I started studying the Tarot as a teenager, at around the age of 17, and when giving a reading I use the whole pack, i.e. the Major and the Minor Arcana.

The Tarot can answer any question one can ask: about health, love, finances, the way to approach a given situation, etc., but wording the question is important. A typical question would be 'what will be the outcome if such and such..?'. One of my favourite questions is 'what do i need to know right now?'. Or, 'what would my higher self like to say to me regarding this situation?'.

In general readings, the Tarot can also predict future events and the likely future events resulting from a particular situation.

If the reading is to be concerned with a specific question, rather than a general reading for the year ahead etc., I find the more specific the question, the more precise the answer you will recieve.

If the client has asked a specific question, I usually use clairvoyance first, before I look at the shuffled cards. In the case of a general reading, I still give the client clairvoyance first, but let them know that the time of events can't be predicted accurately.

I use two main layouts of the cards, an 8 card spread and a 15 card spread. I have found over the years, that these two spreads cover all angles and are incredibly accurate.

I also discovered a long time ago, that if the last card, i.e. the 8th or the 15th, isn't one of the Major Arcana, then the reading isn't finished. If this is the case, I then put another 8 or 15 over the already laid out cards, and continue to do so, until the last card is a Major, and we have reached the end of the story. Sometimes, you can go through the whole pack.

I do not read the cards one at a time; I find that approach somewhat stunted. Instead, I read them in pairs, or groups of three, and in relation to the layout as a whole. It is important to see the relationships in the cards: for instance, with the people cards we need to examine which other cards they are looking towards. I find that this way of working with the cards produces a more complete and meaningful picture.

I love using the Tarot, and I am always being pleasantly surprised at how they get to the essence of a matter. One of the favourite questions I like to ask it for myself, and I suggest to my clients, is 'what would my higher self like to say to me right now?'. I am usually cringing when I shuffle that one. But always glad I did.