive messages for you and your friends. Let's move on to card spreads.

Cartomancy is the technical name for telling the future using cards, and it origins go back as far as the 1500s,

Okay, now that you have your cards and understand their meanings you are ready to begin. With any deck you should make sure that you touch each card as you shuffle. This imparts your energy into the cards. If you are reading for yourself then you should focus on a question or what you would like to learn from the reading as you shuffle. If you are reading for someone else, it is best that they shuffle the cards themselves. If they are not present, and they ask you to read for them, you can focus on them and their question as you shuffle. I want to add here that I never read for someone without their permission. I feel that it is a violation of their privacy to ask questions about their life without their consent. So if you are going to read for others, I recommend that they are in on the idea. So with that little disclaimer, let's move on. After shuffling cut the card into three piles with your left hand. There is some discrepancy as to why it is recommended that you use your left hand. After cutting you should have three piles. Some now recommend that you take the pile on the left of the person the cards are being read for, and place it on top of the deck on the right. Then the center pile is put on top of the rest. You do not have to do it in that particular order though. Do whatever feels right to you.

For playing cards, I recommend starting with the one I began with The Secret of the Sevens. it does not use the entire deck, only 32 cards from seven up to ace. After shuffling, cutting the cards, and forming a single pile from them, deal the cards out into rows of seven. You should end up with four rows of seven with four cards left over, this will make up a fifth row. Each row reveals a message. The cards will play off one another. This is when you will use your book or predetermined meaning to figure out what the cards mean. Let me provide a quick example.

Your friend comes to you for a reading, because she fears her husband may be cheating on her with someone she knows. You pull cards for her, and above is an example of a row. The two queens show a discussion with friends. I mark my cards to show if they are facing up or down. I notice one is facing up, so to me this is a talk between rivals. Next to the queens there are two eights. This is a sign of an affair. Beside that is a king. This is the king of spades, so to me this is a man with dark hair and dark eyes. On the far left is the seven of spades. This represents anxiety and making a new resolution. On the far right the nine of hearts reveals trouble with eventual success. So if my friend's husband has dark hair and dark eyes, I would interpret this that he is having an affair. My friend will experience anxiety over this, but it will lead her to make a new resolution. This will cause her trouble, but eventually she will find success and happiness following this situation.

You will figure out what cards mean to you, and how they relate to the cards with them with practice. There are many other card spreads as well. The internet and books provide many different options. Try a few and decide which you like most, or use several together. it is up to you.

Angel Oracle Cards are a great option for beginners. Each card has a clear photo and message. The cards come with guidebooks that offer further details about possible meanings of each of the cards.

Angel Tarot cards have become very popular. They are easy to use and have messages imprinted right on the cards. This takes the guess work out of interpreting card meanings. Despite their ease of use, card readers should take the time to really work with the cards. What I mean by that is that you should take your time. Shuffle the deck and touch each card. imparting your energy into the deck as you would do with any deck. While shuffling, concentrate on a question, or something specific that you want to know. This helps to narrow down what you get in your reading. Of course if you don't have a specific question, you could just ask the angels to provide you any message that they feel will help you on your path, or if you are reading for someone else ask on their behalf. Then you can do any type of spread you like. You can pull just one card for a simple answer to your question, or you can pull a few. There are different ways to pull cards too. Some people just simply shuffle and take the cards off the top of the deck, others wait for cards to stick out or fall out of the deck. Which ever way you choose is fine. Do whatever feels right for you. Once you choose your card look at the picture. What does that picture mean to you? Read the saying on the card. Does it resonate with you? How do you believe it pertains to the question you asked? If you are still stumped after looking at the card, pull out the guide book and look up that particular card. The book will present various meanings that could pertain to your situation.

There are many, many tarot spreads. The most simple is the three card spread. Shuffle your cards, touching all of them. You may do the three pile cut as well. Then deal out three cards. The three can represent the past, present, and future (from left to right) or mind, body, and spirit, or background, problem, and advice. Let's do a quick example of a three card tarot spread.

For the past the fool's flip comes up (a flip is when the card comes up facing down). This indicates that in the past the person you are reading for may have acted recklessly. They are to learn to accept responsibility for their actions and resist acting impulsively. The second is the lover's flip. This represents the present. The card reveals that the person you are reading for should consider their options carefully and follow their heart. They are warned not to be indecisive or too cerebral in this matter. And the final card is the the justice flip. This shows that a conclusion is about to be made and the person you are reading for should not worry about it because they have done all they can. It also indicates a karmic lesson being learned from past mistakes. So this reading presents me with the message that the person receiving the reading has acted impulsively in the past, and should be very careful in present decision making. They should follow their heart, but the results may not be exactly as they hoped regardless, because they still have lessons to learn.

This is a very simple spread, but you can see that it reveals very detailed results. Again, there are many other tarot spreads such as the Celtic Cross and the Annual spread, and there are specific spreads for specific questions, such as spreads for love, money, or success. Once you master the simple three card spread you can try out others and incorporate them into your readings.

These are just a few ways that you can use cards to receive messages from the Universe, but in truth you really don't need cards. The Universe is sending you messages all the time, in your dreams, via the people you meet, circumstances you find yourself in, and through your own natural psychic abilities. Often if you just meditate on a question or search your heart, you will find that you already know the answer. But if you doubt your own abilities, or just want another resource for the Universe to give you more information, in a very direct way, cards are an excellent option.