Advice needed on my tarot studies

Hey all!

I have studied tarot for about a year now, and in that time I think I've started to get a good grasp on the basics, including stuff like Qabalah and astrology. But now I have feeling of being stuck and aimless in my studies, and that's where I need your help.

This is the material I've mostly used:

Paul Foster Case, Tarot Fundamentals: I followed PFC's instructions and studied each Major for 3 days. I also did the colouring for each card.
Dion Fortune, Mystical Qabalah
Lon Milo DuQuette, Understanding Thoth Tarot & Chicken Qabalah: Understanding... was a very good book the first time I read it, but the second time, not so much. I especially found the part about minors lacking.
And of course The Book of Thoth.

So mainly those books form my basic knowledge about tarot, so my question for you more experienced Thoth users is this, how did you make the jump from beginner to intermediate level? What were your methods of study? I'd appreciate any pointers from you, be it reading recommendations or practical tips to getting more acquainted with the cards.

Thanks!

IMO you should read, read, read the cards, not only books. You can read fifty partnership manuals but it won't replace months and years of living with another person in an intimate relationship. (That's only a metaphor, obviously there's nothing wrong with living alone).

Start reading for yourself regularly, and keep a tarot journal where you develop your own take on things - not based on books but on actual readings you had. You can do reading exchanges here (I personally don't because I don't have the time and feel a bit shy but you shouldn't!) or do readings for others.

There are interactions between cards, and their interactions with your life, that no book can find for you.

I found Mary Greer's Tarot for yourself very helpful to develop card intuition. IMO erudition and intuition together make tarot really work.

Only my personal point of view.

A solid intermediate Book on the Trumps is The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages by P. F. Case. An excellent reference book and supplement to the Book of Thoth is the free ebook: Liber Ɵ: Tarot Symbolism & Divination.

Thank you both for your answers.

@Nemia: I do read with the cards on a daily basis and I also keep a journal. But like you, I'm also a bit shy to read for other people. And I happen to own "Tarot For Yourself", but I have never gotten around doing the exercises. I agree that you need to work with the cards to deepen your knowledge, but in case of Thoth deck, reading books is pretty much a must for unraveling its symbolism. IMO.

@LRichard: I happen have that Case's book. It's got almost the same content as Tarot Meanings: Fundamentals which is based on Case's BOTA correspondency course. But that Liber Ɵ looks great! I remember seeing it sometime before but never gave it that much thought. I like the look of those meditations, this material really reminds me how I worked with Case's book. Though, I'm a bit hesitant to start working again with material of this sort because it is a lot of work and patience. But I guess there's no way around avoiding the effort. Can somebody pass me the elbow grease, please.

Yes, you're right, didn't want to lecture you. Sniffin's book about the Thoth was more helpful for me than DuQuette, I can't even exactly say why. Maybe it's just that DuQuette's self indulgent humour got a bit stale for me after a while? Sniffin is a much better read.

Samweiss said:

.....@LRichard: I happen have that Case's book. It's got almost the same content as Tarot Meanings: Fundamentals which is based on Case's BOTA correspondency course. But that Liber Ɵ looks great! I remember seeing it sometime before but never gave it that much thought. I like the look of those meditations, this material really reminds me how I worked with Case's book. Though, I'm a bit hesitant to start working again with material of this sort because it is a lot of work and patience. But I guess there's no way around avoiding the effort. Can somebody pass me the elbow grease, please.

Click to expand...

The Case book is based on the set of BOTA lessons which follows next after Fundamentals. There is a wealth of material there, but yes, it is basically just more of the same sort of stuff and is indeed a little disappointing from that perspective.

Liber Ɵ is so useful that I'm tempted to print it out and add index tabs for the different sections. I don't plan to do the meditations (which actually were inspired by Case). I just use it as a Tarot reference. (I have an aversion to things that turn me off.)

While you have obviously explored the Qabbalistic side to a degree, there is no way around the astrological foundations of the GD derived decks in general and of the Thoth in particular, if you want to be thorough with your studies. For that matter, I recommend the following excellent books:

Austin Coppock: 36 Faces (not on Amazon, but it's easy to google Austin's website)
Phyllis Seckler: The Thoth Tarot, Astrology, and Other Selected Writings (written by an apprentice of Crowley's; imagine the BoT fused with Nichols' Jung and Psychology)
Muriel Bruce Hasbrouck: Tarot and Astrology

Thanks again for your answers!

Nemia: The thing I found most useful in DuQuette's book was his explanation of Crowley's lingo. That cleared up a lot of things for me. So as a beginner's book it served its purpose, I guess. I might take a look at Snuffin's book if that would be a bit more in depth.

LRichard: Yes, I can see that Liber Ɵ seem like a nifty reference tool. It gives me the impression of being a cross between Book T and Case's tarot course.

Michael Sternbach: Thanks for your recommendations! Astrology is something I have only of most basic understanding, so that is an issue I could address. "Astrology & Tarot" is a book I already own but the other two are new to me.