Guided Tarot for Teens: A Beginner's Guide to Card Meanings, Spreads, and Trust in Your Intuition

by Stefanie Caponi

Adapted from the Amazon best-seller Guided Tarot with over 2400 reviews, this essential guide is a must-have for teens ready to embrace the wisdom of their inner voice through understanding tarot cards.

With tarot, you have the power to unlock wisdom beyond your years. A tool for cultivating intuition, it allows you to celebrate your truth and release resistance, fear, or doubt. For beginner tarot readers, learning the cards—all 78 of them—and understanding how to use spreads may seem daunting. Tarot expert Stefanie Caponi explains that interpreting the cards is a blend of knowing the card meanings, listening to your heart, and trusting your inner knowing. In this fully-illustrated book, Guided Tarot for Teens, she offers easy exercises to nurture and grow your intuition, not only to understand the cards' universal meanings, but to channel your own meanings. This comprehensive guide also shows you how to attune your energy to the deck for more accurate readings. With this book as a companion to your deck, you'll learn more about yourself, get divine guidance with life decisions, and overcome obstacles in your relationships—all while celebrating your unique gifts and honoring your higher self.

Guided Tarot for Teens
 
  • Guided exercises to strengthen your intuition and tarot interpretation skills
  • Illustrated tarot card profiles with astrological, numerological, and elemental combinations, guidance for career, love, and spiritual life, and key upright and reversed meanings
  • Beginner’s tools offering step-by-step advice to prepare for readings, such as attuning your energy to the deck
  • Introductory spreads for different types of inquiries, including a deconstruction of the Celtic Cross to help beginners practice it with ease
  • Quick reference chart with all the card images and meanings

Genres: Nonfiction

231 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 26, 2022

About the author

Stefanie Caponi (she/her) is an intuitive writer and illustrator. She has been reading tarot for over twenty years, and established her business as a professional tarot reader after creating her first tarot deck, The Moon Void Tarot. Her work is centered around exploring shadow work, healing, and creativity using tarot as a vehicle to access the hidden realms of the self. In addition to her work with tarot, she also writes monthly horoscopes for Swell by Dame products. Stefanie resides in Brooklyn with her partner and their two cats.

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely was excited to see another book from Stefanie Caponi, and although this is just a teen-ized version of her original 'Guided Tarot', I loved the original, and was curious to see what changes she made with this one, and was certainly happy to dive into the same content once again. While I don't rely on her original book as much anymore, given my increasing familiarity with Tarot, I do still pick it up from time-to-time to double check things or get a nice refresher.

As for this version: it's largely a lot of the same content as the previous book it's based on. Most of anything that has changed feels more so a desire or need to reword rather than the content being specifically aimed at teens. Even for the card meanings, the "Career/Money" meaning suggestion is kept, though changed to, "Career Goals/Money", which I feel is a missed opportunity to change that to relating to school or education. Some mid-late teens may have jobs, but I feel like school more so relates to their every-day life. (And even if they do have jobs, the mention of "promotion" felt very out-of-place for 13-18 year olds. Who is getting promoted at that age? XD)

I do agree with another reviewer that I feel the language and syntax is not too geared towards teens. Perhaps late teens at best, but I do think the wording of certain sections could've been rephrased or simplified to make it more approachable and relatable for teens. It does feel largely like a copy-paste book, rather than one 'based off' its predecessor.

That said, the content of this book is still fantastic, and I'd still recommend it. Fantastic details on the RWS imagery and meanings, exercises, journal prompts, and spreads to practice with. But to compare it with the original, I do feel like more effort could've been put in to really make it for teens. So if you already have the original book, I see no reason to purchase this one unless you're a die-hard fan. A few meanings were altered a bit, some spreads were renamed (though are the same otherwise), and a few other parts were rephrased, but for the most part, this is a copy-paste. If you're buying for a teen, you might as well get this copy, though like I said, if you already have the original, they could just read that instead. (Unless you want them to have their own book, which could be valuable!)

This book could work just as well for adults too. I think it's a great starting point for anyone's Tarot journey, though I will note that it does lean a little more towards divination than introspection, but not in any way that I found distracting or negative.

If I were to nit-pick, I wish the keywords were more unique per card. Several had the same keywords, which for beginners could make things confusing. The descriptions certainly help differentiate them, but I feel more effort could've been put in for unique terms. (As an example, The Magician, The Emperor, and The Chariot all have the keyword "inspired action".)

