In honor of the new year and today’s refreshing dark moon solar eclipse in Capricorn, beginners to the art of reading Tarot cards are getting some special attention. At first glance, reading Tarot cards might seem very complicated to a beginner, when in fact it can be quite simple. If you’ve chosen a deck with which you feel a special connection, its images will speak to you. The trick is to engage in the ritual of the act of reading cards, and also to truly listen to what your heart tells you as you gaze at the imagery and discover your interpretation.

Use the quick start guide below to get started with your Tarot cards:

Wren McMurdo is an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, WA with her wife and rescued parakeets. She specializes in metaphysical art, having self-published her own lunar-inspired Tarot deck, the Dark Days Tarot. She is currently developing an earth-inspired deck, the Mother Tarot Deck, due to release in 2020.

All images owned by Wren McMurdo, reprinted with permission of the owner