Reading when you began vs. reading now...

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 13 May 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

tmgrl2	13 May 2004
We have so many newcomers (like me) and so many experienced readers here on AT. As I stumble through my readings doing my best as I learn, studying, doing readings, exploring different decks, I often wonder.... For those of you with some "experience" under your belt, what has changed now that you have more experience as a reader? I don't have the opportunity to do many "live" readings now and I know I will, when I am not locked into work,home, my computer. But, I am curious: Which of you read and studied literature from the very beginning? Which of you can describe the change in your readings? e.g. more accurate? more intuitive? what impact has additional study, discussion online and/or reading of literature had on you as a reader over time? I know Umbrae has said in the beginning articles here at AT that there are times, when he just stares outward as he waits and other times when things flow...( my words remembering what I read)... Any input we beginners can get here on Talking Tarot can only help us....if nothing else keep us from giving up when we feel we are "not getting it right." ty terri

MeeWah	13 May 2004
Terri: The biggest change is I do more readings for clients at a distance or clients in abstensia than in-person readings. The in-person readings are usually repeat clients & by word-of-mouth including out-of-town visitors brought to me. I have also found that I prefer readings without the presence of the client for the lack of distractions, mainly because the bulk of the reading session is in an altered state of consciousness where I am unable to interact on a normal basis. I zone out & access information; however, the cards are not the only source of information or even the primary source. Sometimes the impressions come so quickly I can barely keep up; other times, they occur over a lapse of time, including sporadically as if in parts. I am not sure of the accuracy since I do not always get feedback. Most readings are for strangers whose exact circumstances are not generally available or limited to a brief two-word or a short sentence. Of what feedback has been received, the majority is positive, including those awaiting the developing situations or other aspects. At the time whence I started reading, I had limited access to books since I was still in grade school. The source of books was the neighborhood public library, friends & a second-hand bookshop about 2 miles from my home on foot. Actually decided to do readings after reading a wee numerology book; then stumbled on a couple of used fortune-telling books & began reading with playing cards. I have read very few books on Tarot; probably more Astrology books than Tarot but Astrology has not held the same attraction. There were few Tarot books then, but had little interest after Arthur Waite's book left me cold--though I appreciate it more now. I think being associated with Aeclectic Tarot has permitted me to more fully immerse my consciousness in Tarot & has contributed immeasureably to the insight. For that, I shall be forever grateful to Solandia's foreward vision & to the members for their contributions. The only advice I can offer is to remain open-minded. Read books--not necessarily Tarot books but any book that strikes the fancy. I read mostly mystery, sci-fi/fantasy & children's books. All contribute to a broader imagination & insight. Edited to correct typo.

jema	14 May 2004
I think one imporatnt way I changed is that I am not so scared of being wrong anymore. Sometimes my readings are way off - and that used to make me feel so bad so I would spend hours on each reading, making sure I emptied out all possibilities. these days I kind of accept that not all my readings will be perfect. i am less nervous about loosing face as a reader and that means my readings are more relaxed.

firemaiden	14 May 2004
Well, I haven't got decades of honest reading experience like Umbrae and Meewah. I shouldn't even be answering this, LOL, I've done a pile of silly readings, and a some live chat readings. But let me tell you, its been a wild ride. The first readings were sort of a test, "okay, lets see what these silly cards can do, if anything". I had no attachment to whether they worked or not. Some people found my readings 'accurate' - I thought, okay whatever, that's up to them. Little by little I'm starting to get this feeling when looking at a card, in reference to a person, like "oh-that's her, and this is what's happening" and there is this twilight-zone sense of "knowing" that lacks "normal" doubt. Yes, terri, I'm getting more wacked out. :D Oh, re: books. Crowley's Book of Thoth is what piqued my curiosity about tarot. After Crowley, all else tastes like sawdust. I did however like Pollack's 78 Degrees of Wisdom, and sometims refer to Greer's Tarot Reversals. Most influential of all to me, however on how to read tarot, I must confess that were Process threads. Basically every thing Umbrae has ever written are what 1) got me interested in reading, 2) gave me the courage to try, 3) opened the doors, and 4) served as a guide.

yve	14 May 2004
My favorite book is (and it's subjective, everyone has their own personal favorite) Phyllis Vega's Power Tarot. What I like about it is each card has a general interpretation, and then the meanings are broken down into specific areas such as romance, work etc...the interpretations of this book fit me and how I feel the interpretations of the cards. They are very much interpretations I would choose. I've gotten a little more experienced and confident, and now add some of my own personal inflection/intuitions into the meanings. I've learned to expand on them using Phyllis' basic meanings. I gain much of my experience from this forum, exchanging readings with others, so that I am getting faster and more confident at tmy readings. I did start doing e-mail readings, but like many of your experiences, the clients don't always leave feedback, so sometimes I'm not sure how I am doing. The ones who do leave feedback, leave very positive feedback. I will probably continue to use e-mail readings until I'm confident enough to stop relying on Power Tarot....I would love to do live readings....

