Tarot isn’t just about knowing the cards, it’s about learning how they speak to you.
Whether you’re a beginner pulling your first spread or an advanced reader looking to sharpen your practice, the real magic comes from understanding the deeper layers: elemental balance, numerology, and even clairvoyance.
I’ve read for thousands of people worldwide, including celebrities and public figures, and have built a reputation as one of the most accurate tarot readers in the world, based in Canada and working exclusively online. In this guide, I’ll share the same methods I use in my professional sessions, so you can approach tarot with confidence, depth, and clarity.
If you’ve ever wondered how to read tarot cards in a way that feels clear, evidential, and profoundly accurate, keep reading. For more on how tarot combines with intuition, you might also explore my article on the art of tarot clairvoyance.
If you’re looking for a quick reference on individual tarot card meanings, the team at Labyrinthos has an excellent guide.
The Importance of Elements in Tarot
If you learn nothing else about tarot, learn this: elemental balance matters. Each suit corresponds to an element, and together they create the language of human experience. Noticing which elements dominate, and which are absent, can reveal more than the individual card meanings ever could.
Think of it as weather in a reading: too much of one element and the climate becomes unlivable, too little and something vital is missing. Every card speaks, but the elements set the stage for the story.
Swords (Air)
- Themes: Ideologies, thought forms, communication, perception, written word.
- Excess: Over-analysis, arguments, rigid beliefs, sharp words cutting too deep.
- Absence: Avoidance of truth, communication breakdown, denial of clarity.
- Sign of what’s to come: Swords predict conversations, decisions, written agreements, mental breakthroughs, or, at times, conflict that needs resolution.
Personal note: I once pulled the Five of Swords as my daily draw and thought nothing of it. That day spiraled into absolute chaos. Tensions were high, no one seemed to be listening to each other, and the weather mirrored the mood, stormy, torrential rain pounding against windows. Even with my experience in active listening and conflict de-escalation, nothing seemed to work, and my attempts to bring calm only aggravated those vying for control. The card wasn’t just describing a scene; it was a mirror of the energy in play.
Cups (Water)
- Themes: Emotions, relationships, love, intuition, healing.
- Excess: Emotional overwhelm, sentimentality, clinging to nostalgia.
- Absence: Repression, lack of connection, disassociation from feelings.
- Sign of what’s to come: Cups forecast relational developments, emotional healing, intimacy, reconciliation, or moments where empathy becomes essential.
For a deeper dive into the role of feelings and intuition in divination, see Tarot Clairvoyance and Empathy: Connecting to Your Life Path.
For a straightforward walkthrough on how to read tarot cards step by step, I recommend The Tarot Professor’s teaching resource.
Wands (Fire)
- Themes: Instinct, creativity, passion, drive, movement.
- Excess: Burnout, impulsivity, scattered efforts.
- Absence: Apathy, stagnancy, loss of direction.
- Sign of what’s to come: Wands suggest action, travel, learning through experience, and opportunities that require boldness and initiative.
Pentacles (Earth)
- Themes: Material security, finances, grounding, progress, health.
- Excess: Materialism, overworking, being weighed down by responsibilities.
- Absence: Lack of stability, missed opportunities for growth, poor planning.
- Sign of what’s to come: Pentacles often point toward career progress, financial gain, physical wellbeing, the results of patience and planning.
The Major Arcana: Archetypes of Transformation
The Major Arcana rise above the suits as life’s great archetypes. They’re not about daily routines but about defining moments that change the direction of a person’s path.
- Abundance of Majors: The querent is in a transformative period—life lessons, turning points, and spiritual growth take center stage.
- Absence of Majors: The focus is on free will, daily choices, and managing the smaller threads that weave into the bigger picture.
- Sign of what’s to come: Majors suggest pivotal transitions, soul-level awakenings, or lessons that will leave a lasting imprint on identity.
If you’d like to explore this further, I break down the role of archetypes in what makes the best tarot readings so transformative.
If you’re curious about tarot’s history and cultural influence, this feature from The Cut is an engaging place to start.
Building a Relationship With the Elements
Tarot isn’t just learned—it’s lived. A great resource is 78 Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack, a cornerstone text for anyone serious about tarot. But more than books, what grows your skill is keeping a tarot and psychic journal.
By writing down the cards you pull daily, the emotions they evoke, and how they show up in your lived experience, you build a personal language with the deck. Over time, you’ll notice patterns that transcend traditional meanings—your own intuitive voice sharpening card by card.
For beginners, this might mean pulling one card each morning and jotting a sentence or two. For advanced readers, it means tracking elemental patterns across spreads, noting how often Cups show up during relationship transitions or how Wands surge during times of career shifts.
