im lost

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 12 Jan 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

hunnypooh_1	12 Jan 2003
is it very hard to learn how to read the tarot cards

Thirteen	12 Jan 2003
Sorry to hear you're having such trouble. Why not tell us what you're having difficulty with and maybe we can help. Have you started simply by just getting to know the cards?

bec	13 Jan 2003
I would say it is very easy to learn the cards, however to learn to trust your intuition and take plessure in the life study that tarot is, yes that could be difficult. My advise, take it easy, feel and shuffle the cards, look at the pictures and make up some stories bout what you see. Dont care of books or what we tell you, believe that what ever you say goes is what goes for you :) Happy tarot journey :)

Diana	13 Jan 2003
hunny: It is hard if you're trying to learn them too fast. Learning Tarot is a life-long study. But the basics can be learned quicker than that, thank goodness! Now Thirteen, who has already replied above, didn't give you the link to her Tarot Basics that she wrote for Aeclectic. Here is the link (you can also access it through the thread at the top of the Using Tarot Cards forum): http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/basics/ I would suggest you take one card a day and study it. See what Thirteen has to say about it, and then also write down your own impressions when you look at the card. What does it mean to you? Is there anything that makes you feel excited, moved, sad, nostalgic? What about the colours? Why do you think the artist chose those colours and not others? etc. etc. Write down all your impressions in a Tarot note-book. Then during the day, see if that card relates to things that happen in the day. Or is there someone on a bus who reminds you of the card? Or is there a situation where you think that the meaning of the Tarot card can help you understand it better? Or does this card seem completely absent in what you are experiencing. If so, why? Don't forget, if you write down everything, you will learn 10 times quicker. Very very important. There are 78 cards. If you do one a day, and sometimes skip days, because you are not a robot and too much self-discipline is sometimes a pain in the neck, you will have got through them in about three months time. There are other ways to tackle the learning process, and I'm sure many people will give you lots of good advice. There are also on-line courses given. Here is a link to a recent thread on these: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?threadid=10563 Enjoy your Tarot journey, and take it easy! No need to get out of breath! You can't get to your destination before you've even saddled your horse!

Jenny-Li	13 Jan 2003
Hi there! No, it's not hard to learn to read the cards - but it is a study that has many levels, and to master them all will take at least one life-time - if not several... But, the main thing is: once you get into it, it's worth every second of time, and every little bit of energy that you put into it, because it rewards you so richly! However: When you're new, and you sit there with your deck of 78 beautiful yet confusing cards - it's very easy to get lost and start doubting. Start by throwing doubt out the window - you don't need that. You will learn, but it will take time. And the more time it takes, the more you will want to delve deeper and deeper into it, I promise. Because the Tarot will deepen yourself, if you let it. And that's the charm of it all! Just be confident, and open - and let the Tarot happen to you. The tarot basics Diana sent a link to is great, I have also found http://www.learntarot.com to be most useful - and easy to get going with. Joan Bunning has a very down-to-earth perspective on the learning of Tarot. I wish you all the best luck on your journey, and don't hesitate for a second to ask your questions here. We've all been at the point where you are now, and are more than happy to help out in any way we can! Light and love, Jenny :)

angelwhispers	13 Jan 2003
Being new to the tarot I would have to agree that trusting your intuition, I feel, is the hardest. I have a pretty good understanding of the book meanings ( I do better with minors than majors) but there are times while reading that something is telling me that the meaning I've read about just isn't fitting and I'm having a hard time trusting that. hunnypooh_1, don't give up and get discouraged..everything takes time. I've been at it 3 yrs and I'm still learning.

Teal	13 Jan 2003
It's also important, in my opinion, that you start with a Rider Waite or one similar, because the visual cues to your subconscious will work much better than if you try with a theme deck. I started with other kinds of decks and I can tell you for sure that it's much better to start with a RiderWaite.

tarotbear	13 Jan 2003
I have been at this for twelve years and I am still learning every day. I don't think 'learning tarot' is hard at all but it takes dedication. If you think you are going to buy a single book, read it once and in 90 days have flashy television ads like Miss Cleo...you are sorely mistaken. Learning the cards is one thing; using them is something else. Knock the delusions of grandeur out of your head and learn the cards in a way that makes sense to you, works for you, and is enjoyable to learn. Just remember: no one knows 'everything' about Tarot - learning from the cards is eternal and never stops. Wishing you well on your journey.....

