learning question

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 06 Apr 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

hyatt	06 Apr 2004
Hello Fellow New Memebers! I have been working with tarot for a couple of months now. I select one card a day and learn the meanings and meditate on it. I was wondering how other people start to learn the deck? Got any suggestions or have an interesting expereinces?

Catpaw	06 Apr 2004
Hyatt, I have only been studying the Tarot for 2 years, but I use the following method to help me understadn a card 9especially for a new deck): 1. Look at the picture and see how you interpret or react to the scene, people, etc. 2. Consider the expressions, directions people are facing, animals, etc. 3. Consider the major colors 4. What does the number mean and what does this general meaning tell you about the pciture and what is happening. Go with your intuitive understanding and compare it to what you learn from books by authors like Rachel Pollack, Mary Greer, etc. I use a dictionary to assist me too as well as other books. I hope this helps.

Star Spirit	06 Apr 2004
Welcome hyatt. I'd say you're doing quite well.

Thirteen	06 Apr 2004
If you're looking for other methods beginners use to learn the cards, one that's pretty fast but simplistic is the Keyword method. What you do is you give each card a keyword of meaning. If you then go on to relate the first 10 majors to the minors, magician to the aces, 2's to the High Priestess, ect., you can lean most of the deck very quickly. So, if keyword for the Empress is "Create" then you link this to all the 3's according to suit: Cups = emotions 3/Cups = create emotions (This is the Sylvia Abraham method by the way) It's simplistic and not of much use once you get past rank beginner, as the relation between majors and minors in this way is very artificial. However it is a useful mnemonic devise and it helps beginners see how cards can relate to each other. Most beginners have that one problem. Because they learn each card individually, they tend to have difficulty seeing how the cards interact in spreads. The keyword method is good for seeing similarities in the cards, links between them, rather than each in a vaccume. Here is a link to Joan Bunnings Keywords: http://www.learntarot.com/chmaj.htm

OakDragon	06 Apr 2004
Something I've found very helpful since joining AT is reading and participating in the Tarot Games & Fun Forum and the Tarot Study Group Forums. The activities and study in those forums encourage you to look at the cards in new ways.

sun_kissed	12 Apr 2004
Like Catpaw said, I also like to see how i react to a card first, and interpret it myself before "studying the meanings others have given to it.." then I like to read on them... I enjoy comparison sake, but go with my gut feelings...

Emiac	14 Apr 2004
Kind of silly this one, but if you ever have a spare hour, sit somewhere comfortable with you deck. Shuffle them, and one by one, start to turn them over. You are going to create a new story. Every card has a meaning & picture. Use this to try and create a little scenario, as you turn over a new card, carry on the story using the card's meaning.

Orion	14 Apr 2004
Hello Hyatt: The link Thirteen provided is a great one! I refer back to it as a quick reference all the time!

The learning question thread was originally posted on 06 Apr 2004 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.