new to the tarot

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 16 Jun 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

doris burgos	16 Jun 2002
hi everyone, im just starting out and i bought the book ,learning the tarot, and i also bought a starter deck and was wondering if its ok to use this deck with this book.im confused with the celtic spread in this book since i found another book that uses a totally different celtic spread.are all celtic spreads layed out differently and are the number in which they are layed out also different. i hop im make sense. thanks

wavebreaker	16 Jun 2002
Welcome Doris! Personally, I think Learning the Tarot is a great way to start learning about tarot. You can use any deck with it, but it might be easier to use the Rider-Waite or a clone to start with. Which deck do you have? There are many different versions of the Celtic Cross (I too at first thought there was just one... ;) ). I think you should use the one that you are most comfortable with. And you can always modify it if you want to. However, you might want to try doing smaller spreads first, just to get comfortable with the cards. Refer to this thread for some more advice on using the Celtic Cross: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4572

Maalin	16 Jun 2002
...and congratulations: you have found the best and friendliest place on the net to learn about tarot. The Celtic Cross is quite a complex spread for a beginner because there are so many different layers to it. Since tarot is a very personal and intuitive thing, there are no hard and fast rules about what a 'correct' spread is like, and different authors will often have their own interpretations. When I first started, I made up a lot of my own spreads, usually based on a simple three-card draw. Depending on what I was asking about, they might be something like: past - present - future my perception - their perception - resolution situation - influences - advice and so forth. It's useful to learn the 'classics' spreads because they can give you very rich insights, but sometimes it just as good to simply draw some 'impression' cards and see what they say to you. If you're only just starting out, be sure to check out Thirteen's 'Tarot Basics' on this forum -they are an excellent introduction. Hope to see you around the forums!

Lee	16 Jun 2002
Hi, Doris, welcome! You might be interested in reading this recent thread which addresses some of the same issues. -- Lee

Thirteen	16 Jun 2002
Quote: Originally posted by doris burgos hi everyone, im just starting out and i bought the book ,learning the tarot, and i also bought a starter deck and was wondering if its ok to use this deck with this book.im confused with the celtic spread in this book since i found another book that uses a totally different celtic spread. Hey, Doris, I'm one of those with strong opinions on the Celtic Cross--I think it can be a good spread, but I've yet to figure out why it's the first one books try to teach beginners. As others have said, it's not for beginners. There are a lot of cards and the meanings are pretty oblique until you get the hang of them. My advice, ignore it for now. Focus on learning the cards (and yes, you can use the starter deck with the book you bought--at least, you ought to be able to) and using simple, spreads--no more than 5 cards. The book should contain other, simpler spreads. Wait till your comfortable with the card meanings, and you begin to see connections between cards, how they can work together, before you try to tackle the Celtic Cross. As for differences--yes, there are different versions of the CC. If what came with the deck was a little white booklet, ignore it. They're usually not very good, and often more confusing than enlightening. Stick with the book you bought. Most of all, have fun :)

Maalin	16 Jun 2002
Doris, I probably came across as a bit of a goodie-goodie earlier. Obviously, when I first got into tarot, I did try out a celtic cross -who wouldn't when you can potentially find out so much? It did turn out to be quite a frustrating experience, though, because even with my book (i used Anthony Louis' Tarot Plain & Simple) I could see that there was so much in the spread that I just didn't understand. It's only after that that I started making up my own, simpler spreads... :D Good luck on your journey!

mondk	16 Jun 2002
Plus wanted to add that when I was a beginner, which was just last year, by the way, the easiest way for me to learn (and remember, this is just a suggestion) was for me to get a notebook and a pen, settle myself comfortably in a plush couch or chair, and look at each card individually, then write down any feelings I got off of it or formulate a story about the card itself. Then I would get the book out and just glance through the meanings and add things to my "notes" if necessary. Once I got really comfortable with my cards and things "clicked", I discarded the books or stored them away and went with all my "gut" perceptions of the cards instead. I rarely use the Celtic cross...although I am going to begin using different spreads I am learning from others here just to get a feel for them, my main reason for not using the Celtic cross etc. is because it is really hard for me to read from one single card. I personally prefer to use anywhere from a 3-7 card spread because I can usually get more fruitful meanings off of reading several cards in a row, sort of like reading a sentence as opposed to reading a single word/card. Am I making any sense here? I'm starting to confuse myself, LOL!! Anyway, I just joined this site as well and everyone has been so friendly and welcoming....I think we are going to both love it here!!!!!!!! Blessings to all, Michelle

Maan	17 Jun 2002
Great way of learning the cards Michelle! I use the same method when i get to know a new deck. I hope you and Doris wil like it here! Love and light Maan

Starfish	17 Jun 2002
I'm in agreement with Maan in thinking that it's a great way to learn the cards. :D It's the same way that I learned them. Definitely time consuming, but it didn't matter to me since I consider myself a student in Tarot studies. :TQW Starfish

Jewel	17 Jun 2002
Hi Doris and welcome to Aeclectic! Like Michelle, I also used a journal in my learning process. I have been working with the Tarot for around 8 years now, and I am still a journal fan *LOL*. I have one these days for the work we do in the study groups here at Aeclectic. They are also good to record your spreads so you can go back later and write your observations a few months later and see how accurate they are. I must confess that I am not a fan of the Celtic Cross, but it is a popular spread (at least with publishing companies). The three card spread can be very versatile as mentioned by others here. I hear that the Joan Bunning book is really good, does it include other smaller spreads (3-7 cards)? Also, in another thread here about clarification spreads, bec posted her web site which has various spreads that were created by Aeclectic members you might want to check out! Good luck and may your tarot journey be a pleasant one.

The new to the tarot thread was originally posted on 16 Jun 2002 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.