So Frustrated

Hi, I've been studying the tarot now on my own for 9 months. My bookshelf is full of tarot books and I feel as if I have a basic understanding of all the cards by now. I prefer to use only upright cards as after trying to get used to using reversals for a few months I found that I just couldn't relate to them as well as when their upright.

I have found my studies sometimes thrilling but often frustrating as studying on your own is a lonely business and you don't get feedback. I have reached the point now where I am so fed up of getting the card out, looking at a spread and coming up blank. All these books teach you the basic meaning of the cards but nothing on how to put it altogether and the different ways of delivering a reading.

Can anyone relate to what I'm saying and can anyone advise me on what to do next? I have tried to find a tutor but there don't seem to be any in my area (Doncaster)

To be honest I'm on the verge of tears because I don't seem to be getting anywhere and I've worked so hard at it.

Awwww pet, don't get down about it.

Why not offer a simple, say 3 card spread, reading for a friend and explain to them that you are a student, its for free but you would like honest feedback. Keep records so that you can refer to them at a later date.

You must have gained a great deal, more than you know but its easy to overlook all that we have learned when we don't see the results we feel should be there.

Keep studying, keep posting and learning from the many very knowledgeable people here and soon you will be able join the reading exchange thread to get some more experience with others who are on the same path as yourself.

Don't worry, just keep plugging away, remember you have the rest of your life to learn tarot - and we never stop learning.

Hello waggledance..
I understand your frustration,but it does take time. How long? well how long is a piece of string? I found that my main problem was re training my brain, opening up new neural pathways for new ways of experiencing and this takes time.You have to train your brain to work differently and this means the body has to actually create new pathways within the old gray matter.
If you are feeling frustrated take a little time out.
Follow Milfoils advice, take lots of little steps, its not a race

Hey

Hiya )

dont get frustrated, it is a long road, belive my I know, have been reading for about 14yrs now and still dont know all the ins and out of the cards, if you know the basic meanings of the cards thats all you need to know in the begining, a lot of it is intuition, when I first set out reading tarot, I looked up the meanings of all the cards, then I took a diary and wrote what I thought the cards represented to me, and then cross referenced it with the book and you will be surprised what you come up with, all the cards have different meanings depending on what card falls above, below, to the left and to the right, you will get there in the end! - dont throw the towl in

I am here in Ireland but am happy to help you, PM me if you have any questions, need clarification or any help )

Hang in there, waggledance. I promise you, one day you'll read something that you've read a million times and BANG - it'll make complete sense to you.

I understand what you mean by the books all giving you basically the same thing and finding little on the "how-to's" of it all. One of the books that has REALLY helped me in the area of putting the cards all together to make sense is "Tarot Card Combinations, by Dorothy Kelly". The simplicity of this book is really great. She cuts to the chase and gives you a ton of examples. Do you have this one?? For such a large book, there isn't much in the way of chapters that need reading, only the first 10 pages. That's where she explains how it all works. The rest of the pages are examples of keyword meanings and how to combine them into a sentence. It's really an amazingly insightful book for the stage you're at.

The second thing I'd say is to remember that it's not exactly about memorizing specific meanings of each card. Try and let your intuition play a key role in your interpretations. Lay out three cards upside down so you can't see what they are. Take a slow, calming deep breath. Turn over the first card and say out loud exactly what you see, i.e. "I see a lady sitting under a tree. She's holding a cup. She doesn't look very happy. There's a dark cloud in the sky....etc." When you're doing describing the first card, turn over the 2nd card and do the same thing, and so on with the 3rd. THEN, when you've described them all individually OUT LOUD (makes a HUGE difference), reflecting back on what you said, try and put all three cards into one sentence.....

Ace Pentacles - money
2 Pentacles - exchange
Lovers - partnership

"Money will be exchanged between partners." (see how it works?)

While each card has many meanings, that's where the intuition comes in. That's where one card compared between 100 decks, can have so many different meanings. Take note of your FIRST THOUGHT the moment you turn over a card. What does it make you think of? What's your VERY first impression? Take that first thought and work from that perspective.

Gosh, I hope that helped some. Try this book if you haven't already - it's very good and easy to understand.

When it comes to performing a reading verbally to another person sitting in front of you, that's a different story. I've never done it with anyone live and in person, but working here on the site and exchanging readings in written form will help get the ball rolling once you're able to put the cards together.

Don't worry - it'll come

LP~

waggledance said:

All these books teach you the basic meaning of the cards but nothing on how to put it altogether and the different ways of delivering a reading.

Click to expand...

For me, I couldn't even learn all the book's meanings until I found this way of reading the Minor Arcana ~ You take the meaning of the number or court card and add that to the suit. By putting these things together, I found that I could see the meaning of all the cards together to see how they affect each other, just by their simple, root meanings. I think it cuts down a lot of what the books are telling you. Later, you can add the book's meanings, and see how they interact. I hope that makes sense and wasn't too confusing?

The two things I've found that are helping me are...

Speaking the meaning aloud. I usually read for myself, but i narrate as I do it. It helps me think about what the cards mean and look for connections.

Also, do you have a tarot diary/journal where you write your spreads? I keep a record of the spread, question etc and what I think it means. Now, I've been going back to them. Some of my earlier readings I'm adding bits to once I figure out more about what the cards mean for me, as opposed ot just what the book says. That's helping me learn how the cards speak to me. Also, when I go back, I can see what the reading was actually telling me.

For example, I've learned that my assessment of 4 of Cups Reversed and Wheel reversed in outcome positions were spot on, but that I was reading the Lovers (which has been coming up lots for me) as what I hoped it would be, instead of what it was - choices.

By going back and looking at past spreads after I feel something in that situation has changed or the prediction has occured, the I start to see linkages in the cards.

The small spreads readings will help you a lot. If you can't find anyone willing to let you practice on them (and don't want to try doing readings here yet for people) try doing 2 and 3 card readings for tv characters -- it's really good practice. Not only do you know that character's 'life' to give you a base for 'feedback', you can get insight from how the spreads turn out.

It's the next best thing to doing a reading for a person where you can get verbal feedback. But keep the readings small, only a few cards.

Have you checked out this site? It's where I started and what I continuously referred to when doing readings as a beginner.

Obviously AT is a very good place to start and most here will endeavour to answer your questions but it seems as though what's holding you back is your fear of failure as you seem ready to launch.

Do three card spreads.
Read for others as much as possible and
put your books away.

madmoiselle said:

For me, I couldn't even learn all the book's meanings until I found this way of reading the Minor Arcana ~ You take the meaning of the number or court card and add that to the suit. By putting these things together, I found that I could see the meaning of all the cards together to see how they affect each other, just by their simple, root meanings. I think it cuts down a lot of what the books are telling you. Later, you can add the book's meanings, and see how they interact. I hope that makes sense and wasn't too confusing?

Click to expand...

I think I have an idea of what you're talking about here, madmoiselle, but I'm wondering if you wouldn't mind giving an example? I'm not sure if I'm clear on the "meaning of the number or court" cards being added to the suit? Are you saying that if the 4s mean X, add it to Cups or Wands or whatever? Is there a definitive meaning for the numbers? And if so, is there somewhere that is discussed? A particular book or anything?

Thanks for your help!

LP~