Rituals help us to center our focus. Your personal rituals are up to you. Whatever appeals to you, scent sound, color. You are trying to get your mind's attention so to speak. Approaching the Tarot with revernce and respect appeals to me personally just as some people prepare for prayer. You are "turning in", looking inside your mind's eye, searching your soul and heart, so for me a casual, throw the cards on the table thing does not work for me.

Here Are Some Ideas

Place yourself in a quiet and comfortable environment, burn some incense, light a candle, say a prayer, place flowers or some other special item on your reading table.
Ask your Inner Guide or your Guardian Angel for guidance.

Whatever your religious preference, surely each of us has an internal motivator of some kind. Call upon this guide.
Ask for wisdom, ask for direction, ask for understanding
Music can set the mood. Find something that is soothing
Keep it simple.
I light candles and arrange my table with beautiful stones, amethysts and other crystals.
I use a plain silk cloth on which to lay out the cards. This is a time for gentle learning, so I pamper myself with maybe a special pot of tea, or something else special.
Never approach the work of learning when you are tired, under stress or in a hurry. It is a definite waste of time.
Wait until another time.
One additional point I wnat to make here is not to CONCENTRATE. Yes, that's right. DO NOT concentrate on the reading or the questions you may have. By all means pay attention to what you are reading and looking at IN DEPTH, focus on your feeling and impressions, but DO NOT CONCENTRATE! I believe concentration really spoils the natural flow of what you might receive! Relax, breathe deeply, go slow. Remember, your goal is enlightenment, self-knowledge, empowerment and truth. You can't expect to gain anything from a reading by FORCING the universe to speak nor while you have one eye on the clothes in the washer! give your self a specific time if you must, say an hour and set an alarm clock as a reminder. Keep your journal at your fingertips because noting those first impressions is crucial.