tmgrl2	14 May 2004
I got up early and printed out all of above posts after reading....wish to comment when I get home from work...this is so interesting, since I am going through a period of doubt about whether Tarot is "right" for me...and, perhaps, I need to just be patient....and learn from those more experienced where Tarot might lead me....I enjoy the Chat here and other forums, but really look to the Tarot Forums to learn and practice. Sometimes our local communities and opportunities just aren't there and I live in New York. Even Mimirs...lives far enough away...but we may have a NY meet-up.. more later...printint out to read .. ty all for your feedback.. terri

tmgrl2	14 May 2004
Thank you all for posting…This is a very helpful thread for me…especially since I have been reading mostly for people I don’t know online…knowing I am not alone in this is comforting right now…and hopefully, as we continue to add to this thread we can all learn from each other…I’m going to respond to some of what each of you have said so far: MeeWah…Your post gave me GREAT comfort since I was afraid that if I didn’t do “live” readings I wouldn’t improve…Truthfully, I feel, I too can go deeper within when I am alone with the cards and my notebook.. I have done some readings recently that have come very fast to me…others not so, and some blocks…fortunately, we can ask for feedback here and I do like getting it…it is a shaping influence for me. Your model as a reader also helps me “set aside” my penchant for wanting to grab a book to help. I, too, am forever grateful to Solandia for this gift of AT and the members….No books or even live readings could give me what I have gained here in the various forums….. I am preparing a Reading Thread asking members to do a two-card reading about their involvement with AT….should be up in a day or two… jema: I am still somewhat worried about being wrong…and I am ….but that is getting better….I am learning that even readings that have been done for me, that I thought were wrong when I first heard/read them…were right and I needed some time to pass in order to see that…also some of my readings aren’t clear to the sitter/querent…and I want to know that, since I really get flying when the cards start to talk…but it’s part of my style…so don’t want to give it up…You are right …once again…it’s about progress not perfection. firemaiden: You already know you have had an important role in my learning of Tarot and in my staying here when I have been discouraged. I thank you from my heart and send you special blessings for the gift of your presence to all of us. fm, your readings are hilarious, humorous, light-hearted…but never SILLY…and there is always some meaty wisdom that emerges from every reading I have seen of yours…sometimes you “hide” it in the humor but the serious message is there for one who wishes to read carefully. I, too, have learned a great deal from the Process/Mechanics of Reading Threads here. I have them in my favorites on my browser so I can pull up and read or re-read. Umbrae’s wisdom has been without question among the greatest influence on me…you led me towards these gems. And, from time to time, I call him forward to a thread to add what I know will be some lateral way of looking at a situation, but right on target. So, Thank you, Umbrae, if you’re out there….along with all of the moderators!... and all of the others who have contributed wonderful knowledge, personal stories, fun and games posts, readings…I do love the readings we do for ourselves and others and the reading and study circles. yve: Power Tarot….going to get it….ty….I am still using some of my basic books, some of my French books for TdM along with the thread information….but trying out my wings of intuition as the first part of every reading I do now… Thank you all so far….I know I am only one of many beginners who have similar questions so hope this helps many more who read but don’t post. terri

Kiama	15 May 2004
I know I have changed tremendously since I first started reading Tarot, but that is probably more due to age than anything else. I started studying Tarot at 9, was doing readings for myself and friends regularly at 12, and now I'm nearly 20. (Eeeekkk!) So, back at the age of 12, you can guess what questions were being asked. "Does Paul fancy me?" "Will Robert ask me out?" "Will I get a dance at the disco on Friday night?" So, that's one notable difference: the question content. These days I tend to do deeper, more spiritual-focused spreads, choice-making spreads, and still love readings but more serious ones! Back at the beginning, I was also dead scared of 'doing it wrong' or interpreting it wrong. These days I'm not, as I know that either I'm accurate, or that if I'm wrong it doesn't matter: we're all human. My readings are also more intuitive these days, and I gave up referring to the book years ago. I also think that because I have studied more and read more about the cards, as well as gaining more real-life experience, I give deeper, more detailed readings. I can see a plethora of things, images, sayings, people, in each card, where before I saw one line or a few keywords. It makes a lot of difference to the reading. I'm also a lot more creative with my readings. Whereas before I'd hunt down a pre-designed spread in a book to use, today I'll make one up myself there and then, for that reading, or I'll pre-design my own for later use. Sometimes I won't use a spread, at other times I'll create the spread after the cards are laid down. I'm also not afraid to have fun with the cards these days: before, they were completely 'supernatural' to me, but these days they're just everyday objects that you can have a lot of fun with, either through fun readings ("will I have to have a filling when I go to the dentist?") or Tarot games. So, I think that's mostly how I've changed... Great thread terri! Blessings, Kiama

