Remembering the names of cards

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 24 May 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Ace	24 May 2005
Silentbreeze started a cool thread on Tarot in Your Head and it made me think of another question: do you ever have trouble remembering what the cards are, when you aren't with them? I mean, even on the forum, someone will mention 4 of cups, say, and I will blank: what picture is 4 of cups? I go by the picture so much, I sometimes forget the names of the cards. I often keep a copy of my deck beside me on forum to allow me to look one up! :| Ace

TarotGirlJess	24 May 2005
I do that. I drive myself nuts that way. you are not alone. Tarotgirl Jess

Violinagin	24 May 2005
My problem is when I draw a card from my new deck, I have to remember the picture on my older deck!

closrapexa	25 May 2005
Yes, that happens to me. When I try to remeber the card I usually come up with the Thoth, with its pips, but not anything else. Still, thanks to technology, I can look at a scan whenever I want to know what a card is. now lemme see what that four is...

Fairawen	25 May 2005
Oh yeah. I mean... who hasn't done this one time or another? My problem is that, with my homemade deck, I have problems with my pips. I try and memorize what the pics are. Thankfully, the words I wrote help me remember the pics. But with my Fairy I have a few problems. I'm like, "Uh... what is this one?" Whole new pictures, whole new suit names... it can get confusing... Try playing a game that says, "Think of as many words as you can describing the 6 of Cups" and I'm like, "Oooooh. Sure. As soon as I can remember which picture that is..." :P ~Fairawen~

Emeraldgirl	25 May 2005
In a word yes. I read by the pictures mostly also so they are what I focus on over the card title etc. Especially during a reading when something just jumps out at you from the cards.

SunChariot	25 May 2005
Ace wrote: Silentbreeze started a cool thread on Tarot in Your Head and it made me think of another question: do you ever have trouble remembering what the cards are, when you aren't with them? I mean, even on the forum, someone will mention 4 of cups, say, and I will blank: what picture is 4 of cups? I go by the picture so much, I sometimes forget the names of the cards. I often keep a copy of my deck beside me on forum to allow me to look one up! :| Ace I don't have any set meanings in my head for any of the pips. Nope doesn't bother me, I don't need to. I don't read by set meanings anyway. I just analyse the meanings of the images, which differ greatly from deck to deck, then take a quick peek at the book for additional wisdom. So I guess I would say I do not have that problem because I never TRY to remember them. And I am happy with my way and my results, so no problem.:-) Actually, because of the way I read, if someone says they drew a 4 of cups to me it has no meaning at all unless they tell me which deck they used and I can see the image. Bar

Ace	26 May 2005
Thanks SunChariot! I am glad to find I am not alone! Ace

light2000	26 May 2005
when i started to read the tarot i putted the name of the card at the top of it. i think that is a good thing to do.

Lady Maria	26 May 2005
SunChariot wrote: I don't read by set meanings anyway. I just analyse the meanings of the images, which differ greatly from deck to deck, then take a quick peek at the book for additional wisdom. Bar This is a neat approach, Bar. Have you always read this way? It makes sense, especially because a lot of decks have a slightly different slant on the same card. When I first got my Universal Waite and Joan Bunnings's book I tried that as well, but when I tried to make a story up out of a card, sometimes I'd just draw a blank..(OK, there's a guy sitting on a throne, looks like a King, ummm..?) But as I'm reading books and becoming more comfortable with the deck, I'm starting to pick out a bit more of the symbolism that I didn't notice at all before. I'm working on learning what the symbols represent. Blessings, Maria

SunChariot	26 May 2005
Lady Maria wrote: This is a neat approach, Bar. Have you always read this way? It makes sense, especially because a lot of decks have a slightly different slant on the same card. When I first got my Universal Waite and Joan Bunnings's book I tried that as well, but when I tried to make a story up out of a card, sometimes I'd just draw a blank..(OK, there's a guy sitting on a throne, looks like a King, ummm..?) But as I'm reading books and becoming more comfortable with the deck, I'm starting to pick out a bit more of the symbolism that I didn't notice at all before. I'm working on learning what the symbols represent. Blessings, Maria Thanks Maria. :-) Yes I have always read that way, and although I only read for myself I have been very happy with the results. Many times things come out that only days and weeks later I understand completely. For me anyway, my readings have always been accurate. When I started I took an online course, it sent us card meanings each week to learn. I did not have a traditional deck, I started with the Haindl. And it did not take me long to figure out I was wasting my time, as all the meanings of the cards they sent have nothing much to do with the book meanings of the deck. So I looked for a way that made more sense to me, and I soon began reading intuitively. And of course the added bonus is this method works perfectly with any deck and I never have to study them. Although I do read through the book for a deck once before using it the first time. Basically, the idea is mainly to access the wisdom of your unconscious which cannot speak in words, only in images. The images are like visual poetry, which can be analysed as a whole and in its parts. And the sybolism can and should mean different things on different days, according to your mood, the question, surrounding cards. It's not just there's a princess--what does she mean. It's hey look, the princess's wearing a red hat, why? What does that mean to this reading, this quesion? Red could be warmth, life, ...could even look like an apple. It could mean any of these things and an infinite amount more. For warmth, it could mean she is having warm, loving thoughts. For life, it could mean her thoughts are alive and vibrant....if the red hat looks like an apple one day, if could mean she is having sweet thoughts..... And of course a head can mean way more than a source for thoughts. It could be about taking charge and "being the head of" something. A red hat on a head could be taking charge of your life (red being the color of life, and our life's blood). There are a million and one ways to see any symbol and that's where the fun comes in. LOL In trying to connect with your unconscious and feel which one of the asnwers feels right. When you get the AHA feeling, you've got it right. My last piece of advice, Maria, is that everything is a symbol, everything has symbolism, every colour, pattern, shape, even the texture of the paint in an image. AND that don't try to learn what symbols represent. To me the point of this is to reach your unconscious. If you memorize/learn what symbols mean from a book, you are looking into the authors unconscious, not your own. And yes there will be some overlap. Some symbolism belongs to the collective unconscious and we all tend to see it similarly. But it is best I think to find out what they mean on your own, to you. Symbols are meant to change and are fluid. Learn better how to see what is a symbol, look at it with your heart and soul, not just your eyes and feel what it means to your answer. Bar

