When you get a tarot deck do you continue to use the booklet with a description of the cards or do you memorize the meanings so you don't need the book anymore?
I've been using the book, but lately I've been thinking of attempting to ditch the book and do the readings solo.
Advice...comments...?
Use of tarot card booklet?
-
[Melissa]
I at first stayed with the book until I was ready to go solo also, I think its all to do with what feels right for you.
If you feel like you can understand the meanings then by all means go solo, but if your like me and have a terrible memory then take your time, go with your feelings
Nothings a rush and Tarot shouldn't be either.
If you feel like you can understand the meanings then by all means go solo, but if your like me and have a terrible memory then take your time, go with your feelings
Nothings a rush and Tarot shouldn't be either.
Thanks for the advice.
The thought of going solo only occurred to me as a passing thought. However, I recently offered to do readings for a few co-workers, and they seemed confused when I mentioned that I use my book with the cards.
I guess it got me to thinking, but I am going to take my time like you advised. Thanks!
The thought of going solo only occurred to me as a passing thought. However, I recently offered to do readings for a few co-workers, and they seemed confused when I mentioned that I use my book with the cards.
I guess it got me to thinking, but I am going to take my time like you advised. Thanks!
I used books when learning but also studied the Kabbalah/tree of life correspondances[777] and astrology and numerology/archetypes and mythology.When you use the book,think about the interpretations, the symbols and the way some readings are dominated by a theme.Keep practising,read often, boooks are necessary to learn ,but remember you'll not see a professional reader look one up during a reading. [I hope.lol]I give readings 'on the spur of the moment' sometimes,usually 3-5 or 7 card spreads, which work well for specific situations or questions.When you do this you never know what deck is being used.I don't carry mine around,but often a friend will pull thiers out,so it can be fun.lol.This keeps me sharp and 'on my toes'.The knowledge becomes intuitive and flowing,over time, personalised with practise.At Halloween it was 'the cat people' tarot,I hadn't used that one before,I liked the imagery,colours were bright -that helps.I studied the Tarot for a long time,but it still surprises me often. A good exercise is the 'meditation on single cards' one. You hold a card and think on the picture /number /correspondances - and what you see/feel,in your mind about it all. Write it down and return from time to time, then you can see your progression on the page.A visually interesting deck is best.Rider Waite is the classic learner deck,for this very reason.The symbolism is clear and all you need to know is there for you.A background knowledge of Tarot history and magickal use, is not strictly necessary for divination but it is fascinating and helps greatly with understanding. Another exercise is 'pathwalk' - see the major arcana as 'the hero's journey' [the journey of the individual through life] the major cards are archetypal and spiritual and the minor arcana are the mundane factors and choices he makes,the connections or 'bridges'[use numerology/elemental correspondances] tell the story- use the fool as significator [the individual/hero] and pick out a spread[your choice but I like the Celtic cross] lay the cards ,interpret them and learn about the macrocosm of the cards. You can do this with each major card as significator in turn. I 'm sure there are many more exercises you can do,[I'll see if I can find any more]these help you attune personally to your deck also.It takes time, but is way better than memorising someone else's opinion/interpretation,Sorry for the rambling a bit.
From 'Metareligion'
http://www.meta-religion.com/Esoterism/ ... tation.htm
Tarot Interpretation
Interpretation of the Tarot comes completely from what the cards signify to you. Many use the books that occompany every deck, holding the "true" interpretations of the cards. The books are there to start you off, not confine you to the parameters of the authors opinion. Even though they published the deck, remember, the Tarot connects with your Inner Self, the author simply doesn't have room to be the middle man.
Interpretation comes in three separate aspects. The meaning of the:
Individual Card
Position of the Spread
Overall Reading
Which is the most important?
Most believe the individual card meanings are most important. This is untrue. If we could only see one small aspect of the entire situation, we'd remain as confused as when we first started. From here, some will infer that the overall implications are most important. Still untrue. If we cannont break it down to a practical level, we can't understand how to react. Where does this leave us? Again, the most important and accurate interpretations come from you. Which ever aspect seems more significant at the time, that's the one that is most significant.
