Too many

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

oriel	16 Jul 2002
Has anyone had any success in learning more than one deck at the same time? I started studying tarot with Legend: The Arthurian Tarot, however my recently acquired Vampire Tarot and Victoria Regina decks have been calling me (esp. the vampire tarot..those cards keep popping in my head!!!). Do I continue with just my Arthurian tarot, switch decks, or study an additional deck? How about 2 additional decks? LOL xo Mariel

emily2otters	16 Jul 2002
well, define "study". i guess when i was in my "study" phase it was all waite/smith and 78 degrees of wisdom, other perspectives need not apply. but truthfully, that didn't last very long. now i'm in the "taste and see" phase, which allows me to sample from different decks/books/teachers according to my moods or needs. today i read with the tarot nova and the soul cards. tomorrow it may be something completely different. i expect this phase to last for the rest of my life. if you're still working on getting a handle on the basic symbolism/stories of your legend deck, it might be a bit disorienting to suddenly fill your mind with images that are so very different. but on the other hand, it might give you some new insights as well. i say throw all three decks on the bed and mix 'em around and see what it says to you! nobody said tarot had to be a _disciplined_ discipline. :)

oriel	16 Jul 2002
thank you! by "study" i meant or getting to know the cards, practicing reading, etc. i've had my legend deck for about a year and i love it and i'm familiar with its images. i love my other decks as well and the differences in their artwork don't overwhelm me, they delight me even :) i also often throw my different decks together on the floor (on a nice spreadcloth, of course...it gives me more room than my bed!), even if i don't try to read aaalll of them. i like the "taste and see" approach. i guess i'll just have to see what "method" works for me :)

truthsayer	16 Jul 2002
i can read more than one deck but i think it's b/c i only read w/ a rws clone for and the thoth for 25 years. when i started using the internet 4 years ago, i discovered that there are zillions of decks out there. my strong background has helped me read a number of decks w/o study--particularly rws clones. some decks are more difficult even w/ my experience. for example, the celtic wisdom or voyager requires study. i think the ability to read w/ more than one deck is a matter of how much experience you have. if you have a strong background in a basic tarot like rws, marseilles or thoth then you should be able to read more than one deck. most decks seem to get their inspiration from those decks. (please don't shoot me if i've forgotten a basic deck) however, tarot is a journey--not a destination. please don't get frustrated if reading doesn't come naturally to you. when you love tarot as much as i do, every day is a new adventure of learning. i probably spend more time studying tarot than i actually do reading. i digest a lot just by taking cards individually in meditation. what i learn is usually wordless but journaling is a good way to pull out of my mind the connections i make. to me, tarot is a visual vocabulary not a verbal one. once i understood to read by what i saw and not what i read in books then reading was easier. books are good b/c they give you a point of reference, structure, and new ideas but don't let books sabotage your intuition-your gut reactions to what you see or feel in the images of the cards drawn.

oriel	17 Jul 2002
wow, truthsayer. thanks for sharing your experience w/ a humble, slightly lost beginner :) i don't have a rider-waite background...i really tried to find a basic rws/clone deck to start with, but didn't find one i liked. so i started with my arthurian-themed deck. it's rws-based, though from what i understand it is not a "basic" beginner deck. i just find i can see a story in the cards easier with it than the rider-waite that i have. i do tend to rely on what i see more than on the books, since some of the material in books only refer to images in the rws that aren't in my deck. eep. :)

divinerguy	17 Jul 2002
My two cents worth - learn your first deck well. Then start on the second, and go back to the first one every now and then, so your skills don't diminish. It'll give a good comparative point of reference when you are doing intuitive readings. Divinerguy

Sullanciri2002	17 Jul 2002
Sorry for the opener, Oriel. I personally use about three different decks to read with, and if I say "different" ... I do mean different in more than just the imagery. Getting to know al I needed about a serious deck (not one of those that was made simply to get some more artwork spread accross the world), was usually a heavy undertaking and demanded a lot of focus and concentration ... especially if you want to use that deck alongside others, without their conceptual ideas getting mixed up. I personally wouldn't advise studying more than one new deck at a time, unless you're talking about variations on the same ideas ... which, in a sense, aren't really different decks at all.

mondk	17 Jul 2002
I got 3 new tarot decks all within about a week of each other and I had an older deck that none of my querents seem to want to use and so being, I am actually studying 4 decks right now: the Hudes, the Whimsical, the Halloween, and my Winged Spirit decks. I keep them all by my bedside. I pick each one up at random, making sure to use a different one each time, shuffle and do "sample readings" asking questions of the decks about family and friends. So far, it is working quite well and I'm learning quickly. However, when I start back to work next week, I probably won't get as much time with them all as I'd like. Blessings, M.

