Tips for Learning Minor Arcana Cards that don't have imagery?

[Vhyra]

Hello! I apologize ahead of time for such a newbie question!

I went to the bookstore today and was so happy to see they had about 30 tarot decks! I looked through them all but felt so interested in The Golden Tarot. Absolutely gorgeous box and card examples. I had to have it! When I got home and opened it, I was not expecting to find that this deck doesn't have any imagery for the minor arcana and instead depicts 2 cups or 4 swords and nothing else!

I've heard of and seen these decks before and I have always avoided them thinking they would be too hard to read, but even after seeing them, I have an urge to figure it out.

I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for learning how to read these? Is it mainly book studies? Now that I think of it this is kind of a weird question, but I'm sure most of us have faced the "HOW..?" question upon seeing these decks for the first time!

Thanks so much for any tips!

 

[madhatter00o]

I can only describe my experience, but what I found helpful was first learning basic Tarot numerology. Now, there are many different number systems out there. The specific book you bought might suggest a numerology system that is intended for the deck. Whatever the case, finding one that resonates with you is important.

You probably already know the Suit correspondences, but a refresher might be helpful.

With this, you can build a basic Number + Suit meaning to start from. From there, you can integrate the imagery of the foliage (tends to be more intuitive), "eye rhymes," and countless other techniques into your repertoire.

I found book learning to be helpful with the numerology and technical bits. But then again, I'm good at book learning. "Books," of course, include internet resources, and the Tarot de Marseilles forum index on AT has excellent links regarding the meanings of the pips. I started there sifting through pages and pages of threads, but it was pretty useful.

Even though there are book interpretations that you can use as a foundation, don't be afraid to let your intuition jump in to exercise. If the objects in a card look like they're making a wall, the card might just be indicating obstacles in a certain area (likely linked to the Suit and influenced by the surrounding cards). Alternatively, if the foliage of a card seems to be reaching or growing toward a certain element of the card or it's surrounding cards, we can interpret that intuitively, without relying too heavily on books.

I'd say that, for me, learning the pips was about having a foundation, which was produced from book-study, but then deviating from that when I felt the images themselves spoke more clearly.

 

[Ruby Jewel]

Hello! I apologize ahead of time for such a newbie question!

I went to the bookstore today and was so happy to see they had about 30 tarot decks! I looked through them all but felt so interested in The Golden Tarot. Absolutely gorgeous box and card examples. I had to have it! When I got home and opened it, I was not expecting to find that this deck doesn't have any imagery for the minor arcana and instead depicts 2 cups or 4 swords and nothing else!

I've heard of and seen these decks before and I have always avoided them thinking they would be too hard to read, but even after seeing them, I have an urge to figure it out.

I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for learning how to read these? Is it mainly book studies? Now that I think of it this is kind of a weird question, but I'm sure most of us have faced the "HOW..?" question upon seeing these decks for the first time!

Thanks so much for any tips!

You are going to want more than one tarot deck and the one you have is beautiful; however, I, personally, feel it would behoove you to go buy the Rider Waite deck and learn the pips from that deck as they set the standard for modern definitions. Once you learn the RW deck, you will be able to read the Golden Tarot without a problem. I suppose you could learn without knowing RW, but it is going to take you a long time I'm afraid...and a lot of memorization. I feel memorization is not a good thing. The RW pics stimulate your imagination and that is an essential part of interpreting the cards.

 

[Nemia]

The Golden Tarot? Which one? The Golden Tarot I know has fully illustrated minors, with scenes very similar to the RWS.

I don't advocate learning RWS meanings as default. I recommend bying a good book like Yoav Ben Dovs "Tarot - the Open Reading" and learning to deal with the cards you have, not the cards everybody assumes you should have (RWS). Monocultures are bad for the soil, and RWS monoculture is not much better

There's a reason why the deck you bought attracted you, and instead of plastering this attraction over with generic RWS meanings, you may wish to find the reason for this pull and work WITH it, not against it.

My personal opinion. I lived for many years happily with the Thoth and without RWS, and nothing bad happened to me...

 

[3ill.yazi]

What Nemia said. Check out Ben Dov's book, as well as others in the TdM forum. Many people use a system based on numerology (ones are beginnings, etc) as a jumping off point. I personally felt coming to the non scenic pips opened me up to so much more of the cards, developing a closer relationship to my own intuition, and a greater knowledge of the actual history of the cards. Authors to check out include. Jean-Michel David, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Enrique Enriquez and Camelia Elias.

 

[nisaba]

What Nemia said. Check out Ben Dov's book, as well as others in the TdM forum. Many people use a system based on numerology (ones are beginnings, etc) as a jumping off point.

This <pointing upwards>

But add to it a baswic understanding of the elemental qualities of each suit, ie,

Pentacles - Earth - the physical, real tangible world (what you are).
Cups - Water - emotions (what you feel).
Swords - Air - the intellect (what you think).
Wands - Fire - energy, drive, activity (what you do).

Between this little chart and a keyword for each number, you have an instant reading system that doesn't require memorising great numbers of different meanings.

 

[Citrin]

Hmm I don't agree with the person saying you first should learn RWS meanings and then apply them to non-scenic pips. To me they're kind two different systems?

I'm just getting into the Tarot de Marseille (which has non-scenic pips) after 11 years of using the RWS, and I find it better to really see them as separate and not try to force one system's meanings on the other. I am absolutely LOVING the book "Marseille Tarot - Towards the art of reading" by Camelia Elias, so I can really recommend it. She has a straight-forward, logical, easy going approach to reading the cards. The Marseille part of Aeclectic Tarot also contains great posts and methods for reading non-RWS minors.

If you're really drawn to this deck, give it a shot, don't be discouraged by people saying it's "too difficult" to start with non-scenic pips. If those images are calling you in particular, then they have something to tell you.

 

[Emily]

Is it the Golden Tarot by Liz Dean? Did it come with a book or just the deck?
I have seen this deck before but have always been put off because it's not strictly a TdM deck or a Soprafino.

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/golden-dean/

The Majors are attractive though. You can read this as a TdM but if you try to read it with RWS symbolism then that is what you will get, pip cards read with RWS symbolism, which is fine if that is what you want. The easiest way to start off with a TdM is to use numerology, suits and the elemental correspondences - as others have mentioned.

I've just started learning how to read with the TdM's too and it is different but not as hard as I thought it was going to be. The Tarot de Marseille section here is a great place to start.

 

[ravenest]

I also disagree with defaulting cards to the RW deck.

Start with suit meanings, then number meanings generally then start combining them.

 

[AnemoneRosie]

I use what Nisaba mentioned - a cross between basic numerology and the basic elements. I throw in a large dose of my intuition as well.