There is a world of difference between knowing how to read Tarot cards and knowing how to give an intuitive Tarot reading. While the two certainly overlap, they are not the same thing. Anyone can study the traditional meanings of the 78 cards in a Tarot deck, memorize their symbolism, and learn how to interpret different spreads. These are valuable skills, and they provide an important foundation for any Tarot reader. But in my experience, the real magic of a Tarot reading doesn’t come from the cards themselves. It comes from the intuitive information, energetic connections, and spiritual guidance that flow through the reading.
I’ve always believed that Tarot cards are tools, not the source of our spiritual wisdom. They provide a language through which Spirit can communicate, but the cards themselves are only one part of a much larger conversation. When we rely exclusively on traditional card meanings, we risk missing the very thing that makes a reading personal, meaningful, and sometimes profoundly transformative: the guidance that comes through our intuition.
The Tarot Cards Are the Starting Point, Not the Entire Reading
Every Tarot card carries a collection of traditional meanings, archetypes, symbols, and spiritual lessons. The Fool represents new beginnings, the Tower speaks to sudden change and the collapse of outdated structures, and the High Priestess encourages us to listen to our inner knowing. These interpretations have been studied, shared, and refined over generations, creating a rich symbolic language that helps us understand our human experiences.
But here’s something worth considering. If ten different people receive the High Priestess in a Tarot reading, does that mean Spirit is delivering the exact same message to all ten people? Of course not! One person may be ignoring their intuition about a relationship, another may be discovering their psychic abilities, and someone else may need to stop seeking outside approval and begin trusting their own wisdom.
The traditional meaning of the High Priestess provides a starting point, but it doesn’t necessarily reveal which message is most relevant to the person sitting in front of me. That is where intuition enters the conversation. Rather than simply explaining what the card means, I tune into the energy of the person receiving the reading and allow additional impressions, insights, and spiritual guidance to emerge.
The card opens the door. Intuition helps us understand what’s on the other side.
Your Energy Is an Essential Part of the Reading
One of the most important aspects of my work as an intuitive Tarot reader is connecting with the energy of the person I’m reading for. Every individual brings a unique energetic presence, shaped by their experiences, emotions, beliefs, relationships, challenges, and spiritual development. No two people are energetically identical, and no two intuitive Tarot readings should be either.
When I begin a reading, I’m not simply looking at the cards and deciding what their meanings might suggest. I’m also paying attention to the intuitive impressions I receive from my client. Sometimes this information arrives as an immediate sense of what they’re experiencing emotionally. Other times it comes through as a mental image, a particular word or phrase, an unexpected thought, or a strong feeling that draws my attention to something specific.
These impressions are what many intuitive practitioners call intuitive hits. They often arrive spontaneously, without the deliberate analytical process we use when interpreting a Tarot card’s traditional meaning. I may turn over a card that generally represents conflict, for example, but intuitively sense that the real issue isn’t an argument with another person. It’s an internal struggle between what my client truly wants and what they believe they’re supposed to do.
That distinction matters enormously. Without the intuitive component, we might spend the entire reading discussing external conflict when the deeper spiritual lesson is actually about personal freedom, self-trust, or releasing an outdated belief.
This is why I consider my client’s energy one of the main ingredients of a meaningful Tarot reading. The cards provide structure and symbolism, but the energetic information helps me understand how those messages relate to the individual receiving them. It’s what allows a general Tarot interpretation to become a deeply personal spiritual conversation.
The Role of Spirit, Spirit Guides, and Spirit Ancestors
In my spiritual practice, I also recognize that we are not navigating our human experiences alone. I believe we are surrounded by spiritual support that may include Spirit Guides, ancestors, loved ones who have passed, and other benevolent spiritual presences. I sometimes refer to this collective support as our spiritual entourage.
I love that expression because it reminds us that spiritual guidance isn’t necessarily something distant, inaccessible, or reserved for a select few. I believe we all have access to a greater field of spiritual wisdom, and that our intuition is one of the ways we become aware of it.
When I work with Tarot, I remain open to guidance from Spirit and, when appropriate, the spiritual entourage of the person receiving the reading. This doesn’t mean that every card represents a direct message from an ancestor or that every intuitive impression must come from a Spirit Guide. Spiritual communication is far more nuanced than that, and discernment is an essential part of the process.
