I need some advice....!!!

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 04 Sep 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Lady Anna	04 Sep 2002
Hello- I'm having a little bit of problems in reading the Witches Tarot of Ellen Cannon Reed... Can anyone give me any advises on how I can improve my readings with this deck...??? I'm a beginner and for me is kind of difficult to give each card a different approach, now I'm working only with the Aquarian deck and I'm getting very good results....but in the book that comes with the deck almost every card has a different approach compared to the standard meaning....I'm reading Learning the Tarot of Joan Bunning; do I stick with the standard meaning or start to getting used to have two decks/two meanings??..... Help me please.....!!!.....:confused:

Lee	04 Sep 2002
Hi, Lady Anna -- I empathize with you -- it's tough to try to use two different decks which use two different approaches. If I were you, I think I would try to avoid using the Aquarian and the Witches Tarot at the same time, especially if you're a beginner. The problem is that the illustrations on the cards illustrate different meanings. For example, the illustration on the Aquarian 4 of Cups illustrates a different meaning than the illustration on the Witches 4 of Cups. The Aquarian follows the standard Rider-Waite-Smith tradition for its illustrations and could be used with Joan Bunning's book, but the Witches deck doesn't follow that tradition, and personally I feel it would be very difficult to try to use Bunning's meanings for the Witches deck when that deck's illustrations contradict those meanings. It is possible to use two different decks and interpret them differently, but this might be confusing for a beginner. I think I would recommend that you put aside the Witches deck for now. You can always go back to it later after you feel more comfortable with working with different decks. Another alternative is to study the Bunning meanings with the Aquarian, but every once in a while, just for fun, take out the Witches deck and do a reading, but without worrying about meanings, just interpret the cards from what you see on the pictures. Hope this helps -- Lee :)

Zev	04 Sep 2002
Hello Lady Anna (that is actually my given name as well)! I see myself as a beginner on tarot. I have had my deck for 7 years now. I have many times felt that I want a new deck. The old one is getting boring and I want a new view of things. But as soon as I go into a store or online in a shop I get second thoughts. I don´t know how you got your decks but I really recommend that as a beginner you work with only one at a time. I know that I´m not ready for another deck at this moment. I have studied sporadically these 7 years. I really think that you should listen to what Lee said. I´m just a beginner but I hope you got something out of my posting. Blessed Be! :) /z

Jewel	04 Sep 2002
Excellent advice Lee! I would also recommend sticking with Joan Bunning's book and the Aquarian deck for now ... and on occassion pulling out your Witches Tarot for fun. Bunning's book has a great reputation as does the Aquarian deck. These should give you a nice foundation to springboard off when you get more comfortable with Tarot in general.

Laurel	04 Sep 2002
Another thing that can help is to start a tarot notebook. 80 page spirals-bound lined notebooks are perfect and cheap. Give each tarot card its own page in the notebook. Write down the card meanings from each source, noting where they come from and your own ideas. Then keep the notebook with you as you work with the cards. Its a little like school work, but can really help make sense of it all in the beginning. Laurel

Lady Anna	04 Sep 2002
Thank you for all your suggestions...!!! :D I think I'll put away the Witches Tarot aside for a while and start to concentrate a lot more on the Aquarian deck...!!!...Thank Lee...!!! And Laurel, actually I have a notebook where I write my readings and the meaning of the cards taking in consideration all the sources and my own ideas also...!!!.... Once again, thanks for all you help...!!!...:* Love, Analisa :TSTAR

Jewel	04 Sep 2002
Lady Ana, there is this workbook (unfortunately the name escapes me at the moment) ... it is by Nancy Green, and it is quite nice for learning the cards. Basically you take a card a week (I did it every 3 days or so), you carry it along with you, etc. and then you go back at the end of the 3 days and follow the different questions which are in categories. This might complement the work you are already doing.

The I need some advice....!!! thread was originally posted on 04 Sep 2002 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.