Khatruman	13 Jan 2003
I would say that there is a lot to learn in the tarot cards, and that you never stop learning more. If your intention behind your question is whether it is hard to start using them meaningfully, my answer would be "no." To feel comfortable in beginning I would say to read this thread by Umbrae: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10446 He plans to post a series of these threads to get interested people more involved in understanding them. Do you have a tarot deck yet? That is step one. Step two is to look through and just look at them, get the feel of them. Take your time and enjoy the process of learning. It is highly worth the effort!

sagitarian	13 Jan 2003
that when I first started learning tarot (10 yrs ago) that it was indeed very difficult to learn them. What works for one doesn't work for everyone. But I'll tell you what helped me a lot. 1. Get a rider waite deck, or one similar to it. My first deck was the Hanson Roberts deck. 2. Throw the book out the window. (My tarot teacher did this literally as we were driving down a street and he took the lil pamphlet interpratations and threw it out the window). 3. Reading cards is much like looking at a painting. When you look at a card, here are some questions to ask yourself. a. What emotion do you feel overall? happy, sad, frightend, soothing, stressed? b. Is the character moving or sitting? Why do you think s/he is sitting? c. What other things do you see in the picture, are they holding anything in their hands? What does that object mean to you? What does the sky look like? What does that mean to you? (see what details stand out to you and then turn it into yourself to find out what those details mean to you). For instance, someone who is scared of snakes, if a snake was in the picture, they would read that as a card revolving around fear...however, snakes are also known to mean fertility and intellect...they could also mean being a hermit, or cunning and vicious. It all depends on how YOU feel about these things, not what a book tells you. d. As others stated, is there a story that you can make up about the card, such as the fool? Why is he walking around, what is he looking at, where is he going, or does he even know where he's going? Let your child side come out and make up a story to go with the picture. One of the things elementary teachers do to help develope imagination as well as an eagerness to learn to read in young children, they show them books with only pictures and have the student/s make up their own story of what is going on. Let this happen with your imagination with the tarot. E. This will help you develope your intuition. Intuition is nothing more then a deep down gut feeling as well as using what you do know to either assist or go against what it is that you feel in the raw. Don't worry about being accurate,just try to go with what you feel, this will help you cope with self doubt. If it's not right, then so what, don't charge for your readings, and if people ask, THEN tell them you are still learning. (for the longest time, I didn't charge for readings but told people I accepted tips, that way, if they felt it was worth it, then they will give you what they feel the reading was worth). 4. How about doing a card of the day reading to help learn? Each day, pull one card from the deck asking the deck what is the general ongoings of this day. Shuffle them, or spread them, however you feel comfortable, then pull one card. Study that card with your own feelings and story making first. Then if you wish, turn to a source that you find helpful to help interpret that card. 5. Tarot journaling also helps a lot. With your card a day, write down the date that it is and what card you pulled as well as what deck you used. This is what I do just to give you a "form" to get you started, and then make it into what you want. 1*13*03 Card of the day 6 of Wands Celtic Dragon Deck (I'm just beginning to learn this deck myself, and this card I don't know at all, so this is a perfect example for you...smiles) Me ~ A lady glowing with a smile, happiness and wearing a crown with a pentacle on top. Wisdom. Wands (to me) mean air, so this revolves around the intellect. The moon is shining through the window which means to me, a sign of strong instincts are at hand. She is standing in front of an altar of sorts with her hands upon a scroll that it looks like she just unrolled. However, she's focused on a glowing pot that actually has the glowing six wands in it, and as she's looking at it, she's smiling. A small baby dragon is playing with the wands in the pot. It seems as though she went to a place to study to get an answer to a question she had on her mind, dragons were playing around with her things and in her hair, but one started playing in the corner and as she was looking for her answer on the paper, instead the dragon playing in the corner got her attention and she found another answer there. Perhaps it means following your instincts to help lead you to the answers you seek and have fun while doing so. Don't forget to pay attention to those around you as they unknowingly might be what leads you to the insight that you seek. Now is a time of intellectual play and growth. Book ~ Success after hard work ~ You are rewarded with success after hard work. A message of good news brightens your day. There could be an advancement in career. Supportive friends give you the courage to follow your dreams. I can see the success after hard work, a message of good news brightening my day, and the supportive friends give you the courage to follow your dreams. I don't agree with there could be an advancement in career. (then if you want, mix the two interpretations together here). This is just a formula for a tarot journal for daily cards. You can record anything you want in your tarot journaling. Also, this might help you out a lot to as many others here have found it to help as well as myself. www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6777 keep us updated to let us know how you are progressing and post any of your new findings, interpretations, and questions that you have!

