The rider-waite tarot deck is the most popular tarot deck available on the market today. This 78-card deck includes 56 tarot cards known as the Minor Arcana and 22 tarot cards known as the Major Arcana. Many modern Tarot decks are inspired by the popular Rider Waite Smith Tarot Deck, first published in 1909 by spiritual seeker A.E. Waite featuring hand-drawn imagery from designer Pamela Colman Smith. Decks that follow the exact RWS system are known as ‘Rider Waite clones’—this means that the imagery and meaning would mirror the RWS system of Tarot. So, if you learn this system, you will know the imagery contained in numerous modern Tarot decks. This deck is ideal for beginners and experienced readers alike because of its detailed symbolism. What is tarot? Tarot is a tool to help you make decisions, find patterns in your life, examine yourself and so much more. It contains a set of 78 cards that aids you in accessing your conscious and unconscious mind. A Tarot deck is like a friend you can consult in times of need. How tarot works—at the root of it, a deck works by posing a question or asking for insight, shuffling the cards, and then pulling a card or cards which represent the answers. Oftentimes a ‘Spread’ is used with certain cards being placed and representing different aspects of the situation or question. Then using your own intuition, knowledge, and/or books you interpret cards' meaning (we love The Tarot Companion Book), imagery and symbolism to arrive at your answer. There are many ways to use tarot cards! They are great for looking at potential outcomes, observing your current situation, personal growth, life coaching, spiritual development, and learning about other systems (astrology, numerology, etc.). Set your intentions with the cards, create a vision board with them, and use tarot for creative areas, like character and plot development in novels. How to Use a Tarot Card Deck: Find a place where you might not be disturbed, take some calming breaths; if you want to Ground and Protect yourself now is the best time. Get the deck ready to read with! Some people knock on the deck and blow on it to remove other energies from it and to wake it up. Let your deck know what you will be doing and reiterate or invite Who or What you wish to be working with for the reading. Have your spread or questions ready. It’s good to write these out first and then continue to write down more questions as you ask them. Try to ask open ended questions instead of questions that can be answered with a Yes or No. As you shuffle, think of your spread, the situation or the question. Pull your card or cards and place them on a flat safe surface. Many people use a cloth, napkin or handkerchief for readings. Make sure to keep the cards clean and safe. After you are done drawing your cards, start trying to interpret the answers. You can use the knowledge you have obtained through research, refer to a book, use your own intuition, or any/all of these options. Don’t be too hard on yourself and trust your gut. Write down the question, the card(s) and your interpretation of the answer into a journal or notebook of some kind. Sometimes even just writing it out can help with the interpretation itself.