SunChariot	26 May 2005
Ace wrote: Thanks SunChariot! I am glad to find I am not alone! Ace Same here, glad to find I am not alone too. LOL I find it a ton more fun, a bit more creative, and without all the work of memorizing and all. Like I need more work in my life. :-) Well I know we are all on our own path, but I have found mine and am perfectly happy with it. :-) Bar

Lady Maria	26 May 2005
SunChariot wrote: Symbols are meant to change and are fluid. Learn better how to see what is a symbol, look at it with your heart and soul, not just your eyes and feel what it means to your answer. Bar Bar, thank you so much for sharing this insight! After reading your first post here, and with the help of "The Complete Tarot Reader", I decided to create a journal for what the cards represent to me. I find when I write it down it flows better. So I started it today with the King of Cups. I read afterwards the regular meanings, and some were similar and some were different. SunChariot wrote: My last piece of advice, Maria, is that everything is a symbol, everything has symbolism, every colour, pattern, shape, even the texture of the paint in an image. AND that don't try to learn what symbols represent. To me the point of this is to reach your unconscious. If you memorize/learn what symbols mean from a book, you are looking into the authors unconscious, not your own. And yes there will be some overlap. Some symbolism belongs to the collective unconscious and we all tend to see it similarly. But it is best I think to find out what they mean on your own, to you. Symbols are meant to change and are fluid. Learn better how to see what is a symbol, look at it with your heart and soul, not just your eyes and feel what it means to your answer Beautifully put. Do you mind if I quote this in my journal? I think this form of reading would be so effective, because I could see it becoming a tool for more of a spiritual connection. Light & Love, Maria

SunChariot	27 May 2005
Lady Maria wrote: Bar, thank you so much for sharing this insight! After reading your first post here, and with the help of "The Complete Tarot Reader", I decided to create a journal for what the cards represent to me. I find when I write it down it flows better. So I started it today with the King of Cups. I read afterwards the regular meanings, and some were similar and some were different. Beautifully put. Do you mind if I quote this in my journal? I think this form of reading would be so effective, because I could see it becoming a tool for more of a spiritual connection. Light & Love, Maria You're very welcome, and I am thrilled if I could do anything to help. Of course you can use whatever I say in your journal. Others here have helped me in that way many times. And I am honoured you see something useful to you. One last piece of advice, take it or leave it....If you make a journal to see what the cards of a specific deck mean to you, remember that the meanings you write there are not written in stone. They reflect who you were at the time you wrote those journal entries. We are constantly growing and changing. Life is change. If you did the same exercise months later you would likely get different answers, sometimes even days later. Although the old entry can give you hints and make you think of things you didn't befire The same cards (and even the same symbols on the same card) very well can and actually should have different meanings at different places in your life and in different readings. Again, that is normal that your reading will sometimes mesh with those of the book and sometimes not. There are an infinite number of meanings one card can contain, when you consider all the symbolism in it. No book can ever cover it all. But IMHO, when you see a discrepancy, follow your meanings first. When they come from your own unconscious....underneath it all you know yourself better than some author of a book who has never met you. Trust in that. Then if you feel some of the book meanings ring true you can keep them too. Trust yourself, you have all the answers you need inside you. You can contact your inner wisdom with Tarot and even link to the collective unconscious which knows all. Wishing you all the best.... Bar PS I do that too, when doing a reading, I write it all down as fast as I can....kindof like a freeform writing exercise. It really does flow, and fast. LOL Then I type it up and fix the grammar and make it coherent later, and check to see if I need to add in any of the book meanings. PPS, For me, I have always read this way, and yes I definitely see it as a way to increase my spiritual connection. Which is why I tend to read just for myself, it is almost like having a conversation with G-d. It feels very deep and sacred to me. I never read for others cause I think if you want answers from G-d (or the universe if you will) it is best to have a direct conversation, than to have a third party intervene. Anyway,.... The answers just come out instinctively, and you hardly know where they come from, you're writing so fast. LOL But for me they have always been amazingly right. Even things I did not know consciously show up. I find myself writing things I had no idea where true, but when I am done and read over the reading then it's like someone took a blindfold off of me and I can see clearly what I had no idea of before....I find the whole process amazingly beautiful....For me, I consider the answers come from G-d and I always ask for guidance first and thank him after. It really is quite a deep spiritual experieice for me. And I know I am guided in which decks I am meant to buy too. Some decks I thought I would not buy and something insdie made me. One I wanted to buy recently, I was prevented. I tried for almost an hour to buy it online, and the forms would not work. So I gave up in frustration. The next day I bought a new one I found that was much better for me.:-) Tarot has always been a way for me to connect to a higher power. BDC

The Remembering the names of cards thread was originally posted on 24 May 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.