When interpreting individual cards, look at the card and figure out what you see and the implications it gives. The feeling may come from a feature that sticks out, not previously noticed, the facial expressions of the person(s), or some outside "gut" feeling. Individual cards define the nature of the energies; love, jealousy, material, spiritual. However it comes to you, let the thoughts flow, and the interpretation will flow also.
Positions in a spread exist in a logical pattern that suggests the relationship between cards. Positions often imply a chronological state or influence, helping to establish a workable time frame for the reader. Obviously, this is important to prevent readings of ten years in the past or twenty years in the future, or even past lives. (Though, spreads can be designed to focus on these areas as well.) Positions also help to identify the source of the energies. For example, internal, external, or internal energy of another person. The spread positions define the origins of the energies being interpreted.
From the positions, the overall impression is drawn, providing the answers to questions, or most likely path of the situation in question. Each reading shares a story, providing a practical view from which to decide on a course of action (or inaction if that be the case.) When the overall impression is told to the questioner, the reader should bring life to the cards and the story they share; dropping most of the analytical aspects, and using the information already drawn to provide an accurate relation.
Becoming a fluent reader does not happen over night. Rather, it takes many hours spent familiarizing yourself with your deck and strengthening the connection between your consciousness and Inner Self.
http://www.meta-religion.com/Esoterism/ ... tation.htm
Tarot Interpretation
Interpretation of the Tarot comes completely from what the cards signify to you. Many use the books that occompany every deck, holding the "true" interpretations of the cards. The books are there to start you off, not confine you to the parameters of the authors opinion. Even though they published the deck, remember, the Tarot connects with your Inner Self, the author simply doesn't have room to be the middle man.
Interpretation comes in three separate aspects. The meaning of the:
Individual Card
Position of the Spread
Overall Reading
Which is the most important?
Most believe the individual card meanings are most important. This is untrue. If we could only see one small aspect of the entire situation, we'd remain as confused as when we first started. From here, some will infer that the overall implications are most important. Still untrue. If we cannont break it down to a practical level, we can't understand how to react. Where does this leave us? Again, the most important and accurate interpretations come from you. Which ever aspect seems more significant at the time, that's the one that is most significant.
When interpreting individual cards, look at the card and figure out what you see and the implications it gives. The feeling may come from a feature that sticks out, not previously noticed, the facial expressions of the person(s), or some outside "gut" feeling. Individual cards define the nature of the energies; love, jealousy, material, spiritual. However it comes to you, let the thoughts flow, and the interpretation will flow also.
Positions in a spread exist in a logical pattern that suggests the relationship between cards. Positions often imply a chronological state or influence, helping to establish a workable time frame for the reader. Obviously, this is important to prevent readings of ten years in the past or twenty years in the future, or even past lives. (Though, spreads can be designed to focus on these areas as well.) Positions also help to identify the source of the energies. For example, internal, external, or internal energy of another person. The spread positions define the origins of the energies being interpreted.
From the positions, the overall impression is drawn, providing the answers to questions, or most likely path of the situation in question. Each reading shares a story, providing a practical view from which to decide on a course of action (or inaction if that be the case.) When the overall impression is told to the questioner, the reader should bring life to the cards and the story they share; dropping most of the analytical aspects, and using the information already drawn to provide an accurate relation.
Becoming a fluent reader does not happen over night. Rather, it takes many hours spent familiarizing yourself with your deck and strengthening the connection between your consciousness and Inner Self.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tarot/sot/index.htm
a good intro.to symbolism.
http://tarotjourney.net/symbols/archive ... -the-fool/
this is good too, it gets you thinking in visual terms.The aim is to look at a card and be able to glean lots of information,without needing the book. The next stage is in inter- relation of cards to each other, but that is not difficult when you understand each card. It's like in Astrology, aspects and house placings in relation to the qualities of the signs and planets - how they modify/magnify/affect each other.Relationships.
------------------------------------------------
TAROT SYMBOLOGY
Tarot offers a system of using symbols, archetypes and an intrinsic language of the collective psyche. However, even though there are "certain preset meanings" for each of the cards which have been "translated" throughout the centuries and well documented in books or guides, every tarot card and/or deck can vary in its meaning or implication based on the individual reader's "connection" to its symbology. The collective conscious thread allows for the unique.
