Sorry if I'm covering old ground here... but I need some advice...

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 25 Aug 2001, and now archived in the Forum Library.

KEM	25 Aug 2001
I've studied Astrology and Kaballah for years, and am, in that sense, relatively new to Tarot. Nonetheless, it seems that as soon as I'm comfortable with what experts recommend re: whether or not to read the cards as handed to you or as dignified to the querent; whether a card representative of the querent is necessarily pulled from the deck, and if so, before or after the shuffles and cutting; how to shuffle and when to end if the querent is on the phone or not present, etc., I find another expert opinion leading me in another direction. It seems to me as though all methodologies work as long as the querent is focusing, but are there ways that are viewed as "superior?" How do you shuffle and cut with an absent querent? Finally, are there any books about Tarot that are written expressly from a non-occult perspective? I use the cards to counsel people leading troubled lives, and they are usually (as am I) a devoted member of an organized religion. Thank you!

magnwa	25 Aug 2001
Well.. hmm. Here's the best way to put it. Nothing is right.. nothing is wrong. That said, let me move on to your search for books. Learning the Tarot by Joan Bunning is good. So is Power Tarot, and Mary K Greer's "Tarot For Yourself." That aside, let me point out that a lot of the belief nowadays regarding tarot is that it wasn't/isn't an occultist device, but rather something that was used at one time by catholic monks. A lot of people (myself included) actually see very christian symbolism in the RWS. So.. heh.. it's very easily argued that the tarot has a christian basis :) magnwa

cj	26 Aug 2001
I just started collecting and learning. I found a book called "The complete Illustrated guide to tarot" by Rachel Pollack that I found interesting. I don't have Joan Bunnings book yet, but I buy my Tarot decks from her on line at "learntarot.com". she is great to work with. cj

KEM	27 Aug 2001
Thank you so much for the information!!! KEM

Solandia	27 Aug 2001
With an absent querent (such as one on the telephone), I would shuffle the cards while they concentrated on their question, then spread out the cards and slowly move my hands over them until the querent said to stop, and then choose a card. That's my way of doing it, I'm sure there are others ~ Solandia.

The Sorry if I'm covering old ground here... but I need some advice... thread was originally posted on 25 Aug 2001 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.