Why is learning tarot so hard? ~ Part I: A Deep Dive into the History Hidden in the Cards

If you’ve ever tried learning tarot, you know the feeling.

You pull a card. You look at it. You search for the meaning. And suddenly you have five different interpretations telling you five different things.

And you think: “Why is this so hard? I don't understand!”

As someone who has been reading tarot for over 15 years, and who now offers professional online tarot readings, coaching sessions, and online courses, I can tell you the main reason tarot feels difficult, especially for symbolic readers, and it's because: 

Tarot Is Not a Dictionary. It’s a Library of Human History.

One of the biggest misconceptions about learning tarot is thinking that each card has just one definition.

The Tower means “transformation.”
The Lovers means “illusions.”
Death means “New Beginnings.”

If that were true, tarot would be easy. You could memorize the 78 meanings of the cards and be done. But tarot is not a dictionary.

Tarot is a symbolic archive of human consciousness.

Inside each card, you don’t just find a message; you find centuries of philosophy, religion, mythology, psychology, and human emotion encoded in symbols.

When you really study tarot, you start to realize something profound: you are not just learning card meanings. You are studying the emotional and spiritual evolution of mankind.

And it is overwhelming, because you’re not memorizing keywords, you’re decoding civilization from its origins. 

The Origins of Tarot: Secret Knowledge Hidden in Symbols

To understand why tarot is hard to learn, you have to understand where it comes from.

The classic tarot systems weren’t created randomly. They were shaped and structured through esoteric traditions like Hermeticism, Kabbalah, alchemy, and mystical Christianity

Groups like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn didn’t just create cards for fortune-telling. They encoded spiritual systems into them.

The symbolism in tarot pulls from ancient religious and philosophical traditions, ranging from the Bible and the Quran to Egyptian, Roman, and Sumerian mythology. You can see influences of medieval mysticism, the Crusades, astrology, numerology, and sacred geometry mixed with the imagery of the cards.

So when you look at a tarot card, you are not just looking at art. You are looking at encoded spiritual knowledge that has traveled through centuries. When you pull The Hermit, you’re not just pulling a lonely old man. You’re pulling the archetype of wisdom, withdrawal, spiritual initiation, enlightenment, and inner truth. Themes that show up across religions, myths, and psychological systems.

This depth is especially present in traditional decks like the Tarot de Marseille, the Rider-Waite Tarot, the Thoth Tarot, and even the 1JJ Swiss Tarot, which were created within a historical and symbolic framework. (But I'll write more about that in another post).

That’s why it’s hard.

And here is a visual representation of this, which I made using Sora AI.

The cards carry all the knowledge and lessons of humankind throughout the ages.

Why This Makes Professional Online Tarot Readings So Powerful

Understanding the depth of Tarot is exactly why working with an experienced reader matters.

When you book an online tarot reading, you’re not just getting someone who memorized keywords. You’re working with someone who has spent years studying symbolism, archetypes, energy, and human psychology.

That’s why my online tarot readings and coaching sessions go beyond surface interpretations. I don’t just tell you what the card “means". I translate it and explain it to you in a way that feels clear, grounded, personal, and easy to understand. I show you how the message connects with your life.

Because tarot is complex. But the guidance and message the cards have for you doesn’t have to be confusing.

Ready to Experience Tarot the Way It Was Meant to Be Read?

If you’ve ever struggled learning tarot, now you know why.

And if you’d rather Get Goated! and receive clarity from someone who has spent over 15 years studying the symbolic and spiritual language of the cards, I’m here for you.

Click here to book your online tarot reading and experience the depth of tarot without having to decode centuries of symbolism on your own.

PART 2 coming soon.