It’s important to consider each card’s individual meaning, but it’s essential to consider the vibe and symbolism in the spread as a whole, too. Especially in larger spreads, there’s as much information to be gleaned from the overall picture as its pieces. If you’re reading for someone else, this is an opportunity to work with them — the more pressure you feel to mind-read, the more challenging this will be. Reading tarot doesn’t make you psychic, which should come as a relief: It’s okay to ask the subject questions about the cards and to brainstorm together ways in which the cards might apply to their original question. Sometimes the cards won’t match up at all — the querent asks about money, but you pull two cups cards and “the lovers.” This might suggest what they really wanted to ask you about was their love life. (Who doesn’t?)

There are lots of ways to read tarot, but all of them require practice. Learning 78 distinct cards takes time, particularly when so many of them have multiple possible meanings. But the more you read and touch the cards, the more familiar they’ll become and the easier it will be to use them as a tool to better understand yourself and others.