You can read my review of the original book here.

I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

[Courtney]

Plot twist: there are no negative cards! Cards such as Death, the Devil, and the Nine of Swords can be confrontational, since they are asking us to deal with the less-than-sunny aspects of our lives, but they are not inherently negative or bad. Any card that makes us uncomfortable is pointing to an area of life we find challenging. If we meet these cards with curiosity instead of fear, that creates space for more personal growth and healing.

This was a great intro to the tarot deck and the meanings behind each card. By no means am I going to retain everything in this, but I learned the meanings behind the suits and recognize patterns throughout. I have been wanting to learn more about tarot for several months, so am glad I picked up this book. I look forward to continuing to learn more and get comfortable with different spreads in the future...and maybe even learning to do readings for others!

[Leilany · Rating 5 out of 5]

First things first, I am not a teen yet I enjoyed this book's approach to explaining the tarot. The book gives you the traditional small history of the tarot and the description/interpretation of each card. The book also includes recommendations to journal so that you can get to know the cards without needing to continually reference the guidebook. It also includes ideas for spreads and different exercises to get you better at reading the tarot. I also enjoyed the art/images inside the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Zeitgeist for providing me with a copy of this book.

[Leah M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Zeitgeist Young Adult for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit, I’ve been fascinated by tarot cards since I was in my own teen years, but didn’t know anything about how they worked, and didn’t really have anyone to ask. It all seemed so complicated, and eventually I just kind of gave up on ever being able to learn about tarot cards. Fast forward, and I found myself as an adult with some extra time on my hands and I wound up with a tarot deck in my possession, and access to this ARC.

I’m far from being a teenager, but I’ve always been the kind of learner who does best when I keep things simple and get the basics down firmly. And I figured this book might be the best way to do that, especially after seeing that it is specifically geared towards beginners.

This book is definitely designed for people who have no experience with tarot cards. I appreciated that it approaches the variety in decks, offering input on how many different kinds of decks that are available, and encouraging readers to find one that they connect with, whether it is the traditional deck, a more diverse or inclusive deck, or an abstract deck that reflects their own identity and preferences. There is also a resource list at the back of the book that provides contact information for small businesses.

After you’ve chosen a deck, the author reviews how to clear energy from a deck. There are several techniques offered, and these are to be used before the deck is used for the first time as well as before and after readings. It also talks about ways to store your deck properly. And the biggest message that I took away from this is that there isn’t one single right way to do anything when it comes to your deck. You have to find a way that works for you specifically, something that feels right, like it fits for you personally.

Once a deck is ready to be used, the author explains the different types of spreads that can be used, both when doing a reading for yourself or for someone else. She starts with the easiest spreads and slowly works up to the more difficult ones, explaining everything in an easy, natural way that flows and makes sense.

Finally, she discussed each of the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana cards, explaining what they symbolize, how their meaning can be interpreted in a reading generally, in regards to social or romantic relationships, career or financial situations, and your personal or spiritual needs, as well as what a reversed card might indicate. However, throughout the entire book, you are encouraged to rely on your intuition and trust what it is telling you.

The writing felt more like it was a conversation between the author and the readers, making it a comfortable and familiar-feeling read. Despite the fact that this was geared towards teenagers, she never dumbed down her writing or language, and never made it sound like she was talking down to the readers. It resonated just as deeply with me, an adult unfamiliar with tarot, as it could with a teenager who is new to tarot, and I felt like we could both get just as much out of this book. I finished this with a lot of highlights in my ebook, and I can already tell that this is one that I’m going to refer back to a lot until I’m no longer a newbie (and maybe even after that too). One thing I did find, however, is that it was really helpful to me to have my own version of the cards handy so that I could see what my cards looked like as the author discussed the traditional cards and what the images symbolized, allowing me to compare mine with the ones pictured in the book. This book is definitely a keeper.

