Black Crosis
Hello everyone!
Let me just start by saying I'm really new to the Tarot. I'm on my 6th week of study and am only halfway through learning the basic meanings of the deck - I've gotten through the 40 Minors (not including the Courts). I'm taking it slow because I don't want to jam through all the cards and then go back to the beginning because I didn't retain everything. I'm starting this thread because I've gotten through the first half and though I have retained what I've learned so far, I’m feeling a bit frazzled by the whole process. Essentially I’m wondering what others have found useful for learning and am really interested in tips/advice or constructive criticism for my methods so far. Let me introduce you to what I’ve been up to:
Firstly, I began “studying” the Tarot before I started “learning” it. I won’t be shy, I initially started studying for a pencil-and-paper Roleplaying Setting I’m designing which has a very heavy occult influence and though I don’t see the Tarot as an occult Art, most others don’t see it the same way. I’ve always been drawn to the idea of the Tarot for multiple reasons: I am a Roleplayer, I am an ex-veteran Magic: The Gathering player, I am naturally analytic & intuitive, and I am a Psychology major. As a Roleplayer, Tarot cards are a wonderful and exciting way to bring characters into the real world without needing to revert to Styrofoam sword and chainmail in a park somewhere, (in my personal opinion: that’s not roleplaying,). As an ex-vet MTG player, I miss utilizing cards and finding interesting connections between them in seemingly random sequences. As a natural empathy with excellent analytic skills, I can already read practically anyone like a book from simply looking at them. The Tarot offers to help me utilize these abilities for others’ benefit. As a Psychology major, the Tarot offers exciting possibilities as a tool to become more aware of one’s own subconscious thoughts and motivations. All-in-all, you could say the Tarot offers me a perfect outlet for my skills and hobbies.
I can’t say I believe in the Tarot’s ability to “divine” the future or that I even believe there’s much that the Reader does other than learn the cards’ meanings and the appropriate spreads for whatever question is asked. From what little I’ve learned, (I’m willing to admit that my perceptions may change when I’m actually able to do readings,) and my own knowledge of the ways peoples’ minds work, it seems to me all the hard work is done by the Querent’s subconscious mind. From what I can tell, the Reader is responsible for applying certain filters to customize a card’s meaning for their client. First, the Question: it will determine what meaning to look for in the cards. Second, the Spread: it will refine the information to be obtained. Third, the Positions: the placement of the card in the spread will show the Reader what meaning their looking for in the card. Fourth, the Card: it will provide the idea to be thought of and after applying the three previous “filters”, this meaning should be pretty apparent to anyone who has much skill with analysis. I would normally say that the Querent is the very first filter, but it seems to me that since you can’t always read your Querent, you can rely on the four “filters” to provide a fairly accurate reading of any card. Once the Reader relays their knowledge based upon the filters, it’s the Querent’s job to make the important connections. Some they may be aware of by using their conscious mind while others may be more mysterious or “spooky” because they are more open to receiving incite from their subconscious mind after being given the idea to be considered. Now, I am not stating that I don’t believe in the divine. I am actually highly spiritual. I just don’t believe that a mortal-made tool is anything more than that. A tool.
Now that I’ve probably ticked off some hardcore believers of the Tarot’s “divine” or “spiritual” influences, I should remind everyone: I recognize I haven’t gotten very far into the Tarot Arts and don’t pretend to be all-knowing or even unreceptive to other possibilities for later in my path. I simply think you should hear my side before I continue so you know where I’m coming from. Now, on to what I’ve been doing to learn the cards.
What I’ve noticed in several books and online guides, the most general way to learn each card is to record its meanings in a journal and find a connection to those meanings and the card illustration by way of listing or describing events/situations/people in the same journal. I was very careful only to read the methodology for learning from those sources to best choose a method that might work well for me. I found this generalized method to be too slow and ineffective, but I couldn’t find anything better, so I modified it. Here’s what I do:
In a journal I record an entry for each card and write the following:
1. List the card meanings.
2. Describe a personal experience that reminds me of those meanings and try to use all of them when I’m writing it down.
3. The same as #2, only with an experience of someone else I know.
4. Between each step I take the card in my hand and recite the meaning while trying to connect each one to a particular image in the card.
5. After I am done with the journal entry I take all the Suit cards of the matching suit I’ve already covered into my hands and go through them and their meanings verbally. Then I move to the next card in the suit.
6. After I’m done with a Suit, I do this flash card technique with all the cards I’ve learned to that point.
This method has been working fine in learning the meanings, but I find that with the cards whose meanings are difficult for me to remember, I end up relying on the imagery of the card in order to jog my memory. I am using the Gilded Tarot to learn due to being fairly easy to relate their imagery to the general meanings of the cards. However, I don’t want to rely on the imagery to remember what each card means. I have other decks and though I’m keeping them in their packaging and am not polluting my mind with other images at this point, I’m eventually going to want to break them out and use them. I understand that many believe you must take the card meanings straight from the illustrations and interpret them personally, but I want to learn the general meanings widely accepted first before I begin making up my own. I’d like these meanings to transcend decks and be able to recall them without needing to think of the Gilded Tarot’s imagery in order to remember what these meanings are.
