do Tarot cards have "personality" all there own?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 05 Aug 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

robyn	05 Aug 2003
Hello to everyone. i joined this forum a few days ago just before i got my VERY FIRST deck. i'm robyn, and i have no previous experience with Tarot cards. i have never had Tarot cards read for me or infront of me by someone else. i was taught since i was little that Tarot cards are Frivolous and are used for evil and to stay away from symbolism. i obviously got past the dogma and i am exploring my personal place with Tarot cards. My only fear is that i will become more dependant on the cards instead of just listening to my innerself. My innitial desire.. was to use the cards as a beginning tool but i dont want them to become a crutch. i must say its been quite exciting, and frustrating at the same time. I got the Rider Waite Tarot pack and I am learning about the symbols and am beginning to read the cards as if in sentence form. I have found that even in my newness to Tarot the tarot cards seem a little... “plain or dull” which is sometimes boring but I think it may be a good thing since I am new to the Tarot... simple images may be better for a beginner. I have noticed ( and it just might be my inexperience) that my cards have a type of “personality” usually when I read the cards in a spread, the message ( no matter how serious) is portrayed in a humorous, lighthearted fashion.... like playing a game of charades with an old friend sometimes mocking if I didn’t get it right the first time. . I find myself laughing a lot and telling my cards to shut up (jokingly). it’s kind of irritating at times. Too, just as with an old friend If I spend “to much time” with my deck I become frustrated and have to walk away from the deck, even when I don’t want to. Is it just me..? or .Have any of you had any similar experiences with your decks ? If so, what have you learned from the experience? Please, please share your thoughts. humbly yours, robyn.

Little Baron	05 Aug 2003
Hi Robyn Firstly, welcome. I think that all of my tarot decks have different personalities and when I am with them, I act differently as well. My main deck of study at the moment is the Phantasmagoric Theater Tarot by Graham Cameron. The pictures in this deck are anything but dull and the characters within them have personalities all of their own. The Faeries Oracle by Brian Froud is another where the characters are very talkative and telling them to 'shut up' just doesn't work. LOL. I also have the Rider Waite Smith Deck (and the Universal Waite). When I began to learn the tarot, I found these images to be too simplistic and yes, a little dull. I rebelled and resisted from that deck because I considered it to ... not be me. My opinions of those two decks have changed dramatically since I first saw them in a shop some eight years ago. As you get to know them, the characters do come to life and the scenes have so much depth (stop by the Rider Waite Smith - study group - the secrets within the deck that readers have found illustrate the point). There is so much symbolism in the deck that is hard to see at first (I didn't see it for years) - it is practically dripping in it. There are a lot of really great artistic decks out there (I also own the Rohrig, Tarot of The Ages, The Thoth, Cosmic Tribe, to mention a few) but the RWS is the best one to get to grips with as a beginner. It shows you the ropes and eventually you will be able to pick up and read with any of the other 'more complicated' packs. The RWS, regardless of its benefit to the beginner, is my trusty 'mate' and one that I always return to. It is good that the stories of tarot evil did not put you off of your journey; after all, they are just stories. It is also good, as long as we are respectful of the cards, that our interaction is fun and playful. I would advice any newcomer to the cards to be joyful and playful with their deck - it is a great way to get to understand them and bond. It seems like you have already done this. I hope that you enjoy this forum. Once you get more involved in discussions, recieve help and spend hours reading through the many threads and study groups, I am sure you will become hooked, like most of us are on here. I don't see my cards as a crutch and I am sure that in time, you will not either. Just a window opening up inside, when I look at and read with them. I wish you all the best on your journey and look forward to hearing your developments with the RWS. I have not seen so many posts in the study group recently, so maybe some of your initial insights may provoke some energy within the threads. Yaboot

robyn	07 Aug 2003
Thank you for your response Yaboot001. It is greatly appreciated. I guess everyone else is very busy; Or maybe we are the only ones with this type of experience ;) well if they call me crazy at least I have YOUR company haha ;) i have decided that instead of trying to read the cards in a spread, i am first going to focus on the meanings of each card and what they say to me, with less practice on reading cards and spreads in general. i have become frustrated with having to look up possible meanings for every other card in a spread and then feeling like i misinterpreted the cards because i am focusing more on what the general interpretation of the card is and not enough on what the card is saying to me at the time; this is because of my lack of understanding of the symbols and meanings of the cards, so i have decided to put more effort into studying the meanings and feelings of the cards and less on spreads. After i am comfortable with my understanding of the cards i will practice spreads and readings. What do you think of this? Overall it has been an exciting experience and everyday i look forward to my tarot education. once again thank you, humbly yours, robyn.

