Getting to know you Tarot Deck.

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 15 Mar 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Majik	15 Mar 2005
May I ask some of the ways Lovers of Tarot got to know there card. 1) carry them with everywhere 2) sleep with them (like a crystal ball) 3) do a 3 card spread daily 4) study a card a day, let it speak to you. just want to see how Lovers of Tarot got to know the Decks. Majik

Raven Reed	15 Mar 2005
Yep to all! :)

Keslynn	15 Mar 2005
Mostly, I really get to know a deck by using it, whether for myself or for someone else. I look through the images a lot, but I never really remember them well unless I've seen them in a reading. :) Kes

Bosorka	15 Mar 2005
I must agree with Keslynn, I never learn so much to know my cards as when I started to read cards for other people. Reading only for myself wasn´t enough. Strange thing is, that by reading for others I remembered most of "dificult" cards.

Emeraldgirl	15 Mar 2005
When I first get a deck I sit with them going through the deck slowly looking at the images on the cards and thinking what they mean to me. But I don't really learn the cards until I start doing spreads.

Rosanne	15 Mar 2005
I shuffle a new Deck and I lay them out in rows looking at them. If a particular card is difficult I put it on a card stand on my dressing table and look at it whenever I pass by. I always sort the cards back into order every day until I feel I have got the 'feel ' of the deck, then I use it. Some decks are very good for visualisation practice where I meditate on a card until my imagination has the character move and either speak or indicate towards something on the card. Once I have done that with a card I never seem to forget its message. I don't sleep with cards, but I have fallen asleep while looking at them- none have been crumpled- but that would worry me if I slept with them under my pillow.~ Rosanne

satinangel	17 Mar 2005
Majik wrote: May I ask some of the ways Lovers of Tarot got to know there card. 1) carry them with everywhere 2) sleep with them (like a crystal ball) 3) do a 3 card spread daily 4) study a card a day, let it speak to you. just want to see how Lovers of Tarot got to know the Decks. Majik Yes, to all of the above... I also journal about a card... One other idea I borrowed from a friend: Lay out three cards, beginning with the first one, start telling a "story" about what you see in the card, then card #2 has to add to the story and card #3 has to follow in the story. This was a fun way to "play" with the deck and get to know it.

Elizabeth Genco	17 Mar 2005
Bosorka wrote: I must agree with Keslynn, I never learn so much to know my cards as when I started to read cards for other people. Reading only for myself wasn´t enough. Strange thing is, that by reading for others I remembered most of "dificult" cards. This is really interesting. I read for myself more often than not these days; maybe reading for a few select (tolerant!) folks would be a good way to try to get to know a new deck. Personally, I get to know a deck by just using it. It's usually clear right away whether or not it's going to be good for readings, meditating, or if it's just another deck of pretty cards that sit in the box.

gollog	17 Mar 2005
I usually get to know them by looking at them one by one and studying them. Not necessarily one a day. After that I try to do readings with them, and after a while (2 months?) I study them separate again. By then I know most of the cards well enough to do readings without to much difficulties.

rabidwolfie	18 Mar 2005
Keslynn wrote: Mostly, I really get to know a deck by using it, whether for myself or for someone else. I look through the images a lot, but I never really remember them well unless I've seen them in a reading. :) Kes This is me right here. I bought a book that helps, but I have no memory, so the only thing I can do is practice on anyone willing. Which I do for $2 a reading because gas is expensive right now. LOL

peridot	19 Mar 2005
I do carry my cards with me. Partly because I have this exciting feeling about a new deck that I just can’t part with it – and partly because I feel like by doing so I would transfer my energy to it. Then if I switch a deck it still feels new to me because I haven’t used it in a while. I also feel as if they are my friends and so like a good friend I like to be with it. I do pull a card for the day as well and try to focus on the meaning of it. I don’t make a habit out of sleeping on them though. I’d rather just dream my own dreams and not feel like the TAROT was sending me a message. I ask when I’m awake. Great question!

Formicida	19 Mar 2005
peridot wrote: I’d rather just dream my own dreams and not feel like the TAROT was sending me a message. With two or three of my decks, I slept with them under my pillow during the "getting to know you" stage (as well as doing daily draws and other more obvious things). Every time, I'd have nightmares the first several nights. At about the same time the nightmares passed, my readings started getting clearer and more obviously applicable. So the dreams themselves didn't particularly seem to be sending a message, but their quality did. I actually found it to be a valuable gauge of when I was bonding with a deck.

