Wanna Learn How to Read Tarot Cards? Try These Apps

I've been using the Golden Thread Tarot app for over a year, and even though Gong told me it will no longer be updated (so she can instead focus on Labyrinthos), this list wouldn't be complete without it. Gong assured me it will continue to be available for download.

Golden Thread, which has a matching physical deck you can purchase, is well known among those I spoke to when researching this guide, and was recommended to me by a friend who reads tarot. It has thoughtful, concise, and easy to understand interpretations for all your readings. It doesn't have as many lessons as Labyrinthos, but it has great explanations of what the major and minor arcana cards in tarot are, with beautiful illustrations and animations to boot. I have several books on tarot and Gong accomplishes in a few words what they take several pages to say. Like Labyrinthos, you can choose to draw digital cards or use a physical deck. If you choose the latter, it counts down the time you should take to shuffle your cards and concentrate on the question you're trying to ask—a nice feature that Labyrinthos is missing.

Once you've found yourself comfortable with the meanings of the classical tarot cards, you might want to branch out into something more specific. Though Gabriela Herstik doesn't typically use tarot apps, she was drawn to this one. "I have an affinity to the Dark Goddesses, or the goddesses who come to life through transformation and sexuality and death and grief," she said. "And this deck really hits the spot."

The card art is beautiful and the readings teach you what it means when each goddess appears. While obviously still digital, it makes you click the deck to shuffle, cut, and draw, which should help you build a routine for when you decide to pick up physical cards. There are also spoken directions to walk you through the entire process. You can even choose which altar cloth you'd like your cards to be drawn upon, which is a nice touch to get you into the spirit. As someone who has never paid for any app before trying this, I'm happy to report it was not a waste of $4 and has become a staple in my routine.

There is no shortage of tarot apps out there, but I think the three mentioned above are the best to start with. They're designed in a way that makes learning the tarot the same as getting a reading: calming, spiritual, and fun. The others tend to be messy or cluttered with ads.

Daily Tarot Plus (iOS) has a nice interface and design, with really cool card art and simple explanations. It would have been a pick, but the amount of ads makes it incredibly frustrating to use. You shouldn't have your concentration broken when you're trying to do a reading.

Trusted Tarot (iOS and Android) also offers easy to understand explanations for every card you draw. While the ads aren't as intense as Tarot Plus, they still interfere with the experience. You can remove them by paying a monthly subscription fee, but with the free apps mentioned above or the one-time payment for Dark Goddess, I don't think there's a need to pay this much for a just OK app.

The Tarot Card Reading Numerology (iOS) interface is ugly and littered with ads. Like Trusted Tarot, you can remove the ads for a payment, but I don't think the experience is worth it.

You can learn tarot on your phone without having to buy anything, but if you want to do readings more often, or for others, I strongly recommend getting a physical deck so you can get used to the feel of the cards and see the images up close. If you can find a metaphysical shop in your area, they will probably have some options, but you should start with a classic: the Rider-Waite deck. It features the images that you probably picture when you think of tarot, and most guides will reference these images when you're learning.

Porsche Little also suggests starting with the Rider-Waite. "You’d be surprised how easy reading tarot can become once you start paying attention to the images depicted in the cards," she said. "So don’t start out with something quirky like 'Cat Tarot,' you’ll be super confused."

Once you're ready to branch out, or if you simply like collecting beautiful decks, there are hundreds you might be drawn to, including Tina Gong's Golden Thread and Luminous Spirit decks. There's a myth that your first deck must be given to you, but you can rest assured knowing that many professional tarot readers purchased their own decks. But if you feel strongly that it must be gifted, start hinting to your loved ones.

Even the most gifted among us won't be a tarot expert overnight. It takes a lot of practice to not only learn what each card represents, but to interpret what cards mean together based on the person and question at hand. Start off slow and let yourself enjoy the process.

Keep a journal to write about your tarot readings. It will help you to learn and pick out themes and common cards, as well as track your progress over time. Get readings done by professionals you admire, and find other likeminded people you can learn from.

At one point in time, if you said you were a witch you'd be accused of devil worship. And at another point in time, you'd be stoned to death or burned at the stake. It's not completely without ridicule today, but it's become more publicly accepted and admired and therefore there's a lot of learning opportunities for those who are interested.

Being a witch, of course, is not about waving a magic wand and turning someone into a toad or twinkling your nose to cast a spell a la Bewitched. If you find yourself drawn to spirituality, the metaphysical, animals, tarot, and mediums, you just might a witch. There's no wrong way to go about witchhood as long as you're respectful and don't harm anyone or anything in the process. If you want to cover your house in crystals and cleanse water under the full moon, by all means do what you please. But if you'd rather practice in private without extra accessories, that's fine too.