The great significance of symbols in tarot is the delivery of a message or story within each and every card. Every color, every image, every alpha-numeric symbol, every activity within the card spells out a distinct message to the reader. How that message is interpreted ultimately depends upon the reader's experience, practice and meditation of those symbols and within the knowledge of the basics of tarot which been well documented. Occasionally, after many years of using published decks and books, some tarotists may "create" their own unique decks, which is a long and extremely arduous process, but this aids them in further connections of their own with the symbols, images, numerology and colors, etc.
During readings or meditations of each card, be sure to use patience, and more patience, and then even more patience. It takes time to learn, "listen to" and know your cards. The tarot is a key to great wisdom and truth, which, as with any language, mathematics, science or any realm of learning, must be repeatedly studied along with meditation for the deeper spiritual insights and awakenings.
Color Symbology in Tarot
The colors of each tarot deck have their own symbolic meanings. These colors carry meaning for us in our daily life as well as for their metaphysical or esoteric value. Within each card, take note of the colors throughout the card, be it the background, possibly the sky, landscape or the clothing, buildings, amulets or tools used within the card. The following list of colors and their "basic" meanings add to the interpretation of the card. Meditation on certain colors within the card often help "clear the blocks" sometimes experienced during a reading.
White - purity, healing, white shadow (animus), union through the mind, new intellectual frontier, purity, protection
Black - the unknown, black shadow (anima), darkside of the soul, letting go, yet offering the "black hole" of endless possibilities
Brown - earth, practical issues, the home and family, grounding, application, implementation and production
Pink - emotional love, harmony, self-love, friendship
Red - heart, soul, willpower, vitality, love, passion, courage
Orange - energy, vitality, joy, life force, strength
Yellow - sun, consciousness, zest for life, clairvoyance, communication
Green - healing love, prosperity, fresh, newness, promising, inexperienced, immature
Blue - open sky, space and clear water, spirituality, tranquility, meditation
Purple - the soul, spirituality, intuition, healing, guidance
Numerology in Tarot
Many of the meanings attributed to the Tarot cards derive from numerology. In the West, numerology goes back to the philosophy of the Greek thinker Pythagoras who believed that reality can ultimately be expressed in numerical terms. We have already seen the importance of the number four in the four suits of the Tarot which are derived from the four elements of classic Greek philosophy. The fact that there are 10 pip cards is related to the fact that humans have 10 fingers and therefore use the decimal number system. Odd numbers are usually regarded as forceful, yang, or "masculine" and even numbers as stabilizing, yin, or "feminine".
Below of some of the common meanings attributed to the basic numbers that comprise our system of numbering things:
# 0: Zero is the number of pure potential, of absolute beginnings and endings (return to nothingness). Only the Fool Trump carries the number 0 in the Tarot.
# 1: "One is the loneliest number..." the popular song goes. One is the first card of the pip sequence. One is the number of beginnings, of individuality, of the child emerging from the womb, of the prime force of creation. The Washington Monument is an architectural tribute to the number one.
# 2: Two is the number of duality, of coupling, of self and other, of opposing and complementing aspects of reality, of the union of two individuals (1s).
# 3: Three is the number of the triad, of the unit formed by duality (2) and its offspring (1), of the three faces of the goddess (virgin, mother, and crone), of the creation that is made possible by joining forces with another, the tripartite genitalia of the male and the genital triangle of the female.
# 4: Four is the number of manifestation and material reality. There are four elements, four sides of a square, four cardinal directions of a compass, four seasons, four winds, etc. It is a number of order, structure, power, and earthly dominion. Four is the number of the prototypical complete family: a father, a mother, a son, and a daughter.
# 5: Five is a number related to the five human senses and to the pentagram representing the human form (the head plus the four limbs). Five is the midpoint or turning point of the cycle that runs from 0 to 10. As such, five can represent a crisis point or a state of instability.
# 6: Six represents the harmony that returns when we resolve the disruption and instability seen in the five. Being a combination of 2 and 3 (6 = 2 x 3), six carries with it the connotations of both 2 and 3, that is harmony, cooperation, creation, new equilibrium.
# 7: Seven is regarded as a spiritual and introspective number. Being an odd number, it carries an active, forceful, and sometimes disruptive connotation.
