The Big Mistake Beginners Make in Tarot (and Tips on How to Fix It)

Here’s a controversial take: if you’re still pulling just one tarot card a day, you’re holding yourself back in your tarot practice.

I know that’s a common beginner practice, but let’s be honest, there’s only so much insight one card can give you. It’s like trying to solve a thousand-piece puzzle with a single sky-blue piece. Sure, it’s part of the picture, but it doesn’t tell you anything meaningful on its own.

If you feel stuck in your tarot journey, this might be why.

One card a day is simply too limited to integrate the deeper, layered teachings of tarot. To see the full story, and to learn how the cards actually interact, you need to work with spreads.

Spreads give you context. They show how cards influence one another, and how those messages apply to your everyday life. That’s where your readings become richer, clearer, and much more accurate.

If you’re ready to grow your practice in a way that actually works, here are my best tarot tips for beginners!

Practical Tarot Tips for Beginners to Try Today

1. Leave Your Cards Out All Week

This is my top-tip! When you read for yourself, the wisdom of tarot is slower, and it will take time for the lessons to sink in.

By leaving your spread somewhere visible, you’re giving yourself the chance to revisit your cards throughout the week. Each glance helps you integrate the lessons, reflect on what’s materialising, and connect the cards to real-life experiences.

Leave your cards somewhere that’s obvious, and where it will feel inviting to sit with them as often as you can that week.

2. Read Spreads of 3–6 Cards

For solo readings, three to six cards is the sweet spot of information for a spread.

• Three or four cards: This is perfect for busy weeks and is just enough to show relationships between cards without being overwhelming.

• Five or six cards: Ideal when you have more time to sit with your spread, notice daily patterns, and take time do deeper research your insights.

This range gives you enough to work with without overwhelming you.

3. Play Around with Spread Shapes

A spread is essentially a shape that infers the meaning of the card, as well as its relationship to the surrounding cards. A spread shape lets you glean more information and see how the cards interact with each other.

But a shape is more than just a line. Let's take the shape of the Celtic Cross as an example:

• Card 1 (centre) & Card 2 (crossing): the present and the problem: as these two cards are in the centre, this shows us the central theme. Number 2 overlapping number 1 shows us that 2 is influencing 1.

• Card 3 (left): as this card is in the far left, this indicates a past influence

• Card 4 (right): as this car

  d is in the far right, this indicates the outcome in the future

• Card 5 (above): as it's above all the other cards, it indicates that it's an external influences and what’s manifesting in the present

• Card 6 (below): as this is below all the other cards, this indicates that it's the subconscious or hidden drivers of our actions

By experimenting with spread shapes, you’ll gain deeper understanding of both individual cards and their connections.

4. Let Curiosity Lead Your Research

Your tarot knowledge will naturally grow over time, and it doesn’t come from memorising every single card meaning. Instead, follow your curiosity. You’ll learn far more from the cards that keep showing up for you, or the ones you feel drawn to, because you’re engaging with them in the present moment.

Start small: when a card catches your attention, look up a trusted interpretation. But here’s the trick: only read one. Once you’ve taken it in, spend some time with the card itself. What in the imagery resonates? What symbols or details stand out to you?

From there, widen your research. Explore the bigger themes at play:

• What story does this suit tell?

• If it's in the minor arcana, what is the meaning of the suit element?

• What kind of personality or energy comes through in the court cards?

• What symbols appear in the imagery, and what might they represent?

Every part of a tarot card is intentional. The art, the symbols, the positioning - they’re all clues to its deeper message. By allowing curiosity to guide your exploration, you’ll build a much richer and more personal understanding of your deck.

5. Figure Out the Story in the Card

Knowledge matters, but intuition is what will transform your practice. One of my favourite practices is to find the story in the imagery. This is a great way to practice your intuitive reading muscle and develop your own interpretations of your cards.

Pick a card you feel drawn to. Ask yourself:

• What events brought this figure to this moment?

• What snapshot is being shown?

• What might happen next?

Take The Hermit as an example. His long beard shows it’s taken time to climb the mountain. His torn cloak suggests hardship, but his smile shows satisfaction with the journey. Now, he holds a lantern—not for himself, but to guide others.

This storytelling approach makes the cards come alive, helping you weave intuition into your readings.

Final Thoughts

Tarot is playful, layered, and deeply explorative. The more cards you use in spreads, the more context you’ll discover, and the easier it becomes to integrate their wisdom into daily life.

So, ditch the one-card-a-day habit. Give yourself permission to expand, experiment, and let your readings truly flow!

And if you’d like a gentle way to build a consistent tarot practice, I’d love to help.

✨ I’ve created a free 5-day journey designed to slow things down, ease the pressure, and help you connect more meaningfully with your cards. Over five days, you’ll learn to:

• Build confidence in your pulls

• Notice repeating patterns and themes

• Relate tarot’s wisdom to your everyday life

• Create a practice that feels grounding, joyful, and sustainable

Join me, and let’s explore a slower, kinder way of working with tarot together.