When intuition is not enough: 3 essential skills every tarot reader needs

One of my most unpopular tarot opinions is that intuition is not enough to be a tarot reader.

I know that goes against so much of the common advice out there when it comes to tarot reading:

“Just trust in the messages that come to you.”
“Go with your first impression.”  
“Listen to your instincts.”

And yes, self-trust is an important component of being a tarot reader: You need to be able to get to a point where you feel confident enough to rely on your abilities as a card reader.

But intuition alone isn’t the only thing tarot readers need to develop if they want to read for others. Whether you are working with paid querents or working up to that by doing practice readings on friends and acquaintances, there are a lot of other soft skills that can make or break the experience for you and your querents.

Here are three essential soft skills to develop as a tarot reader (alongside your intuition, of course):

Listening: Listening seems like an obvious one – we all want to think of ourselves as good listeners. But listening doesn’t just mean making eye contact or nodding along in agreement when someone is sharing with you. It means taking the time to really understand what is being said.

When it comes to reading tarot, this is especially important because querents bring very specific questions to their readings. Listen to what they’re really looking for from you: Do they want validation? Advice? Reassurance? Being able to understand exactly what it is someone needs help with can make the difference between a reading that resonates and a reading that doesn’t land at all.

Humility: A tarot reading can be life changing. But it doesn’t mean every reading will have that big of an impact every time. While it’s important that tarot readers take their work seriously – tarot is a serious art, after all – it’s also important that readers don’t take themselves so seriously that they assume to have a major starring role in their querents’ lives.

Showing up and being of service as a tarot reader is a bit of a balancing act. You have to be aware of the responsibility you hold as a tarot reader, especially when dealing with sensitive topics. But you also have to give credit to your querents and remember that they are autonomous, independent adults who are capable to making their own decisions.

While a tarot reading might offer amazing advice, it’s always going to be up to the querent as to what they do with the information. Humility allows us to offer generous guidance without being attached to the outcome. 

Time management: If you want to read for others, especially at events or through private appointments, time management skills are essential. Some readers feel the need to over-deliver by going over time in their sessions, but this can backfire. For one, it assumes your querents don’t have anything else to do, when in reality they may be slotting in a reading in between other commitments.

Second, it can lead to messy boundaries if a querent starts expecting longer sessions to be the norm. Especially if you’re doing back-to-back readings and it leaves someone else waiting. Starting and ending your sessions on time shows respect to your querents, and helps keep your day moving smoothly.

Can you occasionally be generous and offer an extended session? Of course – but this should be an exception, not the norm, and can be mutually agreed upon by you and your querent.

If you are building your tarot practice with the goal of reading for others, my new online community Tarot Study Hall is designed to support you at all stages. We don’t just focus on tarot basics: We understand that tarot reading requires a holistic approach, which is why our practices, workshops, and discussions don’t just focus on card meanings or interpretations.

We also focus on soft skills such as supporting querents through challenging times; handling difficult or unexpected situations when reading for others; and uncovering our own biases as tarot readers so that you can show up and be of service to your community in a way that is aligned, empowered, and self-aware.

Learn more about Tarot Study Hall here.

Until next time,

Liz