Do 'how to ' books get in the way

Do people think its best to learn to read through trial an error and with imput from sites like this or to use a well written book on the subject?

After all isnt a book just somebody elses opinion ?

Isnt it better to find your own way to read the cards how it suits you?

I do both. I read my books, get ideas from them, and do readings myself and get ideas from there.

I think it works differently for different people. Some people learn very well from books. Yes, the information in books is just someone else's opinion, but so is the information on this site. For me, choosing the right book was important, but I've found a couple that respected my intution while helping me learning tarot, and I think I learned much more, more quickly, than I would have if I'd have tried to learn on my own.

So, the answer is yes! It is best to find your own way to learn to read the cards. And that way may include books

depends on you, depends on the book.

My (theoretical) favorite book that helped me a lot may "get in the way" for you.

I'd pick up a book here and there, picking up some methods and making them your own. Do the same at this or other forums. Ultimately, you will find that there are as many systems of reading tarot cards as there are readers (probably more). Pick and choose what works for you.

This is an opinion – so don’t get excited.

Begin with a blank journal and a deck. That’s it. What do the cards mean to you?

Does not matter what they meant to somebody in 1856, or 1953, what matters is what they mean to you now.

Posting for other peoples opinions does not make sense until you figure out what it all means to you.

As you learn the cards, you’ll have questions about what various symbols mean. That’s what you should follow up on. Like when you ask yourself about the guys shoes on the 7 of Wands (WCS), or the triangle within the square on Temperance. Search out the meanings of those symbols, and not what they mean on Tarot, but what does the triangle within the square mean outside of Tarot? Why did they incorporate it?

Allow your own learning to lead you to further learning.

Or, you can take the ‘Be a Fortune Teller for fun and Prophet’ course and become a keyword parrot.



Edited to add: But them I'm a reader. Further, I'm a reader who reads for strangers. If you want accurate history, go to the books. If you want inacurate history, hit the books. There is some real trash out there bound between covers. As the man said, "Choose wisely."

I think it really depends on your learning style. I read intuitively (for strangers) but I learned first from a teacher and from books, and I liked having that framework in place as a starting point. I know of others who never read a book and who just went with their gut feelings on the cards. Like almost everything else in Tarot, it depends on what you feel is right for you.

I'm a newbie, so I'm relying on books quite a bit right now. But I am finding that intuition is taking over. However, when I just can't seem to feel the card, it is nice to have a good book that can help me along.

I do a little bit of everything...I don't read as many Tarot books as I did in the beginning...it has to be a really good one to keep me interested...I'm reading 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card by Mary. K. Greer right now...which is what I consider a well worth read.

I'm at the point where I would rather spend my money on decks...there are just tons of resources to read on AT and the internet...

Piper said:

I do both. I read my books, get ideas from them, and do readings myself and get ideas from there.

Click to expand...

I do this. I also take notes on how I see the cards just looking at them (so what I see in my Gilded, for example, as perhaps a variation from how I might see the RWS). And then also discussions on here and looking at other people's readings (not even their own explanations, but how I see their cards speaking) help with that.

It's a collective process. I hope I never stop learning...and that you don't either.

Edit:

P.S. There is a lot of BS out there, so you have to be careful. If something doesn't feel right for you with your cards, then you don't have to do it. Like if a meaning doesn't fit a card, that's ok. And you don't have to keep your cards in a wood box (though they're sturdy) nor in silk nor do you have to put them back in order after every reading. Though any of these things you might choose to do on your own. At first, I was worried that if I didn't do these things, it would hinder my readings. *blushes* But on here I learned that lots of people do it lots of different ways.

Well for me, since I am still pretty much of a newbie and hardly have time to study on my own without the books, I do rely on the books and the LWB. But until then when i think I am ready and can interpret the cads on my own, the books are like my baby. <(^-^)>