Rules of the deck
Tarot of Marseille rules: how to draw and read the cards
How to do a Tarot of Marseille reading, step by step, for someone who has never held a deck: the question, the shuffle, the cut, choosing the cards, then reading them place by place, up to the synthesis card of the cross spread.
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The Tarot of Marseille is an illustrated deck whose pattern was fixed in France in the 17th and 18th centuries. The full deck has 78 cards, but the French reading tradition relies mostly on its 22 major arcana, figures such as the Magician, the High Priestess or the Wheel of Fortune: those are the cards you draw here, from the deck Bernardin Suzanne printed in Marseille in 1839. Drawing the cards means laying a few of them in places that each have a meaning, then reading what each card says in its place.
Before you start
You need a question and two quiet minutes. The question matters more than anything else: it is what gives meaning to the places in the spread.
- Prefer “What…”, “How…” or “What can I do…” to “Will…” or “Is…”. The tarot sheds light on a situation; it doesn't answer yes or no.
- One question at a time, about a situation that concerns you. If it's about someone else, ask instead what you can do in that relationship.
- You don't have to write your question down: keeping it in mind while you shuffle is enough. If you do write it, it stays on your device.
The draw, step by step
Choose the deck and the spread
On the Cards page, turn the wheel to the Tarot of Marseille, then tap “Draw the cards”. Swipe through the spreads: each one shows its places and how many cards it takes. For a first time, take “Past, present, future”, three cards, the easiest to read; the cross spread, the Marseille classic, is for weighing up a decision. Then “Choose this spread”.
Ask your question
Write it down, or keep it in mind. Decide too whether you read reversed cards: for the Marseille, the option starts unticked, as many Marseille readers prefer. Then “Shuffle the cards”.
Shuffle
Slide your finger over the deck: with each pass, a packet of cards comes off the top and goes back in somewhere else. Think about your question meanwhile. That's what shuffling is for: undoing the order of the deck, and giving you time to focus.
Cut the deck
Choose where to cut: the bottom part goes on top. The gesture comes from card games, where cutting makes sure nobody has arranged the deck; here, it's your hand that sets the final order.
Choose your cards
The cards open into a fan, face down. Slide your finger along the fan: the card under your finger comes forward; pull it towards you, or tap it again, to take it. Take as many as the spread has places: the first goes to place 1, the second to place 2, and so on.
Turn them over
Tap each card to reveal it. If you chose to read reversed cards, some appear upside down: their meaning shifts (what is blocked, what is delayed, what overflows).
Read your spread
“Read my spread” opens the reading: first the thread, a sentence that links the cards, then one sheet per card, in the order of the places. Swipe from one sheet to the next, or tap a card on the layout to open its sheet.
How to read a Marseille spread
Each card is read in its place: the Emperor as “past” doesn't say the same thing as the Emperor as “where it goes”. Start with the place, then look at the card: its name, its figure, what it is doing. The 22 major arcana speak of the big movements of a life (starting, deciding, letting go, starting again) more than of the details of the day.
- Read the whole spread before holding on to one sentence. Three cards make a story: where it comes from, where it stands, where it's going.
- Look at where the figures are looking. Many are in profile: a card turned towards its neighbour speaks to it; a card turning away moves away from it. It's a key often used to read the Marseille.
- A hard card, the Tower or Death, doesn't announce misfortune: it says what has to fall or end so that the rest can move.
The synthesis card of the cross spread
The cross spread lays four cards: for you, against you, what rules, where it goes. The fifth, the synthesis, isn't drawn: it's calculated. You add up the numbers of the four arcana (the Fool counts as 22); as long as the total is above 22, you add its digits together. The result points to one arcanum, which sums up the answer.
Three beginner mistakes
- Drawing again because you don't like the answer. The second draw doesn't correct the first, it muddles both: let a few days pass.
- Reading each card on its own, like a list. The meaning comes from the places and the neighbours.
- Looking for a date or an event. The tarot describes a situation and what can make it move; it predicts nothing.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards are in the Tarot of Marseille?
78: 22 major arcana and 56 minor arcana in four suits (Batons, Cups, Swords and Coins). The French reading tradition relies mostly on the 22 majors, and those are the cards Arcanes uses for the Marseille.
Should you read reversed cards?
You don't have to. Many Marseille readers only read cards upright, so the option “Also read reversed cards” starts unticked. Tick it if you want an extra nuance: a reversed card says what is blocked, delayed or overflowing.
Can you read the cards for yourself?
Yes. Ask your question before shuffling, make every gesture yourself, and read the whole spread before drawing conclusions: it's the same method as for someone else.
Is the draw really random?
Yes. The deck is dealt before your first gesture, in an order drawn by your device's cryptographic random generator; your gestures then move real packets, and you turn over exactly the cards you chose. The full method is on the Method page.
How is it different from the Rider-Waite-Smith?
The Marseille is older and plainer: its figures face you, and its original minor arcana show only numbers and symbols. The Rider-Waite-Smith (1909) illustrates all 78 cards with scenes, which makes it easier to read when you're starting out.