Shy Priestess	15 May 2004
I agree with you tmgrl2. I'm very new to Tarot (although I've been intrigued for years and have received a number of very good readings myself). I find Aeclectic to be like a fascinating book that I sometimes can't put down (despite the neck ache and tired eyes)! ;) lol I think, as you suggest, what makes it so rich is the breadth of experience here. It's great that beginners are as vital to the mix as those more experienced, as the beginners often draw out the vast experience of those who have been reading for years. And equally, I'm sure that a beginner's insight or question can shed a new light on something for even the most experienced! We are all learning. And the feedback really adds to this. I'm glad you raised this. It's interesting to see what has changed over time for those with a lot of experience. SP :)

tmgrl2	15 May 2004
Kiama and Shy Priestess...ty for you replies...shall print to read later and respond.. terri

tmgrl2	15 May 2004
Kiama, thank you for replying...this is a very comforting thread for me and I see some newcomers are posting too..that's great! when you said referring to "the book" did you mean the LWB? I don't use any of the LWBs I have so far......but I do find some of the books I have on Tarot helpful...I started a thread on S. Simon's book...just love her chapter about the "eternal present"....I feel some of the literature out now is enhancing and I enjoy reading about the history as well... You do lovely readings! I am taking some encouragement here to really try my intuitive reading without any references....then I sometimes check a few elements. I do have fun with the cards...sometimes I get a bit carried away. For me, I need to make sure I am coherent (LOL)...but the readings about "fun" topics are a good way to "let loose." I agree with you there. Shy Priestess TY for posting, also. Most of what I have learned has come from AT threads....I do agree, beginner's insights can often shed good light on topics for a sitter. I was hoping new members would read this and find encouragement....It's working for me! terri

joya250	15 May 2004
hi tmgrl2 ~ Thank you for starting this thread. I've been working/playing/reading/studying tarot for close to four years now. I can definitely say I've changed my relation to the cards during that time. When I started I read EVERYTHING I could get my hands on. I learned all the card meaning, memorized the "key phrases", tried to remember the astrological/element/etc. correspondences, etc. As wonderful as that was (I love brain food) I realized that I wasn't truly "reading" the cards, I was more like "reciting" pre-existing information. While that wasn't bad, and the readings I did were relatively accurate, I knew that there was something more I had yet to tap into: my intuition. THAT became the real challenge. The mixture of quieting my mind, being fully present, and "listening", as well as having the confidence to just "go with it". I realized that, heck, that's tough!!! I also knew that opening up my psychic centers wasn't something I could learn by reading books. It was a process... and what appears like it will be a life-long process. I put away the cards. They had brought me to a higher level, but before I could progress further -- I had to LIVE. I had to experience my new-found knowledge first hand. Yes, I understand intellectually what the "Temperance" (for example) represents. But what does that energy FEEL like? How does it manifest in my life? Am I am to distinguish the sublties of energy? That's where I am with tarot right now. I still read occasionally... and thankfully (cheers Solandia) I am able to do so through this forum and reading exchange. Helps keep my "reading skills" from rusting! And I know I will pick it up more fully again one day. When I do I'll be able to advance to even higher levels. What else have I learned? That EVERYBODY has the capability to access these levels of intuition. You say that you are not sure if it is for you. What makes you say that? What are your expectations? Are you trying to experience the tarot through somebody else's experience? You may decide not to read the cards. You may decide not to read the books. But no matter what, you've already been impacted by tarot. Let the magic work through you in which ever way is best for you. You'll know what to do. Have I rambled long enough? joya

tmgrl2	15 May 2004
Hi joya250... Thank you for coming to the posts to share...That's still me...reading books and learning...but I hope I am beginning to listen to that voice of intuition....when I was younger...I was more open...then for a long period of time, with nose to grindstone, I worked...and somehow, the use of my intuition with a "tool" like Tarot...fell to the side...so I am going to stay the haul with Tarot...don't know where it will bring me...but it will bring me nowhere if I stop reading and trusting....ty...good advice... terri hope to see you in the posts...

