Tarot

Draw from a full 78-card deck — a single card for today, a three-card spread, or the ten-card Celtic Cross.

Tarot draws insight from the symbols of the 22 Major Arcana. Cards are shuffled and drawn at random, with upright and reversed orientations carrying different meanings. maiunse offers a single Card of the Day or a three-card Past·Present·Future spread. Tarot began as a fifteenth-century Italian card game, and only came to be used for divination in eighteenth-century France. The imagery in common use today follows the deck made early in the twentieth century by Arthur Waite and Pamela Colman Smith. Of the full seventy-eight cards, twenty-two are the Major Arcana; the remaining fifty-six are the Minor Arcana in the four suits of wands, cups, swords and pentacles.

How it works

Settle on your question, then choose a one-card, three-card, or Celtic Cross spread and draw from a full 78-card deck. Upright and reversed are both counted, and every draw can be shared and reproduced by link.

What you'll get

Each card's meaning and its reading for that position come first. Draw two or more and the upright-to-reversed balance of the whole spread, how much Major Arcana it holds and the elemental mood follow; with the ten-card Celtic Cross, the cards standing for the present, the challenge and the outcome are pulled out and shown first. With a single card, that card gives an action tip for today plus a short read on love, money and health.

Framing the question is half the work

The main reason a tarot answer comes out vague is that the question was vague. Instead of "will this work out", asking "what am I missing here right now" gets you a far sharper answer, because it names something to look at. A question that can only be answered yes or no is hard for the cards too. Settle in one sentence what you want to see before you draw, and the reading will not drift.

The cards do not settle the answer

Tarot is not a device for guessing what will happen. It is closer to a mirror that reflects, in symbols, where you are standing and how your mind is running. That is why the same card reads differently depending on who asks and when. Rather than memorising meanings and applying them, look at the picture first and notice what it brings up about your situation. The answer that comes out that way is far more useful.

Write down the situation before you draw

If you fit the interpretation to the cards after they are on the table, it tilts easily toward what you wanted to hear. Jot two or three lines about the situation and the question before you draw, and it becomes clear whether the cards actually touched that. It also helps when you open the reading again later, because the context is still there. Keep the result link together with that note if you like.

When the same card keeps turning up

The same card appearing several days running happens by chance often enough. Still, if it catches your eye, that itself is the clue. Ask whether you have been putting off whatever that card points at. Rather than treating it as a special message, read it as a sign that your mind is lingering there; that is the sound way to use this tool. If it stirs nothing at all, it is fine to pass it by.

What not to use tarot for

Do not use it to pry into other people. A question about what someone thinks of you gives an answer you can never verify, and treating that person by it damages the relationship. When the body is unwell or a legal dispute is under way, ask a professional rather than the cards. Drawing the same question over and over until the answer you want appears also empties this tool of any use, because at that point you are choosing the answer, not reading it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I draw again?

Yes. Press draw again for a fresh spread, and every result stays in its link so you can reopen it exactly. Still, sitting with one draw usually helps more than repeating the same question.

Is a reversed card a bad sign?

No. It points to another face of the same symbol, or one that has not opened yet. It usually marks something to be careful with, or energy turned inward.

Which spread should I choose?

Match it to the size of the question. A single card suits a day or a simple question, three cards suit seeing a flow, and the Celtic Cross suits a tangled situation you want to view from several angles.

How does the card of the day differ from a one-card draw?

The card of the day is seeded by the date, so it stays the same all day and changes at midnight. A one-card draw is fresh each time you ask, which makes it the right one for a specific question.