Sometimes a message feels like gentle encouragement. Sometimes it draws attention to a repeating pattern or an unresolved emotional issue. Occasionally, I may receive an impression that I associate with an ancestor, loved one, or guiding spiritual presence. In those moments, I share what I’m receiving while allowing the client to determine whether the information resonates with their own experience.
The important thing is remaining receptive rather than forcing an interpretation. I don’t believe spiritual guidance should be manufactured, exaggerated, or presented as absolute authority. A good intuitive reader understands the difference between receiving an impression and insisting that their interpretation is unquestionable truth.
For me, working with Spirit is a sacred partnership rooted in openness, humility, and respect for the person receiving the reading.
Intuition Is the Missing Ingredient in Many Tarot Readings
One of the challenges I see in modern Tarot reading is the tendency to focus so heavily on learning card meanings that developing intuition becomes an afterthought or no thought at all. There are countless books, courses, websites, and social media accounts dedicated to explaining what each Tarot card represents. And while this information is useful, studying Tarot symbolism is not the same as learning to recognize and trust intuitive guidance.
A reader can become extremely knowledgeable about Tarot and still approach every reading almost entirely from an intellectual perspective. They see a card, recall its established meanings, consider its position in the spread, and construct an interpretation based on what they’ve learned. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that approach, and symbolic readings can certainly offer valuable insight. But I believe something extraordinary becomes possible when the reader learns to move beyond memorized interpretations and into genuine intuitive awareness.
Instead of immediately asking, “What does this card mean?” we can begin asking, “What am I receiving about this card, for this person, in this moment?”
That one shift changes the entire experience.
Perhaps the Eight of Cups appears in a reading. Traditionally, it often represents walking away from something that no longer fulfills us. A conventional interpretation might suggest leaving a relationship, job, or situation behind. But an intuitive impression might reveal that the person isn’t being encouraged to physically leave anything just yet. Instead, the deeper message may be about emotionally detaching from an old identity, letting go of the need for approval, or recognizing that they’ve already outgrown a particular version of themselves.
The card meaning hasn’t become irrelevant. It’s simply been expanded through intuition.
I believe this is where the most meaningful Tarot readings happen. The symbolic wisdom of the cards meets the energetic information of the client and the spiritual guidance available in that moment. Rather than offering a generalized interpretation that could apply to hundreds of people, the reading begins to reflect the unique circumstances and spiritual lessons of one individual.
A Tarot Reading Is an Energetic Conversation
I often think of an intuitive Tarot reading as a conversation involving several participants. There’s the person receiving the reading, the reader interpreting the information, the Tarot cards providing the symbolic language, and Spirit offering a broader perspective.
Each contributes something different.
The client brings their questions, experiences, emotional energy, and personal wisdom. The cards provide images and archetypes that help organize the conversation. My intuition serves as a bridge, allowing me to notice impressions and connections that might not be apparent through the card meanings alone. And through my spiritual practice, I remain open to the guidance of Spirit, Spirit Guides, and ancestors who may offer another layer of understanding.
What emerges is not simply a collection of card definitions. It’s an individualized experience that unfolds through the interaction of all these elements.
This is also why I don’t believe a reader needs to know every detail of a client’s life before beginning a session. In fact, some of the most interesting intuitive information comes through before we’ve even said hello! Often, while I’m getting ready for a reading, doing something as ordinary as putting on my makeup or brushing my teeth, certain images, thoughts, words, or impressions will suddenly pop into my awareness. Sometimes they seem completely random, but when I share them with my client, they’re often remarkably spot on. I’ve learned to pay attention to these spontaneous intuitive hits, and I generally share them at the beginning of our session, before we’ve discussed what’s happening in their life.
I also like to spend a few quiet minutes before each reading connecting with Spirit. I may meditate briefly, tune into my client’s energy, or pull a card or two to begin the spiritual conversation before our actual session starts. For me, this is an opportunity to become receptive to whatever guidance may be available, without trying to direct or control the information. It’s almost as though the conversation with Spirit has already begun before my client and I sit down together.
Of course, other intuitive impressions emerge naturally as the reading unfolds, and the conversation itself often helps clarify what the cards and energetic information are pointing toward. Both experiences are valuable. The purpose isn’t to impress someone by demonstrating how much information I can receive without being told. It’s about honoring the intuitive connection, remaining open to spiritual guidance, and helping my client recognize something meaningful about their life. After all, an intuitive Tarot reading isn’t simply a matter of turning over cards and interpreting their meanings. It’s an energetic and spiritual conversation that often begins long before the first card is placed on the table.