[Sarah Dunmire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the free book, @penguinrandomhouse and @zeitgeistpublishing! My disclaimers on my review are that I read this with curiosity for tarot but no experience and as a 35-year-old rather than a teenager. I've had a tarot deck and book for many years but never brought myself to read it. This book removed any fear I had of tarot and generated a lot of curiosity, to the point where I'm searching for the perfect tarot deck for myself (for which she included suggestions on finding the right deck for you). I learned that tarot cards do not predict or tell the future but confirms intuition. It seems like more of a reflective exercise that encourages self-analysis and discovery. There are no innately negative cards and no spirits lurking in them. I didn’t know this was so connected to Astrology and the elemental powers of earth, air, fire, and water. Love the different kinds of spread options other than the Celtic cross and the pressure to ask something of the cards. There's a lot of opportunity for creativity: making your own cards, your own spreads, your own interpretations.
The yellow coyote is like the mascot of the book which was fun. The formatting and structure of the book were great. Every card has General Reading, Dating/Relationships, Career Goals/Money, Personal/Spiritual, and Reversed. The readings were framed in a way that teenagers would relate but not so much that I felt ostracized as an adult. I enjoyed connecting with cards that had characters and messages that were relatable.

Some critiques I have are that we started on the journey with the Fool which connected to the Magician, but the Fool's story didn't really continue after that. For a teen book, I was surprised with the full-frontal nudity on the Lovers and Devil card. I didn't find the Reflect sidebars on the card interpretations that exciting. They seemed generic on the Major Arcana but got better and more specific on the Minor Arcana. It was interesting that a they/them pronoun got thrown in every so often for a Page or other character.

Overall, really happy with the book and glad that I learned about this area of spirituality!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great beginner's guide to Tarot but I think it needs a little more work to really connect with teens.

This book is well organized and graphically very well designed. I love the choice of Rider Waite Smith deck for the bright colours. The book designer even colour coded sections of the book which make it easy to flip through and find the suit you are looking for. I also think the suggested card spreads are great, especially the simple two and three card spreads.

The larger question is, would teens appreciate and connect with this book?

Does the imagery of the Rider Waite Smith deck connect with teenagers? Does the language consistently speak to teens ?
Throughout the book there is inconsistency with regard to the tone. Sometimes it is chatty, specific, and culturally relevant. i.e. "Start a TikTok and share your ideas, join a club or audition for a play." Ok, great. That is helpful language - although give it two years and it may sound terribly dated.

Other times the language is new-age, vague and a little academic "You may deepen your spirituality by studying healing modalities..." wait, how do I go about studying healing modalities, what are healing modalities? Does my teenager know what that is? what about using "intuitive guidance" and fulfilling "karmic contracts" ?

Phrases like these in addition to words like "querent" and "esoteric" should either be clearly defined or avoided in favour of more plain language.

Final Verdict: It's not perfect. There may be a specific tarot deck out there that would speak more to teens and I would suggest teens, like adults, start first by choosing a deck and accompanying guidebook that speaks to them.

But if a curious teens wants to learn more about the tarot before committing to a deck, this book is definitely worth borrowing from their local library.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

THOUGHTS: This would be a good book for anyone wanting to learn more about Tarot decks and how to read them, not just teens. It is easy to read and to understand, though I will admit to being a little confused with the same key words for multiple cards. I appreciated that it was based on the Rider-Waite decks, but the author offers input on using other decks, and even creating your own deck.

The author walks you through understanding what Tarot is – and isn’t, how to do a reading, different spreads (all nicely illustrated and explained), and what the cards are from the major arcana to the minor ones. In the back, there is a reference guide and resources to explore further.
I liked how she went into detail on purifying your deck and setting your intentions. Throughout the book, the author encourages the reader to trust their own intuition.

The writing is clear and almost conversational, thus easy to understand and follow. And although it says it’s for teenagers, I believe this would be a great starting point for anyone interested in learning more about Tarot.

Definitely recommended.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” Thanks to Zeitgeist Publishing for providing a copy of this book to me.
@penguinrandomhouse #partner #zeitgeistpublishing

[JoyReaderGirl1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although no longer a teenager, my love for the esoteric, and tarot in particular, began at a young age when reference guides like Stefanie Caponi’s fabulously insightful and beautifully illustrated resource, “Guided Tarot for Teens: A Beginners Guide to Card Meanings, Spreads, and Trust in Your Intuition,” were not available to make my learning journey more accessible and easy.

This short, yet succinct guide—although designed for children, teens and young adults—is perfect for all beginner Tarot enthusiasts because it explains the origins and history of Tarot cards; uses the most referenced and famous Tarot deck currently available—the Ryder-Waite-Coleman cards; shares how to clear and store Tarot cards; suggests positive intentions to instill into one’s personal Tarot decks; provides extensive insight into all aspects of the Tarot Major and Minor Arcana’s meanings; and offers simple and detailed Tarot card layouts that are used in intuitive readings.

