To get started in Tarot, you will need a Tarot deck (see "Choosing A Deck"), a good book (several recommended in this stack), and a quiet time and place. After you have mastered the meanings of each card, you will only need the deck and yourself!
Suprisingly enough, mastering the card meanings is not done through memorization, but rather through use and meditation. The symbols on each card are quite clear to your subconscious mind, whether or not your conscious mind can iterate the meaning. With time and practice, the left-brain becomes better at receiving the information being sent by the right brain and the subconscious - and then the meanings become almost obvious. That means the serious Tarot student won't have to lug along a book for long.
Other materials often used (but certainly not required) include quiet music, mellow incense (if you like that sort of thing), a wooden table with a nice cloth, a wooden box for storing the cards, and a notebook for recording the spread and your interpretation.
This notebook idea is really exceptional. If you really want to see Tarot work, record all your readings and review them once in a while. Not only will you see how much and how fast your interpretation improves, you will be able to compare the spread with what actually happened. Did you change the outcome through action? Are there things you can now see in the cards that you missed the first time? Keeping a journal of every reading easily doubles your Tarot learning rate.
Crystals can also used in readings. If you are a crystal user, you can integrate your crystals with Tarot easily. The same focusing skills you develop by using Tarot will aid - and be aided by - your crystals. There are several excellent books that explain more on this.
Traditionally, wood protects and shields Tarot cards. A deck of Tarot cards is a personal thing - it collects your vibrations as you "break it in" and use the deck. If you have friends that also use Tarot, you can hold their decks (with their permission) and feel a difference. Storing your Tarot cards in a wooden box will protect the cards from foreign vibrations and will keep your vibrations from "wearing off" the deck. Some people like to also wrap the deck in a cloth - silk or cotton. Some Tarot users feel that doing readings on a wooden table helps to keep the vibrations strong and safe from random vibrations as well.
Whether you decide to keep your cards in a lead safe or a favorite dresser drawer, remember that the only important thing is that you acknowledge that the cards are special to you. Handle your cards in ways that show respect. Do things that will acknowledge that your Tarot deck is special to you. The more you respect your cards and treat them with ritual kindness, the more they will do for you.
When you show respect to the cards, you are not worshipping the cards or demonstrating respect for some Tarot god - you are showing yourself (specifically your right brain and subconscious) that the cards are a serious thing and that you respect the information and knowledge you learn with them. If deep inside you aren't serious about the cards, then your deeper mind will never take them seriously enough to pay attention while you are using them. The result is nonsensical readings and lack of focus on the problem.
So whatever ritual you decide is best for you will work. By ritual I mean always storing the cards in a special place; or always doing readings in a special place; or by just holding the cards a few minutes each day and thinking good thoughts. One of my favorite things to do is go to the ocean and do a reading or two there.
So you see, anyone can be a Tarot user. You can take your cards anywhere with you. Some of my best Tarot work is done in the evenings while I am on a business trip and staying in a hotel or motel. I can relax and enjoy a reading or two, and reflect on the day's events. Since the cards are so portable and the meanings are "built-in", Tarot is versatile and practical for today's lifestyle.
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