impatience

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 02 Jan 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

MeM	02 Jan 2005
Hi everyone. I was just wondering how you all get throught the impatience of learning the Tarot. I have been trying to learn for the last couple months and find that I can't pick it up fast enough. :( I don't expect to know it all right off the bat... but perhaps someone has some advice as to the best way to settlel myself down and take it all in stride. Perhaps I want to learn too much at once..... sigh.

dadsnook2000	02 Jan 2005
Ahhh. At 30 you have already learned patience. With tarot and all things that are comphrehensive and built upon the experience of life it takes three things to move ahead --- 1) gaining and appreciating the experience of life, taking the time to methodically learn your subject, in this case tarot, and 3) having either a mentor or exposure to others involved in tarot (a tarot club or class or seminar or book store where tarot enthusiasts meet and gather). So, swap some reading here on AT. Look for any members that might be in your area (check their location under their list-names when they post) and contact them to see if there is any tarot activity in your area. Sign up for a tarot class that might be offered at a bookstore or local high school adult education night class programs. You'll meet other local tarotists there. And, read, read and read. Dave.

mzoltarp	02 Jan 2005
For me it's an annoyance. I want to devote more time to tarot than I have time. I do my best. I started off by doing a daily spread for myself. This has worked miracles in my learning curve.

Magi	02 Jan 2005
Take time to immerse yourself in the symbolisim. thats the key to intuition.

April	02 Jan 2005
Keep in mind that you are never going to know everything there is to know about Tarot. That helped me realize that I'm under no time constraints. Lots of us have been at it for years and we still manage to learn knew things. You've certainly found the right place to learn! Everybody moves at a different pace, but think about all of the stuff you didn't know a few months ago. Revel in your discoveries and learn from your mistakes. Peace, April

closrapexa	03 Jan 2005
What is fascinating about Tarot is that you never stop learning. I doubt I will ever reach the stage where I am able to say to myself "Now I know Tarot!!" It is a lifelong learning process, not one where you learn and then just know it. Because as you study, you are actually learning about yourself, and that is something that never end...

Alta	03 Jan 2005
MeM wrote: I was just wondering how you all get throught the impatience of learning the Tarot. I have been trying to learn for the last couple months and find that I can't pick it up fast enough. :( I don't expect to know it all right off the bat... but perhaps someone has some advice as to the best way to settle myself down and take it all in stride. Perhaps I want to learn too much at once..... sigh. Hi MeM (those are very nearly my initials too, in fact I used to use EmmyEmm as my sig). In some ways that is an age old question when it comes to learning anything complex. Wanting to understand immediately. Been there lots of times. You wanted our tips, so here are some of my mental strategies. I tell myself that if I could learn something that fast, it likely was not worth knowing. If I can master a task in a few weeks it is too simple to hold me for long. Tarot is a faithful reflection of life, and far more than what you see on the surface, 'this coarse matter'. If you can think of it as something that you cannot master in your lifetime, would that make you give it up? Can you master all of life in your lifetime? Are you going to give that up? That's how I see it, hope that helps. Best, MmeM ( :) )

mercenary30	03 Jan 2005
Learning tarot should be a life long experience......

huredriel	03 Jan 2005
mercenary30 wrote: Learning tarot should be a life long experience...... I agree, but I also know what it feels like to be impatient. I currently feel like I'm banging my head on a brick wall, after only a month of Tarot. I want it NOW!!!! Like yesterday. Why can't I see more? Hear more? Interpret more? What is wrong with me? Why can't I be better? etc etc. So while I know there's always going to be more to learn, there's also the child side of me that wants it too quickly. After all, if everything is revealed/learnt too quickly, what respect will I have for it. I believe Tarot also teaches us patience, respect, balance, and helps us to find that quiet place within each of us that maybe in the busy rat race of our lives, some of us have forgotten about. So MeM, sorry for babbling on, I think what you are describing must happen to everyone, especially when you take into account the human enthusiasm for something new in our lives. And at least we know everyone has been here, done that and it is part of the steps we must take. Going to stop babbling now LOL. x Huredriel