This is a terrific resource for all Tarot enthusiasts and offers beautiful advice to every practitioner. Some of my favorites of Caponi’s to every card reader is remember that tarot does not “predict or tell the future,” they help hone intuition, channel personal insight, and allow the reader to become more attuned inwardly and outwardly.

TheBookMaven graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Stefanie Caponi, and Publisher Zeitgeist Young Adult for this advanced reader’s copy (ARC) for review.

[Sharlene | · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book for teens or beginners of any age who want more information and direction than the little white book that accompanies the Rider Waite Smith or other tarot decks.It is easy to understand and encourages one to jump right into your deck and start reading the cards. The exercises included in the book are helpful, and reflect and encourage the intuitive meanings of tarot.

The images included in the book are of the classic Rider Waite Smith deck, which is helpful if you may have a different deck. A lot of the card meanings are derived from the symbols in this deck so even if it isn’t your preferred deck, it definitely helps to have some familiarity with it and having the images right there to study is helpful.

This book starts with the basics, some history, choosing a deck, and clearing your deck, before moving on to readings, and finally the card by card guide. There is even a quick reference guide at the back of the book to help you get started quickly or give you a word or two when you need a jumping off point during a reading.

If you have been confused or frustrated by the little white book that traditionally accompanies a deck, I suggest taking a deep breath, and starting over with this book as your guide.

[SleeplessBookExplorer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tarot deck creator creates guide for tarot for teens.

This book includes exercises to grow and nurture your intuition to be able to do reads better for yourself and for others. Your teen can learn what tarot is and how it works. It teaches your teen how to choose his or her deck. It includes exercises like journaling to expand his or her mind. This book goes into details about each card found in a tarot deck and what it means based on how the card is pulled. This author clearly knows what she is talking about. This book is very informative and detailed and the perfect way for your teen or even you to learn about tarot as a beginner. It does say for teens but it is an excellent reference guide for anyone that is just starting out learning tarot.

#tarot #teens #referenceguide #beginnertarot #tarot4teens

[Carolina Colleene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG
Caponi’s guide explains everything from understanding tarot itself to card spreads and includes details on every card in a typical tarot deck. This is a great place for beginners of any age to start learning about tarot—and a resource list for further reading is in the back of the book.
Caponi writes in an engaging way that most nonfiction books struggle with. The second half of the book is repetitive in structure as each card is explained, but the information is still interesting.
The mature content rating is for depictions of nudity in the artwork shown on example tarot cards from the Rider Waite Smith deck, and the violence rating is for depictions of weapons as shown on example tarot cards from the same deck.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/

[Marissa F · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a tarot beginner for long enough that I shouldn't have to call myself a beginner anymore, but I'm still not feeling terribly confident. Although I'm not a teen, I thought (correctly) that this book would speak on a more direct level, and perhaps the explanations (particularly for the court cards) would make more sense to me than the past resources I've consulted. I especially liked her examples of how to apply each card to a reading based on what sort of guidance you were seeking. Most of the examples were definitely geared towards people in high school, but I went ahead and purchased the adult version of this book so could continue my education! I like the author's approach to the cards and look forward to reading her other book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a tarot enthusiast who is always trying to brush up on my reading skills, I so appreciated this approachable and practical guide that I'm buying my own copy. Definitely a great entry level guide for teens or adults.

One thing to know is that this is very grounded. I've always had slightly witchy tendencies so I wouldn't have minded a more mystical/magical feeling book in the slightest. Those who are looking for something along that line may be disappointed. This really makes a point in hammering home the message that that tarot is not about prophecy or any kind of divination but practice for recognizing and honing your intuition skills.On the plus side, for conservative parents out there who might be prone to freaking out about their kids getting into anything that feels too fantastical, I feel like the messaging here will probably be a comfort.

[Lacee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tarot deck creator creates guide for tarot for teens.

This book includes exercises to grow and nurture your intuition to be able to do reads better for yourself and for others. Your teen can learn what tarot is and how it works. It teaches your teen how to choose his or her deck. It includes exercises like journaling to expand his or her mind. This book goes into details about each card found in a tarot deck and what it means based on how the card is pulled. This author clearly knows what she is talking about. This book is very informative and detailed and the perfect way for your teen or even you to learn about tarot as a beginner. It does say for teens but it is an excellent reference guide for anyone that is just starting out learning tarot.

#tarot #teens #referenceguide #beginnertarot #tarot4teens

[An A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Zeitgeist for an advanced digital copy of Guided Tarot for Teens.