peridot	27 Mar 2005
Formicida wrote: With two or three of my decks, I slept with them under my pillow during the "getting to know you" stage (as well as doing daily draws and other more obvious things). Every time, I'd have nightmares the first several nights. At about the same time the nightmares passed, my readings started getting clearer and more obviously applicable. So the dreams themselves didn't particularly seem to be sending a message, but their quality did. I actually found it to be a valuable gauge of when I was bonding with a deck. Not sure if I should post this here, I apologize if I’m not supposed to . .. Ok, so I tried it this week... It is an interesting experience. I've been sleeping with my Medieval Scapini deck under my pillow. The first couple of mornings after getting up I felt absolutely drained. As if all the energy had been sucked right out of me - really tired. (and I went to bed at my "normal" time - no hangovers or especially tiresome days, anything like that). I still can’t really remember my dreams in detail but I know I’ve been dreaming. What I do remember about a couple of them are some Ancient Roman people popping up. (probably because the artist is Italian - my brain associating maybe - don't know) Anyway, now I’ve been waking up like I had the best sleep ever. It’s so strange. I don’t know if this is in my head or what but that drained feeling has gone away and I’ve been feeling just the opposite. Sort of revived I guess. Like I’ve been having the best sleep ever. And my sleeping habits have not changed. If anything I should have probably had a headache this morning from the wine last night. Just thought I’d share. I’ll continue this practice and see what happens. I haven’t done a reading with them yet but who knows what that will bring. :) Thanks Formidica.

QDaniTeasieL	30 Mar 2005
I sleep with my deck. I carry them with me everywhere. But it's weird, but I can't do 3 card spreads anymore. When I first started out, that was the only one I know, but now I can only do Celtic crosses because the 3 card doesn't make sense to me. I'd love to read for myself more, but I have such a hard time letting go and trusting my own instincts.

Dylan	30 Mar 2005
I would be interested to see if sleeping with a deck has any noticable effect on dreams and sleep. I shall try placing my Druid Craft under my pillow tonight. I have found i am starting to pick up the card meanings more now i have joined the Circle Of Stones and started reading for other people. I have never read for anyone before, i am still yet to read for a person face to face (dont feel im ready yet) and i had only really occasionally read for myself. It is probably the extra importance, or because it feels real maybe why im learning more by reading for someone else. Whatever it is, its improving me as a reader, i have noticed a change in the last two weeks of starting with the COS. Im loving it! :)

Mimers	30 Mar 2005
I use a new deck spread that I got from Lawguy here on the forums. It goes like this: 1. What will the deck teach me? 2. What deos the deck require of me? 3. What will our relationship be? I also, like many others, would just use the deck. Journaling and card a day are also great. But, to be totally honest, I don't usually use any of my new decks for reading anymore. I find it makes it difficult to do readings when I am switching decks all the time. So, I always read with either my Tarot of Prague, Robin Wood or Merryday decks and thats about it. Haven't found a deck that has wowed me enough to replace my main reading decks. Mimi

Formicida	02 Apr 2005
I'm glad my comment helped you, Peridot. I don't know how you can own a deck that long without getting the urge to do a reading, though! I definitely don't have that kind of patience, even though usually the first several readings are rather baffling as the deck and I get to know each other. (Sometimes it takes me an appallingly long time. I'm just starting to get meaning out of the Navigators Tarot, which I bought back in September.) New deck spreads, on the other hand, never seem to do me any good. Every time I've done a one-card reading with a question like "what do you have to teach me?" or "What will we learn from each other?" or some such, I've gotten something alarming--the Devil in one case, the 8 of Swords in another. As far as I can tell the cards had nothing to do with my actual experience with the deck. So now I prefer to just jump in and do a real reading first.

Simone	09 Apr 2005
Majik wrote: May I ask some of the ways Lovers of Tarot got to know there card. 1) carry them with everywhere 2) sleep with them (like a crystal ball) 3) do a 3 card spread daily 4) study a card a day, let it speak to you. just want to see how Lovers of Tarot got to know the Decks. Majik How do I get to know my decks? Hmm, I open the wrapping, look them through once, shuffle and do a first reading. (no, I am not making fun of you :) ) The first reading more often than not defines for me how I am going to get along with the deck, and usually this is just fine :D I just had to laugh at "(like a crystal ball)" - my crystal ball is fairly big, I'd have a serious - I mean serious! - issue with my neck if I slept on it ;) For the rest, yup, I have done my share of sleeping on cards, carrying decks around etc, but in the end I found that I did not need it. Love Simone

Jess	11 Apr 2005
satinangel wrote: Yes, to all of the above... I also journal about a card... One other idea I borrowed from a friend: Lay out three cards, beginning with the first one, start telling a "story" about what you see in the card, then card #2 has to add to the story and card #3 has to follow in the story. This was a fun way to "play" with the deck and get to know it. wow that sounds gd, i will try that! thankyou.. Love Jess x

Ahria	11 Apr 2005
Majik wrote: May I ask some of the ways Lovers of Tarot got to know there card. 1) carry them with everywhere 2) sleep with them (like a crystal ball) 3) do a 3 card spread daily 4) study a card a day, let it speak to you. just want to see how Lovers of Tarot got to know the Decks. Majik 1) Nope I would definatly lose them, if my head wasnt screwed on .... 2) Under my feather pillow I would get a creak in my neck :P 3) Why stop at three? 4) Hell no it would take too long to see every card. Actually I just grab the deck shuffle and do a 10 card reading for the first victim :)

The Getting to know you Tarot Deck. thread was originally posted on 15 Mar 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.