A Tarot reading should never become a performance in which the reader attempts to prove their spiritual abilities. The focus belongs on the person seeking guidance and what will genuinely support their understanding, growth, and empowerment.
Spiritual Guidance Should Empower You, Not Override Your Free Will
I also believe it’s important to distinguish intuitive spiritual guidance from fortune-telling or making absolute predictions about someone’s future. While Tarot has long been associated with predicting events, that isn’t the primary purpose of my readings.
I’m far more interested in helping people understand the energy they’re currently working with, the patterns influencing their experiences, and the possibilities available when they make conscious choices.
Spirit, as I understand it, doesn’t exist to make our decisions for us. Our spiritual guidance is there to help us remember our own wisdom, recognize opportunities for growth, and approach life’s challenges with greater awareness. The ultimate authority over our lives remains within us.
This is especially important when discussing Spirit Guides and ancestors. Even when I receive an impression that feels spiritually significant, I never want my clients to believe they must follow a particular course of action simply because a Tarot reader suggested it came from Spirit. Genuine spiritual guidance should encourage personal discernment, not dependence on someone else’s intuitive abilities.
Sometimes the most powerful message in a reading isn’t an answer at all. It’s a question that invites someone to look more deeply at themselves. It’s an invitation to examine a belief, reconsider an assumption, recognize a possibility, or begin trusting something they’ve quietly known all along.
The goal is never to surrender your personal power to the cards, the reader, or even your spiritual entourage. It’s to become more conscious of the wisdom available to you and more confident in your ability to navigate your own life.
Learning to Trust the Intuitive Information You Receive
For those who are learning Tarot themselves, I encourage you to study the traditional meanings of the cards while also making room for your intuition to develop. You don’t have to choose between knowledge and intuition. In fact, I believe the strongest readings emerge when the two work together.
Begin by observing the card before reaching for a guidebook. Notice the imagery, colors, expressions, symbols, and emotional atmosphere. What draws your attention first? What feelings arise? Does a particular word, memory, or idea suddenly come to mind? Are you noticing something in the card that you’ve never paid attention to before?
Allow those impressions to exist before trying to explain them. You can always return to the traditional meanings afterward to see how the intuitive information connects with the card’s established symbolism.
I frequently remind my students that intuition doesn’t always arrive as a dramatic spiritual experience. More often, it’s subtle. It may feel like a quiet knowing, a fleeting image, a physical sensation, or a thought that seems to appear out of nowhere. Learning to recognize these impressions requires practice, patience, and a willingness to trust yourself without abandoning discernment.
And perhaps most importantly, remember that intuition is not reserved for professional Tarot readers, psychics, or spiritual teachers. I believe it’s a natural ability that everyone can explore and develop.
The cards are wonderful teachers, but they are not the source of your power. You are.
The Real Magic Happens Beyond the Cards
After years of working with Tarot and intuitive spiritual guidance, I’ve come to appreciate just how much more a reading can offer when we stop treating the cards as the entire experience.
The traditional meanings provide a beautiful foundation. Their symbols and archetypes help us recognize universal human experiences, spiritual lessons, and patterns of growth. But the information that makes a reading truly personal comes from the intuitive connection with the individual receiving it and, in my practice, an openness to the guidance of their spiritual entourage.
That’s what makes every session different. Two people can receive the same cards and walk away with entirely different insights because their experiences, energies, and spiritual needs are not the same. Even the same person can receive a familiar card at different points in life and discover a completely new layer of meaning.
For me, an intuitive Tarot reading isn’t about telling someone what will happen to them. It’s about helping them see what may already be unfolding within them, recognize the spiritual guidance available, and remember that they have the wisdom and freedom to choose their own path.
The cards provide the language. Intuition brings the conversation to life. And Spirit reminds us that there is always more wisdom available than what we can see on the surface.
That, to me, is the true beauty of intuitive Tarot.
Experience an Intuitive Tarot Reading
If you’ve ever wondered what a Tarot reading might reveal beyond the traditional card meanings, I invite you to experience an intuitive session with me. My readings combine the symbolic wisdom of Tarot with intuitive insight, energetic awareness, and an openness to spiritual guidance. Together, we’ll explore what’s happening in your life, what your soul may be asking you to recognize, and how you can move forward with greater clarity and confidence.
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Charlene Murphy is an intuitive spiritual advisor, Tarot reader, and spiritual teacher devoted to helping people develop their intuition, deepen their spiritual awareness, and remember their own inner wisdom.
