Your First Tarot Reading: How to Prepare

Prepare by narrowing your situation down to one clear question you can say in a sentence. This single step changes the quality of a session more than anything else. 'What is keeping me from making a decision about the job offer?' will take you somewhere; 'tell me about my future' will not.

Beyond that, preparation is simple. Give yourself a little time before the session rather than rushing in from traffic, switch your phone to silent, and carry something to write with. You do not need to read about the cards or learn any of their meanings beforehand.

You describe your situation, the reader lays out a spread of cards, and together you work through what each position is pointing at. Dr. Kimaya reads the Rider–Waite–Smith deck of 78 cards, explains the image and theme of each one, and asks what it brings up for you.

Expect to do a fair amount of the talking. A reading is a guided conversation with the cards as prompts, not a performance you sit through. If something does not fit your life, say so — that is useful information, and a careful reader will explore it with you rather than insist.

Good questions are open, about you, and about the present. In Sanskrit a question put with real intent is a प्रश्न (prashna) — worth framing with some care before you ask it.

Some questions are outside what tarot can honestly do, and a responsible reader will say so rather than improvise an answer.

Bring your written question, a notebook and an open mind. Nothing else is required — no birth details, no documents, no objects.

If you are anxious beforehand, a few slow breaths in the waiting area do more than you would expect. Some people find it helpful to sit for a minute in a calm space at home before leaving, in the same way they would before a meditation or a pooja. The aim is simply to arrive present rather than scattered.

The most common worry is hearing something frightening. In a reflective reading this does not happen, because no card is treated as an omen. Cards with dramatic imagery — the Tower, Death — are read as themes of change and endings, and the conversation is about what in your life those words fit.

The second worry is about upside-down cards. Reversed cards are part of the reading, and they are not punishments. A reversal usually softens a theme or turns it inward: something moving slowly, something held back, or something you already know but have not said aloud. It is an invitation to look more closely, nothing more.

People also worry about being judged, or about not believing in it enough. Neither matters. You can arrive sceptical and still get value from an hour of structured thinking. Readings are for adults aged 18 and over, and whatever you share stays private; a reading is a confidential conversation.

Write down one sentence about what you intend to do, ideally the same day while it is fresh. A reading that stays a nice feeling fades by the weekend; a reading that becomes one action changes something.

Give it a few weeks before booking again. Sometimes what emerges is not a decision at all but a realisation about your surroundings — a home that feels heavy, a desk that never lets you concentrate. In that case a Vastu review of the space is the more practical next step, and a reading will not pretend otherwise.

Book when you have a question that has been sitting with you for a while, rather than at a moment of panic. Reflection works better when there is a little space around it.

Dr. Kimaya Parikh-Ambekar offers tarot reading at VastuKimaya's office in Andheri East, Mumbai, and for clients elsewhere at a distance. If your question turns out to suit Vastu, numerology or a healing therapy instead, she will tell you plainly. If you are going through real emotional distress, please also speak to a mental-health professional — in India, Tele-MANAS is free on 14416 (or 1-800-891-4416), 24×7.