Learning the Rider-Waite Deck

namasteK

Namaste!

I just bought the Rider-Waite deck this week and am instantly addicted. It's my first deck and I can't get enough! Any advice you can give me as a beginner? I wanted to ask people with the same deck :) well wishes!
 

brightcrazystar

My advice is enjoy it, come to your own conclusions about stuff. Grow your intellect and intuition. Then after you have made every card in the deck *yours* look to the influences of others. I found many things helpful. Make a list of all the cards, order the arcanum and use your talents. Grow your talents with them, and your passions.

For example, I like to write, so I cycle through cards and write poems about them. I offer this impromptu in spirit of your pursuit.

Gold-hued glance at a virgin sky,
Pack on lance and chin held high,
Over the ledge, no concern for cliif
Back to the sun, and the dog* he's with
Nipping at his legs in citrine hose;
What shall be his fate, he scarcely knows;
But commited to Journey, before its ever begun,
To fight, flight, glory or doom the Fool doth run!

*dog is a old sign for "reason" or logic.

Enjoy Tarot and grow with this awesome tool. Grow your passions, your talents, and your life.
 

namasteK

thank you!

that's an awesome idea! I love to write as well so I feel like that will bring me closer to my deck in general. I feel like I am having trouble being too literal with the meanings when I need to just have a broader mind in my perceptions. These cards have made me feel spiritual, which is by all means a very difficult thing to do, so I am very thankful in many ways. I keep finding little things in every card that I didnt notice before. Thanks for the advice! namaste!
 

Richard

namasteK said:
Namaste!

I just bought the Rider-Waite deck this week and am instantly addicted. It's my first deck and I can't get enough! Any advice you can give me as a beginner? I wanted to ask people with the same deck :) well wishes!
Congratulations! It was my first deck (purchased around 1969) and remains my favorite and most used version of the Tarot. The amount of information in the cards seems iinexhaustible. Although it may be somewhat flawed and superficial, I have always found A. E. Waite's book, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, to be an invaluable resource, but it may not be the best book for someone just starting out. You should be able to pick up a great deal of useful information from the posts in this forum.
 

namasteK

:)

I hope so! I feel like I chose something that is right up my alley, it feels pretty natural. A little overwhelming feeling as though you have to memorize everything! All the cards are so detailed and I definitely look forward to learning from everyone on here :)
 

brightcrazystar

Take time, buckle tight, and enjoy the ride. It is a long journey, and one that can have as many twists and turns as you decide. If you dedicate your other talents to it, it will not replace something valuable. A good idea is to write what you hope Tarot and study of it to effect in your life. Revisit that intent in about six months and see if it has done what you hoped, or if you even want that to happen anymore.

First and foremost, I would study the cards for a while before you try to read. You parents didn't put you into a relay race right after they put you in shoes. The highest octave of Thought is not able to be written or spoken - but it can be detected with the senses. That octave of Thought will be waiting for you when you are ready to see it; there and everywhere. That is more important than a book of meanings of each card to memorize. There is no book of meanings that is your inner language exactly.

If you look at every reading as a mosiac you may start to get an impression of that essence. That is why Tarot is called "The Book of Thoth."

But most of all, let Tarot enrich, encourage, and help you enjoy your experience of life.
 

Graymalkin

every so often i like to place them all in order with all the suits and majors and then shuffle them all again. I try to make 3-4 rows and to not have any majors on top of each other and mix all rows back up again.
 

tarotcognito

The Rider-Waite is probably the starter Tarot deck for the majority of newcomers to Tarot. It was for me when I started out, and ten years later I still use RW clone decks because I love the richness in symbolism.

Everyone here has posted some great advice. I remember when I began studying the Tarot, I would sit down with my deck, choose a card, then write down whatever words and impressions came to mind about that card. Then I would compare my impressions with what was described in the LWB (little white booklet) or companion book. After a little while and some practise, I gradually incorporated other meanings, usually inspired from other people - meanings I might never have thought about but that made real sense under a certain set of circumstances.

That's one of the many reasons I really enjoy being a member of this forum. A thousand different readers can come up with a thousand different meanings for the same card. Increasing your own repertoire this way adds a lot of depth and nuance to your readings.

Don't freak out about "memorizing 78 meanings." Just grab a card and let it tell you its story. The more you understand the feeling the image is conveying, the easier it will be to retain its meaning. Some people are wizards at rote memorization. I've never been one of them, so I retained by visual cues and internal storytelling. And doing readings really helped me anchor that knowledge in my brain.

Have fun, and enjoy your journey!