Now, as a professional, I’ve taken this practice further. I track which cards appear for each client and keep diligent notes after every session. More often than not, the same card, or a cluster of the same cards, will show up in a subsequent reading. This repetition isn’t random. It’s evidence that the energy of a situation hasn’t fully resolved or that the lesson is resurfacing until acknowledged. Over time, these notes build an evidential trail that gives readings profound accuracy and depth.
If you’re just starting out, you may also find my guide on how to read tarot cards for beginners a practical companion.
Many readers wonder how to turn the cards inward, Biddy Tarot offers great advice on reading for yourself without losing clarity.
Numerology in Tarot: Another Layer of Meaning
Every tarot card carries not only imagery and elemental energy but also numerological weight. Numbers provide rhythm and structure to the suits, linking the cards across elements.
- Aces (1): New beginnings, potential, pure energy of the suit.
- Twos: Choices, balance, duality, partnerships.
- Threes: Growth, expansion, expression of the suit outward.
- Fours: Stability, foundation, structure (sometimes stagnation).
- Fives: Conflict, disruption, challenges that demand growth.
- Sixes: Harmony, reciprocity, healing.
- Sevens: Reflection, assessment, deeper insight, sometimes illusion.
- Eights: Power, mastery, repetition, cycles.
- Nines: Culmination, nearing completion, intensity.
- Tens: Fulfillment, completion, the cycle closing before renewal.
Example: A spread heavy with Fives, no matter the suit, signals turbulence and change. It may not be easy, but it’s necessary for growth. A spread rich with Sixes, on the other hand, often points toward healing, giving, and moments of reprieve.
For more insight on patterns and how tarot cycles shape our lives, see insights from an internationally acclaimed tarot reader.
And if you want to learn a basic spread you can practice today, MindBodyGreen provides a simple beginner-friendly method.
Adding Clairvoyance to Tarot
Once you’ve built a personal relationship with each card, tarot begins to transcend fixed meanings. Clairvoyance steps in when you allow the imagery to act as a doorway, painting a scene, showing movement, and revealing a living story.
Here’s how to integrate clairvoyance into your tarot practice:
- Trust the first image or thought: When you lay down the card, notice what flashes across your mind. It might be a face, a place, or even a sensory detail like rain, fire, or a scent.
- Let the cards breathe: Instead of rushing to recite traditional meanings, give space for the imagery to blend with your inner sight.
- Connect to your personal history with the card: If you’ve journaled moments when the Five of Swords showed chaos, or the Ace of Cups marked a new relationship, those lived connections will fuel clairvoyant impressions.
- Read the movement of the spread: Do the cards look like they’re leaning toward each other, facing away, or forming a pathway? Often, this positioning creates a moving picture when clairvoyance is allowed in.
When I read, I don’t just see the card, I see the moment around it. A Sword may not just mean “conflict,” but may show me a boardroom, raised voices, or even the storm outside the window that reflects the tension. This is where tarot evolves from symbolic storytelling into a clairvoyant window.
What picture does the array of cards paint in your mind, is there a narrative that surfaces or comes to mind based on your life experiences? If it’s a court card, what descriptive factors come to mind based on people you would associate with each card?
Why Elemental, Numerological, and Clairvoyant Balance Matters
When clients book an online tarot reading with me, they’re not paying for a card-by-card analysis, they’re paying for a clear interpretation of patterns, themes, and balances. Elemental, numerological, and clairvoyant balance tells us not just where energy is concentrated, but how it feels, how it looks, and how it plays out in real life.
This is why tarot has such power in personal growth. It’s not fortune-telling, it’s reflection, redirection, and empowerment. For more on how tarot can genuinely transform your path, see The Power of Tarot: Transform Your Life with a Psychic.
Book an Online Tarot Reading
I’ve read for thousands of people across the globe, including celebrities seeking clarity in love, career, and spiritual growth. My work has earned me recognition as one of the most accurate tarot readers in the world, and I’m proud to share this practice with clients from all walks of life.
If you’re seeking a genuine psychic reading from a trusted Canada-based tarot reader, I invite you to book a session. Every reading is conducted online, so no matter where you are in the world, we can connect.
Book Your Online Tarot Reading Here!
This article was written by Chris Bennett, a world renowned tarot reader and internationally acclaimed psychic medium. With decades of experience offering accurate tarot readings, intuitive guidance, and psychic medium readings, Chris has built a reputation as one of the best tarot readers in the world. His work combines depth, compassion, and precision, qualities that have made him highly regarded by clients seeking genuine psychic insight, spiritual medium readings, and the best psychic readings in Canada and internationally.