Dexter	03 Jan 2005
Well you've come to one of the best places to learn and exchange thoughts. There have been many good threads on how to increase our knowledge of individual cards and groups of cards. I had alot of difficulty with the court cards, but someone made a suggestion, and I'm sorry I can't remember who, to assign to each court card the name of someone you know and who best represents that card. It was a great exercise. I sat down with all my books and wrote beside each card the words that it represented and then thought about a person I know that it best depicted. Now when that card shows up in a spread, I think oh yeah thats my dad or aunt so and so and their characteristics, moods etc pop into my head. It really helped. Also studying numerolgy, colours, symbols etc was a great help with my learning tarot. But it does take time and practice. And practice is the most important. Draw a card everyday and think about that card thorughout the day. Write down your thoughts in your tarot journal. It is one of the best ways to study. Good luck and it is true what everyone says Tarot is a life long journey to which your never tire and cease to learn something new along the way.

Umbrae	03 Jan 2005
Practice practice practice Discipline (training, practice, and following the rules) is the key factor that produces results. And whenever possible, read live for strangers…If you want to accelerate your learning - and not strive for mediocrity, search down all posts about reading with playing cards; and then read only with playing cards for about a year.

Fudugazi	03 Jan 2005
Umbrae wrote: Practice practice practice Discipline (training, practice, and following the rules) is the key factor that produces results. And whenever possible, read live for strangers…If you want to accelerate your learning - and not strive for mediocrity, search down all posts about reading with playing cards; and then read only with playing cards for about a year. I'll second that. I was stuck once for several months with no tarot cards - all I had was playing cards, and an improvised deck on bits of paper. It was a time of crisis, many people wanted readings. I learnt more in those months than in the years before.

kwaw	03 Jan 2005
Marion wrote: Tarot is a faithful reflection of life, and far more than what you see on the surface, 'this coarse matter'. If you can think of it as something that you cannot master in your lifetime, would that make you give it up? Can you master all of life in your lifetime? Are you going to give that up? ( :) ) Well... uhmm. I don't think I can add anything to that, pretty much what I would say. Except that 'lifelong study' as it may be this shouldn't stop you from being able to divine a meaning from anyone of the cards right now from the rich associations to the cards you already possess. You may study the tarot and its symbolism, history, the variety of cross references to other symbolic systems such as numerology, kabbala, astrology, stoic and pythagorean philosophy, the DM's of various published, self proclaimed experts, etc.; but actually none of this is necessary to be able to divine a story. I first began making stories from ordinary playing cards from the age of seven when the only associations I had to make were literal, punning, based upon fairy tales, nursery rhymes, school ground games, friendships, bullies, nice teachers, horrible teachers. Clubs were something you joined, or knocked somebody over the head with, diamonds treasure, forever and a girl's best friend, the x that marked the chest on a pirates map, hearts things you love like trifle or a game of football, a spade something you dug with, hard work to be avoided if possible but something you helped out grandad with at the weekends because he loved his garden and you loved him and he couldn't look after it as much as he used too [but not too get to sentimental was still a chore and not something you looked forward too], there was jack of hearts who stole some tarts, little jack horner, jack frost, etc., etc. The point being that even at seven, let alone thirty, the mind is a treasure house of symbolism and associations ready to be quarried and threaded on a theme. Kwaw

Maggie Bell	03 Jan 2005
This thread contains so much good stuff, but more than the tips is the comfort in knowing most of you have been where we are today. Many thanks, Maggie

MeeWah	03 Jan 2005
Marion wrote: ...Tarot is a faithful reflection of life, and far more than what you see on the surface, 'this coarse matter'. If you can think of it as something that you cannot master in your lifetime, would that make you give it up? Can you master all of life in your lifetime? Are you going to give that up? ... Marion sums it up perfectly! This may not be comforting to know, but I have been reading cards for decades & just *know* I know barely anything in proportion to all the knowledge that may be learned Tarot-wise, let alone anything else. As with Life, the learning never stops. I learn with each reading I do whether for self or for others; & with the discussions. The key is to be willing to use what is already acquired first--via the practice at every opportunity & then some. No number of books or discussions impart the intrinsic insights without some form of application that make that knowledge sought for a part of oneself. In time or less, one finds that the understanding comes intuitively & then 'tis a matter of letting the intuition speak.