lark	15 May 2004
When I first started I read all the books I could find too. I think at last count I have about 140+ books. I decided one day to write up a list of meanings for each card based on my book meanings... I got as far as the first card... the two of pentacles. It became so confusing and so contradictory that I gave up in disgust. If one book said black the other said white. I realized that I either had to find one author and stick with those meanings or trust my instincts as to what the card ment to me. I trusted my instincts~ wrote up a book of my own meanings and have refered to that ever since. As the years have gone on cards have taken on specific meanings for me (like the 3 of swords rx meaning infertility.) If I would have stuck with only book meanings that card would never have manifested itself in that way. And I wouldn't have had the confidence to listen to my intuition and suggest that meaning to my client. I think the biggest thing I've learned is to let the cards have free range. It's nice when a card comes up as something out of the ordinary and it's confirmed by someone elses book, but it's even more wonderful when a card suggests a specific meaning just for you and you have the guts to go with it, and it rewards you by turning up as that meaning over and over again in your readings. For me that is making a personal, intimate contact with the card that no book can ever give me. I'm not knocking reading and book study...I love it, but at some point you have to trust yourself and put the books away and realize there are no wrong answers if they come from deep within you.

tmgrl2	15 May 2004
((((Lark)))) I was seeing myself as I read the beginning of your post. I have about 35 books...I, too, started with writing down meanings in a book about each card...I started with The Fool, got up to the Empress (this was before I had as many books as I have now)...then, I stopped also....I am beginning to trust myself more...I remember the first time I got the RW 3Swords...and I saw it as a healing of mind, body and spirit....I didn't see it as a painful card...it fell in a position where I just knew it meant my Q was going to heal....perhaps with some burden of pain getting there, but it was the healed heart I saw... Same with RW 5 Pents....each time it came up, different meanings came forward....I need to continue to trust this will happen. Of late, that is what I am doing...but I have quite a ways to go to read with some sense of security...without thinking "What if I 'm way off here?" TY..... The answer to my own question...If I'm wrong, so be it....I will just continue to do my best and try to continue to find my "voice."\ I value your sharing this...I know others will also... terri

Phoenix Rising	15 May 2004
I wasn't sure if I was supposed to reply to this spread as I'm not as experienced as some of the others and relatively new to tarot. But my 50cents worth. I was just like everybody else to begin with and reading and studying every book I could get my hands on. And all the different meanings confused me. But what changed, is that my grandfather(in spirit) gave me a message, he said "You're too much in the head,(reading and studying) you have to learn to "feel" " I knew exactly what he was tallking about. So I gave up the books, and just learned to see the images, because all the answers are reflected in the environment. I learnt that too, the same weekend he gave me the message. So even though I've been studying tarot, only 5 and a half months. It has certainly improved, mainly through confidence, AT, and a trust that we are all connected, made a big difference to my readings. So from beginning until now, I would say huge improvements, mainly through trust in what I feel, thanks to Grandad! I must itmit that I find it easier doing readings online, than in person. Probably because it seems to flow better typing, than coming out of my mouth.

joya250	15 May 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Phoenix Rising So I ... just learned to see the images, because all the answers are reflected in the environment. I learnt that too, the same weekend he gave me the message. yay! well put!!!

tmgrl2	15 May 2004
I agree, PR and joya.....we need to trust... If I get that Page of Swords any more I'm going to stamp my feet and walk off in a huff...LOL...(It keeps coming up when I do readings...either for others or for me)... TY for you input... terri no one is too "new" to respond to anything here at AT....that is what I believe AT strives for...a safe place for people to express their opinions and ideas....

lark	15 May 2004
[quote]Originally posted by tmgrl2 If I get that Page of Swords any more I'm going to stamp my feet and walk off in a huff...LOL...(It keeps coming up when I do readings...either for others or for me)... For me the Page of Swords is ~student and curiosity. He seeks others out for their knowledge. He creates a flow of ideas because of his questions. And he helps us clearify our thinking. I think that sounds very much like YOU! :) That's why he keeps coming up for you.

TemperanceAngel	15 May 2004
Good question, terri :) For me I never read any books, just did readings for myself every day 1-3 card spreads and kept a journal for about 7 years, this really was the biggest help for me. I also practiced on my friends, all the time, when I could. I would go in and out of phases... One day I was doing a Celtic Cross and it just *clicked*. My mother-in-law (30 yrs. experience) says: Go to as many readers as you can, see what you like about their reading and don't like. I agree with her, it helps a lot. I mean you don't go really for the advice, although that's part of the fun, but to check out their styles. Practice, practice and more practice....Tarot is a journey and we are always learning... A friend at work who has read for about 50 yrs (yes, she is amazing!) said to my students on the morning that I began running my first tarot course: I wish I was doing the course, because you never know everything and can always learn something! What a sweetie :D There was also wisdom and truth in her statement... I think as well, it's not just about doing readings when you practice, but laying the cards out and looking at the combos and how they interact with each...it's so much fun and interesting. I never planned to become a Tarot reader, but in the beginning I found the Tarot such an invaluable help for me with my personal growth, and I am sure Kiama would agree with me? I didn't start as young as Kiama, but still began at 17. One day I made the big step of reading from a shop, my MIL calls it "initiation by fire..." From there it has been a steady progress forward in so many ways. I had studied Tarot for about 10 years before I read 'professionally.' I think when you start seeing the cycles of your life after in a year ot two in the cards, it really starts to make sense (or did for me...) (Lark, I am so impressed by your book collection...wow...) XTAX

