Beginner with Questions

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 18 Jun 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Deus Ex Machina	18 Jun 2004
My World Spirit Tarot deck came in the mail today, and it truly is a beautiful thing. From the moment I opened the cardboard amazon.com box I felt a great sense of ecstacy welling inside me. This is my first real tarot deck and I'm very excited. Unfortunately, I have no idea what I'm doing. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that I have too many ideas about what I'm doing - I've heard and read so many different suggestions about how to learn and use the tarot, and I'm finding it difficult to sort through them all. If anyone could offer some tips or suggestions on how to go about teaching myself to use tarot, I'd be extremely greatful. I have a few specific questions, however, any imput is welcome and needed. First, how should I practice if I don't have frequent opportunites to do readings for other people (I'm 16 so I live at home, and school's over.) Probably 60% of my friends would be willing to try a reading, but I doubt most of them would want to waste their time letting me play around with the cards if I don't even know what I'm doing, so learning by doing readings for others seems like it might be difficult. If anyone has any ideas about how I could best learn, please share them. Thanks.

raeanne	18 Jun 2004
Hi Deus Ex Machina, Welcome to the wonderful world of Tarot! You have already done one of the first things to do in learning Tarot--coming here to Aeclectic! This is the greatest group of people anywhere on the net and you will find great information here. The second thing is to get a Tarot Journal. I have two notebooks - one is a big three ring binder with dividers for each of the 78 cards. In this notebook I keep notes about the different cards and what the symbolisms mean to me. The other notebook is where I keep all of my readings. I record the date, the deck, the question, and then I draw rectangles to show the spread and write down what cards were drawn. I write down my comments on the reading. I try to come back later and make notes about what actually happened. This helps me see patterns that I might not otherwise see. As for finding people to read for, you can visit the Your Readings section here at Aeclectic. In this section people will post a reading they did and you can use your deck to layout the cards and compare your ideas with the comments others have posted. Also, there is a Reading Exchange forum where you can offer to do readings for others. When I was learning, (and I am still learning!) I would do readings about stories in the news. Enjoy your journey!

hedgecub	18 Jun 2004
One of the best people to practice readings on is you :) You could draw a card every morning right after you wake up, and notice how that card manifests over the course of your day. You can expand this morning reading to as many cards as you like, and use it as advice for the day, something to meditate on while you're out and about, or anything else you like. Personally, I prefer keeping it to 3 cards max as I'm not awake enough in the morning to cope with more than that ;) The idea here is to familiarize yourself with the cards and with reading, and over the course of time help you learn the entire deck. If you want to read for others, then as Raeanne suggested, the Reading Exchange forum would be a great place to go. Start a new thread offering a reading, stating any limitations or requirements you might have, such as how many people you're prepared to read for, which decks you prefer to read with, what kind of readings you're willing to give, what spreads you're happy with, et cetera. You're pretty much guaranteed to have a small horde of willing victi.. er, volunteers lining up within a day or two ;) Thirteen's Tarot Card Meanings is an excellent place to start for learning the general meanings of tarot cards. Now, while you'll find that meanings vary (sometimes hugely) from deck to deck, the above link will give you pretty standard meanings that apply to most decks, especially to Rider Waite Smith based decks such as the World Spirit. I found Thirteen's Tarot Card Meanings to be really, really helpful, especially for learning the minors. It's definitely the place to start out. Joan Bunning has the entirety of her book Learning the Tarot online, at the url just stated. It's a good course for a beginner, and includes more in-depth meanings for all the cards in the deck. I went and bought the book because I found the meanings such a useful resource that I wanted them easily accessible, even if I'm away from my computer. As for how to read, there is a huge thread here that links to tons of threads on Aeclectic regarding all the myriad aspects of reading. I'd advise you to use it as a resource, not as a textbook; reading it all in one go will just give you eyestrain, but it's very handy to look things up if you've got a question about anything to do with actually reading the cards. Enjoy :)

lark	18 Jun 2004
Hi D Ex M, What raeanne said is perfect and I can hardly improve on it. I'd just like to add that you should spend some time with the cards and your notebook for awhile before you do a reading.... Go through each card and write down what you see and what that card means to you. Then you'll feel more confident when you do a reading because you'll know your cards in an intimate personal way. Have fun too! The World Spirit is a wonderful deck. Great for a first tarot deck. I love mine. And use it often.

Star Spirit	19 Jun 2004
Ah yes :D The learning process. It can be fun if you make it fun. I mean look at me, I'm still learning. I look fun don't I? Hmm... Well anyway....Thirteen's Tarot Basics really helped me when I started, the link is posted in hedgecub's post. Joan Bunning also has a good course. Keep a journal, and write down everything that comes to mind. Make sure to use your intuition. If you see something in a card that you don't read about anywhere else--it doesn't matter, write it down. Your own meanings will ultimately become the most accurate and important to you. Take it one card at a time and do it your own way at your own pace so that you can have fun while you're at it. If you get frustrated, don't give up :) It gets better.

Ravenswing	19 Jun 2004
Deus-- The book that comes with the deck is an excellent one. I would start by reading through it with the cards in front of you before I went to any other sources. Keep notes. Don't rush-- Tarot is a lifelong learning process. fly well Raven

Esther	20 Jun 2004
Deus Ex Machina, I'm glad you've come here. I'll be sixteen in less then a month, and I started learning Tarot in February. I joined this site in March, I believe, and the people here have been wonderful. I mostly do readings on myself, and I like it because, as long as I'm honest and don't try to make the reading come out like I want, I can see exactly how acurate it is. Whereas, when I read for my friends, I can only take their word for it as well as what I know about them to determine how acturate I am. You might not be comfortable reading for your friends, or even yourself for that matter, for a while, and that's okay. I think what would be good to do right now is look over your cards and get to know them. Some readers sleep with their deck under their pillows after getting them so the cards can get used to their energy. You don't have to do that, but I did after I got my first deck. I also suggest, if you haven't already, getting a book that explains the Tarot cards and their meanings. This site has a good section about what the cards mean, but I think it's a good idea to have a book on hand if you need it or want a further explanation. Every book explains the cards slightly differently, and that can give you some good insight on them. Good luck in learning the Tarot. It takes time, but I think that's how it's supposed to be, and it's a great experience.

tao51	20 Jun 2004
I will add to the excellent suggestions. Sometimes I practice by watching people on TV. Then I do a spread based on something they said. I also do spreads while talking to people on the phone. I have friends that start asking me what I see...after they hear the cards shuffling. LOL I also keep a journal of my readings. Good Fortune to you! We are all still learning!--Tao

Deus Ex Machina	20 Jun 2004
Thank you everyone for your great advice, I know that it will help me greatly as I learn. Sadly, I haven't gotten to do much with my cards since I got them a few days ago, I've been so busy, but I'm sure I'll get to put your advice to good use very soon. I can tell already that this is a great forum with wonderful people.

Silaria	20 Jun 2004
One book that is helping me to improve my Tarot skills, and is helping my husband discover his is "Tarot for Yourself" a Tarot Workbook by Mary K. Greer. The book is written genericly so it works will a wide variety of decks. Since it's a workbook, it walks you though a wide variety of exercises to get you familiar with your deck by USING the deck, your mind, and your instinct instead of relying on the LWB.

The Beginner with Questions thread was originally posted on 18 Jun 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.