Moongold	03 Jan 2005
huredriel wrote: I agree, but I also know what it feels like to be impatient. I currently feel like I'm banging my head on a brick wall, after only a month of Tarot. I want it NOW!!!! Like yesterday. Why can't I see more? Hear more? Interpret more? What is wrong with me? Why can't I be better? etc etc. So while I know there's always going to be more to learn, there's also the child side of me that wants it too quickly. After all, if everything is revealed/learnt too quickly, what respect will I have for it. I believe Tarot also teaches us patience, respect, balance, and helps us to find that quiet place within each of us that maybe in the busy rat race of our lives, some of us have forgotten about. So MeM, sorry for babbling on, I think what you are describing must happen to everyone, especially when you take into account the human enthusiasm for something new in our lives. And at least we know everyone has been here, done that and it is part of the steps we must take. Going to stop babbling now LOL. x Huredriel I have only 2 1/2 years experience. Hardly know anything. Part of the process is like falling in love. You are enchanted and want everything at once. The world changes too, and you feel a different sense of power and purpose. Later you settle down. Umbrae is so right: practice, practice, practice. And eventually you want to go a little deeper, and further ..... and you do.

HudsonGray	03 Jan 2005
If you have more than one deck, lay the cards out side by side so you can compare the symbolism against the traditional meaning of the card. Each card has a basic theme which makes it different from all the other cards in the deck. Then look around for something online explaining the Fool's Journey, which helps you learn the Majors. In the Marseille tradition it's the Bataleur's Journey (as the deck starts with the Magician). For the Suits, lay them out over each other Ace thru 10 and see if you can spot a progression via each suit, and see also how similar all the Aces are, all the 2's are, etc. And as someone pointed out, if you take the courts separately, figuring that they're people or (more likely) aspects of people and try to assign individual characters to them from people you know or see in the movies, that helps with those. Which one would be Fox Mulder or Indiana Jones? Who would Xena be? Remember that the courts are gender neutral (you can have female cards represent men and vice versa). Once you peg the broad range similarities, they're easier to remember. At least this way you've got a few different structured ways of looking at the cards that can help flesh out the deck being used in readings.

augursWell	03 Jan 2005
MeM wrote: I was just wondering how you all get throught the impatience of learning the Tarot. I have been trying to learn for the last couple months and find that I can't pick it up fast enough. :( I don't expect to know it all right off the bat... but perhaps someone has some advice as to the best way to settlel myself down and take it all in stride. It would help if you defined, mostly for yourself but also for us, what "fast enough" and "take in stride" mean to you. It's not a correspondence course that you will be tested on, or is it? Taking it in stride, as all the other posters have eloquently said, is a personal choice. Do you have a hobby, a job, a personal skill that means a lot to you? Start relating things in your life to each and every card in a way that makes sense to you. Tarot is like one big memory system, you can add endless facts, ideas, concepts, etc. to each and every card in the deck. Start with something that makes sense to you and then add things that you're learning on to that. That is the lifelong aspect of this, there is always something more that the Tarot can reflect.

rota	03 Jan 2005
Tarot is a language. I'm still learning English...