Chronata	15 May 2004
The Page of swords is also one who is building a network...like a web... of answers and resourses from many different places! This is also very much like you, terri! When I first started doing readings...I didn't so much read books as take classes. I found a lot of different teachers, gurus, tarot instructors and guides. Luckily, even though I was really young, I was intellegent enough back then to realize that none of these people had the absolute authority on the subject of how to read tarot (although a few certainly thought they were!) So I gleaned all the information that seemed relevant to me at the time...and one good thing about class worksheets instead of books is that you really can take only what you deem necessary and discard the rest. Like Lark, I also made my own book...going through all the notes and including my own thoughts on each and every card. That was the most helpful thing...because it gave me a mix of different ideas (some even contradictory) about each card... and as I memorized these pages, in my own handwriting...what was the "official meanings" and what was my own interpretations, all sort of blurred together and became one meaning.(a really multilayered meaning...to be sure!) and as time went on...I norticed an interesting phenomenon...that as I read more and more for strangers...certain cards became colored with each reading experience... in other words...after discussing with the client about what the card's traditional meaning was, and then hearing abpout thier personal story...that card would then become colored with an additional layer of meaning. Now today...things are slightly different. More astute...deeper. .As I grew in my reading experience...I also grew to trust my own intuition more... So that now, when I do a reading...I don't discount the pictures, names, words, and past experiences that can suddenly come to my mind when I put a card down. Adding this layer to the already huge database of meanings in my head...well...each reading takes on more and more layers of thought...from the initial "surface" reactions on down to deeper, and more significant levels. And add to this a spread that I developed that can be read in multiple ways...and well... I guess the biggest difference between Then and Now is that a reading I could breeze through in 10 minutes...oh say, 20 years ago...now would take up to two hours! (or more!) :D

tmgrl2	16 May 2004
[quote]Originally posted by lark Quote: How kind of you! lark.... I'm printing this out to keep it as a reminder....I saw myself at first with all the Page of Swords cards that came up...as young, energetic, bright, ...sometimes too much of a "kid." But since I am hopefully growing...I am going to add in your thoughts above....TY terri

tmgrl2	16 May 2004
TY, TA I love your suggestion about going out to different readers...as you know, I am new this year to Tarot...although not to "reading" using color and handwritings...when I was much younger... I had a wonderful mentor, a psychic in Florida, who was of great help...then I let all of it slip aside, as I got involved with making a living.. But I hope this summer to follow up on your suggestion of going to different readers! There are several in my area...during the year I can barely get to work and take care of my husband, but with the summer off...that's a definite follow-up for me. I don't know where I will go with "live" readings...time will tell. I retire next January and will have some time on my hands then...But I have been doing some live readings. You're right....they are totally different...so I will continue to plod along..making progress I hope...ty for your input.. terri

tmgrl2	16 May 2004
TY, Chronata More good suggestions...this is so helpful for someone starting out with Tarot... I still have some of my "color" reading journals from the 1980's... I find also that meanings "build"....learned ones at first, then elements that pop forward in a reading...then they somehow do merge internally... I like the idea of speaking with the Q during the reading to get input...Umbrae's "hand them a yellow pad to take notes" idea as part of that... I can see how spending more time on a reading will come along. On some of mine, I have spent hours....but part of it was research. I do the intuitional piece, then the interactive piece of card position in spread....and if it's online, some look-ups. I did several live readings that took about 15 minutes for a three card spread... I need to build experience. Kris Hadar's website has some information I am using also now...re Tarot and re Numerology...in English..so one more resource... ty..for you input....and for another addition to the Page of Swords.. terri

VGimlet	16 May 2004
When I first started, I was really young, 11, and my questions were mostly like Kiama's - "will Rick ask me out", "will I ever get a boyfriend", LOL. I also used the LWB, and the book that went with my deck a lot, because I didn't know about intuitive readings. I was the only person I knew who was interested in tarot, and my resources at that age were limited. I wish I'd had a mentor when I was young who would have told me to read intuitively, and burned my LWB. :P In between then and now, I read a lot, and not just about tarot. I found tarot books that helped me learn about the symbolism, and gave me ideas about how to expand my knowledge, and different ways to study the cards. And I practiced. A lot. I am still learning now, 31 years later, even though I use my intuition, and not necessarily meanings from a book. :) Just like learning a secondary language, the more I read the cards, the more comfortable I am. When I go for a while without reading, I get a bit rusty. The last time I read for my sister, she complimented me on how well I read for her, and we talked about how much my reading had changed from when we were kids, and her question was "will I get in trouble for drinking the last cherry cola?"