Jewel	17 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by truthsayer i probably spend more time studying tarot than i actually do reading. i digest a lot just by taking cards individually in meditation. what i learn is usually wordless but journaling is a good way to pull out of my mind the connections i make. to me, tarot is a visual vocabulary not a verbal one. once i understood to read by what i saw and not what i read in books then reading was easier. books are good b/c they give you a point of reference, structure, and new ideas but don't let books sabotage your intuition-your gut reactions to what you see or feel in the images of the cards drawn. Like Truthsayer, I also spend most of time studying, meditating or pathworking with the tarot more than reading. The journaling recommendation is one I strongly second. When I start working with a deck I will usually get a journal for it. I right down what I see, what the card makes me feel, people, animals, colors, and what it means to me. Every time I get the same card I will go back to that journal page and add any new insights. After I have gone through the deck, I will THEN read the book that goes with the deck (if it has one). If I like anything it has to say I will include it in my journal. I originally started out with the Robin Wood Tarot (to date - 8 years later - the deck remains one of my top favorites) because I really could not connect with the Raider Waite. After learning that deck I was able to very easily work with Raider Waite based decks. Now I find myself more inclined towards Thoth based decks. Even if only for academic purposed I would recommend that you add a Raider Waite (the Universal Waite is an excellent clone ... only one I could really stomache) and a Thoth deck and study them. It is not necessary, but like Truthsayer I found that having knowledge of these two decks has been extremely helpful to me in being able to read with other decks. The book 78 Degrees of Wisdom is also a resource I highly recommend.

Sullanciri2002	18 Jul 2002
... you've all gone and made me feel miserable. Cripes - now that I've read all of this, I feel like a right dodo needing so much work to get a few decks feeling right. Just joking, folks - although I do feel rather "limited" now that I compare myself to some specialists here.

divinerguy	18 Jul 2002
We're trying to help, so don't feel we're judging you. Tarot is all about forming mental impressions of the card meanings. You might very well have the innate skill to learn multiple decks - some people do. Personally, I'm a dolt, and it takes me time to learn a deck.

oriel	18 Jul 2002
thank you all for responding and giving me good stuff to think about! :D i'm sure i'll post more as i progress on whichever deck/s i choose to work with first :)

truthsayer	18 Jul 2002
i didn't mean for my post to sound braggy. i was just trying to point out that it has taken me many many years of study to get to the point i am. i don't want beginners to give up when they don't "get it" as quickly as they think they should. i have studied tarot many years but i will always feel like a beginner. some ppl who haven't been studying tarot as long as i have can come up w/ such powerful ideas that i feel totally ignorant like i know nothing about tarot. for example, creating new spreads. i've always been satisfied w/ the celtic cross but now my eyes have been opened to the wonders of new spreads. please accept my apology if i came across as a "know it all"--that was never my intent. i definitely don't judge anyone on level of tarot ability b/c i don't want to be judged on mine. i know very little about most of you. everyone here is my equal in tarot. we are all one in our celebration of one of the greatest things ever created by humankind--THE TAROT!! we are all growing together!!!!