WalesWoman	03 Jan 2005
Check out the study groups, I learned so much there and read threads about the cards you might have gotten lately or bother you. Start a bookmark collection for all the different sites that give meanings for the cards...I really liked learntarot.com and still go there sometimes for additonal meanings. Nobody knows it all, so be patient with yourself. I've been at this for a couple years now and still feel like such an infant at times. It will click, one of the best ideas is to go through your deck, card by card and write down everything you can think of and what it makes you feel like, then write down the DM's. I know other people may say otherwise, but good books are a great help to get the feel of the cards and then once you feel pretty secure they aren't as important, but it took me atleast a year before I ever did a spread without having atleast 3 or 4 books spread out all over, gleaning meanings until something started making some sense. I still look up things in books and web sites, just so I don't get into a cemented mindset and look at them differently everytime. The first year is a real obsessive time, and before long you will begin to recognize Tarot moments...and talk in Tarot...i.e., a night out with freinds will suddenly make the meaning of 3 Cups clear, someone may tell you how they couldn't sleep all night, worrying about one thing or another and 9 Swords will jump to mind. It comes so in the meantime think of yourself as Page of Pentacles. Steady and dedicated, focused and intent on reaching his goal.

SunChariot	03 Jan 2005
MeM wrote: Hi everyone. I was just wondering how you all get throught the impatience of learning the Tarot. I have been trying to learn for the last couple months and find that I can't pick it up fast enough. :( I don't expect to know it all right off the bat... but perhaps someone has some advice as to the best way to settlel myself down and take it all in stride. Perhaps I want to learn too much at once..... sigh. Here is my take on it. You can not ever learn it all, all there is to know about Tarot, not in one lifetime. There is almost an infinite amount to learn. It is a lifetime process. Tarot is life, philosophy....You can no more learn all there is to know about Tarot than you can learn all there is to know about life. Tarot is life. It represents everything life is and can be. That being said, and it you can accept that... There is never an end to the learning, just as we should continue to grow as individuals and mature all through our lives. For me that is part of what stops me from feeling impatient. Although I was 48 when I found Tarot, and I truly wish I could have found it sooner. The other thing that keeps me from feeling impatient is to remember that in this case (as in many things in life) it is not the desination that matters it is the journey. Learning Tarot is not just a mechanical learning of what means what, or spreads. Each and every step we learn, teaches us more and more about life, how Tarot is connected to our lives, how we are connected to the universe, all the life lessons we need to know. We learn both simultaneously If you try and learn these things too quickly you will gloss over them and they will not sink in. Tarot is a tool to improve our lives, and it does it admirably, but change takes time. And even if you spent you whole life learning, someone will come up with a new deck that will teach your something new, new spreads, new tricks...And that is part of the joy of Tarot, the joy of learning. Take the time to enjoy the process. :-) That's my opinion on your questions. :-) I hope you feel a bit less impatient now.:-) Bar

Emily	04 Jan 2005
I find the tarot is a constant learning curve. I find something new with each deck I use and with each book I read. I've started studying late in life and I have a feeling tarot will be with me for the rest of my life. :)

MeM	05 Jan 2005
ty for all your input and insight... most of what you all said rings true. At 30 I realize that its another journey and with time comes experience. I just wish that I had started earlier in my life. being fairly new the area that I am in I would love to find someone who is in the vicinity to learn from and bounce ideas from. Cheers to all!

tmgrl2	05 Jan 2005
Like they say at Nike. Just do it! It is a lifelong learning and I just started it at 61 years old. terri

dadsnook2000	05 Jan 2005
tmgrl2 -- no, you can't be almost my age. Not according to your picture anyways. Yes, I also started late but had the advantage of having been deep into astrology for 30+ years. So, for me, it was easy to pick up the symbols and synthesize the card meanings even though the two systems are quite un-alike. But, yes, you just do it. There is nothing like experience and getting your hands involved. Commit. Have faith. Have fun. Be involved. Dave.