All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this book. I wish I had this book when I was a teen. Over the past few years I have read several tarot books, and this one by far is one of my favorites. I really enjoyed how Stefanie Caponi covered the tarot meanings, history of tarot, different spreads, reflective questions to try as well as so much more. All of the information is very easy to understand and follow along. This book is very informative whether you are a teen or adult.

I feel this book is perfect for beginners, teens or adults, who wish to learn about the Tarot. I will definitely be getting this for my personal collection.

[Taysia Brinkley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Disclaimer: I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway*

This book has been a fantastic intro into Tarot. I didn't have things like this growing up and kids who are now old enough to start learning have found this to be so helpful versus what is in other books. This book contained activities that my son absolutely enjoyed.

There are some wordier parts and you can tell that the author made a genuine effort to connect the content to the teenagers. The formatting of it was great and allowed them to go from one section to another with ease.

Really great launching point for a younger person or someone who has a basic knowledge and a thirst for more!

[KimT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is an absolutely fantastic book that really explains how to work with and read tarot cards from the very beginning. It has fantastic exercises to complete. This is a great guide for those who still need a more simplistic and broken down guide than other guides labeled as "beginner", but are still really more complex. I highly recommend this for a tarot beginner. I love this. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC copy of this book. I can't wait to get a physical copy as well!

[Leilany · Rating 5 out of 5]

First things first, I am not a teen yet I enjoyed this book's approach to explaining the tarot. The book gives you the traditional small history of the tarot and the description/interpretation of each card. The book also includes recommendations to journal so that you can get to know the cards without needing to continually reference the guidebook. It also includes ideas for spreads and different exercises to get you better at reading the tarot. I also enjoyed the art/images inside the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Zeitgeist for providing me with a copy of this book.

[Delacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a decent beginner tarot book. The activities to grow skills in the book were good. However, I felt that the writing style really wasn't geared towards teens. Other than using some examples that would resonate with teens, the word choice and wordiness of the book seemed geared towards a more older reader. Overall, an OK resource for tarot. *I received an ARC of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this through a Goodreads giveaway.

Very much recommended, especially for teens and young adults. In some ways, easier to follow than others. But it does not lose any relevance for that. The descriptors and prompts are helpful. Doesn't do a deep dive, but isn't meant to for the age range it is geared for.

[Ishieta Chopra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It is straightforward and well-written. The author explains the cards well. I liked that it doesnt try to be very woo-woo or hi-flying in its ideas or confusing about what the cards mean and how they can be understood.
Recommend it as a Foundation Book for anyone looking to learn Tarot, Teens and not-teens alike!

[CR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for beginners who wish to learn about the Tarot. This was easy to understand and I think teens who wish to learn more will enjoy this one. It has everything you need to start working with the cards in an easy format.

[Robyn Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The information was laid out in an easy to understand manner without being overly simplistic. I got this book to read and evaluate before passing it along to my bonus daughter. I will happily let her enjoy and learn from it.

[Brynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

* ** I received an arc in exchange for an honest review
This book was a great introduction to tarot. It goes into the basis of tarot but also how to read the cards and interpret them. It was helpful in figuring out what I believe to be a difficult thing to do

[Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to follow guide for beginners. I liked the format and the simple instructions. The artwork on the cards is great and I especially loved how each card is explained in more detail.

*Free temporary access to e-copy received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Good book for beginners, covers all the basics.

[Nani · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a beginner, I found this super helpful! Everything is simplified, and the book goes into the different meanings the tarot cards have depending on the type of reading.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this beginner Tarot book! Guided Tarot for Teens is a great way to learn tarot, (even if you're not a teen). It's clear, straight forward, and easy to use. You can start doing readings on the first day! I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn tarot.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great guide to picking up tarot and how to use tarot cards. From explanations about the deck to different spreads to use for readings to details about the significance of each card, this has it all. I especially liked the quick reference guide at the end of the book.

[Hayley Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book for young teens/young adults. I'm an adult and found it extremely useful and it banished any preconcieved negative views that I had with Tarot cards. I've always been interested in Tarot but always 'feared' it. This book was very easy to follow. It also explained that the cards 'did not predict the future' but infact guide you with ideas and suggestions to improve your life/current circumstances. Nothing is written in stone. I do have Oracle cards, i will now venture into Tarot!
Thank you to Zeitgeist and Netgalley for an early copy for an honest review.