Tarot Readings Online: How They Work and What to Expect

Many people wonder whether a tarot reading can mean anything when the reader is not in the room. In my practice the cards are drawn and laid out on a physical table, as they would be for someone sitting opposite me; what changes is how the reading reaches you. This guide explains how an online reading works, what you receive, how to ask a good question and what a reading can and cannot do.

What is tarot?

Tarot is a deck of 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana cards, with archetypal figures such as the Fool, the Emperor and the Tower, and 56 Minor Arcana cards in four suits. According to the Victoria and Albert Museum, tarot began as a card game played for fun and only later became associated with divination. The best-known modern deck was designed by the artist Pamela Colman Smith and published by Arthur Edward Waite, printed by Rider in London; it is known today as the Rider-Waite-Smith deck.

I read with a Rider-Waite-Smith–based cat deck, so the card meanings follow the system most readers know, even though the figures on the cards are cats.

How does an online tarot reading work?

1. You choose a reading and tell me your question, your birth details and the background: what is happening, who is involved and what you hope to understand.
2. I review everything you have shared before choosing a spread, so the layout fits your question.
3. I draw and lay out the cards at my table, the same table where I cast spells, and photograph the spread.
4. I write your interpretation, card by card and then as a whole, in plain language connected to your situation.
5. Your reading is emailed to you with the card photographs, so you can keep it and come back to it.

Your reading is carried out the same day once your details are complete. If something in it is unclear, you can reply with questions; every message gets a personal reply within 24 hours.

Is an online reading as accurate as an in-person one?

A tarot reading draws on the cards, your question and the reader’s interpretation, and all three are there whether you are in the room or not. A written reading also has advantages: nothing is lost to nerves or memory, you can read it more than once, and the photographs let you see exactly which cards were drawn and where. What matters most is that you share enough context for the reading to speak to your real situation.

What can a tarot reading tell me, and what can it not?

Your choices, circumstances and practical actions continue to matter after any reading.

How do I ask a good tarot question?

The best questions are open and about you. Compare:

• "Will he text me?" becomes "What do I need to understand about where this connection is going?"
• "Will I get the job?" becomes "What will help me most in this application process?"
• "Is she lying?" becomes "What is the energy between us right now, and how can I protect my peace?"

Yes-or-no questions can be answered, but open questions give the cards room to say more. Share the background too: dates, names and what has already happened all help.

What kinds of readings are there?

Readings vary by focus. A soul contract tarot reading explores the deeper patterns and karmic lessons behind a significant relationship or life challenge; I write about the idea in what soul contracts are. You can see every option in the tarot reading collection.

Not sure whether you need a reading or a spell? A reading helps you understand a situation; a spell focuses on changing it. I explain how to decide in spell or tarot reading: which do you need?

How should I read my written reading?

• Read it once straight through, then put it down for a day. First reactions are often about the answer you hoped for rather than what the cards say.
• Look at the photographs alongside the text. Notice which cards feel most striking to you; your own response is part of the reading.
• Note what you can act on. Pick one or two practical points and decide what you will do about them this week.
• Come back to it later. Many readings make more sense a few weeks on, once events have moved. Keep it somewhere you can find it.
• Avoid asking the same question again straight away. Drawing again for the same question, hoping for a different answer, usually adds confusion rather than clarity.

How can I tell if an online tarot reader is honest?

Most readers are sincere, but dishonest ones follow familiar patterns. Be careful of anyone who:

• tells you that you are cursed and that only they can remove it, for a fee;
• gives you a reading you did not ask for and then asks for payment;
• predicts a death, illness or disaster to frighten you into buying more;
• keeps finding new problems that need new payments.

I cover more warning signs in how to tell if a spell caster is legit. In the United States you can report a scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Can I learn to read tarot myself?

Yes. You do not need to memorise all 78 meanings before you start. My guide to reading tarot intuitively shows how to begin with one card a day and your own impressions of the image. Many readers keep a journal of their draws; my beginner grimoire guide shows one way to set it up.

What you can expect from me

• Your reading is carried out the same day once your details are complete.
• A personal written interpretation and photographs of the cards drawn, emailed to you.
• Every message gets a personal reply within 24 hours.
• You can cancel for a full refund while your order shows "Order received".
• No outcome is guaranteed, and I will never tell you that you are cursed or that you must keep paying.