Newbie!

Hi guys! I'm very new to tarot! I've been interested in tarot cards, fortune telling, palm reading etc etc for my whole life but only read books about it on and off. Now I'm serious in studying tarot and wants to get into it straight away! I just bought myself a Rider-Waite Tarot card and also the Tarot Playbook by Lynda Cowles. Is there anything else i need to know or do or any good books out there I need to read?
Any advice would be appreciated

I would recommend that you keep a Tarot Journal.
A nice thread regarding Tarot Journaling can be found here: http://tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=151878&highlight=journal

To get yourself aquainted with your new cards before you make any Tarot Book purchases, check out Thirteen's Tarot Card Meanings, found here: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/learn/meanings/

My favourite/most useful Tarot Books I made an Amazon List for here: http://www.amazon.com/Best-Tarot-Books/lm/R1A53IFWVQGTGT/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full

Welcome to AT and the World of Tarot! =]

ETA: Also, you might find it worth your while to visit: http://www.learntarot.com/
-The creator of the site is well-known and respected author Joan Bunning, and the site offers her flagship book Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners all online for free. There you can find definitions and exercises for learning Tarot, along with information on decks, etc.

Hi Eeviee

This site is very good for learning especially the Your Readings section - reading others' take on cards and combinations has taught me more than any of the books.

Looking back on your own readings, reflecting on short term readings so you get a real feel for a card. When I started I read my cards (3 cards - mood of the day, obstacle and outcome) at the beginning of the day and then reflected in the evening on what that felt like and how I could interpret the cards from what had happened. Of course the cards don't always reveal what has happneed on that very day and it may be the next or after that but I found that usually they do. the nearer to the time you are in the more accurate the cards are at detecting the energies. This refelction will help you read for others and yourself.

You can read Waite's Key to the Tarot for free at http://www.sacred-texts.com/tarot/pkt/index.htm

Also I thought that I needed to do lots of learning and stuff before I began reading the cards. But I have found that reading the cards even if I have to look each card up, is the best way for me to understand each card on a personal level. Of course, the understanding comes from lots of time spent drawing a certain card over and over in different readings and different situations and different spreads.