tmgrl2	16 May 2004
TY for sharing, VGimlet Somehow, today has been very special here at AT....With your posting and all of those before it...and others in some other threads started recently....I am feeling very much terri

HOLMES	17 May 2004
i have two reading phrases, 1. from beginning to when i joined aeclectic when i was a teenager, i spend some time reading the background of each tarot card in eden gray books, and got some other books nothing mainstream however, just how to create your own tarot cards, the books that came with the decks and at the time i turned down the tarot for yourself and the 78 degrees . why ? i was looking for differnt versions of tarot and didnt' want to read the same information about the same cards. 2. when i did read , i read with the books for about the first 2-3 years, and it was very time consuming for i inteprated the cards menaings, and some times it was quite boring for me and the client. but i refused to give up my cruth eheh . i used my hands a lot when i read til the point someone asked me do you have an italian staying at your house and so i became consciousness of my hands. 3. as i developed my style i did go to some tarot readers and compared it. i do forget what i thought i think one impressed me for she charged 45 dollars but the reading was an hour. and she was very indepth. while an other was very fast, and used initition as well as old school reading style (took out the death and devil of her deck ) . 4. i gave up reading for a while and i focused on channeling and higherself but what i didnt' realize is it improved my connection when i read iwth the tarot. part two , then i came to aeclectic. if one would compare my readings back then til now i would like to think some improvements was made. 1. a system of relating the cards by adding and subtracting. 2. some overall improvement in flow for i began to relish long distance readings as opposed to live readings. (hey i am virgo the hermit after all eheh ) .

tmgrl2	17 May 2004
TY, Holmes....very fine comments....this progression seems to be what has happened to a number of people... At first, I don't know how one could read without some help...but like MeeWah said....it just wasn't available and she was "forced" to rely on intuition...with so much out now, it's just too tempting to do more "book" work. That is a true goal of mine...I love the book learning for itself...I have always loved studying and that's fine... TGoodness, though for AT....I am definitely beginning to go with my intuitions...more now..but it's only been a short while so I hope this will continue to develop.. AT is an amazing opportunity. Years ago, it was just the few people one might hook up with I guess in a community.. terri

joya250	17 May 2004
Quote: Originally posted by tmgrl2 TGoodness, though for AT....I am definitely beginning to go with my intuitions...more now..but it's only been a short while so I hope this will continue to develop.. AT is an amazing opportunity. Years ago, it was just the few people one might hook up with I guess in a community.. hear! hear! :D The internet has definitely opened up the exchange of ideas and the formation of like-minded individuals. It's incredible how much can be learned from this connection with others. :) joya

tmgrl2	17 May 2004
joya...sometimes I can't even imagine that we never had the internet.... but then....I remember when I didn't have television....until I was 12... how fortunate we are to be alive today. terri

Moongold	22 Jun 2004
Hi terri, I am not really experienced either – just two years – but I love reading. I read a book on the Tarot one weekend and purchased my first deck a few days later. 78 Degrees of Wisdom was the most significant book to start with, and it is the only tarot book I’ve read cover to cover. I have about 50 other books of various kinds that I read in part from time to time. I was one who needed to read a bit at the beginning for basic knowledge. I still like to read to stimulate ideas and memory and just out of interest. At the moment I’m reading Meditations on the Tarot . I love Irene Gad’s Tarot and Individuation . It’s a brilliant book on Tarot and the kabala and uses the Marseilles as the primary deck. It also includes much information on astrology, alchemy, Jungian perspectives and general symbolism. Quite frankly it is one of the best reference books on the Tarot and I’d recommend it to anyone. Tarot is a very personal journey and everyone is different. I love reading and the biggest change in the two years I’ve been reading has been in confidence. I think this comes from experience and practice. I am finding things flow a lot more now but it depends on how I am in myself. I always ask for guidance in readings and trust that I’ll be used simply as a channel for the benefit of the querent. I think I am becoming a more intuitive reader but know also that this is a road I will travel for the rest of my life and trust that I’ll continue to develop. It is a journey of delight. Many blessings ~ Moongold

