Everything Under the Moon

I'm very interested in learning to read Tarot cards but I'm not totally sure where to start. I know that I obviously need a deck but beyond that I don't really know where to begin. Can anyone suggest any good books that might help me teach myself?

I'd say that it depends on the deck you get. Many decks come with their own books, some you have to buy separately (I'm still waiting for an edition of the Thoth Tarot to come with the Book of Thoth.) So buy the deck first. Just see whatever one calls to you.

A good primer for almost any deck is The Key to the Tarot by A.E. Waite. It's for the Rider-Waite deck, and I'd bet that the majority of decks you'll find are based off of that one.

But really the best way to learn is by reading the cards. What do the images on them mean to you? What do you think when you look at them? Find out what they mean to you, then worry about what other people say.

Thanks. I've found a few that I like the art work & they are based on the Rider-Waite decks. I've also found some very pretty Oracle decks but I'm not sure what the difference is between Tarot & Oracle. I've only every seen Tarot done.

dolphinpatronus wrote:Thanks. I've found a few that I like the art work & they are based on the Rider-Waite decks. I've also found some very pretty Oracle decks but I'm not sure what the difference is between Tarot & Oracle. I've only every seen Tarot done.

Tarot cards, dear Lady have suits like hearts, diamonds...etc.
Oracle cards have no suits, they are just a set of different pics.
Are you looking for something in particular ? Certain theme ?

Gentle Light
MsMollimizz

I guess I'm just looking for art that appeals to me. It's one of those things I'll know when I seen it I guess. I am however partial to fairies.

To find a deck, I'll give you the advice I was given when I was first looking. (: Go to any store that sells them and just look. You'd be surprised how quickly one can call to you sometimes. When I found my first one, I felt a strong tug towards it and it ended up being mine shortly after. The one I have now, which is actually a Fairy Tarot as I work with the Fey (It's called the Victorian Fairy Tarot if you're interested in looking. SUPER PRETTY ART. Haha, but I'm biased).

As for learning, that's where it gets tricky. I always go by what feels right to me, and that's something I always stress to other people. Try different things out. You could get a book on Tarot Card meanings or you can do as one book I read suggested, and just keep track of what the cards mean to you. There is no right or wrong way to read Tarot. I've seen so many different styles and I myself don't even follow the typical way Tarot is done.

Experiment with different spreads, see what works bets for you! I personally never use anything larger than three cards because it just never works out for me, where as I have a friend who can only do 4+ cards because anything lower never works for her. It's all about trial and error as well as keeping documentation in a journal or something of the sort, of what might work for you and what doesn't.

I hope this helps you! (:

I've seen people ask this quite often, so I'm going to compile another informational sticky thread about how to get started and some ideas and tips for doing so. Hopefully that will help you and those who are interested in learning.

Sakura Blossom wrote:To find a deck, I'll give you the advice I was given when I was first looking. (: Go to any store that sells them and just look. You'd be surprised how quickly one can call to you sometimes. When I found my first one, I felt a strong tug towards it and it ended up being mine shortly after. The one I have now, which is actually a Fairy Tarot as I work with the Fey (It's called the Victorian Fairy Tarot if you're interested in looking. SUPER PRETTY ART. Haha, but I'm biased).

As for learning, that's where it gets tricky. I always go by what feels right to me, and that's something I always stress to other people. Try different things out. You could get a book on Tarot Card meanings or you can do as one book I read suggested, and just keep track of what the cards mean to you. There is no right or wrong way to read Tarot. I've seen so many different styles and I myself don't even follow the typical way Tarot is done.

Experiment with different spreads, see what works bets for you! I personally never use anything larger than three cards because it just never works out for me, where as I have a friend who can only do 4+ cards because anything lower never works for her. It's all about trial and error as well as keeping documentation in a journal or something of the sort, of what might work for you and what doesn't.

I hope this helps you! (:

It does help thank you. I've actually been poking around in some online shops & seen a few different decks that look appealing. I think I like the regular tarot as apposed to the oracle cards because even tho they are open to interpretation they also have at least some specific mean. The oracle cards seem to be 100% left to the reader to interpret & I feel like that could just let me think exactly what I want & not give me a true reading.

You're very welcome! (:

Well, it really comes down to how you plan on reading the cards. Do you plan on using intuition, some intuition or do you plan on just following the card's literal meanings? It sounds like you want some sort of guideline, so I would try using Tarot first. I've never been a fan of Oracle cards, so I can understand where you're coming from. Haha.

I did make a new thread about how to get started, so if you want to check it out it can be found here: Tarot: A How-To for Getting Started.

Sakura Blossom wrote:You're very welcome! (:

Well, it really comes down to how you plan on reading the cards. Do you plan on using intuition, some intuition or do you plan on just following the card's literal meanings? It sounds like you want some sort of guideline, so I would try using Tarot first. I've never been a fan of Oracle cards, so I can understand where you're coming from. Haha.

I did make a new thread about how to get started, so if you want to check it out it can be found here: Tarot: A How-To for Getting Started.

You're absolutely right I would like some kind of guideline. I have a hard time trusting my intuition. I think it's too easy for my hopes & expectations to seep in at that point & I don't feel like that would be very accurate.

I can't wait to check out the new thread

I was honestly afraid of the same thing when I first started and then started to get back into it after my slight pause from doing the readings. However, the more I practiced, the more I found myself not relying on the cards' meanings anymore. (: You'd be surprised what can happen! I wish you the best of luck!

Thanks

In addition to everyone else's excellent suggestions, I want to put a plug in for learntarot.com, which was a really helpful resource for me when I was learning the Tarot ... It has a very thorough, well-crafted self-guided lesson plan for understanding the basic structure of the cards, and then moving into the more complicated stuff.

My suggestion is to look for a deck that comes with good instructions. Some decks comes with just a little pamphlet, while others come with whole books. My Anne Stokes Gothic tarot came with a tiny pamphlet that included text in four different languages. Unfortunately, there wasn't any information on how to read the cards, it was more like a story. An accompanying book is a real good idea, especially if some of the card names are a bit different than those of the traditional Rider-Waite deck. For example in the Sacred Circle Tarot, "the hanged man" is called "sacrifice," "strength" is called "the warrior," and "Judgment" is called "rebirth."
If you look through our Book Review threads there are a couple reviews of books on tarot, as well as links to sites that have free tarot E-books.

Xiao Rong wrote:In addition to everyone else's excellent suggestions, I want to put a plug in for learntarot.com, which was a really helpful resource for me when I was learning the Tarot ... It has a very thorough, well-crafted self-guided lesson plan for understanding the basic structure of the cards, and then moving into the more complicated stuff.

Awesome site! Thanks for the suggestion.