Tarot Course in Dubai: What You Learn, From the Minor Arcana Up

A good tarot course in Dubai should teach you to read the whole deck with confidence, starting from the 56 Minor Arcana cards rather than skipping straight to the dramatic ones. In my classes you learn the four suits, the numbers, the court cards, then the Major Arcana, spreads and ethical reading practice.

I teach in person in Jumeirah, Dubai, and many of my students join from home online, so this guide walks you through exactly what you can expect to learn, in the order I teach it, and why that order matters.

Why I Start a Tarot Course in Dubai With the Minor Arcana

Most beginners arrive wanting to talk about The Tower, Death or The Lovers. I understand why. Those cards are striking and they carry a lot of cultural weight. But in a typical reading, more than two thirds of the cards you draw will be Minor Arcana. If you only feel confident with the 22 Major cards, you will freeze the moment a Five of Pentacles or a Knight of Cups appears.

So when people ask me what a tarot course in Dubai with me looks like, my answer is simple: we build the foundation first. The Minor Arcana describe everyday life, the conversations, decisions, moods and routines that fill an ordinary week. Once you can read those fluently, the Major cards land with more meaning, not less.

Tarot, as I teach it, is a reflective practice and a rich symbolic tradition. It is a way to ask better questions and look at a situation from fresh angles. It is not a tool for certain predictions, and I say that clearly on day one.

The Four Suits: Your First Map of the Deck

Each suit gives you a theme. Learn the theme and you already have a working sense of fourteen cards at once.

• Wands (fire): energy, ambition, creativity, starting things and keeping momentum.
• Cups (water): feelings, relationships, intuition and how we connect with others.
• Swords (air): thoughts, communication, decisions and the stories we tell ourselves.
• Pentacles (earth): work, money habits, the body, home and practical routines.

In class we spend time simply sorting the cards into suits and describing what we see: the colours, the landscapes, the posture of each figure. I want you to notice the artwork before you memorise a single keyword. That habit of looking closely is what separates a reader who recites from a reader who actually reads.

The Numbers: A Story From Ace to Ten

Once the suits make sense, I introduce the numbers as a journey. Each suit tells the same basic story from Ace to Ten, just in a different element.

1. Ace: a seed, a fresh opening, raw potential.
2. Two: choice, balance, partnership.
3. Three: early growth and collaboration.
4. Four: structure, stability, sometimes standing still.
5. Five: friction, challenge, a test.
6. Six: adjustment and moving forward.
7. Seven: reflection, assessment, holding your ground.
8. Eight: movement, effort and skill-building.
9. Nine: near completion, a sense of what you have gathered.
10. Ten: a cycle closing and the weight or reward of finishing.

Put a suit and a number together and you have a meaning you can reason out rather than memorise. The Five of Swords, for example, is friction in the world of thoughts and words: an argument where winning may not feel like winning. Students usually tell me this is the moment tarot stops feeling like a list to learn and starts feeling like a language.

The Court Cards: People, Roles and Ways of Behaving

Court cards are where many self-taught readers get stuck, so I give them their own session. There are sixteen of them: Page, Knight, Queen and King in each suit.

I teach them in three layers. First, as people who might be part of the situation. Second, as roles or attitudes the person asking could step into. Third, as stages of maturity in the suit, from the curious Page to the steady King. A Queen of Pentacles might describe a nurturing, practical colleague, or it might be a nudge to bring that grounded, resourceful energy into your own week.

We practise with simple role-play. One student describes a work scenario, another draws a court card and describes how that character would respond. It is lively, a little funny, and it makes the cards memorable in a way flashcards never do.

Moving Into the Major Arcana and Simple Spreads

Only after the Minor Arcana feel familiar do we move into the 22 Major Arcana. I present them as a journey of growth, from The Fool setting out to The World completing a cycle. Because you already know the suits and numbers, you start to see links: the Empress echoes the Queens, the Chariot carries the drive of the Wands.

Then we put it all together with spreads. I keep these practical:

• A one-card daily draw for reflection and journaling.
• A three-card spread for situation, challenge and next step.
• A five-card spread for exploring a decision from several sides.
• The Celtic Cross, once you are comfortable, for deeper sessions.

Every spread is practised in pairs, so you get used to speaking your reading out loud. That is often the hardest part for new readers, and it improves quickly with a supportive group.

Ethics, Boundaries and Reading Responsibly

A tarot course is not complete without a frank conversation about responsibility. People often come to a reading at a sensitive moment, and how you speak matters as much as what the cards show.

In my classes we cover how to frame a reading as reflection rather than fate, how to avoid making predictions about health, money or relationships, and when to gently suggest that someone speak to a qualified professional instead. We also talk about consent, privacy and not reading for people who have not asked. These are the habits that make you a reader people trust.

I also encourage students to keep a tarot journal. Writing down your daily card, your first impression and what actually happened in your day builds your own personal library of meanings. Over a few months that journal becomes more valuable than any guidebook.

Who This Course Suits and How to Get the Most From It

My tarot students are a wonderfully mixed group: professionals looking for a mindful creative practice, people exploring a career in holistic wellness, and curious beginners who simply love the imagery. You do not need any prior experience, and you do not need to own a deck before the first session, although I will recommend a classic one for beginners.

To get the most from the course, I suggest:

• Pulling one card each morning and noting your impressions.
• Practising short three-card readings with a friend or family member.
• Revisiting the suits and numbers before learning new cards.
• Giving yourself time. Fluency comes from regular, relaxed practice, not cramming.

Many students go on to combine tarot with other practices I teach, such as reiki, chakra work or numerology, building a well-rounded skill set for personal growth or for offering reflective sessions to others.

Dr S Pujah teaches tarot in person in Jumeirah, Dubai, and online for students across Abu Dhabi, the GCC and Singapore.

If you are ready to learn the deck properly, from the Minor Arcana up, take a look at the tarot and holistic courses at learn.spujah.com and choose the format that fits your week. I would love to welcome you to the table.