breaking away from the books

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 16 Apr 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

destinyawaitsme	16 Apr 2002
This may have already been discussed here before but I figured what the hey? Do you find it hard to break away from your tarot books, and just wing it in readings? Like, some people can put out a spread and start jabbering away at what this means and what that means..but a lot of the time I find myself reaching for the books. (some of you have deck obsessions, with me it's books about tarot) I try to figure out, what does he think it means, what does she think it means, i get out my own journal to try to figure out what I previously thought it meant! I can't figure out if this helps or confuses me even more. I've tried reading without a book in hand. I can do it. I know what they mean, I jsut don't have that confidence. Or you know when you draw the 3 of wands and all you can think of is that it means leadership, but you know that just isn't it? So, does anyone else have this problem? Should I ween myself off the books? Any advice would help..maybe we need to start another support group, unless I am the only one. lol ;)

truthsayer	16 Apr 2002
when i first started i was book dependent for a long time. part of this was because i thought i had to learn the meanings for the rws symbols as well as the meanings. one of the best things i did that built up my confidence was to do readings at a halloween party. i had to do it quickly w/o use of a book. if i don't get anything when i look at a card, i consider it blocked energy. i've been reading cards 27 years and i still like to peruse books to expand my horizons w/ the cards. when i buy a new deck w/ a book included it very handle to use the book to get inside the author's head to understand the deck's symbolism. i do this as meditation or study. it's good to keep a journal where you write down your initial impressions of the card then check it against the book. i guarantee you'll be close. besides there is no ultimate truth w/ tarot. it's however we perceive the cards. just try to relax and enjoy the experience. tarot is a life long journey--not a destination. i've had lots of interests but my interest in tarot has helped me keep growing as i expand my knowledge of archetypes. everywhere i look i see something that i can relate to tarot. it's okay if you second guess yourself as you're learning but don't beat yourself up over it.

Jewel	16 Apr 2002
I have never really been book dependent, but I absolutly love books (and need to own them all *LOL*). Getting back to the issue ... what has really worked for me and increased my confidence has been the work I have done in the workbook Tarot for Yourself by Mary Greer, and participating in the Study Groups forum here at Aeclectic. It is great having study partners! The only time I use books now is if I am studying, or researching something related to Tarot. Keeping a journal has been crucial in this evolution as well.

Umbrae	16 Apr 2002
A little lower in this forum are topics "Gender in court cards" and "Court card". They contain my (and Malachite's) comments on books and readings. Malachite pretty much nailed it on the head (I was having communication issues). Truthsayer said: "just try to relax and enjoy the experience. Tarot is a life long journey--not a destination” Correct-a-mundo! "The joy is in the walking, we are deluded by the destination...” Gwyne Thomas. I like to tell folks, learn from the books, and then toss them (store them out of reach). Then do the readings. Stop thinking (tough one). Read BETWEEN the cards, but stop thinking about what you are thinking about. Shut off the committee. Listen to the cards...They speak, but have no voice. Remember, you are not the author of the book you read. They never looked at your spreads. They did not/never will “know it all”. Neither will I…or you. So enjoy the journey.

.dc	16 Apr 2002
jewel, i so totally agree and symphatize. i'm in the same boat! i love books... collect collect collect. ack! but for me, i try and find books on tarot that will show me new ways to use the cards rather than new meanings. i try very hard not to read or interpret others meanings, allowing my intuition and bond with the cards themselves rather than reading or trying to get keywords crammed into fitting a reading for someone else. it's hard... the court cards rarely speak to me and i often look them up but i feel that this is a stronger way of learning to read the cards. blessed be, .dc

Original Destiny	16 Apr 2002
I agree with truthsayer...I too have been working with the Tarot for many years...as time has gone on I have come to rely on my own feelings about the cards...my underlying understanding of the cards comes from books ...but now i have built up my own ways; tried and tested in the field, so to speak...Tyr and let the cards do the talking..:TFOOL

MystiqueMoonlight	17 Apr 2002
I agree with you guys.... I tend not to rely on the LWB or any other book when using the cards. It just confuses me anyway. However I must say that some cards do inspire me to study further into other subjects that the cards may display. For example I use the Thoth and boy oh boy now I'm studying the Qabala and the Tree of Life and this will probably lead to Hebrew alphabet etc etc I don't do this just to gain a better understanding of the deck, but because I have a genuine interest in pursuing these subjects as inspired to me by the contents of the cards. I love to read and broaden my knowledge. By study I read and "hopefully" broaden my knowledge and the cards broaden my knowledge and I read. blessed be....

destinyawaitsme	17 Apr 2002
I know..sometimes the books can be a double edged sword...they enlighten..yet confuse. In times that I read without a book insight I feel I still do pretty good. Once I go through all the cards in my mind it makes sense. It's like getting the sentences to a paragraph and having to put them in the right order. But thanks so much for helping out on this one.

Tarotbear 2	17 Apr 2002
Reading the books to gain knowledge in insight is always recommended; whipping out a book when reading for someone to 'look up the meaning' is silly. When you are a beginner, it's hard to imagine that someday, possibly, that you will just flip over the cards and produce a concise, or even logical reading. I tell my classes NOT to go the 'Five Easy Pieces' route and memorize 5 things for every card, because those five things might not apply to the reading at hand at all...or ever. you have to learn to go with the flow. Do not memorize someone else's interpretations. For example, you may read in 6 books that the X card means yada-yada-yada, and decide that yada-yada-yada is the best meaning for that card. One day, the X card flips over and your immediate impression is not yada but so-on-and-so-forth. What will you do? 'Yada' or 'so forth'? I hope you go with 'so forth'. As I have said many times and see someone else has mentioned -- keep everything in a journal! Record readings and go back and analyse them. Analyse what your interpretation was at that time. What do you fell now? Did the reading come true? What was the result of that reading 6 months down the road? Books are great things to have for reference needs.

Zhritza	17 Apr 2002
I am an anxious person by nature (been diagnosed as such, yadda yadda :) ), and consequently, too much information when trying to read from a deck tends to clutter the ol' noggin and prevent intuitive interpretation. When I acquire a deck whose LWB has meanings for the cards that I don't connect with in general, I toss the LWB. However, this hasn't always been the best idea. I did that with the Navigators Tarot of the Mystic SEA, which is a Golden Dawn-based deck (a structured system like that seemed like it would kill all intuition), and have since learned that the LWB for that deck is actually very helpful in terms of seeing the ideas behind the designs and responding intuitively to them. D'oh. So I think I'll be more careful about that in the future...

zorya	17 Apr 2002
i think i said this somewhere else, but i'll repeat it anyway, :) i think it's important , to study and learn the book meanings, so that you then can, let them go, and allow your intuition to speak to you.

Jenny-Li	18 Apr 2002
Hi! The bad thing about books is that they can't describe meanings in a _context_, they only describe the card one-by-one. But in a reading, the cards don't come as isolated "meanings", they are all part of the whole, and they all interrelate to each other. When I do a reading, that's where I try to start out; before I look at each card I try to find the general overview, get a feeling for the relations between cards, elements, people cards, majors... Only when I have this part down I start to think about what each of the cards are telling me. Does that make sense? If you do this, you will see the cards in... groups, where one card can be related to several interrelated groups of themes or whatever I should call it, it's not just "meanings". Oh, I feel the more I try to explain this, the more I get lost myself. This way of reading helped me let go of the books, maybe it could work for you too! Good luck! Love, light! Jenny :)

Umbrae	18 Apr 2002
You explained youself well. It is what I have tried to say, but failed (It is tough to explain isn't it?).

The breaking away from the books thread was originally posted on 16 Apr 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.