# 8: Eight is made up of 2 x 4, or 2 x 2 x 2. Like the four, it is a number of power, manifestation, and material accomplishment.
# 9: Nine is the last single digit in the series. It carries a connotation of completion or the ending of a cycle. It can signify the wisdom that is achieved toward the end of a cycle.
# 10: In the number 10 we see the final ending --- the sequence of pips is over. The cycle has ended and a new one is beginning. Being one more than nine, 10 often means "one too many".
The Minor Arcana
The very number of cards in a Tarot deck reflects this numerological scheme. The 10 pip cards represent a series of everyday feelings, events, and situations associated with each of the 4 suits. The four court cards represent the four members of the prototypical family: father/king, mother/queen, son/knight, daughter/page. Hence each suit consists of 14 cards (10 pips plus 4 court cards).
Mundane and family matters are thus represented by the 10 pips and 4 court cards of the four suits:
Wands (Baton, Rods), Cups, Swords and Pentacles (Coins, Disks). This makes a total of 4 x 14 = 56 Minor Arcana cards.
Wands (Rods): Clubs, Fire, Leo, Sagittarius and Aries
Cups: Hearts, Water, Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio
Swords: Spades, Air, Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius
Pentacles (Coins, Disks): Diamonds, Earth, Taurus, Capricorn and Virgo
Wands: physical activity, new, now, aggression, excitement, stimulating, courage, birth, start, masculine, passion Wands are associated with thoughts, inspirations, desires and the identifying of
goals that may create change in the future.
Cups: emotions, pleasure, partnership, love, sensitivity, relationships Cups are associated with emotions, feelings and spiritual experiences, a focus on being rather than on doing.
Swords: Mental, intellect, logical thinking, communicate, inventive, detached, study, ideas, decisions Swords are associated with action, conflict and struggle which brings about clarity.
Pentacles: practical, money, economical, reality, material, patient, foundation, caution, stability, organization, firmness Pentacles are associated with the realization of goals, material well-being and rewards for hard work.
The Major Arcana
The remaining 22 cards of the deck are the Major Arcana (major secrets) cards. These have a different numerological basis. Representing timeless spiritual truths, these cards are based on the numbers 3 and 7. The Fool, numbered 0, stands at the center of a triangle (3 sides), and each side of the triangle consists of 7 cards (connected with 7 days of the week that are named for the 7 visible planets). The Fool (numbered 0) plus the 21 lessons the Fool must learn (the other 21 Trumps) make up the total of 22 Trump cards. In numerology, 22 can be broken down into 2 + 2 = 4, the number of manifestation in the "real" world. Furthermore, 21 (the number of spiritual lessons awaiting the Fool) is the sum of the first 6 digits, that is, 21 = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6, a fact that was not lost on the original creators of the Tarot deck.
By playing with these numerical relationships and their connections to the cards of the Tarot deck, one can come to a deeper understanding of the origin, structure, and meaning of the cards.
Taken From
http://www.alltarot.com/AT_Tarot-Symbols.html
I'll get a link here for Thelemapedia, which has the Crowleyan /Western /Kaballah correspondances,it's a good reference tool.
http://www.thelemapedia.org/index.php/Tree_of_Life:777
a good intro.to symbolism.
http://tarotjourney.net/symbols/archive ... -the-fool/
this is good too, it gets you thinking in visual terms.The aim is to look at a card and be able to glean lots of information,without needing the book. The next stage is in inter- relation of cards to each other, but that is not difficult when you understand each card. It's like in Astrology, aspects and house placings in relation to the qualities of the signs and planets - how they modify/magnify/affect each other.Relationships.
------------------------------------------------
TAROT SYMBOLOGY
Tarot offers a system of using symbols, archetypes and an intrinsic language of the collective psyche. However, even though there are "certain preset meanings" for each of the cards which have been "translated" throughout the centuries and well documented in books or guides, every tarot card and/or deck can vary in its meaning or implication based on the individual reader's "connection" to its symbology. The collective conscious thread allows for the unique.
