Should beginners' emphasis be on book or cards?

[SunChariot]

I don't see that Libra was saying any kind of "should" advice. She was just giving her opinion based on her experience as everyone else has done.

Oh I just heard her asking what we should do, as so many new readers seem to think there is a set right or wrong way to do things. Maybe I misunderstood the question. All the same, the rest of my answer are my feelings on the emphasis when learning.

Babs

 

[Crescent]

I'm one of those that studies everything heavily. I love to read and I love to learn. So I've done a lot of both. I read lots of books on tarot, symbols, and color, etc. I've also journaled with some of my decks.

For me, the more info I have, the better I am able to see the cards in different ways. My knowledge of tarot comes from other people as well as myself.

I think books are very important. Even if you decide you don't agree with what you find, there is still value in knowing it. That's how I feel about it.

I think it would be ok to begin with just a deck as long as it does speak to you. But I would recommend that one eventually read some books. You can never know too much. I did the opposite, I started with books and then went to a deck.

This was the way I went.... I studied the LWB and whatever other book came with my deck(s), and then started studying my cards and reading others' opinions and thoughts.

It has worked for me, I was never a good learner by pictures alone. I have always needed text to read in order for me to learn.
I find that I am retaining my information better by writing down what I feel are important key phrases of each card. It has helped alot.

I also tend to stick with Rider Waite type cards. I do have some oracles, but wont learn with them until I become better knowledged with Tarot.

 

[penelope802]

Hmmm......I'm a beginner and everything, but I've never really relied on books for tarot. Of course I've read them, but I've been told to rely on my instincts, and only on the books when I really just can't decipher a card. I've been about 88% accurate, so I guess it just depends on the person.

 

[Min-no-ko]

I think you should try to just use what you see in the cards and how they feel, and have a book on hand in case you get stuck.

When I started reading Tarot, I went step-by-step with the little booklet that came with it, and I honestly believe it stunted my psychic growth a little, because even though I may have at times disagreed with what the book read, I would just go with the book. (My mom was even worse- she insisted on reading the whole explanation for each of the positions as well as the cards outloud.)

I was still quite accurate when I did readings on people, but I wasn't as good as I could have been, and the cards went away for a little while, until I came across a book called the two hour Tarot Study, that recommended just using the pictures. I'm a lot more successful with that method and more comfortable now that I'm out of the habit of looking everything up, although I still do that after I get my gut impression so that I can get a more complete look.

 

[PAMUYA]

Great tread!

I started only with a deck of tarot cards(Guilded Dec in Dec. 2007). I studied the cards and came up with my own meanings. A few months later I took a tarot class, she gave us a handout with a few meanings for the cards. During this class I had my FIRST Tarot reading. (my Mother and Grandmother read from playing cards). I was very surprised how close my meanings matched those of the teacher(even though it was the Rider/Waite deck). It has been a few months since my class and now I am here, reading all of your comments on the cards, and for the first time reading books on the cards. Greer being one author.

At least for me, looking at the cards as a Tarot virgin(first time I saw a Tarot deck was Dec. 2007) was very enlightning. There was no right or wrong, just what my intutition was telling me. As a young girl I did dabble in reading playing cards, but I wasnt reading, or was I?

I say, look and study the cards first. At times the cards tell me things that have nothing to do with the intended meanings.

But this is only my opinion.

Have fun!!

 

[Penny Dreadfuls]

Both, there's nothing wrong with books, that's not the majority opinion here, but books and knowledge are great when starting out. There is no reason it has to be one or the other. Both is best IMO.

 

[DeaconBlues]

I'm a book person. Always have been. I literally do not remember a time in my entire life when I haven't been in the process of reading at least one book. The second I finish one, my first thought is "what am I reading next?" And I IMMEDIATELY go find another book and start it. It's like chain smoking, but without all the nicotine.

I'm trying very hard not to rely on the books so much with my readings. I'm spending a lot of time outside my readings studying the cards, noticing what different elements in them suggest to me, and writing those thoughts down. But inevitably during a reading, I'm flipping through the book for most, if not all, of the card interpretations. I guess that's just how I roll. I know that eventually I won't need them, and I'm sort of coming to the conclusion that there's no point forcing myself to do without the books if that's how I'm comfortable right now. And I've noticed my intuition slowly being uncovered. For instance, I pulled the 5 of Pentacles today as the situation card in a reading centering around a new relationship. This couple had met in church, and I really felt that rather than the traditional meaning, the card was saying that they were so wrapped up in themselves and each other right now that the thing that brought them together in the first place was taking a back seat right at the moment.

So I'm making slow progress toward moving away from the books. I agree with those who have said it's just whatever way you're comfortable learning.

 

[PAMUYA]

I totally agree with reading and learning as much as you can, I am going through that process now. It was just I had never even seen a tarot card before Janurary and wanted to see what I saw in the cards before reading about them. Just to see if "I had it"..you know what I mean. Now I am melting my meanings and the book meanings together. (by the way the book and my meanings were very close)

D-Blues, very good on the 5 of pentacles, let yourself go!! and have fun.

 

[rcb30872]

I agree some book knowledge at the beginning of your tarot journey is a good idea. However, the extent to which you want to pursue that is entirely up to you. I take to exception when someone tells me how I should study and even which decks I should use!

 

[Aerin]

I take to exception when someone tells me how I should study and even which decks I should use!

I agree, unless I have asked for advice in which case I feel free to discard/ take it/ try it as I want to. I don't see asking for it as a contract to follow it.

What I find really difficult is when people draw conclusions such as:

people who read books = have no intuition and are useless readers

or

people who don't like (insert style of deck here) = stupid

or

people who don't read books = have no knowledge and are useless readers

It also reminds me of someone I knew at school who claimed that she never did any revision and just got her A grades through sheer genius therefore anyone who revised was stupid and their grades were meaningless. Trouble was, she started to believe her own publicity and her grades slid down....

Each to their own. But be honest with yourself about your own blind spots and predjudices as far as you can. (Which can be hard.... although a spread can help! I did a few on learning tarot - what helps me, what stops me, advice.....)

Aerin