What do you do to learn a new deck?

BeyondtheVeil

Use it :)

The first thing I do to learn a new deck is to do a reading with it. It is the "What message do you have for me?" THEN.. I go to the READING EXCHANGE BOARDS and offer ONE card readings to see how I connect.

Also.. skip the LWB and see if you can just look at the cards. It may be a success.. it may not. Feedback from readings will help you see how the cards connect.

Sharla is correct... just start doing readings with it. :thumbsup:


Brightest Blessings!
BeyondtheVeil
 

nisaba

I just use it. Best way to learn anything is to *do*.
 

zeldajones91

Hello Aeclectics

I always try and look at the cards in the Majors and then when I go to bed, work through them in my imagination to see how many cards I can remember and what detail.

I then look at them in the morning and see if I can do it better the next night. Once I've done the Majors, I do the Suits, and (for some reason) finally the Court Cards.

It takes several weeks, but is a lush way of learning. Sometimes I've even had tarot dreams doing this method.

Hope that helps anyone learning tarot.

Rhosyn

I absolutely LOVE this idea... it's so original and fresh. Thank you so much for sharing your method!
 

SunChariot

Typically I flip through a new deck, check out the cards, see if there are any that stand out to me as very different from what I'm used to, check the book or booklet for those, and then sort of start doing readings with them and check the book a bit. I don't journal for every new deck because frankly I'm a bit of a collector and so... well yeah.

I do journal a bit on sort of "general" meanings for each card. I feel so much less organized than other readers with my scattershot approach. I can't be the only one though.

I don't. When I get a new deck I just open it up, check through to make sure none are missing, then read with it.

I don't stop to learn them. I just learnt my method of reading years ago (which is mainly intuitively through the card images) and it tends to apply equally well to most decks. I guess you could say I get a feel for the mood of the deck as I use it. I do, of course, learn from experience. Just as you learn to understand a new person in your life by spending time with them, it tends to work the same way with decks for me.

I have 117 decks and I use them all. At this stage, if I had to learn each one's intended meanings each time I got a deck, there is no way I could keep them all straight in my head. LOL

Although with very unusual decks, I may have to look some things up in the book. Eg if I am using my Osho Zen and the suit of Rainbows or Clouds comes up, I may need to stop and look up what it corresponds to. Or if the whole deck is original I may have to check in with the book to get an idea of what the card is actually supposed to be talking about.

I get to pull this off though as I don't read in person. So if I need to check something I do, but most if what I see if from the card image.

Babs
 

Emily

I go through the whole deck first counting to make sure they are all there. Then I separate the Majors from the Minors and put the Minors in their suits, I usually lay the Majors out and the Minors from the Ace to the King having a good look at the cards as I do this. I also read through the LWB as I'm doing this to get a feel for the cards.

Once I've done all that, I put the deck back together, then make six piles of the cards, put back into a deck and shuffle. The deck won't ever be ordered again.

After that I do a New Deck Spread and then just start to use them, I'll get to know them through use. :)
 

Trogon

I usually go through the deck card-by-card, Majors first, then the suits. In fact, I usually end up doing this two to four times depending on the deck; the first time is just to admire the art and watch for any cards that particularly catch my eye, the other times is to examine the cards in more detail and to think over the meanings - especially the ones that caught my eye the first time. If any cards have imagery that seem to depart from meanings I already know, I'll look it up in the LWB or, hopefully, full book to see what the artist had in mind.

After that I do a 3-card new deck spread: "what will you teach me?", "what do you need from me?" and "what will our relationship be like?". I consider that I have a relationship with each deck I have and this reading gives me some insight going into that relationship. Some decks will teach me new things, some are working relationships (great decks for reading for other people), some are better for spiritual work and so on.

After that, I'll use it for at least a few readings. As others have already said, actually using the deck is the best way to learn it.
 

Risingsign

MadeiraDarling, your approach is pretty much my approach. From what you say, it sounds like you have some "history" with Tarot. For those newbies reading, I say amen to the Just Use It advice. That's how you develop your connection and your own unique style. But unless you want to read Tarot like an oracle (if you want an oracle, get an oracle), do spend some time at least "acquainting" yourself with some of the traditional meanings of the cards. You don't have memorise them, you don't have to limit yourself to just those meanings, but it does help to have some grounding in the basics.
 

Hedera

Two Cards (most and least favorite)

A while ago, I came across a blog post where someone described selecting two cards from the deck; the one they liked best, and the one they liked least.

They then read the two cards - but I can't remember what kinds of meanings they put with each card.

Does that ring a bell with anyone?
 

Trogon

A while ago, I came across a blog post where someone described selecting two cards from the deck; the one they liked best, and the one they liked least.

They then read the two cards - but I can't remember what kinds of meanings they put with each card.

I would be hard pressed to determine these two cards in most of my decks. :laugh:
 

lantana

A while ago, I came across a blog post where someone described selecting two cards from the deck; the one they liked best, and the one they liked least.

They then read the two cards - but I can't remember what kinds of meanings they put with each card.

Does that ring a bell with anyone?

It doesn't ring a bell, but that is an interesting exercise! I tend to have a fave and least fave for most of my decks anyway, so it would be interesting to see what those cards say about the deck (or perhaps what your reaction to the cards says about you).