Clueless

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 21 Jan 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Soraya	21 Jan 2002
Hi everyone, I am wondering: does it ever happen to experienced readers that they cannot make head nor tails from a reading or does this just happen to beginners like me? I find it kind of frustrating: sometimes I look at a spead or cards and they "speak" to me but more often one or more cards, or the entire spread, in fact, confuse me. I have no clue what it's supposed to mean or, even worse, I cannot decide what meanings to ascribe to the cards. Is that normal or does it just show that I am useless at tarot? Does it ever happen to anyone else? Soraya

Lilliana	21 Jan 2002
I wouldn't say you're hopeless at tarot. Not at all. Like anything else, it takes practice, practice and more practice to become skilled at reading the tarot. Even experienced readers can pull spreads every now and agan that don't seem to make sense. If you are faced with a spread that you don't understand, don't sit there scrutinising it for hours, just write it down and come back to it later. You may pick up something you missed before. Sometimes it can be helpful laying out the same cards of your spread with a different deck (especially if it's a deck you don't use often), as this can provide new insights on the individual cards and the spread as a whole. Look for any patterns you see in the spread. You may have 5 wands cards, or three aces, etc. Noticing these patterns within a spread can give you clues as to the general feel of the reading. Often, it's best to start out with smaller readings, and slowly work you way up to spreads with more cards. Sometimes having a many-card spread can be confusing to a beginner. Also, it can be helpful to use a spread designed especially for the type of question being asked. Anyway, these are just a few tips that I have found helpful, I hope they help you too. Don't get too frustrated or give up on the tarot, the more readings you do, the easier it gets :) Lilli

Jewel	21 Jan 2002
I would highly recommend that you purchase the work book "Tarot for Yourself" by Mary Greer. I am currently working through this book and Chapter 6 deals with what she calls "permutations." These permutations are different ways at isolating groups of cards from your Celtic Cross spread to gain a better understanding of them. I found these to be incredibly helpful. I recently did a spread where I could understand most of it, but the outcome really threw me for a loop. Once I worked through the permutations it all fell into place. Hope this is helpful information to you. Just remember, like anything else learning the Tarot takes time ... keep practicing and in time it will start to make more sense. The journey is a beautiful one and we are all forever learning as we travel its roads. Love & Light,

Soraya	21 Jan 2002
Hi there, Thanks for the advice. I am definitely not about to give up. I am only just beginning and I have now finally ordered "Tarot for Yourself" from Amazon. I have heard and read so much about it that I finally couldn't resist. Can't wait till it arrives. Soraya

Jewel	21 Jan 2002
Hi Soraya, What I like the most about Tarot for Yourself is that it is not dogmatic. It allows you to begin to develop your intuition while at the same time you are learning so basic information. It is a guide. I hope you enjoy your copy as much as I enjoy mine. Love & Light,

The Clueless thread was originally posted on 21 Jan 2002 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.