Tarot cards are a small deck of cards most commonly used to gain insight into a situation. People use tarot as a hobby, for a fun trick at parties or just because it is a unique pastime to have. They are most commonly found in the form of small paper cards sorted into five suits. By laying the cards out in a spread, it is believed that one can find a message or advice, according to tarot.com.

Understanding the Cards
The 78 cards of a typical tarot deck are sorted into two broad sections called the Minor Arcana and the Major Arcana. 56 of the cards are organized into the Minor Arcana. This group consists of four separate suits: wands, cups, swords and pentacles. Each suit has 10 numbered cards along with a page, knight, king and queen. The remaining 22 cards are in a group called the Major Arcana. The Major Arcana are different from the four suits because they each have their own name and believed to have direct meaning, all according to tarot.com.

How to Use Tarot
Tarot readings do not have to be complicated. There is a one-card reading, which can be used for quick readings with friends or for oneself, along with other basic card spreads. For the first step of the reading, it is typically recommended that the person receiving the reading has a question in mind. It is optional to shuffle the cards as one would a normal deck of playing cards. Finally, it is time to pull—or let fall out—however many cards one would like and interpret their meaning, which can be done by looking up the card online or in a book, all according to tarot.com. It can also be possible to decide what the cards mean based on how they fit into the question asked.

“You depict it in your own way,” sophomore Haven Brinkmeier said. “It all depends on how it correlates with your situation and what your reading is like.”

Tarot and Astrology
Tarot is deeply rooted in astrology and nature. For example, the four suits of the minor deck correspond with the four elements—swords with air, wands with fire, cups with water and pentacles with earth. These suits are also believed to go with the zodiac sign for each element, such as water, earth, fire and air signs, according to thetarotguide.com.