When you first start reading Tarot...

Twilight_Falling

...is it best to do readings only for yourself? Frequently? Infrequently? How long should do you, personally, wait in between readings?

Should every reading have a question attached to it, or do you do open readings, simply asking your inner guide (or whomever or whatever you ask) for guidance?

I've read through several tutorials and such around the internet, but I'm looking for people's opinions on how they personally began with reading the cards.

Thanks very much for your input!
 

mollymawk

How about drawing a card a day? Old technique, but very useful for getting a feel for what the cards mean.

If you're a night person, then evening works best, if you sing in the morning, then that's when you're more alert.

How to? Pull a card, or go in order--it's up to you. Spend a few minutes really looking at the card. Colours, figures, images, backgrounds. See if anything in the card jumps out at you. Sometimes it will, sometimes it won't. You might want to write everything down--both the images and any feelings you have about the card--having a notebook that you can add pages to is useful, but any journal where you can keep your thoughts organised and have a section for each card works.

If you've got a card easel or somewhere handy, you might want to leave the card out for the day. At the end of the day take a look at it again, see how its energy has played out in your life. Again, write it down.

I'm sure other people will have other suggestions, and by all means, start reading about tarot, too--here, in books, wherever.

As for readings proper--when you feel ready. Let people know you're starting out, but probably best to avoid anyone who's overly superstitious and might take every word as holy writ--or trade readings with other people who are learning (which is probably everyone who reads at all, because the learning never stops).

There are no real right or wrongs, but I've found that the card-a-day really does help you get to know a pack of cards--as does writing down your reflections. Have fun with it, too--don't feel like you need to memorise everything overnight, that's just overload.

Personal opinion: Depending on what part of the world you live in, it's probably best to start with a Rider-Waite-Smith or very close to it reworking, or a Marseille, as those are the most used for readings, ergo, have the most information and other users available for advice.

Good luck!
MM
 

Twilight_Falling

Thanks for the great suggestions. I currently own a Rider-Waite Tarot deck, but have only recently begun to learn how to read, so all of this advice is very appreciated!
 

mollymawk

One of the best bits of wisdom by one of the best teachers I ever had went something like this:

A good reading should be true, useful, and surprising. If it can only be two of those things, make it true and useful. If it can only be one, make it true.

Food for thought, that.
 

AprilFool

Thanks for the insightful advice, Molly! As you can see by my number of posts, I am also new to the forum, as well as being new to the entire world of Tarot. You seem to have been around the cards for quite a while.

Right now I am collecting decks, and getting to know each card in three ways:

1. By comparing the ones from each of my decks for similarities and differences
2. By avidly reading every LWB and companion book that comes w/ the decks
3. By reading this forum.

I'm an analyst by trade (a bank underwriter for commercial real estate), and I learn by comparison and analysis. I am hoping that Tarot will help me meld my analytical skills while honing my intuitive skills as well.
 

sharpchick

When I first started reading, I read for me, for a neighbor and for each of my five cats. . . and they (the cats) didn't always give me immediate feedback, but it was good practice.

I also did a lot of journalling on my intuitive impressions of each card in the deck. Seems to have had more meaning for me in the beginning, when I made my own associations with each card.
 

SunChariot

Twilight_Falling said:
...is it best to do readings only for yourself? Frequently? Infrequently? How long should do you, personally, wait in between readings?

Should every reading have a question attached to it, or do you do open readings, simply asking your inner guide (or whomever or whatever you ask) for guidance?

I've read through several tutorials and such around the internet, but I'm looking for people's opinions on how they personally began with reading the cards.

Thanks very much for your input!

I honestly don't know that there is any best way to do anything it Tarot. I am sure some people start off reading only for themselves and others start out reading for others and we all learn to read either way.

My personal experience was that I read only for myself for the first year and a half. In fact I was so fond of it and it was teaching me so much about myself that I really had no desire to bother to learn to read for others. I was off reading on any topic I can think of.

Tarot is not just for predicting the future, btw. You can ask it just anything at all, about the nature of life,why you're here, what is your life path, even about the past if you're still angry at someone from years ago you can just ask why they acted as they did years ago and how they were feeling (very healing...) There's literally nothing you could be worried about or curious about that the cards can't help. Totally amazing thing Tarot.

So there I was perfectly content to just read for myself and keep improving my life in that way...Until an AT friend talked me into doing her a reading...and then others wanted some and so on, then I started using the reading exchanges here (also a great place to learn to read for others as you get feedback on your work) and now finally I am about to become a professional reader over the next few months.

Well every reading does in fact have a question related to it. Even if someone says just let the cards tell me whatever they want. Then I always just ask: "What does "X" need to know right now?" or "What can you tell "X" about her life right now?" The questions are implicit. I prefer to ask a question as it is part of my reading techique to repeat the question in my mind as I am shuffling (yes I am the one shuffling as I only read for others online). Although there may be other who don't find it necessary to ask the question. The one thing I find in Tarot is that there are very few set rules. And if something works for you go with it, if it doesn't work drop it. The best way to know what works is to try. Or to follow your gut instinct. If something feels wrong of uncomfortable to you, it is not your path of reading. Otherwise, try using a question, then try not using one and see which works best for you and which feels most comfortable and natural to you.

Again, I personally began just reading for myself, for the first year and half and I took a free online course (which personally was no help to me) and read tons of books on Tarot. The books changed my world and formed my skills, as did AT and everyone here. :grin:

Oh and as for the frequency of your readings, I am a believer in following what feels right to you. I would say to read as often as you feel called to (when you feel that excited feeling and you can't wait), and never so often that it starts to feel like a chore. Tarot and learning Tarot are meant to be joy not something you have to force yourself to do. I don't believe in some kind of learning schedule. It's not a race and you learn better when you are excited by something than feeling stressed beause you're trying to learn something you're not in the mood. Not that I can even remember not being excited by Tarot, it is endlessly fascinating, but just some days you're too tired and your mind isn't there.

Then of course comes the question of how often should you ask the same question of the cards. It tends to work best to accept that the first answer you got is correct and there is no need to ask again until enough time has passed or circumstances surrounding the question have changed enough so that you can resonably expect that the answer must have changed.



Bar
 

thinbuddha

Personally, I think that reading for yourself is great- others find that they can't be objective enough (irrelevant as far as I'm concerned)

Another good way to get started is to do readings on current events. Do a reading for figures in politics and entertainment- imagine what sort of question they might want to ask, and perform a reading on that question.

A third way: read for fictional or mythical characters.

Fourth way..... read for your friends and family. This might be the best way.....
 

Thirteen

We pretty much all learn by reading for ourselves. So go ahead and read for yourself, and do so as often as you like, if you're comfortable with it. Just don't take what the cards say too seriously. THEY know that you're learning, and the answers they give you are to help you learn how to interpet, not to predict the future.

Ask different questions, try out different spreads. Have fun.

If the cards do have a message for you, and important one, they'll let you know. Otherwise, take every reading for yourself with a grain of salt....

This is your APPRENTICESHIP.

When you start to feel really confident, like you're getting the hang of it, back off from your own readings and start asking others if you can do readings for them. Let them know you're still learning--and that, once again, to take the readings with a grain of salt.

This is your JOURNEYMAN Training

When things finally do click, when you seem to be really hitting the nail on the head in your readings for others, then it's best to keep readings for anyone down to once a month. Outside of a daily card, don't read for yoursel for others more than about once a month.

That's my advice.

Does that help?
 

Twilight_Falling

Thanks for all the great advice. Why only once a month once you really start to get a feel for the cards though?