Diana	07 Aug 2003
Hi robyn! They say two's company and three's a crowd, but I think you won't mind if I join you and Yaboot here, will you. (He is great company though! You have been in good hands.) You say that you fear you will become more dependent on the cards instead of just listening to your inner self. Well you know, most of what Tarot is about is that it helps us understand our inner self better, so by reading your cards, you will get closer to your soul. So don't worry about that! I am thinking from your last post that you are possibly doing spreads with too many cards. May I suggest (and I know that many people will support me here) is that you do two card or three card readings to start with. In fact, three card spreads are wonderful and can reveal so much! They are my favourite (with sometimes a fourth card thrown in for good measure). But two card spreads are great as well. I think if you go over to the Tarot Spreads forum there is a thread there somewhere that is all about three-card spreads. If you can't find it, I'm sure a moderator will be happy to help you find it. As to your deck having "personality", I think the pictures on the cards certainly trigger emotions in us, and depending on how we relate to the pictures on the cards, we can definitely get different types of readings which one can define then as humourous, serious, ironic, comforting, or whatever..... However, if you don't really like the Rider Waite deck, don't hesitate to buy yourself another one if you can afford it. There are some wonderful decks out there. (Don't forget to add a Marseille deck to your collection as soon as possible, as a Marseille deck is something very very special.......) Also, don't study too hard. Let the cards speak to you and try and trust your intuition more. You will be amazed at how much you know without even having opened a book!

Dark Inquisitor	07 Aug 2003
You said you were taught to "stay away from symbolism." I am curious about that. Is there supposed to be something naturally bad about symbolism to some people?? I have not heard of that before . Tarotphelia

Alex	07 Aug 2003
Stay away from symbolism? That's hard to accomplish. Raise the colors of your country, and you're already as close to symbolism as one can be. The priest raising the glass of whine during the mess, that's symbolic. There's way to much symbolism in human culture for you to want to stay away from it. Better surrender... to the symbolism, and to the cards. Alex. Quote: Originally posted by robyn i was taught since i was little that Tarot cards are Frivolous and are used for evil and to stay away from symbolism. i obviously got past the dogma and i am exploring my personal place with Tarot cards. My only fear is that i will become more dependant on the cards instead of just listening to my innerself. My innitial desire.. was to use the cards as a beginning tool but i dont want them to become a crutch.robyn.

robyn	08 Aug 2003
i'm sorry,... let me clarify a bit. In my childhood religion i was tought that symbolism in regards to tarot cards, runes, numerology etc. had no spiritual benefit. These were tools of the devils to lead people away from the spirit of the father. I was tought that instead of searching threw charts and graphs, and dropping runes, and dealing decks of cards and asking other people about what they think of the matter; we should be listening to the spirit of the lord, for only he has true knowledge of all things and only he can give us the answers. i have learned many things since my youth, i of course still deeply believe in heavenly father, jesus christ and the holy ghost, but even the prophets of old had the Urim and Thummim ;) there are some symbols that i was tought were naturaly negative such as the cross. the sross represents the death of christ so i wasn't allowed to have one as a youth and all those (ormost) in the religion would not posses one. i have also leaned since my youth that the cross has many different meanings not just a symbol of christs death. i have also learned that any symbol, object or energy can be used as a tool of the devil even the Holy Bible can be used to lead people away from the truth. There are opposites in all things of this world, it all depends on personal perception and intent. :) thank you for your response, i hope i was able to help you understand better. humbly yours, robyn.

robyn	08 Aug 2003
Diana, you are so right!!!! i do use to many cards...but i just can't resist. i start out with three cards....and then three more...and then three more.....it's terrible i know. i will just have to be more disciplined ;P i will take your advice though and check out the spread forum. thank you for your respond :D humbly yours, robyn.

The do Tarot cards have "personality" all there own? thread was originally posted on 05 Aug 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.