There’s also the issue of speed. I am, by nature, impatient and I’m not afraid to admit it. But that’s not because I try to rush things, it’s because I lose motivation, (not interest,) in anything VERY quickly; usually days. It’s been 6 weeks with the Tarot, which means I’m really loving it and have found uncommon drive, but I’m beginning to feel the wear and tear of the process beginning to get to me. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep my focus. Once I learn the cards, I am certain my drive will become renewed with the vigor to practice my knowledge until I can see and understand the cards in my dreams. I could REALLY use some pointers on how to speed up or make the remainder of this process less tedious or more enjoyable.
I don’t want to use the method of “practicing/learning by Reading for others” based on an ethical dilemma. Due to understanding the power of the subconscious, I am aware that even if someone doesn’t take the cards or the reading seriously, the “idea” has been planted and cannot be removed. Kind of like if I tell you not to think of an elephant. What’s the first thing you think of? Likely, it’s an elephant. When manipulating the subconscious, (which is what Tarot does,) you are manipulating the perceptions of people in their lives, whether they’re aware of it or not. Even if they wouldn’t give it much thought, say you Read that they will get a new job opportunity and chance has it that they get a new job opportunity that very same day. Do you think they would forget what you Read? No. Ten years from now they’d still be sharing the story at cocktail parties and bars whenever that job or when the Tarot was brought up. That’s not even taking into consideration that they’d probably take the Tarot more seriously along with your subsequent Readings. To the field of Psychology this is akin to giving a single lecture on brain surgery to a med student and then handing them a scalpel and asking them to operate on a terminal patient with a rare tumor. NOT a good idea. So, as a Psych major, I can’t ethically “practice” on others until I have become more experienced using myself as the “test dummy”. I have the basic training necessary to understand where and how these mental influences work and can thusly defeat any potential damage I may experience from a horrendously bad Reading.
Given everything I’ve shared about my views, methods, and ethics, I believe you now have a pretty good idea of what I’m dealing with. Like I said, my concern is losing my drive to complete my studies due to inherent motivation problems and a slow, tedious learning process. I would really appreciate it if those with similar problems or knowledge of appropriate solutions would help by giving their constructive criticism, advice, experiences, methods, or anything else that may help in my endeavors.
I thank you all for your time (in reading all this and your detailed responses), effort, and diligence,
-Black Crosis
Let me just start by saying I'm really new to the Tarot. I'm on my 6th week of study and am only halfway through learning the basic meanings of the deck - I've gotten through the 40 Minors (not including the Courts). I'm taking it slow because I don't want to jam through all the cards and then go back to the beginning because I didn't retain everything. I'm starting this thread because I've gotten through the first half and though I have retained what I've learned so far, I’m feeling a bit frazzled by the whole process. Essentially I’m wondering what others have found useful for learning and am really interested in tips/advice or constructive criticism for my methods so far. Let me introduce you to what I’ve been up to:
Firstly, I began “studying” the Tarot before I started “learning” it. I won’t be shy, I initially started studying for a pencil-and-paper Roleplaying Setting I’m designing which has a very heavy occult influence and though I don’t see the Tarot as an occult Art, most others don’t see it the same way. I’ve always been drawn to the idea of the Tarot for multiple reasons: I am a Roleplayer, I am an ex-veteran Magic: The Gathering player, I am naturally analytic & intuitive, and I am a Psychology major. As a Roleplayer, Tarot cards are a wonderful and exciting way to bring characters into the real world without needing to revert to Styrofoam sword and chainmail in a park somewhere, (in my personal opinion: that’s not roleplaying,). As an ex-vet MTG player, I miss utilizing cards and finding interesting connections between them in seemingly random sequences. As a natural empathy with excellent analytic skills, I can already read practically anyone like a book from simply looking at them. The Tarot offers to help me utilize these abilities for others’ benefit. As a Psychology major, the Tarot offers exciting possibilities as a tool to become more aware of one’s own subconscious thoughts and motivations. All-in-all, you could say the Tarot offers me a perfect outlet for my skills and hobbies.
I can’t say I believe in the Tarot’s ability to “divine” the future or that I even believe there’s much that the Reader does other than learn the cards’ meanings and the appropriate spreads for whatever question is asked. From what little I’ve learned, (I’m willing to admit that my perceptions may change when I’m actually able to do readings,) and my own knowledge of the ways peoples’ minds work, it seems to me all the hard work is done by the Querent’s subconscious mind. From what I can tell, the Reader is responsible for applying certain filters to customize a card’s meaning for their client. First, the Question: it will determine what meaning to look for in the cards. Second, the Spread: it will refine the information to be obtained. Third, the Positions: the placement of the card in the spread will show the Reader what meaning their looking for in the card. Fourth, the Card: it will provide the idea to be thought of and after applying the three previous “filters”, this meaning should be pretty apparent to anyone who has much skill with analysis. I would normally say that the Querent is the very first filter, but it seems to me that since you can’t always read your Querent, you can rely on the four “filters” to provide a fairly accurate reading of any card. Once the Reader relays their knowledge based upon the filters, it’s the Querent’s job to make the important connections. Some they may be aware of by using their conscious mind while others may be more mysterious or “spooky” because they are more open to receiving incite from their subconscious mind after being given the idea to be considered. Now, I am not stating that I don’t believe in the divine. I am actually highly spiritual. I just don’t believe that a mortal-made tool is anything more than that. A tool.
