just using the book!

[CHOSENPATH]

I only use the thoth deck, and its a wonderful deck. My question is why Cant i do my readings,since I only read for my self and just use the book for the interpitation. I feel like I can't use the tarot unless i spend lots of study and time that i dont have and years of learning. I have what I feel is a good book for the thoth deck ''Mirror of the soul'' for the interpitation I feel like I get good reading by simply applying the books interpitation to my spreads. Im sure Im opening pandoras box with this question but im sure Im not the only one who does this,am I really missing out? (confused)

 

[delinfrey]

Well, truth is that there are no rules - it is your deck, interpret it exactly how you like. Some people don't use any books at all and rely only on their interpretation.

The reason why we study Tarot is that it is a deep study of a tradition; I personally don't like the lexical approach of just studying card meanings by heart.

What you ARE missing out on just empirically speaking is the ability to weave your reading together. You are basically giving yourself a computerized free reading, like those websites that randomize your card pull and then give you a paragraph per card. You are missing out on the connections between the cards, simple analysis like - which elements are represented? How does the spread work as a whole? Are there any fascinating patterns?

Over time, you will develop an eye for these things and your readings will get better and more comfortable like that. Just remember, it is your deck - do what you Will with it!

 

[CHOSENPATH]

Well, truth is that there are no rules - it is your deck, interpret it exactly how you like. Some people don't use any books at all and rely only on their interpretation.

The reason why we study Tarot is that it is a deep study of a tradition; I personally don't like the lexical approach of just studying card meanings by heart.

What you ARE missing out on just empirically speaking is the ability to weave your reading together. You are basically giving yourself a computerized free reading, like those websites that randomize your card pull and then give you a paragraph per card. You are missing out on the connections between the cards, simple analysis like - which elements are represented? How does the spread work as a whole? Are there any fascinating patterns?

Over time, you will develop an eye for these things and your readings will get better and more comfortable like that. Just remember, it is your deck - do what you Will with it!

thanks Im trying ,got the dusty whites book easiest way to learn tarot ever, hope it helps me out! Only been doing it for 6 months!!

 

[feynrir]

I can't agree more with delinfrey's advice I think that your recognition of how rote reading by the books can be is a good sign. Reading cards is illuminated by reading the books about it, but only by putting the book aside and truly reading the cards can you develop your own relationship with tarot, and develop your very own reading style.

And the Thoth an amazing deck to grow with on your tarot journey!

 

[CHOSENPATH]

I can't agree more with delinfrey's advice I think that your recognition of how rote reading by the books can be is a good sign. Reading cards is illuminated by reading the books about it, but only by putting the book aside and truly reading the cards can you develop your own relationship with tarot, and develop your very own reading style.

And the Thoth an amazing deck to grow with on your tarot journey!

Thankyou....I just bought the xl one

 

[HallowedNight]

If you're having trouble connecting intuitively to the cards, then I would say you might have the wrong deck! When I got my first deck, the Fantastical Creatures Tarot by Lisa Hunt, I tried for months to learn card meanings, but absolutely sucked at it. I had to have the LWB if I wanted to get anything out a reading. I didn't even know enough to use my intuition; in fact, I didn't even really know what 'using your intuition' entailed! Those were dark times.

I was feeling super put out, but I looked around for a while and made the decision to get a new deck, the Wild Unknown. Don't get me wrong; Fantastical Creatures was my first love. I adore that deck and it's a lot easier to use now, but some decks just read better for certain people, and the Wild Unknown was the deck for me. The symbolism just clicked perfectly in my brain; within literally two days, I could shoot out a few key words for 90% of the deck. Finally, I could do readings without relying on a LWB!

Now, my point in this rambling isn't that you need to go buy the Wild Unknown. (Quite the contrary, really; the imagery could be considered a bit to sparse for some people.) What I'm getting at is that deck choice matters. The first deck you fell in love with might not be the best learning deck for you! Just because something is pretty or interesting doesn't mean the symbolism will click for you, and tarot is all about symbolism. Even 'classics' like the RWS don't work for some people (me included!). Ultimately, all you have during a reading is (ideally) the cards, so you have to click with the symbolism. Personally, that's what I think people learning tarot need to focus on: the symbolism. If you have a good deck, then the art is there for a reason, not just to look pretty. For example, in the Wild Unknown, the Temperance card is a heron with an outstretched wing and several drops of water falling on a large flame. I see Temperance in the WU as all about balance, represented by the fire and water balancing each other out, and healing, symbolized by the water soothing the burn of the fire.