tmgrl2	05 Jan 2005
Thanks for the compliment, Dave! Yes, I am 62...the picture is about 5 years old....so I was only 57 or so there...young! I also have background with other areas of intuitive work... graphology, past life work, color reading, let all slip by the wayside when careers got cooking, so now, in retirement, I'm back! MeM, Tarot is a marvelous tool for ourselves as well. I read for "live" sitters now more, whereas, when I first started about a year ago, I did many more online readings here and lots of posting and reading books and studying. I felt, too, like it would take so long to even get started. Thanks to some wonderful mentors here, though, I began to read for others with various decks and traditions and trust what comes to me when I reflect during a reading. I think all avenues of study are worthwhile, but often wonder, how many people study, but rarely read for other people....That's really how we "see" our intuition work for us. Hope to have you around a long time! BTW, if you go to the home page here at AT, I highly recommend the articles there. I still re-read them periodically. terri

SunChariot	05 Jan 2005
Thanks you all, That was one thing I regretted since I found Tarot, that I could not have discovered it earlier in life. I feel a lot better about it now,seeing I am not the only one.:-) For terri who wrote:" I think all avenues of study are worthwhile, but often wonder, how many people study, but rarely read for other people....That's really how we "see" our intuition work for us." ... Well, I have done quite a lot of studying on Tarot and a lot of readings. But almost all for myself only. Although once I did a reading for a friend and I heard that it was accurate. I use Tarot mainly as a means for self-discovery and self-improvement. I can say that it has been amazing at that, I love who it is turning me into, and I have seen great moments of intuition, and answers come to me that I had no idea of at all before starting. As the asnwers come from your unconscious, you can really find a lot of stuiff about yourself you had no idea of, when you hear it it makes sense, but before you hear it you had no idea it was in there. :-) Bar

RedMaple	05 Jan 2005
Remember that, even in your impatience, you are already learning. It is ok to want it to be faster, to be a bit obsessive, especially at first, because you need that enthusiasm to take in so much information. As in any art form, you have to make everything really conscious at first, learn all the meanings, read books, search the net, learn the different symbol systems. Readings will, for a while, probably feel a bit mechanical. I know at first I read with books all around me, as many of us did, trying to make sense of the cards, which meaning applied to the reading, how to figure out how that worked with the placement of the card, and then, oh, no, having to actually connect cards to each other, too? Whew! But as you go on, you'll internalize the meanings, the symbols, and the readings will become more intuitive and more accurate.

tmgrl2	06 Jan 2005
Also, I always remember, I bring to the Table of Tarot what I have eaten from the Table of Life. terri

Sophie-David	06 Jan 2005
Hi MeM There have already been many useful and inspiring replies, but what helps me to fit a bit of extra Tarot learning into each day is to study a card at night as the last thing before I go to sleep. I will often find that I will have a dream that relates to it, so it is an easy and effective way of inducing an experience of the card. I think that when you experience a card as well as studying it, then it becomes a lot easier to relate to it. All the Best! David

DarkElectric	06 Jan 2005
OMG, I so remember when I was just starting out, and was sooooo frustrated that I didn't know how to read those cards I loved so much! I just kept at it, day after day. There were a few books I liked, Tarot for Yourself by Mary K Greer comes to memory. (I must admit, though, I didn't use it very long. I'm more intuitive, less structured.) I read for myself, every day, at first. And I also read for every friend who would sit still long enough to get read for. (My ever so patient Mum got more readings than any person should have time in their life to get!) Years later, I bumbled onto Aeclectic. This lovely site was the best thing for me, I've learned so much here. The reading exchange is definitely where it's at, as far as learning, getting feedback, and having fun doing it. The thing I love about the reading excahnge, is the honesty of the feedback. If you read for someone, and you're way off, they'll tell you, and make suggestions as to how to improve your technique. And they'll more than likely be right. There are some top notch readers and teachers here. Then, as time passes, and you read more and more, you realise that you aren't way off the mark all the time, you're on more than you're off. I personally think that it's impossible to be right all the time, but your percentages definitely go up!

The impatience thread was originally posted on 02 Jan 2005 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.