tmgrl2	22 Jun 2004
Thank you, Moongold for adding your thoughts. I still love to read and study..(still? I just started Tarot this February!) I am working my way through Meditations on the Tarot and I have Gad's book , as well. I start one, then something catches my eye in another and I switch for awhile. But Meditations is one I want to read all the way through. I doing more live readings. As I tell people I read, they are asking me for readings. I really love it! I don't feel nervous, but then I know these people and the already trust me (LOL) The real test will come when I can read for people live I don't know. Online reading is fun,too. I am definitely trusting my intuition more. I find sometimes after a live reading, something else comes to me while I am driving home and I want to add on... But I do love all of the Tarot: AT, the Forums, the people here, my online readings, translations from some of my books in French, the Study groups, live readings, the Fun & Games. I'm trying to keep my fingers in all areas, so I don't get "stuck" in just one area. It will be interesting once I retire to see where Tarot takes me. I have no plans, but I'm sure life will offer up opportunities. It has never failed to do so in the past. terri

tao51	22 Jun 2004
In the beginning I relied on other people's interpretations. Now I feel more confident with my thoughts. It is very helpful to read other people's opinion because it now validates or expands my impressions.--Tao

tmgrl2	22 Jun 2004
Yes, tao51...we all are still learning. That's probably one of the greatest gifts here at AT. If we can only keep the beginner's mind, we will be open to so much that is set before us. t

linabeet	24 Jun 2004
In the beginning I relied heavily on the books and knowledge. After some intensive studies last year of a mystical nature I made a leap into using intuition as my basis. Letting the knowledge and books add when they may, but now I use it primarily as a tool for speaking directly to my intuition. Sometimes I'll even just bypass the cards - for questions about me anyway. Phases of study seem to come and go for me. I'll do lots of intense reading and chatting about it, taking in lots of new info for a while, then I tire of it and don't use the books for a while. Also tarot is less scary now that I've developed a relationship with it. I know neither of us are going anywhere and we tell the truth to each other enough of the time to keep at it.

Little Baron	24 Jun 2004
My initial response to this thread was something I said in another post yesterday. When I first bought my deck, I didn't read any of the literature - just had the LWB, which often didn't make much sense to me so I used my intuition. At that time, I thought that that was wrong because nobody told me otherwise and I thought I needed to know the LWB meanings by heart to have mastered the tarot. That was some eight or nine years ago. One of the things that has changed is that I have a good thirty or so tarot books on my bookshelf now and have read or taken away information from most of them. Even though it is important to know a little about each card, the understanding through other authors can sometimes cloud my intuition and make the cards feel stale - 'look before you leap', 'motherhood' and all of those keywords and phrases that we read in so many books jump into my mind when a card turns up and it is hard to detatch from that sometimes and approach a card by just the image only. However, after looking at my Rohrig deck yesterday, things did seem different. That was my first deck and the deck that I read with intuitively. I took to it again in the same way that I did initially, knowing now, that the intuitive response was not the wrong way to do it. I don't even know where my LWB for that deck is. Thankfully, even though it seems to be working ok with the Rohrig, I think that is the main change for me; lacking the innocense that I had initially. The innocense that made it exciting and fresh. It is still both of those things or I wouldn't do it, but it is different. Best wishes Yaboot

tmgrl2	24 Jun 2004
TY, Yaboot... I have at least 30 books now, too. I do as you. I take parts of what I want from them, and eventually, I internalize the parts that work with me. But lately, I am comfortable doing live readings, even looking forward to them. Sometimes, something complety new pops into the reading. I love that. terri

Satori	24 Jun 2004
Hi Girl, Well, since you ask, I came to the Tarot kicking and screaming. How could anyone want to torture themselves learning the meanings of 78 cards, then have to learn them all over again reversed? I just could not understand people who were ga-ga over the Tarot. My Mom bought me a set of runes in high school. Oh how I loved them. Putting my hand into the bag, feeling the stones, and then tossing them out onto the floor (and having to go find them under my bed or the couch....) I was hooked on divination right then. A friend of mine had a friend who read with the Motherpeace and she read for me once. She was so good. She'd been reading since she was 13, for all I know she is on the forum, we've lost track of each other. Her reading was so accurate, and she was probably the best reader I've ever sat across from. At a "New Age Fair" I was introduced to tarot thru the Voyager and a year later I got Voyager Tarot for a birthday gift. What a way to start. I just loved it tho, and now I hardly use it anymore. Then, finally I was read for by a wonderful woman who was a schoolteacher and ran a very nice witchy store in a small town that I finally saw the light and bought the Universal RWS deck and the Clarson book. I was on my way! And let me use all of you to apologize to the readers who I laughed at when they hinted I'd be reading some day! So sorry...this must be Tarot's revenge...making me love it after denying it so many years... Several year later, I joined an online course through Barnes and Noble using the Joan Bunning book and I haven't looked back since. I joined AT around the same time as the Bunning course and I think I printed out a set of keywords or something and then never signed on again until recently. I read for years intuitively. My resistance to Tarot centered around having to learn all those cards so I just said to myself, forget it. Don't learn them, just play. And I did, but I always found myself reading the book that came with the deck and the just buying more and more books..and decks. And like you girl, spot reading most of them and really reading only a couple. So now, I know the basic meanings of the cards, but some I know better than others and my own meanings are still being developed. So then firemaiden invoked Umbrae on a thread of mine and I went back and read some of his posts and now I'm doing the Umbrae Tarot study course....except that I bought the new book by Elizabeth Hazel, Tarot Decoded, Understanding and Using Dignities and Correspondences, and I think i'll read it through. But the difference right now for me is all about attitude and intent. My attitude is to help myself become a better channel for positive change in myself and others. My intent is to heal myself and others. But I must tell you and I know all of you understand this, every reading, whether for me or another is really for me. I'm so grateful for the people who open their hearts to me and allow me to share in their lives for those moments because I know that I'm learning and growing so much because of their sharing. So it is a huge gift to be a Tarot reader, and not one that I take on lightly. This post is getting lengthy, eh? Thanks girl, great thread.