If you have little tricks like this for all the cards, you'll be able to do a basic reading pretty easily! As you keep reading, you'll start getting little inklings like, "Hmm, these two cards might work like this..." And that's how your intuition grows! This doesn't mean you can't use the book anymore; I still use LWBs and bigger books a lot just to help my studying and expand my intuition.

This is all just my experience though! Everyone learns differently and has different reasons for learning and different goals they'd like to meet regarding their tarot journey. I hope this longwinded reply helps a bit!

 

[CHOSENPATH]

If you're having trouble connecting intuitively to the cards, then I would say you might have the wrong deck! When I got my first deck, the Fantastical Creatures Tarot by Lisa Hunt, I tried for months to learn card meanings, but absolutely sucked at it. I had to have the LWB if I wanted to get anything out a reading. I didn't even know enough to use my intuition; in fact, I didn't even really know what 'using your intuition' entailed! Those were dark times.

I was feeling super put out, but I looked around for a while and made the decision to get a new deck, the Wild Unknown. Don't get me wrong; Fantastical Creatures was my first love. I adore that deck and it's a lot easier to use now, but some decks just read better for certain people, and the Wild Unknown was the deck for me. The symbolism just clicked perfectly in my brain; within literally two days, I could shoot out a few key words for 90% of the deck. Finally, I could do readings without relying on a LWB!

Now, my point in this rambling isn't that you need to go buy the Wild Unknown. (Quite the contrary, really; the imagery could be considered a bit to sparse for some people.) What I'm getting at is that deck choice matters. The first deck you fell in love with might not be the best learning deck for you! Just because something is pretty or interesting doesn't mean the symbolism will click for you, and tarot is all about symbolism. Even 'classics' like the RWS don't work for some people (me included!). Ultimately, all you have during a reading is (ideally) the cards, so you have to click with the symbolism. Personally, that's what I think people learning tarot need to focus on: the symbolism. If you have a good deck, then the art is there for a reason, not just to look pretty. For example, in the Wild Unknown, the Temperance card is a heron with an outstretched wing and several drops of water falling on a large flame. I see Temperance in the WU as all about balance, represented by the fire and water balancing each other out, and healing, symbolized by the water soothing the burn of the fire.

If you have little tricks like this for all the cards, you'll be able to do a basic reading pretty easily! As you keep reading, you'll start getting little inklings like, "Hmm, these two cards might work like this..." And that's how your intuition grows! This doesn't mean you can't use the book anymore; I still use LWBs and bigger books a lot just to help my studying and expand my intuition.

This is all just my experience though! Everyone learns differently and has different reasons for learning and different goals they'd like to meet regarding their tarot journey. I hope this longwinded reply helps a bit!

Thankyou , Im an eclectic witch and tarot is a real attraction to me, im sure most of my problem is im a scorpio!lol

 

[AnemoneRosie]

When I started reading I really struggled with the format; I needed examples of how the cards could flow together and weave together the story of the reading. Books do not offer those examples, by and large and by encouraging card-by-card meanings it's actually somewhat counter-productive to seeing how they can flow together to form a story.

I know that this is an oracle reading but here is a reading that I did for myself fairly recently. You can see how all of the cards are woven not into the reading but into each other, and how the meaning of one card affects the meaning of the others. Tarot works the same way, but it can only work once you start to put the book down and allow for the cards to influence each other; the book causes each card to stand alone in isolation.

This is not to say that books are bad! I still look things up sometimes and I'm a professional reader. However, it is vital to go beyond the book as well. Books are a tool for learning, but they're not the be-all and end-all either. In fact, they're just the beginning

 

[amandalu]

Hi. There are a lot of elements to learning tarot, but with the right tools you can narrow your time in half. For some, it could take up to about five years of practice or study. But using these tools, you could start by studying some of the individual keywords or meanings of some of the tarot cards and associate it with a trait or quality of some sort. For instance, the ten of wands represents oppression, the nine of swords cruelty, and so forth.

Then connect it with the symbolism, and use it as a guide to interpreting the meanings. For instance, the two of cups means a partnership, since cups represent relationships, and two being synergy. But the two of pentacles means something entirely different. It represents a balancing act and the juggling of two things, as illustrated by the symbolism of the RWS tarot.

Also, even computerized readings sometimes help you memorize the meanings of the cards. I know it's your decision whether to use it, but it has helped me in the past.

I believe a combination of these three things will help you learn more of tarot.

 

[SwordOfTruth]

Im not sure why you think you cant do this? The beginning stage of tarot is all about getting a good grasp on the standard meanings anyway so this seems like a reasonable idea. Over time you will naturally develop your applied understanding so this method will allow you to organically grow with the tarot