Bought my first tarot deck...

I've just bought my first tarot deck, it's the Radiant Rider-Waight, and although I'm very excited about learning, I have to admit that I'm a little disapointed with the deck. After doing much research online, looking at decks and reading user comments on them, I had decided that the RW deck would be a good jumping off point, but alas, instead of picking up the Universal Deck like I had planned, I grabbed the wrong deck in the store and brought home this one. I somehow feel like I'm missing out.

My question is, how should I go about familiarizing myself with the cards. What did you do, and did it work? I've started journaling on each card, writing down the meaning of the card that I've picked up through my research and adding my own feelings and thoughts. I also spend time each day to meditate on one card. Is this a good start? Is there something else I should be doing? I really do believe that I should be doing what feels right *to me*, but I'm curious to learn what you have done.

I thank you in advance.

Light and learning, Zhahmi

Hi zhahmi,

all that you did is great for getting familiar with your cards. Also, what I did with few friends who wanted to learn tarot was some excersizes like putting cards in line - all same numbers together and thinking about them, all suits together and creating story according to pictures in ascending and discending way, searching for differences and similarities in cards... Surely you'll find much more you can do with cards after some time.

Bosorka,

What a lovely idea. My partner picked up the Dragon Tarot while we were out, more for the artwork than for anything else, but now he's showing some interested in learning that deck. I think that working through the stories of the decks together will both be a learning tool and a chance to do something we love together.

Thank you once again for your help!

Zhahmi

I'm glad you found a tarot that you like. As for excersises for practice, I have never found any helpful except PRACTICE!

Yes, nothing will improve your reading skills as much as practice, you'll find so many meanings that you never thought of, but before reading for others you have to know something and exercises are helpful to remember meanings of all 78 cards. And I guess it's much more better than memorizing that 5 of cups is disappointment.

Thank you very much for all of your thoughtful comments. I don't think that I need to tell that this is such an exciting time. I find that instead of doing "exercises" to learn the cards, I am just admiring them most of the time and I've come to the conclusion that that's probably a helpful thing to do as well.

Again, I thank you for everything.

Light and learning,

Zhahmi

In all things with the Tarot it may be said that
there are no accidents, so you should cherish
your new "Radiant" deck as a special bit of joy.
Time may reveal that it will be a happy delight.

I have many versions of Pamela Colman Smith's
beautiful Tarot cards, often that look alike but
have different lettering or laminations. It's great!