I am so confused.....!!!

Maybe I should say confused and cranky-
I had planned on really being able to settle down and do some serious study on Tarot this summer. I have read post after post looking for the best way to go about this and the best deck to do it with and as a result I am overwhelmed and doing nothing.
Get a good foundation by learning the RW meanings some say, just look at the cards and get the meanings others say, get a deck that appeals to you some say, get a standard deck with history others say...OMG, I think my head is going to explode-!!!
I want to get a solid start in tarot and I seem to be getting more confused instead of getting somewhere....
Ann

I glanced at your profile to see what decks you owned and whether you had your birthday listed. No clues there!

I pored over Joan Bunning's learntarot site for months since it was no $$ outlay. Also, found a copy of Robert Place's The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination on the library shelf.

Do you have a bookstore or tarot group near you where you could see some decks in person - maybe have someone do a quick reading for you? If not, drop me a PM and I'll see what I can come up with.

ETA: I've been browsing your posts. Looks like quite a few things have passed through your mind/hands.

Maybe the first step is to look at some decks and find one that you love -- no matter what anyone else has to say about it. Just look at some, think on it, sleep on it, and then choose.

I started with Voyager Tarot and I still love it, but now I also find it a little too untraditional, and too large to shuffle the way I like. Still, I think I was lucky in that I got to look through a friend's deck, and fell in love with that one, so I bought one just like it and worked with that at first. Even though I don't use it as much now, I learned a lot from it. Then I kept looking at Tarot decks in stores until I found another that I thought I would like. That one, the Crowley-Thoth, became my favorite, and I'm still using it 22 years later. Then I got the Aquarian Tarot and the Tarot of the Old Path. I don't use them much anymore. But I have collected some others, and some of my newest are now favorites, such as the Crystal Tarot, the DruidCraft, and the Haindl.

It gets easier as you go along to recognize what you'll like about a deck.

I've collected a variety of styles of decks for different uses and moods. Some people like to stick with one style that feels familiar.

The first deck is sort of a gamble, so maybe the key is to get one that's 1) popular (because that means a lot of people found it readable), 2) not too expensive (because the first one is a gamble), and 3) that you're attracted to (which is probably the most important thing to consider).

Be patient with yourself. There's nothing you must do, only lots of interesting things you can do, with Tarot. Relax and enjoy it.

Hi Ann
Maybe you can start with some Majors only deck? (Or simply set aside Courts and Pips from any deck that you are reading currently.) Starting with 78 cards could get overwhelming, so maybe you could begin with Trumps, you could go through Joann Bunning's book, as cardlady suggested, and through "learn" subforum here, there are great interpretations too and, maybe, for the beggining you can do three card readings such as Past-Present-Future untill you are ready for more.

ann823 said:

Maybe I should say confused and cranky-
I had planned on really being able to settle down and do some serious study on Tarot this summer. I have read post after post looking for the best way to go about this and the best deck to do it with and as a result I am overwhelmed and doing nothing.
Get a good foundation by learning the RW meanings some say, just look at the cards and get the meanings others say, get a deck that appeals to you some say, get a standard deck with history others say...OMG, I think my head is going to explode-!!!
I want to get a solid start in tarot and I seem to be getting more confused instead of getting somewhere....
Ann

Click to expand...

Sorry that you are overwhelmed! I can totally relate. I had the same issue and memorizing book meanings wasn't working for me. I don't know if you have encountered it also, but there can be a TON of different 'meanings" for the exact same cards. I didn't realize that the writers/Tarot readers giving the meanings were only doing so on what they themselves thought the cards meant. I have had some accurate readings with book meanings, but I just got sick of having to refer to the book. I got a new deck recently {DruidCraft} and I decided that I was going to learn to read them just looking at the pictures. I made sure to choose a deck that had lots of things going on in the picture, so that I could have some things to think about.
I would personally stop trying to read books, take courses, and getting a million people's opinions on tarot. I would instead look through the pictures of Tarot cards on this site. See which deck or decks call to you {that you like} and then buy that deck. You can ask questions about it, but I wouldn't ask what deck to buy. That is totally your choice and should be. Here is that link to the list of cards that AT has pictures of..
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/list.shtml

After you decide on a new deck... do NOT even look at the meanings of the cards in books, from the book that came with it.. etc. Then go to Reading Exchanges.. find the experimental thread that I started.. and start doing some practice readings by just looking at the deck. It is fun and a non pressure way to practice and get to know your cards. I wasn't really 'reading" cards until I started doing that. I think the 'meanings" are only what the individual reader thinks they are at any given moment/reading. I also think that even if some readings aren't accurate at first that way.. it is a learning experience and you can see how they exactly would fit by getting feedback. Practice makes perfect, right? ;-)

Good luck! So just jump right in and HAVE FUN!!
BeyondtheVeil

I think the best way to do it, as well as the best deck to start with, is very personal. What works for me might not work for you. There's just one thing you need to do to get started, and that is: get started. In some way. Any way. Just - start somewhere. Have some sort of plan to go with.

After a while you will find out if the way you are doing it works for you, or if you need to change something in the way you do it. The same goes for the deck. Just get one that you think you will like well enough and get started. You can get another if you really start hating it later. (Of course you can get another even if you don't hate your first... )

But don't get stuck on what the "best" way and the "best" deck is to learn, because there is no right way or deck that suits everybody. Just start somewhere and find out what way of learning works best for you, and keep an open mind along the way - don't dismiss something without trying it, don't be afraid to go back to methods or decks that you dismissed a year ago, what's not right for you at one period in your life might be just what you need a while later.

You can always change your choices later.

When I started out, I scoured this site for various decks and looked for cards that had images I "connected" with. I ended up getting the Universal Waite, which still read beautifully now. I think I must have looked at over 100 decks, and dismissed most of them almost straight away. It takes time and effort, but it's totally worth it when you end up with the deck that is perfect for you. Good luck!

When I started there was no internet, no online shopping or Aeclectic. All I had to go on was what I could find in local occult shops, and their selections of Tarot decks and books on Tarot were small. I think you're lucky to have so many choices and so much information, but then too many choices can just make it harder to decide.

Nevada said:

When I started there was no internet, no online shopping or Aeclectic. All I had to go on was what I could find in local occult shops, and their selections of Tarot decks and books on Tarot were small. I think you're lucky to have so many choices and so much information, but then too many choices can just make it harder to decide.

Click to expand...

Right... I was in a quite similar situation to yours, Nevada. I had one deck, a good dictionary of symbols and many friends eager to be read for!

One thing about getting decks: There seems to be a cycling of desire and use. So, don't be too quick to dump off a deck because you don't get it right now. Back in 2001, I was skirting the issue of tarot. I got a hold of 3 or 4 decks specifically because I felt they would teach me other subjects. (and sneakily get me a peek at the forbidden tarot) I gave away a whole box full of metaphysical things when life circumstances had me move back in with relatives who would have been very against it. I am a happy little purchasing fiend right now, even got them all back, and I know that each deck will have its times and turns. Even after a year, I don't do readings for anyone else. But, I'll have them when whatever necessary spark lights up & gets to me.