Now that I’ve probably ticked off some hardcore believers of the Tarot’s “divine” or “spiritual” influences, I should remind everyone: I recognize I haven’t gotten very far into the Tarot Arts and don’t pretend to be all-knowing or even unreceptive to other possibilities for later in my path. I simply think you should hear my side before I continue so you know where I’m coming from. Now, on to what I’ve been doing to learn the cards.
What I’ve noticed in several books and online guides, the most general way to learn each card is to record its meanings in a journal and find a connection to those meanings and the card illustration by way of listing or describing events/situations/people in the same journal. I was very careful only to read the methodology for learning from those sources to best choose a method that might work well for me. I found this generalized method to be too slow and ineffective, but I couldn’t find anything better, so I modified it. Here’s what I do:
In a journal I record an entry for each card and write the following:
1. List the card meanings.
2. Describe a personal experience that reminds me of those meanings and try to use all of them when I’m writing it down.
3. The same as #2, only with an experience of someone else I know.
4. Between each step I take the card in my hand and recite the meaning while trying to connect each one to a particular image in the card.
5. After I am done with the journal entry I take all the Suit cards of the matching suit I’ve already covered into my hands and go through them and their meanings verbally. Then I move to the next card in the suit.
6. After I’m done with a Suit, I do this flash card technique with all the cards I’ve learned to that point.
This method has been working fine in learning the meanings, but I find that with the cards whose meanings are difficult for me to remember, I end up relying on the imagery of the card in order to jog my memory. I am using the Gilded Tarot to learn due to being fairly easy to relate their imagery to the general meanings of the cards. However, I don’t want to rely on the imagery to remember what each card means. I have other decks and though I’m keeping them in their packaging and am not polluting my mind with other images at this point, I’m eventually going to want to break them out and use them. I understand that many believe you must take the card meanings straight from the illustrations and interpret them personally, but I want to learn the general meanings widely accepted first before I begin making up my own. I’d like these meanings to transcend decks and be able to recall them without needing to think of the Gilded Tarot’s imagery in order to remember what these meanings are.
There’s also the issue of speed. I am, by nature, impatient and I’m not afraid to admit it. But that’s not because I try to rush things, it’s because I lose motivation, (not interest,) in anything VERY quickly; usually days. It’s been 6 weeks with the Tarot, which means I’m really loving it and have found uncommon drive, but I’m beginning to feel the wear and tear of the process beginning to get to me. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep my focus. Once I learn the cards, I am certain my drive will become renewed with the vigor to practice my knowledge until I can see and understand the cards in my dreams. I could REALLY use some pointers on how to speed up or make the remainder of this process less tedious or more enjoyable.
I don’t want to use the method of “practicing/learning by Reading for others” based on an ethical dilemma. Due to understanding the power of the subconscious, I am aware that even if someone doesn’t take the cards or the reading seriously, the “idea” has been planted and cannot be removed. Kind of like if I tell you not to think of an elephant. What’s the first thing you think of? Likely, it’s an elephant. When manipulating the subconscious, (which is what Tarot does,) you are manipulating the perceptions of people in their lives, whether they’re aware of it or not. Even if they wouldn’t give it much thought, say you Read that they will get a new job opportunity and chance has it that they get a new job opportunity that very same day. Do you think they would forget what you Read? No. Ten years from now they’d still be sharing the story at cocktail parties and bars whenever that job or when the Tarot was brought up. That’s not even taking into consideration that they’d probably take the Tarot more seriously along with your subsequent Readings. To the field of Psychology this is akin to giving a single lecture on brain surgery to a med student and then handing them a scalpel and asking them to operate on a terminal patient with a rare tumor. NOT a good idea. So, as a Psych major, I can’t ethically “practice” on others until I have become more experienced using myself as the “test dummy”. I have the basic training necessary to understand where and how these mental influences work and can thusly defeat any potential damage I may experience from a horrendously bad Reading.
Given everything I’ve shared about my views, methods, and ethics, I believe you now have a pretty good idea of what I’m dealing with. Like I said, my concern is losing my drive to complete my studies due to inherent motivation problems and a slow, tedious learning process. I would really appreciate it if those with similar problems or knowledge of appropriate solutions would help by giving their constructive criticism, advice, experiences, methods, or anything else that may help in my endeavors.
I thank you all for your time (in reading all this and your detailed responses), effort, and diligence,
-Black Crosis
