Best way to study minors?

[coyoteblack]

Hello all
I have a few god books(ok 2) and some good online resources. but the minor arcana is getting hard to start.

Is the best way goinf to a suit at a time then the royal pips or in groups like all 1s then 2s all the way to the kings?

 

[tarobones]

the minors

there is no right way. What do you feel like doing? what would be most helpful to you? Here at AT there is a wonderful course, just click on "learn"in the upper right hand corner of the page. BB, Michael

 

[Amaterasu]

There's no 'best' way. Everyone learns at their own pace.

I learned the minor arcana by organizing them by suits first, then flipping through each card and noting my first impression on each. After I have finished, I go back and start all over again and write more detailed notes about each card, looking up meanings after I have finished. (This is where a tarot journal comes in handy! )

Sometimes I carry around a pip card I feel attracted to and stare at it at random times of the day.

Hope that proves helpful!

 

[psychicbody]

I would learn the numerical meanings, then the face card meanings; after that, then apply the elemental associations.
So, each number/face has an inherrent value, which then takes on a new perspective, as it assumes a new suit.

 

[CandyApple]

That is a very good idea Amaterasu. Great way to develope your own meanings. I will def. have to try that. Thanks for the tip!

 

[brenmck]

A book that will be on the top of my night-stand stack for that very purpose is Eden Gray's "A Complete Guide to the Tarot." The minors are pictured (RWS) with short card meanings, "Divinatory Meanings," and "Reversed" directly underneath the picture - one card per page. If you need a method for plain old rote memorization of each card, I don't think you can beat this book. And another thing, it's compact - you could carry it around for bus rides. Some of her "meanings" you'll find are a little terse, but they're all right in the general scheme of accepted "definitions."

~B~

 

[rainwolf]

I learned by reading about them and memorizing some meanings, and then working from there. You can go more in depth with numerology and elemental features later once you have basic interpretations down first.

 

[a_shikhs]

i completely agree with Amaterasu. you have to sit with each card and give it time. you must jot down the impressions the cards give you, upright as well as reverse. you must first know what each suit means and then go in order. First learn wands, then cups, and so on in whatever order you like. If you start with wands, learn the ace of wands, then 2 of wands and so on. Keep completing one suit at a time.

Shikhs

 

[coyoteblack]

thank you all this is great advice. never thought of doing my own definations first by intuituion. I think i will try and combine all this advice thanks allot.

 

[firemaiden]

If you are like me, you are probably wondering how and why pip cards acquired meanings at all, or if they are just random. It is difficult to store random information.

But if you spend some time with numbers and suits, you can sort of see where the meanings might have come from. Think about what "one-ness" is, and how is it different from "two-ness", and then "three-ness". Then think about what the suits mean : what is "cups-ness", and what is "wands-ness?" Then ask yourself how two cups different than one cup, etc. And this way, you might derive your own meanings. Finally when you check your own meanings against what others have already come up with, you might be surprised to see they are pretty much the same. Then you will never ever forget.