Teal	13 Jan 2003
But here's something I get puzzled about-------as you did that reading, you said wands mean air to you and that that indicates a thought or something mental-----you had to have learned that somewhere to begin with. You didn't just stone cold pick up a tarot deck of any kind and equate wands with air. Therefore, everyone who says "Oh throw the book away and don't use it, look at the cards and make your own meaning" isn't being quite totally fair to new readers. I asked Umbrae and he admitted that at first he DID use meanings he read about, even though now he says to throw the book away, too. So my question is----what's the deal? Isn't this somewhat misleading to the new person? You DID learn something from somewhere besides just the cards themselves to begin with. Maybe it wasn't a book but was a teacher who threw your book out the window, but you didn't learn tarot by just looking at the cards alone-----really! No offense to you or Umbrae, by the way. I respect you both, but allow me to be the voice of all new tarotists who may wonder the same thing and be afraid to mention it. I remember how bewildered I was in having a more experienced person say to throw the book away and make your own meanings, till I asked Umbrae (finally) if he hadn't read stuff on tarot when he was first learning and he said he had. It's a wonder I didn't just give up on tarot altogether because it made me feel like such a dimwit that I couldn't learn the cards in the way we're talking about-----throw out the book and make your own meanings. I think we should let inexperienced people know that yes, you DO learn a great deal either from books or experienced tarotists or both, but making your own meanings can be a good tool for learning and building confidence in your intuitive ability. Swords mean air traditionally, for the benefit of our new reader here, but some decks equate it with air, by the way.

Umbrae	13 Jan 2003
No offense taken, in fact it is a good question. When I got my fist deck in 1972, the only book available to me at that time was the Waite book, which is pitiful. It is nothing except a really large LWB (little white book). That was my starting point. As time went on, my own meanings transformed, and changed. I unlearned much. I never read many other books…but not until I’d been reading for many years. Journaling is what taught me tarot. Not authors, nor others.

Aoife	13 Jan 2003
I think most things I've learned to do in life have been about mastering the basic skills - from there I can blossom into my own way of doing them. And that's how I approached the tarot. It was a skill to be mastered. I spent a lot of time collecting card meanings, pasting them into a growing file. I got a sense of pride from my 'studies'. If a number of writers said that a certain card meant the same thing, well, then that meaning had to be right. I thought I was learning - methodically, the only way I've ever been taught to learn. But I knew I'd lost my way. A turning point for me was "78 Degrees of Wisdom" - suddenly it started to make sense and then feel sense. It's only recently I've realised that nothing I've been taught about how to learn is applicable. I'm struggling to find the words to describe what is still a very tentative understanding. And my confidence comes and goes. Perhaps one day my inner teacher will take over for good but until that time "78 degrees...." is there for me when I feel lost and confused and will be for a long while to come.

