What to Learn First

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 30 Nov 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Shapeshifter	30 Nov 2003
Hey Do u guys think that a "standard" meaning is good, ie if I am using cards from the RWS series, should I learn all the RWS meanings first? and then jump to thinking of my own meaings? Thanks for ur comments

lark	30 Nov 2003
I think you would get so much more out of it if you wrote in a notebook what you see in each card first. Then look in books and see what other people think and compare it to your impressions. Make the cards intimately your own first then go to other sources. Do your note book even before you attempt to do a reading. That way when you do your first reading you have a history of spending time with each card. You have your own knowledge of them from your life experiances. Hope this helps. I did the basic meanings first and I ended up getting a notebook and starting from scratch. That is when my intuition really blossomed. Good luck.

Minos	30 Nov 2003
Just roll with it, dude.

Umbrae	01 Dec 2003
begin with what happens in your own head. Write it all down. Years from now you can read the books...

Thirteen	01 Dec 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Shapeshifter Do u guys think that a "standard" meaning is good, ie if I am using cards from the RWS series, should I learn all the RWS meanings first? and then jump to thinking of my own meaings? Do what you feel is right for you--but I'll take the other side and say that starting with a book isn't a bad way to go. One way or another, we all follow our instincts in the end, but sometimes a book or guide can help direct us through the daunting forest that tarot cards seem to be at first. If you do decide to use a book, go to a bookstore and flip through the tarot books. Pick one you like, with an author who explains it in a way that resonates with you. DON'T use the little white book that came with the deck. They're usually terrible.

Sulis	01 Dec 2003
I agree with Lark and Umbrae, get yourself a little notebook and write down what you see on each card, even the things which seem selly and obvious. Then write what you think the card means. I find it very useful to draw a card a day. At the end of the day you can see if you've noticed whether anything has happened to you which reflects the meaning of the card. That way the meanings mean something to you. It's much better than learning rote meanings from a book. Look up the meanings in a good book after you've got your own thoughts sorted on a particular card. Have fun on your tarot journey, you're at a very special stage; it's only now that you have a blank canvas to learn on. Love and light Sulis xx

Dexter	01 Dec 2003
I agree with using your intuition and a good book for assistance. Writing down your interpretations and then consulting the book (not the little white book) for more insights is a great way to go. You will be amazed at how accurate you will be by just going with your first impressions. The book will help with alot of the symbolism. My two teenagers proved this to me guite by accident one day. I had the cards spread out and as the kids wandered by they had a look and each stated something they seen in the cards and they were pretty close. So again go with your intuition and then consult.

Moonbow*	01 Dec 2003
I was told, when learning that everything thats in the card is there for a reason. Every colour chosen is chosen for a reason, every symbol, person, animal, direction the people are looking, what they're wearing is all deliberate. Its always good to know the meaning of the cards but I've found that sometimes I see things in them that is in not in the description given. ..... Its easier to remember your own take on the card then it is to remember someone elses! Either way have fun... even if its a long process its an enjoyable one! Moonbow* :)

Tallarico	01 Dec 2003
I keep a notebook and label each reading, positions, cards etc. I tend to do both things together, form my own impression of the card, see what cards surround it, then check a book to elaborate/check my interpretation. For me, this is helpful because I do believe the cards have basic standard meanings, but I still have my own slant on it. And of course many times card meanings change depending on their position in the spread and the theme of the reading, so I have found for me.

mercenary30	01 Dec 2003
I keep a journal. I have and read with a dozen decks. I consult three or four different books. I find that my own take is best, but if I don't understand what I am seeing than I start hitting the books, starting with the book that came with the set (not the LWB). I am fairly rookie at this though. If I am doing a reading by myself, whether it is for someone else or my own reading, after I lay out the cards I will pick up my journal and do my best to write down three things I see or feel for each card before I consult any books. This works well with using different decks all the time for reading. It does not work so well with pip minors though.......