Satori	24 Jun 2004
Quick, but funny story.... I think I really got bit by the Tarot bug by using an Old Maid deck. I was in New Orleans for a conference and I had to go to a costume ball with all the other conference participants. Well, we were in New Orleans and I was on a budget, so I went as a gypsy fortune teller, right down to the bone necklace and a pouch at my waist with a deck of old maid cards. This was a conference of Blood Donor Recruiters and Blood Bank administrators. Anyway, I was doing readings for people with my Old Maid deck. Shuffling and laying out cards and telling people funny little stories as I laid out the cards. Well I read for this one guy and he got a little freaked out. So I don't know to this day what I said, but there were all these people who wanted readings by me with this Old Maid deck! At the time I still didn't have a Tarot deck, but the memory of that night and of people wanting readings even tho they knew I was using an Old Maid deck stayed with me. I wish I still had that deck....LOL.

tmgrl2	25 Jun 2004
Quote: Originally posted by elf But the difference right now for me is all about attitude and intent. My attitude is to help myself become a better channel for positive change in myself and others. My intent is to heal myself and others. But I must tell you and I know all of you understand this, every reading, whether for me or another is really for me. I'm so grateful for the people who open their hearts to me and allow me to share in their lives for those moments because I know that I'm learning and growing so much because of their sharing. So it is a huge gift to be a Tarot reader, and not one that I take on lightly. This post is getting lengthy, eh? Thanks girl, great thread. Not at all lengthy, elf. Thank you for sharing your history of learning Tarot. I love the part about being told you would read one day. I was told at a psychic fair recently that I would not be using the Tarot for long, that once I retired I would be working in Hospice, helping others cross over. Watch it happen. Your last paragraph summarizes how I feel about Tarot now. We really do give because that is how our own cup fills again. And it is a gift I do not take lightly either. At times, I think I should stop doing it completely. But not yet. terri

tmgrl2	25 Jun 2004
I love you New Orleans story with the Old Maid deck, elf! Something similar happend to me when I was about 20 and doing graphology, and reading handwritings. I got all decked up for a college fair, took out a crystal ball, wore the outfit, and had takers come in and write out samples of handwriting and their signatures for me on blank paper. Well, word got out and people were lined up way back. They said I gave such an accurate description of who they were from their handwriting. Of course, as I do with everything, I had studied it in some depth, as well. But, as with Tarot, things came forward and flowed out and I would say to myself, "Where did that come from?" So if we all look at our histories, this "bent" of ours has probably manifested in many ways as we were growing up. terri

Satori	25 Jun 2004
Quote: Originally posted by tmgrl2 Your last paragraph summarizes how I feel about Tarot now. We really do give because that is how our own cup fills again. And it is a gift I do not take lightly either. At times, I think I should stop doing it completely. But not yet. terri TerriGirl you worry me sometimes. I don't know why you think you should stop Tarot...but I hope you don't anytime soon. Otherwise I'm coming to your area and will bellow around town 'till I find you and try to make you come back.... *smiling wistfully*

tmgrl2	25 Jun 2004
Quote: Originally posted by elf TerriGirl you worry me sometimes. I don't know why you think you should stop Tarot...but I hope you don't anytime soon. Otherwise I'm coming to your area and will bellow around town 'till I find you and try to make you come back.... *smiling wistfully* Not yet, my friend, not yet....but we never know where life will take us...Too much more to do with Tarot for now... That's why it's interesting to hear about people's experiences over time with Tarot... Besides...I don't think I want to meet you bellowing (LOL) for coffee perhaps... tmgrl

The Reading when you began vs. reading now... thread was originally posted on 13 May 2004 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.