Spiritual guidance
Tarot reading
ไพ่ทาโรต์
Tarot is a 78-card deck, born as an Italian card game, that is now widely used as a tool for reflection and fortune telling, including in Thailand.
Origin
Northern Italy (cards); France (divinatory use)
History
Cards invented in the mid-15th century as a game; used for divination from the late 18th century
Licence in Thailand
Not required
Where it comes from
Historians have shown that tarot cards were invented in northern Italy in the mid-15th century, where they were used to play trick-taking card games. Extra picture cards, the trumps (trionfi), and the Fool were added to an ordinary four-suit pack.
There is no historical evidence of significant use of tarot for divination before the late 18th century. In Paris in the 1780s, Antoine Court de Gébelin and Jean-Baptiste Alliette (known as Etteilla) popularised the idea that tarot held ancient Egyptian wisdom, a claim historians consider unfounded; Etteilla produced the first deck designed for occult use around 1789.
The Rider–Waite–Smith deck, published in 1909, is one of the most widely used decks today.
The principle
A tarot deck has 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana cards with symbolic images (such as the Fool, the Magician and the World) and 56 Minor Arcana cards in four suits of 14 cards. Readers believe that the cards drawn, and their positions, can shed light on a question or a situation.
In a reading, the client asks a question, the cards are shuffled and laid out in a pattern called a spread, and the reader interprets the images and their relationship. Many people today use tarot less as prediction and more as a prompt for reflection.
What people come for
- Thinking through a decision or a dilemma
- Questions about love and relationships
- Work and life direction
- Self-reflection and journaling prompts
- Curiosity about the symbolism of the cards
How it works on the body
A tarot reading is experienced as a guided conversation around images, which can help some people put their thoughts into words.
A session, step by step
- 01
Agree on price and format
Check the fee, the length and whether the reading is in person or online.
- 02
Formulate a question
Open questions ('what should I consider about…') usually work better than yes/no questions.
- 03
Shuffle and spread
The cards are shuffled and laid out in a spread, from a single card to larger layouts.
- 04
Interpretation
The reader explains each card and how the cards relate to your question.
- 05
Closing thoughts
Take what feels useful for reflection, and leave the rest.
Precautions
- Do not use tarot to make medical, financial or legal decisions; consult qualified professionals.
- Be cautious with readers who predict misfortune and then ask for money for 'protection' or rituals.
- Card readings often rely on general statements that most people recognise in themselves.
- If you are in crisis or feeling very low, contact a mental health professional rather than relying on readings.
- Be careful with repeated paid readings online; set yourself a budget.
Complementary practice: does not replace medical advice.
In Thailand
Tarot is one of the methods offered by Thai fortune tellers alongside palm reading, astrology and numerology. In Bangkok, tarot and Thai astrology readings have increasingly moved online since the COVID-19 pandemic, and a 2025 Chulalongkorn University study looked at how readers keep the ritual and trust of face-to-face consultations in digital settings.
Frequently asked questions
Is tarot scientifically proven?
No. There is no scientific evidence that tarot can predict the future. Its sense of accuracy is largely explained by our tendency to accept general statements as personal. It can still be a tool for reflection.
Does tarot come from ancient Egypt?
No. Tarot cards were invented in 15th-century Italy for card games; the Egyptian story was invented in 18th-century France.
How many cards are there?
78: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana in four suits.
Is an online reading the same as in person?
The cards are the same, but the experience differs; researchers are studying how trust and ritual change online.
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