Tarot is enjoying a resurgence lately, as more people look for guidance during periods of global and personal uncertainty. But, while it’s often thought of as something mystical - or even a little bit scary - according to best-selling tarot author and angel expert Claire Stone, it’s nothing of the sort.
“Tarot is a mirror,” explains Claire, whose new book Tarot Cheat Formula is out now, published by Rockpool. “It’s a tool for reflection, clarity and conscious choice, rather than a way of predicting a fixed future.”
And to access its insights, you don’t need to go to a professional reader – nor is it ‘woo for the chosen few’. You can do yourself a reading – and you don’t even have to be psychic, or fluent in symbolism, to begin. From choosing the right cards to using tarot for manifestation, here, Claire, who has been reading the tarot since she was 11, shares her beginner-friendly approach to building a tarot practice that feels empowering rather than overwhelming…
Choose the right deck
© Getty ImagesThere are thousands of tarot decks for sale these days, but Claire recommends beginning with a Rider Waite Smith deck. “They’re fantastic for beginners because the artwork speaks to you. You just have to think, ‘What’s happening in this picture?’ Most tarot books, including mine, are based on that artwork, so with that deck you can get a head start. You can figure it out just by looking at the image - the colours, the feeling, what’s going on in the scene.”
It’s a myth that you need to be gifted your first tarot deck – you can buy one yourself
“That myth comes from when tarot cards were hand-painted family portraits and passed down through generations,” explains Claire, who is also creator of the best-selling Divine Feminine Archangel Oracle. “I believe you should go and choose your own deck. All decks have their own energy.”
© Getty ImagesDon’t worry about the cards people see as being ‘negative’
“Even cards like Death - the ones people worry about - can be fantastic, because it means whatever’s been going on is coming to an end so you can move on. And the Tower doesn’t always mean your life is going to come crumbling down. It can be an epiphany - illumination - an idea coming into consciousness,” says Claire, who’s also known as The White Witch of Cheshire and has been featured in reality show Real Housewives of Cheshire.
Connect with a spirit guide or guardian angel
There’s nothing to fear when it comes to the tarot, but some people do sometimes feel nervous, she explains. “If you’re afraid of tarot, then I would say: get connected first - maybe with a spirit guide or a guardian angel. Start connecting daily with some energy that feels really protective and really pure. If you know that something is protecting you, you’re going to relax and open up more. Angels operate under the law of free will, so they don’t intervene unless you ask. But when you say, ‘I need some help,’ you’re giving them permission to step in.
But, just to reassure you, there are no spirits attached to tarot - that’s all fictional TV stuff. Tarot is a mirror. It’s your higher self - that wise voice within you - that picks the right card. It’s you that shuffles the cards. It’s you that selects the card.”
Make sure you ask a question
“My biggest tip is to always have a question, because the amount of people who will shuffle tarot and they’ve not even asked anything? A card will come out, and you don’t really know how to apply that message. If you haven’t got a question, I would say, ‘What do I need to know today?’ That’s what I always ask.”
Use your tarot cards to help you manifest
“Tarot cards are archetypes, and I teach people that they can step into those archetypes in a meditation and lean into the qualities of the card,” says Claire. “Tarot works subconsciously as well - all symbols do - and that’s why they work so well at helping us to manifest.”
So what’s an example of this? “Well if you’re trying to manifest abundance, you could take a photograph of the Ace of Pentacles and save it as your screensaver. You can stick tarot cards all over your house, like vision boards. So I would definitely have your money card in your wealth corner. I am massively into feng shui as well, in a big, big way. So the easiest way to figure out your wealth corner, if you've not got your compass out, is to imagine you've stepped in through your front door; the furthest left hand side of your property is your wealth corner.”
Check out Claire’s new book
“You might have never touched a tarot card in your life, but you will know how to do a spread and understand what it means with my new book Tarot Cheat Formula,” says Claire, who also has a new oracle deck based on the Pendle witches due for release in August. “It doesn’t tell you anything about the mythology of the cards or the astrology - it gives you answers and clarity. One of the questions I kept getting as a tarot teacher was, ‘What happens if I get a money card and it’s a love question?’ That’s what this book does - it takes away that confusion. You don’t even need a deck of cards. You can use bibliomancy - just open the book on a page.”
She adds: “Anyone can read tarot the ridiculously easy way - even if you’ve never touched a tarot card in your life!”
Tarot Cheat Formula is on sale now, published by Rockpool
