Three Tarot cards with a woman meditating on a beach in the background

While meditation and Tarot cards have long been used for spiritual growth, you may not have considered using them together. If you are learning to meditate, Tarot cards can enhance the experience, especially if you find it difficult to achieve a “blank” mind. Focusing on a chosen Tarot card helps keep the conscious mind occupied, and the resulting meditation experience can even be a colorful and vibrant internal journey of the psyche, exploring hopes and dreams with a more complete lens.

Set the Stage

It is best to use large cards, with borders that seem to fade into the background. However, this technique can work with any Tarot deck. Prepare for meditation by drinking plenty of water and not eating heavily or at all (try to avoid meat and salt). Wear comfortable clothing and use a blanket if you like. Light a candle and burn a bit of incense if it helps you get in the right space for spiritual work. You can sit in a comfortable chair, straight or reclining, or if preferred, sit on a mat or cushion, with legs crossed in a fashion that feels good for you. Lying down can make you fall asleep and thus is not recommended.

Have your Tarot deck nearby to choose a card on which to meditate. Because meditation can open us up in unexpected ways, set an intention that you are protected and safe. Some people pray, and some visualize themselves surrounded with white light – do what works best for you.

Now just breathe naturally and just observe your breath going in and out. If it helps, you can count to five breathing in, then count to five breathing out. Consciously breathe for a few minutes until you feel relaxed. Now pick up your Tarot deck and choose a Tarot card. You can choose the card randomly, or you can determine ahead of time the card you will integrate into your work today. If this is your first time, choose a lighter themed card and avoid the heavy energy cards like the Death card until you are ready.

Find Your Focus

The 22 cards of the Major Arcana can represent spiritual or energetic archetypes. The 56 cards of the Minor Arcana tend to describe more mundane, everyday people and events. There are four suits within the Minor Arcana that will further describe your experience: Wands for creativity and passion, Cups for emotions and intuition, Swords for communication and mental process, and Pentacles for practicality and material manifestation.

At first, look carefully at the card. Notice all the small details you may usually skip over – the colors, symbols, shapes, facial expressions, body positions, the motions likely taking place, words that may be said, the background – everything. Think about what some of these things mean to you.

Now, change your gaze and soften it, so that you are now looking beyond the card – perhaps the wall that is in front of you, with the card still in your field of vision. What this should do is allow the card’s border to fade and to then become a mental doorway for your presence to actually enter the scene of the card. It can feel like you are getting “sucked into” the card itself.

Once your awareness is in the card, allow your meditation to develop naturally, with the chosen Tarot card providing the journey and lesson for you. Don’t worry about mentally scripting too much, or attempt to overly control the experience, since the Tarot will often do this part for us – it can be as if we are watching a movie. Just observe and enjoy what you are receiving. You may feel like closing your eyes to really take it all in – this is fine. Take all the time you need.

When your journey is done, you may find your awareness is back where you are, but if not, mentally wish for yourself to come back to your meditation spot, and close and open your eyes until you feel you are there. If you still feel out of your body, a tiny bit of salt on the tip of your tongue will likely bring you the rest of the way back. Blow out the candle and snuff the incense if that has not already been done.


Reflect on the experiences of the card, whether it be pleasant or unpleasant. Write down in a journal, or if you have the equipment, voice-record your experiences, your impressions, everything you can remember – it is best to do this fresh after your meditation.

Keep your eyes open for incoming experiences that will refer you back to your meditation experience, as these often happen within a day or two of your meditation. Because these uncanny experiences continue to further nurture your understanding of the card’s symbolism and energetic application, it is ideal to journal these too.

Take a moment to review your journaling, meditations and follow-up experiences. You are likely gaining more understanding of the operations of the world and better perspectives on how energies work and how they develop into things or events. These observations can instill deep confidence in you and your intuitive abilities, enhancing your life considerably.

Where to Find Help

While this technique is simple enough for most people to try, sometimes the information and impressions that come from these meditation experiences will seem to conflict. A professional psychic who is knowledgeable about the Tarot can help clear confusion, especially if the concepts in Tarot seem complicated. Getting a consultation is as easy as picking up the phone, and you’ll get helpful tips and suggestions right away. Think of it as being off-center in your observations, which can understandably bring confusion – and suddenly being placed in the center, where you have a crystal-clear viewpoint.

It has been said that holding a Tarot deck is like holding the entire universe in your hands, which may seem like a lot to take on your own. A professional psychic or astrologer can be your guide as you use the Tarot to broaden your meditative journey. He or she can also help you along you spiritual path using tools and techniques such as detailed astrological charts, numerology, runes and much more.

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