Meanings Mastery: Assimilate (Don’t Memorize) All 78 tarot Cards Within 12-30 months
Introduction
When teaching tarot card meanings, many online tarot teachers focus on shortcuts like cheatsheets and ten-minute 'hacks'. This can quickly trap a student in a cycle of dependency rather than leading them to genuine skill. What I want to offer instead is the practical method that I personally used when I was in your position, looking up card meanings online. If you follow it properly along with the resources at the bottom of this article, you should find yourself a competent tarot diviner within 12-30 months (dependent on effort and ability). The reason for this is that I am an aspiring polymath with a life-long love for learning and teaching. So I taught myself according to some important principles of meta-learning (learning how to learn) and modern memory science. I point this out not to boast but to let you know how I made it as a tarot student rather than a tarot teacher.
The Main Learning Principle: Assimilation Over Memorisation
The aim of this method is to develop interpretive fluency, not just rote memory. A reader who depends only on memorised keywords is using the cards like a crude translation tool; they can look up individual meanings but miss the grammar and nuance of how the cards speak together.
The goal of a the student is to assimilate, not memorize, the cards. That is, to internalize their meaning so deeply that reading them becomes as natural as speaking your native language. This is achieved by integrating the learning of card meanings with the practical skill of reading spreads from the very beginning.
This process is broken down into three main phases. It is crucial not to rush or skip ahead, as each phase builds the necessary foundation for the next. The entire path realistically takes 12 to 30 months of diligent practice to complete.
Phase 1: Mastering the Major Arcana
The first phase involves working exclusively with the 22 cards of the Major Arcana. It takes around 3-6 months.
The reason for starting this way is twofold: it prevents the initial overwhelm that causes most beginners to quit, and it allows you to get definite, tangible results with your reading skill very quickly.
Unlike methods that isolate card meanings from spread work (often to sell separate courses on each), this integrated approach teaches both skills at the same time, providing more value to the student.
Step 1.1: Beginning with Three-Card Spreads
The initial work focuses on drawing three cards for simple questions or daily readings. This encourages an understanding of how these powerful archetypes interact and tell a story, establishing a foundation in narrative flow.
Step 1.2: Adding in Larger Spreads
Once comfortable with three cards, the next step is to increase the spread size to 5 and 7 cards, working up to a ten-card layout using only the Majors.
Please note that you will continue doing 3-7 card spreads at this stage; adding in larger spreads does not mean replace the smaller spreads solely with larger ones.
Phase 2: Integrating the 40 Number Cards
Once a ten-card spread of only Major Arcana can be read with fluency, the 40 Number cards (Ace to 10 of each suit) can be added into the pack. The purpose of this is not just to gradually increase the difficulty. Adding in only the 40 Number cards forces you to learn about the occult Elements.
For best results here, consciously look to apply the widest array of abstract significations to the Numbered cards. For example, instead of seeing the Earth Element (Pentacles Suit) as just money and health, consider what the Earth Element means in terms of how things are done, why they are done and how long they take. Earth is long-term, slow, stable, steady, reliable and persevering. Do this for all four occult Elements.
Spend no less than 6 months on this phase.
Step 2.1: Returning to Three-Card Spreads
This is not a step backwards, nor should the 3 card spreads be rushed. Stay on 3 cards for a week or two and do at least 15-20 readings with them. This allows the specific, situational energies of the Numbered cards to be integrated in a controlled way, preventing overwhelm.
Step 2.2: Expanding to Larger Spreads
As before, fluency with three cards is the prerequisite for gradually working back up to a ten-card spread.
This entire phase 2 may honestly take 6-10 months self-taught; you cannot move on until you have committed to memory all of the 62 cards being used.
Phase 3: Introducing The Court Cards
This final phase takes 3-12 months depending on what standards you set yourself.
At first, simply break the Court Cards down by Rank & Suit. You can add in advanced Court Card interpretations (such as astrological correspondences) once you are used to interpreting the Court Cards in a reading. [Editor’s Note: apologies for the lack of professional video/audio quality in these old lessons]
Once again, seek to grasp the widest possible array of specific significations from the keywords that you find. Do not satisfy yourself with abstractions - these are just learning aids. The actual memorization needed for true skill is far beyond the basics.
If we take the King of Wands as an example, we first break him down by Rank & Suit. The Kings are mature masculine figures (often male but not always), with external mastery over their Element. In this case, the Element of Fire is about competing for worldly power. Therefore, this is a card of military commanders, sports coaches, charismatic leaders, stern CEOs, dominant political leaders and so on. At the same time, the card is relative to your life; it may simply represent a father figure, a local personal trainer or a rowdy manager. But this is only based on a narrow set of significations. Even with the basic Rank & Suit breakdown, we can get a lot more possibilities.
Step 3.1: Returning to Three-Card Spreads
The process repeats. Starting again with small spreads is the most effective way to learn the distinct personalities and social dynamics that the Court Cards introduce to a reading.
Step 3.2: Expanding to Full Mastery
Working back up to ten-card spreads with the full 78-card deck will solidify your fluency with the entire system.
Integrating Reversals Into The Method
There are two options for integrating reversals with this method:
Get through a phase, then repeat with reversals.
Do all 3 phases, then repeat with reversals.
There is not definite winner as far as I know: pick whichever you like. Option two gives deeper learning, yet it might not provide the feeling of progress that inspires the student to continue going. My only suggestions here is to stick to whichever one you choose because switching part way through will cause a mess.
Conclusion: The Foundation Of Genuine Mastery
This pedagogical method builds a layered understanding of card meanings, spread dynamics, and fluent reading simultaneously. It is designed to create independent, competent diviners by avoiding the two common extremes of rote memorisation or shortcuts (e.g: cheatsheets).
While this method can certainly be followed alone, progress is always enhanced by the guidance of a mentor who can help correct course and deepen insight. The work is substantial, but it is the real work that leads to mastery.
