Everything You Need to Know About One-Card Tarot Readings
One-card tarot readings can be one of the easiest, fastest, and best ways of bringing the wisdom of the tarot into your daily life. I've been reading tarot for over 25 years, and I truly believe that doing daily one-card readings is the best way to get to know your tarot cards, activate your intuition, and enjoy your tarot deck. Sometimes it's best to keep it simple!
Wait, What's a One-Card Tarot Reading?
A one-card tarot reading, also called a one-card pull, is exactly what it sounds like: A tarot reading in which you draw a single tarot card. There are a lot of situations in which you can do this, from pulling a card every morning to set the tone for the day, to asking a yes or no question, to getting a quick vibe check from the cards.
The Benefits Of a One-Card Tarot Reading
When you focus on a single tarot card, you really get to know that card. You embed its meaning deep in your subconscious and understanding. You'll understand that tarot card better the next time it pops up.
One-card pulls can also help you to develop your intuitive reading of the tarot. This is when you focus on the imagery, mood, and story of the card's visual and its impact, rather than looking up the traditional meaning of the card. Because you are zooming in on one picture, you can really take your time assessing what it prompts in your mind, memory, and body. You can think about it at a deeper level for a longer time, rather than splitting your attention across many cards.
Plus, one-card readings are fast. There's no need to set aside a good half-hour or longer to dwell on your cards, their inter-linking elements, their subtle asides, their overall story… it's just one card. Easy!
You can use one-card pulls as part of your daily routine, as a vibe check for a simple question, or as nice little pick-me-up whenever you need it.
When Should You Do a One-Card Tarot Reading?
It all depends on your goal. One-card tarot readings are a great method for learning the tarot, getting to know your cards or a new tarot deck, and developing your intuitive reading. To achieve this, you might adopt a regular, or even daily, morning/evening/afternoon time to pull a card.
One-card readings also work well when you just feel lost or anxious and want a some on-the-spot guidance. You're not looking for anything too overwhelming or heavy, just a single message to focus on as you go about your day.
They can also answer singular, simple questions. However, if you’ve got a big, complicated decision on your mind, or you want inspiration for a longer time period than just the day ahead, a one-card pull might not be enough. You probably have more than one question going on around your theme, and therefore you need more cards. The golden rule of tarot is one question = one card.
Daily One-Card Tarot Pulls
To make the most of doing a daily one-card tarot pull, I’d recommend keeping a record (digitally or in a notebook) of the date, card, and your initial interpretation, as well as future notes about what then actually happened and your revised meaning.
Maybe you can make this pull part of a wider ritual—like you draw a tarot card and contemplate it as you drink morning coffee, before your evening skincare routine, or during your lunch break. Consider if you want to use any other props, like a crystal or aromatherapy spray (this is not essential at all, but can add a ~vibe~ to the reading).
For example, if you do a morning tarot card pull, I recommend keeping your cards near your bed. In the morning, ask a question like, "What do I need to know about the day ahead?" or "What opportunity should I pursue today?" Then pull a card to answer it.
For an evening tarot card pull, you could ask something like, "What should I be grateful for today?" or "What can I do differently tomorrow?" This short tarot reading can become part of your evening wind-down, reflection, or even meditation practice.
As for exactly how to do a daily tarot card pull? Shuffle and pull a card. Then, take an immediate, intuitive meaning from that card. What does it bring to mind? What memories, ideas, or insights does it stir up? What emotions or mood does it evoke? What do you think is going on in the visual? Then, you might want to look up its traditional meaning, and reflect on that too. Make a few notes in your journal (the date, the name of the card, and your interpretation).
Keep the card out of the deck for that day, or take a quick photo of it, so you can look back and reflect on it. Keep the card ~with you~ (either physically or mentally) as you go about your day. It’s likely that a new or deeper meaning will surface as events unfold. This is how tarot can help to make your life feel truly magical!
Yes/No Tarot Pulls
Yes/no tarot pulls are a special type of one-card reading. At the most basic, you think of your yes/no question (first, make sure it IS a yes/no question), and then you shuffle and pull a card. That card is your answer.
Of course, the problem here is that none of the tarot cards actually say "yes" or "no." So, you’ve still got to do the work, either intuitively or via the card’s recognized meaning, to figure out if the answer means "yes" or "no."
You could "load" the deck by deciding in advance which cards mean "yes" or "no" cards—like all the Pentacles and Cups mean "yes" and all the Swords and Wands mean "no," or all the even-numbered cards mean "yes" and all the odd-numbered cards mean "no." But that takes some forethought and prep—so it's not quite as easy as it sounds!
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