Maybe you can help?
Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 15 Jun 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.
| Squishthefish |
15 Jun 2004 |
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Hello. I'm just starting to learn Tarot. I just wanted to know how people relate to Tarot. What it means to them. So if you'd like to answer, please leave a post. Thank you.
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| Pook |
15 Jun 2004 |
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If you are asking what I think you are, wanting to know what brought us to the world of tarot, asking about how it speaks to us..... you will get some very personal responses. I, like so many of us here, use tarot mainly for self-discovery. There are so many things about myself that I have yet to figure out and understand. I want to know why things happen, what I can do about it, where this path will lead me..... Ros started an interesting thread titled 'Every card has the right answer' and I find this to be so true. Regardless of the question asked, whatever card comes up will hold some truth for you. It is the delving into myself process that has me really attached to the tarot. I have to ask myself questions about the cards revealed and how the meaning (whether textbook or intuitive) applies to me right now. And it always does...and no doubt aways will in some way.
Asking questions is what the tarot is all about. Even if you don't know the right question...chances are one of 78 cards will point it out for you.
I am still in the very early learning stage myself. I have only been reading for about 6 months (this time) and am completely addicted....because it enables me to see the truth.
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| fairyhedgehog |
15 Jun 2004 |
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Hi Squishthefish (interesting name :) )
I don't really know how I heard about tarot, but about three years ago (I think it was) I got interested in having a tarot deck. I found this place and people here helped me choose my first deck. But I kept finding other decks I liked ... and I haven't looked back :)
I like to read for myself but not for other people. It is quite a secret hobby for me as my family would disapprove. What I seem to love most is a) making up stories with the cards and b) looking at the art work online.
I'd be interested to hear your own thoughts on how you relate to tarot.
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| Squishthefish |
15 Jun 2004 |
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Well, thank you guys, this is really helpful.
I havn't really found a way to relate to Tarot. I just decided a few days ago that I wanted to start learning about it. I guess maybe it's wanting to understand more about the world, the moon and the universe. I've always just live my days with a guess, and maybe Tarot could help me with some guidence. Show me things I've missed. Before I get a deck, I want to understand Tarot, or maybe getting a deck will help? I'm confused as where I should start, maybe you could also help?
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| Luminessence |
15 Jun 2004 |
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I would suggest getting a deck and jumping right in. The easiest way to develop a relationship with the cards is to use them. As you start using the cards, you'll start understanding the tarot a lot more :) It seems like you're saying you're new to tarot, so I would suggest the Rider-Waite deck, since it's probably the most accessible to beginners and is referenced pretty much everywhere. But if the Rider-Waite deck doesn't appeal to you, there are a lot of decks in the same tradition that might appeal to you.
A listing of decks that are good for beginners: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/beginner.shtml
A listing of Rider-Waite-stype decks: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/rider-waite-clones.shtml
Aeclectic Tarot's listing of tarot decks by category: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/categories.shtml
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| Flavio |
15 Jun 2004 |
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Hi Squishthefish!
Did you feel the Tarot calling or are you only curious about it? if you can't decide maybe it could help you get a reading so you can have a better idea if you still need to learn of if you only needed some answers.
If you decide to learn, you need a deck, as it is your first deck I suggest you get a Rider Waite deck or at least one "clone" deck, why? because most of the books are based in this system, later on, when you have established your basic knowledge you can get another deck that suits you better and make you feel more comfortable because of its art or the use of a theme you like and feel connected, or in the best case you can have 2 decks the Rider-Waite and the one you like to study in parallel.
In Aeclectic Tarot you can read the basic meanings of cards, most of the decks include a small booklet (called the little white book LWB) with cards meanings and 1 or 2 spreads samples.
Learn how to use the "Search" function of the forum, this will help you find the information you need.
Best wishes.
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| lunalafey |
15 Jun 2004 |
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Fins-on, Squish! :D
getting a deck is the best way to relate to it...
Learning all the cards meanings is a task, but if you have a deck and just play with it, you will learn it's language.
What happens is something like this.....
Your sitting there and are worried about a job interview or a finals exam you face in a matter of minutes. Your flipping through your deck to ease the nerves and a card drops.
You pick it up and it is the Star.....the deck just communicated to you to relax, enjoy & keep your hopes high! So you sit back and let go of the worry- your test comes & goes like no big thing...and you pass.
That's just an example of how tarot can be.
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| ferrous |
15 Jun 2004 |
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I'm a bit like fairyhedgehog in that my immediate family would disapprove. I was brought up to believe that the tarot was evil & in my own narrow-minded way, never sought to find out any different until I was much older.
Then I made friends with someone who was into Tarot in rather a large way. I'd been under the impression that all people who were into that sort of thing were 'airy-fairy', 'artsy-fartsy', wishy-washy types, but she was very down to earth & quite 'normal' (heh).
What I learned for myself via her telling me about what it meant for her, is that there doesn't have to be anything necessarily magical or mysterious about the tarot (although I believe that many do find it to be this way).
For me, I find it similar to having a conversation with someone on whatever I'm thinking about, whatever I'm mulling through my head, at the time. You talk to a friend, or a stranger about an issue & they can often shed new light on it, show you how to look at it from a different angle. That's exactly what the tarot does for me.
Now that I'm a bit more into it, I find myself enjoying the lovely artwork, too.
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| peace_pixie |
15 Jun 2004 |
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hiya and welcome
well i have always adored tarot and couldn't remember a time when i wasn't interested in it. Go out and grab a deck! and shuffle and play around with it i always tell people throw away the books (give them away sorry!) and keep a journal and write in it your impressions of the cards...
i started off with a mystic meg tarot deck and still have it, the riderwait ones i have never been able to get into.... remember to trust your instinct and the better you get is due to practice
oh and yo have made the right step by coming here in the first place
Blessings
pixie
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| fairyhedgehog |
16 Jun 2004 |
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Choosing a deck is definitely the first step. It is quite different holding a deck in your hands from looking at pictures online. And with 'real' cards you can shuffle, pick cards out, look at a whole spread ... it's a whole different ballgame.
As for which deck ... I would go for one you like, but I did find a 'beginner's deck' was a good idea. I went for the Hanson Roberts. I like the fantasy feel and the small pictures. But the links Luminessence gave you should help you to find one you like. I'll always be glad I chose one that I related to.
Of course, I now have a small (a dozen or so) collection ... it is the influence of all these tarot lovers here. And I've had many more decks pass through my hands, cos if there's a deck you don't relate to you can always trade them :)
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| tao51 |
16 Jun 2004 |
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is to get a classic deck. Then practice using it. The more readings that you do the more you feel the energy of the deck. --Tao
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| Sillanza |
18 Jun 2004 |
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Squish, I think many of us were drawn to tarot to help us achieve discovery and understanding on many levels.
When you get those "like I needed the tarot to tell me *that*" kinds of readings, then you know that hey, for better or worse, that's the situation right now! In other words, sometimes the discovery doesn't have to delve too deep to achieve understanding!
I agree with many of the other posters: get a "basic" deck, and get another one that has imagery that really speaks to you (that doesn't mean it has to be radically different from the first one).
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The Maybe you can help? thread was originally posted on 15 Jun 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.
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