Which meanings do you use?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 12 Oct 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Woof	12 Oct 2002
Have patientce with me I'm just learning. I'm having difficulty with how to read the cards. I've got a bunch of books and many of them have different interpretations for each card. Which do I use? Do I trust my intuition or do I go with the book about the specific deck? How do you decide which meaning to use? Do you just keep studying and reading and distill the meaning that rings true? How do you decide to use reversals or not? I started with the Aquarian but found the symbolism not striking enough with some of the cards. I'm just getting back to Tarot after a 20 yr. absence and wanted a new deck and the Alchemical apealed to me so I just got that yesterday. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks. Woof

pentunen	12 Oct 2002
I think general practice is to go with your intuition. There are some 'standard' meanings for cards, but they do vary a lot, even from reading to reading. A card's meaning can change depending on what position it's in, the cards around it, the question in consideration, the deck you're using - all sorts of things. It's a good idea to aquaint yourself with various possible meanings for the cards, and settle on whatever set of meanings you feel is most sensible. And of course, if your intuition is tugging you towards a certain meaning, trust it and go with it :) - LittleCub

Keslynn	12 Oct 2002
Don't worry, Woof! We love answering questions. :) Basically, I agree with LittleCub. Learn the standard meanings of the cards by all means but don't RELY on them. Trust your intuition above all else. On that note, I highly recommend Michele Morgan's A Magical Course in the Tarot. She talks a lot about trusting intuition and getting rid of the "committee," the voices inside you that try to be critical of your intuition. As for reversals, it's up to you whether you even ever want to use them. There are many great tarot readers who do not. Personally, I would recommend that you hold off using them (if you think you want to) until you're comfortable with the upright meanings and drawing them together in a spread. And keeping a tarot journal is a great help to figuring out what the cards mean to you. Best of luck and welcome to Aeclectic! :) Kes

WillieHewes	12 Oct 2002
The meanings of cards often become less rather than more clear the more books you read. What I would advise, is what you call distilling the meaning that rings true. You don't even need to do that much studying for this. For every card, study it outside of a reading, because positions and other cards make up a lot of a single card's meaning, but you're concerned with the other half, the card itself. First of all, look at the image, and concentrate on finding meanings that correspond to the picture on the card, otherwise you'll have trouble remembering them. Take notes if you want. Not all books will agree with the meaning you've picked, but that's because, contrary to popular belief, there is no 'universal' meaning for every card. There is a sort of common denominator, which is what I think you should look for, but there's always going to be new ways to approach a card, different places to put the emphasis, different aspects to stress. So let go of the books a bit, and try to find your own meanings. Preferably ones that go with the deck you use, otherwise you'll just get confused again. :) Willie *good advice and empty praise for free!*

lawguy51	12 Oct 2002
Woof, like you, I'm a newbie who dabbled a bit 30 years ago. And I basically agree with what has already been advised. In my case, I have the Mythic deck which comes with an excellent book. I studied the book and a couple of others until I was comfortable with the basic meanings of the cards. Then I just started practicing with spreads. I used Celtic Cross a lot and while it is a difficult spread to learn, it forces you to try to understand the meaning of 10 cards in relation to each other. Don't try to read for yourself too often because the cards will kind of give up on you, at least that's what I've found. You can do a simple 3 card daily spread. Write down your readings in a journal. I also studied Thirteen's Tarot Basic to get another viewpoint on the meaning of the cards. I recommend you take a lot of time with your practice spreads. Study the cards. Sometimes I leave the spread then come back to it later for another look. Get comfortable with each card. Ritualize what you do. Respect your deck. Keep it wrapped and in a special place. You have to develop a relationship with your cards. Then before you know it, your own intuition will take over.

MystiqueMoonlight	12 Oct 2002
I think it's important to have a basic understanding of the traditional meanings of the Tarot, after all they were developed out of a specific archetypical tradition and the meanings tend to follow that...however I wouldn't suggest only valuing the cards purely from an educated viewpoint....like everyone else have said I believe your intuition has to have some critical part in your use of the Tarot. There should be a good balance between the two....

Alissa	12 Oct 2002
I found it useful, when book learning has my eyes crossed, to just go through my deck and think about the illustration. By focusing in on the image itself, i think it allows a more personal interpretation to always be there for you. After that, you may decide to apply what you find helpful from good Tarot resources (like Thirteen's faboo website on the Cards) and what books you also find useful. Following your intuition is absolutely allowed. When I first showed up at this site, I got tremendous encouragement to follow my instincts first, and then book-learning in addition to your intuition, as you think necessary. I have found Joan Bunning's books quite helpful. Also Rachel Pollack is a fabulous author, but both of these follow the RWS style. Anyhow, best wishes to you as you walk your path. I encourage you to just paw through your Cards every now and then ... i think mine like it :)

divinerguy	12 Oct 2002
I use my own, but fall back on the books when I get stumped.

Woof	13 Oct 2002
I'll keep studying but lighten up on myself and relax. I'll let the cards speak for themselves. Rather than memorize, I'll let the meanings crystalize on their own. I have started a tarot journal and am working with learningthetarot.com. I'm learning from all of you! Many thanks, again. Woof

Sinta	13 Oct 2002
Well, what I usually would do (and it seems to work) is I look at a card for a while, every detail and then ask myself, what does it tell me? What does it tell the subconcious me? Does anything about the card strike me first and perhaps stands out? Then I work from that. I believe the cards are very symbolic and they will speak to you, calling out something inside of you and bring it to light. Now if a card doesn't strike you at all or have no idea how to read it, pick up a book and look through the meanings. I have around 3 books which i can look through. Each with different meanings. This I use at an advantage, because I can see what the card means in different perspectives (different authors ;) ) Hope this helps.

The Which meanings do you use? thread was originally posted on 12 Oct 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.