Khatruman	13 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Teal Therefore, everyone who says "Oh throw the book away and don't use it, look at the cards and make your own meaning" isn't being quite totally fair to new readers....Isn't this somewhat misleading to the new person? I remember how bewildered I was in having a more experienced person say to throw the book away and make your own meanings.. It's a wonder I didn't just give up on tarot altogether because it made me feel like such a dimwit that I couldn't learn the cards in the way we're talking about-----throw out the book and make your own meanings. It's a wonderful point, Teal, and one I have regarding anyone who, at the point of experience, wishes to teach others in a way that they idealize their learning process. To take my forte`, English, as an example. I am an English teacher now, and I am excitedly teaching poetry because I really get it now!!! I want to tell students, and I do, to: "forget about the right interpretation, just go with your gut instinct!!!" Well, looking back now at being a high schooler, I would now have been TOTALLY lost!!! I didn't understand poetry in the least in high school. Now, I can understand it because I understand it more on the level of words, understand that the music of the words contributes a great deal, and also my base of experience and knowledge of life and literature has helped me get it too. But, now on the other side, I think, "Well, I can get it instinctually, so I should teach my students to simply trust their instincts." I forget that my instinct has been greatly enhanced by the great mentors of my life, in books and in experience. New students need some kind of base. What I think the book-tossers are trying to get the new tarotists to avoid is being bound to the interpretations in books. Someone new to anything is seeing the long path of learning and wanting any shortcuts they can find. The trouble with shortcuts is that they limit also. They are pat, but they reign in the many levels available in anything at a higher level of understanding. Teaching poetry, I give my students an opening to all the characteristics that exist in it... the devices of sound, rhythm, symbolism, on and on...but I try, though it is hard, to avoid giving them the answer... I let them come up with what they will, acknowledge it, not saying right or wrong, but saying.. ok, go back to the text...what is there that led you to believe that... and if there is any other knowledge I can give them that backs that up, that's fine. Perhaps instead of tossing these books, we can put them aside, assign them a secondary role, and stress the primary mover is right inside the reader. Peace!

Teal	13 Jan 2003
I'm just going to be flat out honest here-----I crammed! I'm not afraid to admit it. I almost gave up being able to read intuitively altogether and quit trying to read tarot at all because of the "throw the book away" advice. I thought I just didn't "have it" like other people did and that I was never going to be able to read. I'm serious! You can do a search on some of my posts here and see where I've said it more than once in the forum. But I wanted so badly to learn that I just said to h*** with it and started studying and learning from here, from books and wherever. NOW I can read intuitively and I'm feeling a lot more at home with it. But please, people-----don't do this to novice readers who are wanting to learn how this is done. The old "throw the book away" just isn't quite "spot on" to quote some of our Brit friends, and I think we owe it to that beginner we all once were to have a heart when it comes to helping another beginner get started. There may be a rare soul who just picks up a deck and takes off reading without every even looking at the LWB one time, but I have my doubts there are many of those. To anyone just starting and feeling discouraged, including our "lost one" here, like some have said, it's a lifelong study. It's fascinating, and at the start, it may seem like you can't possibly ever master it, but just keep following the forum, read what helps you in books, do a lot of spreads, keep a journal, and before long, it will really make sense and you'll be on your way.

Teal	13 Jan 2003
Well, being the English teacher you are, you know that there's a precise word in the English language for every little nuance of what you want to say, and "throw the book out" isn't making very good use of it if someone just wants to tell a beginner to make the book secondary and work with their instincts as well.

Umbrae	13 Jan 2003
I came back to edit and…too late…must do an addendum post. Just a couple of quick points. When I was learning Tarot I never knew about elements or seasons and how they were assigned to suits…made no difference to me. Now that I know, it makes no difference to me. Suit meanings came by themselves…I used Conflict and thought, work and ‘doing’, emotions and spiritual, and real, chattel, and monetary property. I read quite successfully for 20 years before I picked up a book. Then I was astounded…there was all this stuff I was supposed to learn? Did that mean that I was wrong for all those years? Nah… I strongly believe (and this is just a belief folks…so don’t get too wrapped up in it) that too many folks try to make Tarot far more complicated than it really is. They read far too much into it. Then tell you, that you have to know all this stuff that’s irrelevant. Somewhere along the way, reference material becomes reverence material…and then opinions become facts and… Something beautiful and simple, becomes difficult and complex; paralysis by analysis sets in, and suddenly you are too smart to read…Tarot becomes an intellectual exercise… Some out there would not be so lost, if they were assured that their (and your) ideas are just as good as the next person’s and often much, much better. Fears about how others see you can be eased if you focus on being grounded and accept your own unique capabilities. And the whole issue of studying tarot…is that you don’t want to be wrong. Well, there is no test.

