how did you learn tarot?

[joschau]

do u guys learn it urself (book/ online) or join some tarot class?
im a newbie..learn it online and read books..but i think attending those classes would learn it faster and more correct?
i see there are lots of classes..but the price varies
how about you?

 

[Soaring Eagle]

I actually learned tarot by purchasing my deck and reading the book that came with it. I've since read a couple of books, and joined forums. I think you would learn the same thing here in these forums than you would in a class. Just my opinion. If you have a question about a particular card, you can always do a search and find out what others have said about it. Of course it depends on which deck you are using, if it is a common deck or not.

My suggestion would be to read your accomanying book and start a journal. Start by writing about one card per page or two pages until you have written about every card in your deck. For me, it was easier to only write about three per day. The cards are best interpreted by studying them and using your knowledge and intuition to decide a "true" meaning.

 

[Kali Kitty]

This question brings to mind one of those Zen koans, which are stories designed by Buddhist monks to teach acolytes how to grasp the nature of enlightenment. A student asks, "Master, if I meditate for five hours every day, how long will it take me to become enlightened?" And the teacher replies, "Oh, about five years." The student furrows his brow. "And what if I meditate for *ten* hours a day?" he asks. "Oh," says the teacher, "... then it will take you ten years!"

.. personally it has taken me fookin' ages to even get this far, and I don't consider myself "good" at tarot, though I will readily admit I am obsessed.

Have you read the book "The Two Hour Tarot Tutor" by Wilma Carroll? If you're in a rush, that's a really good one.

 

[Kali Kitty]

Oh, and anything you do to practice and reinforce the meanings of the cards is good. Keep a journal any way that works for you. When you can remember, draw a card, or up to three cards a day. A nice daily spread is "general energy, challenge and gift of the day" for example. This is the ONLY way to learn the subtle way of interpreting the meaning of the cards in real life. Looking up meanings in books and online is always good and will help you. In time you'll develop your own associations with the cards. Any artistic medium you use to express the concepts of the cards is good, too. Draw them, write about them, think about them, make playlists of songs that resonate with the energy of the cards that are meaningful to you. In time, the tarot will settle into your bones and feel like home...

 

[MareSaturni]

I have learnt tarot by buying a deck, reading the companion book... and practicing. I never took classes. In fact, I still consider myself a student... I don't think you ever reach a point in which you are 'done' learning. And I don't think there is any fast-and-sure way

People have different needs though. Some people feel safer having classes and a teacher... others like to learn by themselves... others journal about tarot, others meditate about the cards, others read for friends.... you have to find the method that makes you learn. But usually it all begins with a deck and book.

There have been many thread in the past giving advice on how to start learning tarot. Here are some threads that can be useful to you:

How do I start???

What's the best way how to the learn how to use tarot


Good luck!

 

[joschau]

im planning to join the classes because english isnt my first language and most of the tarot books is in english..sometimes..its hard for me to understand the words and meaning.however, i feel weird reading those translated books..
but im sure..my english will get better if i read more books and browsing the forum lol

 

[nisaba]

do u guys learn it urself (book/ online) or join some tarot class?

<cackle> I learnt in the 1970s. (Actually, like everyone who's not actually dead, I'm still learning). Back then, there wasn't "online" or anything like accessible Tarot classes, not for a teenager in mainstream society.

I had a Tarot deck, which I used a lot. And I had a single book, the only book I ever saw on Tarot back then, Alfred Douglas' book "The Tarot". Andthat was all I had for years. Using your deck over and over again, learning from the images and from how *wrong* some of your reading are, is the basis of all learning. You can ape the systems of people who write books or people who teach online, but ultimately, it's only that one person's opinion, and often Tarot (or even just individual cards) work differently for individuals. Knowledge is good - but ultimately to be a good reader, you have to find your own relationship with Tarot, not copy someone else's.

im a newbie..learn it online and read books..but i think attending those classes would learn it faster and more correct?
i see there are lots of classes..but the price varies

I don't know about "and more correct" - you'll be learning the system that works for that one person. Hopefully it will work with you, too.

 

[Lleminawc]

I'm still learning - it's been a mixture of going to classes, reading books, checking out this forum and just trying things out. In particular, trying out different decks to see if any of them "speak" to you more than the others. As the previous poster said, you won't necessarily learn things more correctly by going to a class, you'll just learn one particular teacher's way of doing things. In the end it's just down to you and the cards.

 

[Bhavana]

I had a somewhat base knowledge of reading regular playing cards before getting my first deck - had a friend in high school with an interesting family (so interesting that my mom really didn't like me hanging around with her) She had an aunt who read this way...I remember going over there, she was always sitting in a chair at the table in her housedress, can of cold beer, cigarettes, plastic table cover....she'd stop her solitaire game for a while, and keep us entertained with predictions about future boyfriends and what we were going to do with our lives. It wasn't enough for me just to hear about the future, I was interested in HOW she knew - and the cards.

Later, probably in my late teens, or around 20, I got my first real tarot deck. There was no internet then, at least not like it is today, so I taught myself with books.