Best way ???

Ok so i have 4 or 5 tarot packs in the post on their way to me so the question arises what is the best way to learn reading them.somethinfg i have always tried and failed on in the past the easiest part is selecting a pack i like but now i want to be able to read them.So can anyone offer any advice a good book etc on not just what the cards are telling me but being able to link them etc I think i understand i have to throw away the meanings book that comes with the cards but then what ??

Thanks for any replies
De xxx

hiya De!

A book that I enjoyed as a newbie and still refer to as a more experienced reader is Anthony Louis's Tarot Plain and Simple.

my best tip for you as a new(er) reader would be to just enjoy getting to know the cards. there isn't going to a test next week on "definitions" so you needn't cram like you're going to fail something. carry them with you, look at them often, read a good book and study the cards as you're reading. search for ways to personalize the meanings of the cards.

oooh...and no need to throw away the little white book (LWB) that comes with the cards. sometimes they're especially useful if the artist/creator used a specific and no-traditional symbol. plus, they're rather handy on the go.

good luck!

Brothers, and Sisters,

I know nothing about what to do here, but love to drink some cold ones, relax and chat.

I'd Jack bird take said decks out for a bit of a drinky drink, just power on some cocktails, and maybe ask a few "nice to get into your action" questions.

"Hey, bring me a bit of insight about your killer selves!"

Then shuffle, and draw a few new old friends.

"What about you? I'm interested in what you have to say, Mr. Funky card graphic..."

Yeah, but keep new friends dry.

Durant "Card can burn" Hapke

tarotberry said:

A book that I enjoyed as a newbie and still refer to as a more experienced reader is Anthony Louis's Tarot Plain and Simple.

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Greetings, De! I second tarotberry's recommendation. This book is the best I've ever found.

The other two things I would recommend are:
1) Keep the memorization to a minimum, but definitely commit to memory one key phrase for each card, and for each card reversed if you read reversals.

2) Do a daily reading and journal it. I recommend a three card reading for morning-afternoon-evening prior to your day. Then at the end of the day, journal what happened and how each card related to the events of the day. That way, you start to develop your own meanings. If you get a new meaning for the card that isn't in the book, write it in the margins for future reference.

Have fun!

Go slow and don't get discouraged. It took me years to be any good at this, and I'm still learning!

You don't need to throw away the LWB, in fact I'd keep it and the box just in case you want to trade or sell someday.

I think most new readers forget to actually read the cards. Look at the cards. Don't be so concerned with other's meanings that you lose your own. Look at the cards and make note of what you see in them.

tarotberry said:

hiya De!

A book that I enjoyed as a newbie and still refer to as a more experienced reader is Anthony Louis's Tarot Plain and Simple.

Click to expand...

I second that.

tarotberry said:

A book that I enjoyed as a newbie and still refer to as a more experienced reader is Anthony Louis's Tarot Plain and Simple.

Click to expand...

I third that. I'd been reading and studying for many years before coming upon that book, and I do think it's the best basic book out there.

Other than that, or later than that, try something by Eden Gray, if any of her books are still in print.

The 2 Hour Tarot Tutor by Wilma Carroll

The Secret Language of Tarot by Ruth and Wald Amberstone

Those are the two books that, if I were going to recommend any to a newbie, would be the top of my list.

Then Tarot Tells the Tale by James Ricklef

I also strongly urge you to start learning with the Rider Waite.

Tarot Journalling by Corrinne Kenner might be a good start, too.

Here's where I started:

http://www.learntarot.com/

After that, some books I loved, that really helped me were:

--Complete Illustrated Guide to Tarot, by Rachel Pollack
--Tarot for Self-Discovery, by Nina Lee Braden
--Tarot for Your Self-a Workbook for Personal Transformation, by Mary K. Greer
--A Magical Course in Tarot, by Michelle Morgan
and
--Understanding the Tarot Court, by Mary K. Greer and Tom Little (the Court Cards are always hard to get a handle on in the beginning...)

Babs

Learn tarot.com is a great site and helped me tons, another is:
http://tarotstudies.50webs.com

Don't forget Rachel Pollack's Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom, that book I found invaluable.

But the main thing is do not limit yourself, think of key words as that keys that help unlock the door... they are not the real meaning, but the beginning of it... sort of like a flash card.

Trust your insights, the random thoughts that come to you as you are looking at the cards, don't disregard them, because tarot doesn't give you the answers as much as triggers the locks to open doorways into your subconscious.

and be patient, relax and don't push it... it will come.

For individual decks, if it comes with a companion book, read it, understand what the author/creator was trying to achieve and convey and it will help you on your way to understanding it.