You know, for years I avoided getting too deep into Tarot. Not because I didn’t believe in it, but because the whole scene is just a complete mess. Everyone wants to sell you something.
I started this personal project because I got sick of having five browser tabs open just to remember what the heck the Three of Swords really means. Every book gives you a slightly different vibe, and every website tries to hit you with a paywall right when you need the info most. It’s a total cluster.
I didn’t need a fancy spiral-bound book for fifty bucks. I just needed one solid, dependable cheat sheet. A simple file I could throw on my phone or tablet for quick reference. So I decided I was going to build my own.
The Data Mining Disaster: My First Few Days
My first thought was, “Someone else must have done this already.”
I spent maybe three days straight just digging. I mean, digging. I wasn’t just hitting the first page of search results. I was deep in old Geocities-level forums, dusty PDF conversion sites, and those weird spiritual blogs that haven’t updated their font since 2008.
What I found was depressing:
- Low Quality Scans: Images of poor resolution, text that looked like it was photocopied a thousand times, and definitions that contradicted each other.
- Email Gateways: “Get your free PDF! Just give us your life history and agree to ten different newsletters.” Nope.
- The Pay-to-Play Scam: People selling the exact same public domain information for $15, $20, sometimes even $35. Absolute highway robbery for something that should be widely available.
I realized I wasn’t just going to find a decent, clean, comprehensive file. I was going to have to manufacture it from scratch. This was not the quick fix I was hoping for, but I’m stubborn. When I start something, I finish it.
The Manual Labor: Building the Beast
I opened up a basic text editor. No fancy programs needed. My goal was simplicity and accuracy. This part was pure grunt work, and it took a full week of evenings after my day job.
My process was structured but tedious. I grabbed three different well-respected, classic sources—two public domain texts and the original pamphlet that came with my first deck—and I started compiling the definitive definitions.
I literally typed out all 78 card meanings. Not just copy-paste, but rephrasing and condensing them into my own plain English, making sure the core message was there.
I separated them rigorously:
- Major Arcana: 22 cards. Upright. Reversed.
- Minor Arcana: 56 cards. Suit by suit. Number by number. Upright. Reversed.
Formatting was the final boss. I spent another full day fighting with the document margins and making sure the text looked clean. I wanted a simple font, no weird graphics, just black text on a white page. A pure reference tool. Every time I thought I was done, I’d find an awkward page break or a title that was slightly off-center. I finally figured out how to lock down the PDF properties so it wouldn’t warp on anyone’s device.
It was utterly exhausting, all for a document that’s maybe 30 pages long. But when I finally clicked “Export as PDF,” I felt a real sense of accomplishment.
The Real Reason I Shared It for Free
Now, I could have turned around and sold this thing for five bucks like everyone else. It cost me over fifty hours of my time. But I’m not doing that. And this is where the real story, the messy human part, comes in.
Years ago, when I was just starting out, I bought into a “spiritual coaching” program. I had just lost my job—a complete blindside after they restructured the team—and I was financially toast. My rent was due, the fridge was empty, and I needed something to believe in, or at least a new direction.
This “guru” promised me a revolutionary, never-before-seen Tarot interpretation guide. She called it her “Master Key” and charged me $99 for it. At the time, that was almost all the cash I had left. I scraped that money together, feeling like I was making a huge, life-changing investment.
When the PDF finally arrived, I opened it up, and my stomach just dropped out. It wasn’t revolutionary. It wasn’t a master key.
It was a slightly reworded, poorly formatted, public domain document that I later found online for literally zero dollars.
I felt so cheated. I called the number I had, trying to get a refund, and surprise, surprise, it was disconnected. I tried emailing. I tried messaging the social media accounts. Nothing. I was left hanging out to dry, broke and frustrated.
That experience burned me hard. It taught me that in the self-help and spiritual world, there are too many people exploiting those who are vulnerable or just starting out.
I swore right then that if I ever created something useful, something that everyone needed, I would just give it away. No BS, no hoops to jump through. I don’t care about your email list. I don’t care about your wallet. The knowledge shouldn’t be locked up.
That’s why I went through all the hassle of building this PDF. It’s my small way of sticking it to the gatekeepers. It’s done now, it’s clean, it’s comprehensive, and it’s sitting right there waiting for anyone who needs it. Go grab the file and start learning. Don’t pay some random dude for basic knowledge.