Teal	13 Jan 2003
Thank you Umbrae. You make good points. I've certainly found myself getting analysis paralysis about tarot at different times. There's a happy medium somewhere. What I'm learning now is that if I had listened to those who said "start with Rider Waite or similar" and if I had just learned a little basic information and not gotten all tightened up thinking I wasn't going to do it "right", I'd have made it so much easier for myself. And what I've learned to do, rather than try to memorize everything, is just to get the general idea of different points, stop reading long enough to think about it and associate it with something familiar to me, and move on. Also, as I read, I try to make a metaphoric connection with what I've read so that I'm getting the "idea" of the material rather than trying to totally remember every point. And it gives me a headache to get too "correct" and philosophical about it. It is what it is, I find it a very enriching and helpful spiritual tool, a rewarding pastime when I read for others, and that's how I'm using it now.

Khatruman	13 Jan 2003
Thinks I am getting analysis paralysis also... I'm sorry, won't argue any points on this anymore... I guess I just think an extreme point of any argument leaves out the values of the other point. I also know, when the issue involves learning, that everyone has different learning styles and becomes successful in different ways. What a good mentor does is try to bring out the best in the specific student's style of learning. My apologies, Teal and Umbrae. You make excellent points. I am still a learner here and have a long way to go. Peace!

Kitty	13 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by hunnypooh_1 is it very hard to learn how to read the tarot cards \ Ah do not despair - all of the above advice is great - hang in there - we are all still "learning" Take it one step at a time......

Umbrae	13 Jan 2003
No need to apologize. Learning Tarot is not dissimilar to literature. You can begin with Finnagan’s Wake or Ogden Nash…or you can say to heck with it and grab some oater…

lawguy51	13 Jan 2003
I've been a student for what feels like my entire life. I read manuals. No, make that, I study manuals. I follow directions. I can put together Ikea furniture without parts left over on the floor. The point being, I took up Tarot seriously this past August. The one deck I already had, the Mythic, came with a good book. I read it, studied it, learned Sharman-Burke's meanings. Then I discovered this forum and found Thirteen's Tarot Basics. I printed them, read them, studied them. Then it was on to 78 Degrees of Wisdom, Tarot Dictionary and Compendium, Tarot for Yourself.... Then I got the Victoria Regina deck. Great, another good book. Now I am pouring over Pollack's two books on the Haindl deck since that deck arrived under the Christmas tree. BUT.....during all this time of study, I have, with no small degree of trepidation mixed with bravery, offered to do readings in the Exchange at least a dozen times. Either people are being kind or my readings have in fact been somewhat helpful. I always sit with the spread first. I allow my intuition to lay claim to the reading. But I still go back to the books I trust. I may read a dozen meanings for a card. But you know, you can use your intuition when you look up meanings as well. I always find something that resonates with me when I look up a meaning, a kind of ahhhhh, that was sort of what I was thinking but now I'm much clearer on what the card was telling me. This works for me. But I love books. I love learning from books. And I also look forward to the day when my undergrad 'studying' is over. I also have a journal, actually three. A page for every card. Filled with other people's meanings. But also creeping in are my own. Eventually I will take over the meanings for the cards. But for now, I'm comfortable combining my intuition with the accumulated knowledge of others. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. So I say go buy a good book if you want to. At the very least it gives the beginner a sense of context, of history.

Alex	14 Jan 2003
in the forum. Relax and participate. I probably don't have much more of a clue than you have, on how to read these cards: sometimes I just forgett how ignorant I am. Alex.

Trogon	14 Jan 2003
I had started out going down the book learning route like many others. I do not necessarily feel it was a mistake. What was my mistake was in not finding other Tarot readers to discuss things with! Thank for Aeclectic Tarot! I have been finding lately that, even though I am using my intuition much more than I originally did, there is still a place for the meanings in the books or even the LWB's. The thing is, that sometimes my subconscious mind - my intuition - focuses on part of a picture on a card... I "get" the meaning I need from it, but my conscious mind can't form the words I need to explain the concept. There are other times too, where either nothing, or too many things, leap to mind when I see the card. In these cases it's also good, at least for me, to fall back on "accepted" meanings gleaned from a book. For the most part, I'm not actually looking in one of my store-bought books or even the LWB, but rather in my journal, where I've written my meanings for the cards, in my words. This notebook also contains notes on several spreads that I like to use, both my own creations and those gleaned from other sources (mostly from A.T. ;) ). Now, the first time someone asks me for a reading I always explain that I may need to look things up in this notebook. This way they aren't surprised and know right off where I'm coming from. I have yet to have any kind of a negative reaction to this practice of mine.... then again, I'm not asking people for money either. That could change things I suppose. I also ask them if it will be alright for me to write down their reading in my readings notebook. If they say they'd rather I didn't, that notebook gets put away immediately. I do like to have the readings I do recorded for future reference. I hope this has added something to the discussion...

