Learning Exercises

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 07 Mar 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

dangerdork	07 Mar 2003
I got my 13-year-old son his first deck for Christmas (Moon Garden) and he finally got around to asking me to teach him about the cards. I taught him a very brief history, the suits, the Court cards, and the difference between Major and Minor Arcana. I decided to get him learning the Trumps first. Umbrae would be proud of me, I set the LWB aside (But didn't burn it, sorry). Instead, I came up with these exercises / meditations, which he did with each card, one at a time: 1. Look at the card as if you were looking into a magic window onto an actual, real scene. If you were on the telephone with an artist, describe the picture in enough detail for him to try to recreate it. Describe the character, the setting, the costumes, colors, animals and symbols that stand out to you. 2. Look at the character(s)' facial expression(s). What are they thinking or feeling? 3. How did this card make YOU feel when you first saw it? (I think this should come AFTER the objective and subjective descriptions, not just right off) 4. A friend has just riffled through the deck and selected this one card for a "Reading." Give a few words and short phrases as to what you would tell them. (He wrote these down, the beginning I suppose of his tarot journal. He said some really interesting things which gave even me a new perspective on a few of the cards). 5. If this card was a still frame from a movie, make up a story describing the past few minutes of the movie leading up to this moment. We did this with each card up through Justice, it took maybe an hour and a half. I didn't want to overwhelm him with too many cards at one sitting. I intend to go back and review the traditonal / book meanings AFTER we get through the Trumps, and compare them to his own definitions. I'm even considering having him go through this exercise with another deck, or perhaps several. He's really coming up with some amazing interpretations, which I would say are about 80-90% in line with the book meanings. Heck, maybe I'll convert completely and NEVER use the LWBs with him, but let him do this exercise with multiple decks and develop his own intuitive language.... I guess eventually I want him to be versed in the traditions if he wants to seriously pursue tarot, but in the mean time it might be interesting to let him develop his own personal system through these exercises. Anyway, it seemed to be a very effective way for a novice to begin learning tarot, or maybe even the journeyman may find these meditations useful. Just thought I would share with y'all.

Umbrae	09 Mar 2003
How did I miss this post…? Great stuff! …Once you realize that the book is not the sole path to knowledge – doors open up… Truly great stuff!

jlbvt	09 Mar 2003
That sounds like an excellent learning method! I am partial to the Moon Garden Tarot, I use it for almost all of my own reading. Thanks for sharing, I am going to copy it down and save it. ;) JLB

Khatruman	09 Mar 2003
What wonderful exercises you gave your son! They are truly triggers to opening a creative, intuitive mind. This is the kind of stuff I like to give my students every now and then, one of those activities where they think I am giving them a "break" from school work, but which, unbeknownst to them, are actually the kernel of a beautiful mind. Keep working at that. May I offer a suggestion: I think even going up to Justice may have been too much at one sitting. Learning is like muscle training: the real build up comes after the workout. He needs to compost his new experience, let his mind fertilize it in dreams and wake with new understanding. Perhaps three at most at a time will let his mind bring forth great strong fruit, patiently. Peace!

Kiama	09 Mar 2003
This is exactly how I teach Tarot aswell. It has worked a charm for my 11 year old sister (Who was 9 when I taught her) and the people who have attended my Tarot workshops. Oh, and that guy in the pub I met that very night who had never seen a deck before in his life, but by the end of the night gave me one of the most accurate readings I had had up until that point! I found it very helpful to actually, if possible, get the learner and other learners together so they can discuss their views of each card. Since coming to Uni I have met up with lots of people who use this method of learning (Mostly cuz they went to my Tarot workshops...) and many a evening has been spent with them, discussing a single card and writing down each others' insights. I've been studying Tarot 9 years, and I've come across new insights into the individual cards when I didn't think it was possible! I wish you luck with your son, and hope he enjoys his Tarot studies! Kiama

The Learning Exercises thread was originally posted on 07 Mar 2003 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.