Sullanciri2002	19 Jul 2002
I really didn't mean to imply any of you were bragging. I did mention "just joking", didn't I ? My current limitation to just three decks might alos mean I'm just too picky or difficult - in the appr. 5 years I've been reading the tarot, I've only found a few decks that really speak to me ... although I often get excited about something new (whereas a bit of carefull preparation before buying, goes a long way to keep from buying something I regret).

mondk	19 Jul 2002
Divinerguy: what's a "dolt"??? (LOL) Blessings, M.

truthsayer	19 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Sullanciri2002 I really didn't mean to imply any of you were bragging. I did mention "just joking", didn't I ? My current limitation to just three decks might alos mean I'm just too picky or difficult - in the appr. 5 years I've been reading the tarot, I've only found a few decks that really speak to me ... although I often get excited about something new (whereas a bit of carefull preparation before buying, goes a long way to keep from buying something I regret). oh, you're fine sullamciri! i get accused of acting like a know-it-all so much in 3D land that i thought i had done it yet again. i didn't want to alienate anyone by coming across wrongly. i think i could learn a lot from you as far as deck buying goes. i never had any problems controlling my urge for new decks until i got on the net nearly 4 years ago. the past year, i've been particularly weak. but then more decks really seem to call me than when i started!! could it be i wasn't exposed to very many decks for around 25 years? ;) :D

HOLMES	19 Jul 2002
hail it is me HOLMES from the chat room that day :O) the trick is to devise a system that corresponds with tarot in general. see the toth decsk for examples has keywords on the minors like debauchry, sorrow, science. then i saw sylvia abraham keyword system and it helped i didnt' agree with it but it helped how did it help ? it helped me to endevour to devise my own keyword system eheh 0. innerchild 1. higher power 2. inuition 3. emotion(mother) 4. logic(father) 5. heiropahnt/angel 6. lovers/soul mates 7. chariot/ambition 8. strenght/innerlight 9. hermit, channeling. 10 wheel of fortune, luck 11, karma 12. hanged man, reborn 13, change change 14.temperance/balance 15, devil, fear ("fears leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to the dark side" yoda phantom menace) 16, destructer 17. star/hope 18, moon/veil 19 sun/god's love 20 spiritual awakening 21 unversal soul and even when i am at the 12 years into the tarot i still have trouble understanding minors, court cards (can't wait for the court cards by mary k greer it will rule like tarot reversals rule.) and with your own keyword system you can read the tarot for any deck. and then you can rely on your inuition for the cards. example innerchild cards, who can forget big bad wolf as the devil?sleeping beuty as death? even your arthurian legend.. give me a sec i will check my deck. morgon le frey as the moon. for example. yep study your decks card by card every day it will take 78 days but you will be much better for it (you will know which deck to use for which energy of the reading) ohhh learn to mediate the card. ie. go into a mediative posture and enter the card and talk to the card figure.or be in the sit. when you pick a card. i learn that techique from the other arthur tarot, it was very helpful. and from the out of print jungian tarot. study, study it all my friend and follow your guidance. and inuition. it will ultimatly help you become a better reader that is all i do is read i havne't studied perse oh yes i recomend the mystical tarot by rosemary eiliun guilty i think is her name.. guily yeah that is it

midnightmerry	19 Jul 2002
Quote: Originally posted by truthsayer i was just trying to point out that it has taken me many many years of study to get to the point i am. i don't want beginners to give up when they don't "get it" as quickly as they think they should. i have studied tarot many years but i will always feel like a beginner. some ppl who haven't been studying tarot as long as i have can come up w/ such powerful ideas that i feel totally ignorant like i know nothing about tarot. I have also been studying Tarot for many years & could relate very much to what you said here, Truthsayer! I do spend more time reading up on/meditating with/studying the Tarot than I do reading- although lately I've been doing practice reads and putting hypothetical questions out & double-checking the meanings & just assimilating and absorbing. Tarot is an art & like any art, takes time, dedication, and practice, especially for folks like me. I'm intuitive, but it took me a while to absorb the meanings and then fuse them with my own intuitions. I had to learn it was ok to do this. I almost quit at the beginning because I was overwhelmed by all the different meanings & put the Tarot aside for a long time. But being 'called' to Tarot as anyone is who deals with it, of course I took up study again years ago. I love it & find it endlessly fascinating. For newcomers to Tarot, I can only say to read, read, read books. Every book will add a little to your understanding. Then go do some practice readings. I wouldn't try to rush it by any means. One day it will just start to click and you'll find that you've absorbed more than you realized. Midnightmerry

The Too many thread was originally posted on 16 Jul 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.