Macavity	14 Jan 2003
I suspect balance is indeed the thing. It reminds me of the perennial(!) debate on music forums as to whether Guitarists should bother learning to read music. Someone always cites the examples of (insert preference) Django Reinhardt, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton etc. Sure, none of them could read music but, unless you are a genius in that calibre, I suspect learning "book stuff" never hurt - Especially at the beginning. Conversely a lifetime spent studying music books in isolation would leave you (probably) devoid of any personal style or ability to "swing" it... Hmmm Either way you might still just make a reasonable living at it. Look at (insert least favourite guitarist here!) }) Macavity

Aerin	14 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by lawguy51 I took up Tarot seriously this past August. The one deck I already had, the Mythic, came with a good book. I read it, studied it, learned Sharman-Burke's meanings. Then I discovered this forum and found Thirteen's Tarot Basics. I printed them, read them, studied them. Then it was on to 78 Degrees of Wisdom, Tarot Dictionary and Compendium, Tarot for Yourself.... Then I got the Victoria Regina deck. Great, another good book. Now I am pouring over Pollack's two books on the Haindl deck since that deck arrived under the Christmas tree. ........I always sit with the spread first. I allow my intuition to lay claim to the reading. But I still go back to the books I trust. I may read a dozen meanings for a card. But you know, you can use your intuition when you look up meanings as well. I always find something that resonates with me when I look up a meaning, a kind of ahhhhh, that was sort of what I was thinking but now I'm much clearer on what the card was telling me. This works for me. But I love books. I love learning from books. Someone after my own heart. I have had a lifelong love affair with books. I did, when starting, get a deck and ask myself what each of the pictures meant to me and it wasn't enough for me. So I read and read and read (and still do) to gain different perspectives on each card. I find this adds to my flexibility in interpreting, it's as if each card has a 'centre' for me from which all the other interpretations connect. I have only got a sense of this 'centre' by getting as many different interpretations as possible, so that I can better understand the pattern and connections they have. And every time I discuss with someone or pick up a new book or read someone else's 'take' I strengthen and deepen my intuition. Everyone is different. Tailor to your own learning style, don't feel you have to ape someone elses. Aerin

Teal	14 Jan 2003
Khatruman, I wasn't meaning you, my dear. You had very valid points that I very much agreed with. But I also agreed with what Umbrae said. Hugs! Teal

heartsdesire	14 Jan 2003
If I could add my 2 cents here - yes there are times when it seems "learning" is discouraging and difficult. I've been at this for probably 7 years. the first deck I bought was the PoMo tarot. I dutifully read the book that came with it and tried my hand at the Celtic Cross spread. it was frusterating and I couldn't make heads or tales of it. I gave up. Several years later - while in a book store I was drawn to the tarot card section. This time I bought a Rider/Waite deck. I took my prize home - dutifully read the book and did more Celtic Cross spreads. It STILL was difficult. Bought another "manual" - which at that point was probably too advanced for me and struggled some more. Then I looked on the internet - found Joan Bunning's Learn Tarot - and things began to make sense. though I was still getting readings that were difficult to interpret - or at least there would always be one card that didn't make any sense. Bought another book - Tarot Plain and Simple - and another deck. finally - a breakthough! After about three years I had learned to trust the cards and myself. My Rider/Waite deck gives me the most acurate readings - and I trust it completely. Since that time I have purchased another deck - which I'm learning now - and have ordered two more which appeal to my more wilder side! I have bought a few more books to add to my library - some of which I refer to daily - others which I look at only once in awhile. I have learned that sometimes simpler 3 and 5 card spreads are all that you need, and the more time I spend with my cards the more they "like" me! remeber it is a process in which you will learn many things about yourself as well as the cards and spend time with them like you would any good friend. Eventually they will "talk" to you.