nodntap	01 Dec 2003
I think I'm lost? Just teasing - maybe, LOL. How to start learning the tarot is subjective to each person and each person must find their own way. Starting a journal is a great idea, especially for those with bad memories. Not using any sources like books, websites and going with what the card tells you is another great idea. Of course you might be still looking at the cards ten years from now without a clue as to what you are looking at or what it's telling you. Another outstanding (and maybe the best) way to start your tarot studies is to read and study just those sites (or the few books around) that deal with symbolism. There aren't that many so this shouldn't take to long, [grin]. http://www.geocities.com/tarot_r_us/Symbolism.html http://www.psy-center.com/tarot/glossary.shtml http://www.umich.edu/%7Eumfandsf/symbolismproject/symbolism.html/ Pictures from the Heart by Sandra A. Thomson I use to have Bob O'Neil's web site address but have lost it. But it pretty much sucked anyway, LOL. Maybe someone else has it? But books are your best bet despite what folks want you to believe. Start with 'Pictures from the Heart' by Sandra A. Thomson, 'Learning the Tarot' by Joan Bunning, and 'Tarot Plain and Simple' by Anthony Louis. For reversals go with 'Learning Tarot Reversals' by Joan Bunning as Greer's book is cookie cutter tarot like most of her books. Decide what meanings and phrases work best for you and then go for the gusto. The best way to learn the tarot is your way - the path you will find all on your own - in time. Don S. http://www.nodntap.net/tarot/

Rusty Neon	01 Dec 2003
Quote: Originally posted by nodntap How to start learning the tarot is subjective to each person and each person must find their own way. Yes, precisely. In my case, I was not content to start out right away decoding the mysterious pictures of the RWS using my own rules; power to those who can accept those pictures as a Given and then proceed from there on their own. As for books, I wasn't satisfied even with those initially. Popular tarot authors give you all sorts of interpretations of their own but don't tell you where the gosh-darn pictures and original interpretations came from. I wanted to know the source code, not secondary overlay. Some people are content to start journals and getting their own take, and power to them. In fact, I wish that were my makeup. But for me, it was important first to know the basic divinatory meanings which are used by the Anglo-American tradition and which inspired the RWS deck: Waite per _PKT_; Golden Dawn per manuscripts such as _Book T_ and _Tarot Divination_; and Etteilla keywords/synonyms. With that out of the way, I can now work with the images and my gut feeling as to what a card means, if I wish, as well as using the "standard" Etteilla/GD/RWS/Thoth meanings. I don't need the rigidity of the journals; to me, it would be a chore, rather than a labour of love. I continue to read up on meanings here and there, as well as using what comes to me directly from the cards. Whatever strikes me (be it from third party written sources or me) at a given time, I go with it.

Major Tom	02 Dec 2003
Quote: Originally posted by nodntap How to start learning the tarot is subjective to each person and each person must find their own way. Yep. :smoker: Learning is subjective. :) Another thing you can do is find an introductory class. There's lots of classes offered all around the world. ;) Oddly enough I teach my students to keep a journal, and well, some do and some don't. Those that do seem to have the confidence to read sooner than the others. Still, you've got to start somewhere and the meanings contained in each of the cards is a good place. :) Books, websites and classes are all good places to get card meanings when you've absolutely no idea what you're looking at in a deck of cards. I use the RWS, Thoth and Marseilles decks for my classes but my students, being English, still tend to gravitate to the RWS. Could be something to do with me too, it's the deck I started with. :laugh:

Mael23	03 Dec 2003
Just to add my two cents... I've just started out myself with a more systematic and personalized approach to learning the Tarot. Many of the articles and posts on this website have inspired me to keep a journal of my own impressions and interpretations (something I'd toyed with years ago, but never had the discipline to actually do... this community has given me the proverbial kick in the butt to get at it... thanks!) Over the years I have read numerous books on what each card means, but never felt "attached" to the meanings, nor would I know which interpretation of the many presented to use in a spread. So, having just begun my journey with The Fool, I started by sitting with the images in both the Robin Wood and Art Nouveau decks (my two decks, so far) and journalling what I saw and then what I perceived. The last words I wrote had to do with being free enough to take a risk. I thought that was a good message to keep with me as my impulse was to run back to the books and see if I had gotten the meanings "right". So, learning from the Fool's journey, I also am going to take a risk and assume the responsibility of determining what the cards mean to me. Having this forum, though, makes me feel very supported in allowing myself to take the risk. Hope this helps with your journey! -Mael

Jewel-ry	03 Dec 2003
I think you should do what feels right for you. I found a bit of everything worked, I looked at the cards, recorded my feelings in a journal (with a couple of my decks I went through them card by card recording what was happening on the card, the symbolism, the colours, the feel, what I thought was happening). I would look at the LWB's, I would look at other books and eventually I would find something in the card which I could hang my own meaning on to. You will probably do your study in many ways. What I did find useful was I started a book (A5 size), a page a card and just jotted down different meanings from different decks that I came across or meanings I came across here on Aeclectic. Over the last year this book has become invaluable and its only got key meanings jotted down in it! J :)

The What to Learn First thread was originally posted on 30 Nov 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.