Umbrae	14 Jan 2003
I just wanted to make a side note here, and a tip of the hat to Teal, Khatruman, Lawguy, Alex, Trogon, Macavity… Just for the record. I am not anti-book. I am not against learning new things with books. You can hardly walk in my house without running across piles and stacks of books…books books books…{glad I found the bookcrossing.com thread…time to set some of these free…make room for the cats…}. There is a moment when a card is turned over. The eye looks, the brain registers…thought occurs – shuffling and sorting – the brain hunts for the ‘meaning’ of the card from what ever source. We were taught. It is intellectual. We learn. There is no grade in Tarot. Oracular devices are not quantifiable. I like Soul Cards because there is no meaning for the cards…and yes I have been known to use them for full spreads. What occurs in a newbies brain when they begin is they have to ‘do it right’. They turn a card over and “oh my gawd what’s it mean”! My approach is…forget what it “means”…listen to what it says…and trust that voice. Facts obfuscate the truth. Facts and truth are not always the same. Facts can be the enemy of truth. If your brain is in search mode, attempting to find the meaning – you cannot ‘listen’. (Shameless plug: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10197 ). Edited to add So there I was thinking about recent threads on AT. Archetypes or Archetypal Images? Books or not? Is that Umbrae guy out of his ever-lovin-mind? My approach has been to accentuate the spiritual – and (hopefully) the intellectual will follow. When one begins with the intellectual, all too often, there is little or no spiritual follow-through. Now mind you, whether I’m right or wrong is of no consequence. The paradigm shift is. http://www.wowzone.com/monkey.htm

Teal	14 Jan 2003
What occurs in a newbies brain when they begin is they have to ‘do it right’. They turn a card over and “oh my gawd what’s it mean”! My approach is…forget what it “means”…listen to what it says…and trust that voice. Facts obfuscate the truth. Facts and truth are not always the same. Facts can be the enemy of truth. If your brain is in search mode, attempting to find the meaning – you cannot ‘listen’ **************************************************** Excellent, Umbrae! Precisely said! And very, very true. But then, what else would we expect from Umbrae but tarot truth? :-) For beginners who want to exercise their intuitive thinking, when you sit and turn cards over, just see what comes to your mind about the cards in that sequence. Don't worry about the "right" meaning. I sometimes just sit and shuffle, cut and flip out cards in three or seven card sequences, not for a specific reading but for what my mind will come up with in reading through that sequence of cards, without wondering if I'm "right" or not and without having any preconceived notion of a question necessarily. In doing this, it's good practice for me. I also get to see what cards there are that I just still don't connect with so that if I want to, I can read up a little bit on those cards. Oddly enough, my mind learned to make associations for the majors the most quickly, and then the pips, but I still stumble and draw blanks on court cards. I don't know why, but those are the ones that just don't seem to want to trip any wires in the ol' intuition for me. They'll come in time, though. Another suggestion is that, rather than trying to memorize meanings for cards as you read books, etc. (and I'm a book-a-holic by nature, too) instead, read a passage in a book about the cards and then stop reading and just think to yourself of a generalized statement you could make about what you just read. In that way, you're getting to the essence of what these cards can mean instead of cramming stark facts into your head that you feel you must memorize and then recall on demand and it makes it much easier to then read intuitively. At least, it did for me.

Jewel	14 Jan 2003
I started learning tarot 8 or 9 years ago ... I got the Raider Waite deck and the book Tarot Made Easy (I think ... was some time ago) ... and I got all confused. Then as I started looking around there was all this astrological, numerological, elemental and qabailistic stuff coming at me. I was totally overwhelmed! Finally I realized that I really did not like the Raider Waite deck at all so I set it aside and got the Robin Wood. I tossed the book into my closet and got out a good ole' fashioned pencil and notebook. I had cards I really liked and I just started writting what I saw, what I felt. I let my imagination take over. And for the first time, I was having fun. I became friends with my cards, because I took the time to get to know them for who they are, not for what someone else thinks they are. It is this experience that we elude to when we say "throw out the book". I wish I would have done it sooner, I might have been more motivated to learn. Once that exercise (of getting to know the cards) was complete I found some better books (personally I would not recommend Tarot Made Easy to anyone), and I read and played. I found that Tarot workbooks with exercises are my favorites and that as a text my favorite is 78 Degrees of Wisdom. I also decided to learn more about the elements, and qabalah in particular. But all in due time ... My advice based on my experience ... get a deck you like and become friends with it through journaling ... THEN go learn what others have to say. What you will find is that you perceive much more from the cards than you knew you did ... it is in your journal, in your own words, but is exactly what "so and so" said in the book just in different words. This is a real confidence booster. When what you saw totally differs, then you can pull the card, read your journal, compare it to the book and see what YOU think. Well enough rambling ... I love books so I would not say throw it away, really, but do put it away until you have become friends with your deck.

IsisUnveiled	16 Jan 2003
I have to put my 2 cents in here! The most liberating thing for me in terms of learning the Tarot, was reading that in all actuality, we should be able to look at a blank deck of cards and divine the meanings from them. So, this means that everything is coming from INSIDE not necessarily from your cards. The cards are a tool for realizing what is inside. So don't be afraid to sit and meditate or look at a card for a while. You will eventually understaand your own personal projection on the card. It may take a day, it may take a month, but it will eventually happen. Take a little time to discover your true self! Don't let your inhibitions get in the way! Who cares what someone else might think! Be true to yourself and the cards will be true to you. Good luck to you!

Umbrae	16 Jan 2003
IsisUnveiled, others; Too true...I thought you might like this (for those who have been around for awhile - it's another shamless plug)... http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8599

patter	16 Jan 2003
There seem to be the usual 2 approaches 1) top down -- look at the cards and feel their meaning intuitively 2 ) bottom up - learn the rules. I am bottom up -- I can feel the cards meanings now only because I have read many and diverse opinions about each's meaning in a lot of different books. I don't think the world mind (or whatever) would beam the meaning of the hanged man into my head as a stared at the picture of a dangling man with a goofy look on his face -- yes, I am being flippant here, but in may case understanding is built on a foundation of many little facts and ideas that I have encountered through books and the occassional actual person talking to me. For my first reading I did them for myself, or for lovely tolerant friends. I tried to remember the meaning of the card as it came up -- and then just looked in the book and read out the brief description. Then I, or I and the friend, chatted about what the cards might mean for them. This sort of playing around allowed me to pick up the basics relatively quickly - then further subtlties (like incorporating what I knew about the querent, reading card interactions, reversals) were added over time as a natural weathering and maturing process... hope this helps -- thinmk about whether you can access a natural intuition about the cards, or whether swatting (looking at a range of books) and using a favourite book as a crutch for a while would work better for you.

Amy Kief	19 Jan 2003
Dear Hunny, You've gotten some great advice. I hope you are feeling a little less overwhelmed! I would like to tell you of a technique that I think works very well. It is based on the premise that every reader will interpret the cards just a bit differently than any other reader. Part of learning to read Tarot Cards is learning the basic/traditional meanings of the cards, but that is only a starting point. More importantly are your own personal and psychic impressions that you get from both individual cards and the reading as a whole. The first thing I would advise you to do is to start some kind of meditation regiment. This will help not only to center you spiritually, but it will eventually help you to "listen" to your intuitions and trust that your psychic impressions are real and welcome. The next technique is to keep a journal for your own personal readings -- an entry should be made at least once a day. It is actually better if you don't have any predetermined ideas about what the cards "should" mean. Start by getting yourself in a calm frame of mind. Think of a question or area of concern in your life that you would like to gain some insight on. Shuffle your Tarot cards while you are thinking and concentrate on getting your mental energy, your aura, into the cards. Lay out 5 cards. Write down in your journal the date, your question/area of concern, which 5 cards you have drawn (in order), and what your impressions are for each card. Don't worry that you don't think that you are "right". Do this every day for a couple of weeks -- continue to study the art of tarot card reading in whatever manner(s) works best for you (i.e., some people read books, take courses, use Tarot forums, etc.). After a period of 2 weeks, I believe you will see certain patterns emerging and you will have more difinitive impressions for what the cards mean. I think that learning Tarot Card reading is like anything else. It seems overwhelming in the beginning, but if you are motivated and interested you will keep working at it. Every day you will learn something new and that excitement will keep you moving forward until you begin to feel competent. Naturally, like anything else, you will never stop learning new things about the Tarot, but that's what keeps it interesting! Good Luck!!! Amy Kief

The im lost thread was originally posted on 12 Jan 2003 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.