The great significance of symbols in tarot is the delivery of a message or story within each and every card. Every color, every image, every alpha-numeric symbol, every activity within the card spells out a distinct message to the reader. How that message is interpreted ultimately depends upon the reader's experience, practice and meditation of those symbols and within the knowledge of the basics of tarot which been well documented. Occasionally, after many years of using published decks and books, some tarotists may "create" their own unique decks, which is a long and extremely arduous process, but this aids them in further connections of their own with the symbols, images, numerology and colors, etc.
During readings or meditations of each card, be sure to use patience, and more patience, and then even more patience. It takes time to learn, "listen to" and know your cards. The tarot is a key to great wisdom and truth, which, as with any language, mathematics, science or any realm of learning, must be repeatedly studied along with meditation for the deeper spiritual insights and awakenings.
Color Symbology in Tarot
The colors of each tarot deck have their own symbolic meanings. These colors carry meaning for us in our daily life as well as for their metaphysical or esoteric value. Within each card, take note of the colors throughout the card, be it the background, possibly the sky, landscape or the clothing, buildings, amulets or tools used within the card. The following list of colors and their "basic" meanings add to the interpretation of the card. Meditation on certain colors within the card often help "clear the blocks" sometimes experienced during a reading.
White - purity, healing, white shadow (animus), union through the mind, new intellectual frontier, purity, protection
Black - the unknown, black shadow (anima), darkside of the soul, letting go, yet offering the "black hole" of endless possibilities
Brown - earth, practical issues, the home and family, grounding, application, implementation and production
Pink - emotional love, harmony, self-love, friendship
Red - heart, soul, willpower, vitality, love, passion, courage
Orange - energy, vitality, joy, life force, strength
Yellow - sun, consciousness, zest for life, clairvoyance, communication
Green - healing love, prosperity, fresh, newness, promising, inexperienced, immature
Blue - open sky, space and clear water, spirituality, tranquility, meditation
Purple - the soul, spirituality, intuition, healing, guidance
Numerology in Tarot
Many of the meanings attributed to the Tarot cards derive from numerology. In the West, numerology goes back to the philosophy of the Greek thinker Pythagoras who believed that reality can ultimately be expressed in numerical terms. We have already seen the importance of the number four in the four suits of the Tarot which are derived from the four elements of classic Greek philosophy. The fact that there are 10 pip cards is related to the fact that humans have 10 fingers and therefore use the decimal number system. Odd numbers are usually regarded as forceful, yang, or "masculine" and even numbers as stabilizing, yin, or "feminine".
Below of some of the common meanings attributed to the basic numbers that comprise our system of numbering things:
# 0: Zero is the number of pure potential, of absolute beginnings and endings (return to nothingness). Only the Fool Trump carries the number 0 in the Tarot.
# 1: "One is the loneliest number..." the popular song goes. One is the first card of the pip sequence. One is the number of beginnings, of individuality, of the child emerging from the womb, of the prime force of creation. The Washington Monument is an architectural tribute to the number one.
# 2: Two is the number of duality, of coupling, of self and other, of opposing and complementing aspects of reality, of the union of two individuals (1s).
# 3: Three is the number of the triad, of the unit formed by duality (2) and its offspring (1), of the three faces of the goddess (virgin, mother, and crone), of the creation that is made possible by joining forces with another, the tripartite genitalia of the male and the genital triangle of the female.
# 4: Four is the number of manifestation and material reality. There are four elements, four sides of a square, four cardinal directions of a compass, four seasons, four winds, etc. It is a number of order, structure, power, and earthly dominion. Four is the number of the prototypical complete family: a father, a mother, a son, and a daughter.
# 5: Five is a number related to the five human senses and to the pentagram representing the human form (the head plus the four limbs). Five is the midpoint or turning point of the cycle that runs from 0 to 10. As such, five can represent a crisis point or a state of instability.
# 6: Six represents the harmony that returns when we resolve the disruption and instability seen in the five. Being a combination of 2 and 3 (6 = 2 x 3), six carries with it the connotations of both 2 and 3, that is harmony, cooperation, creation, new equilibrium.
# 7: Seven is regarded as a spiritual and introspective number. Being an odd number, it carries an active, forceful, and sometimes disruptive connotation.
# 8: Eight is made up of 2 x 4, or 2 x 2 x 2. Like the four, it is a number of power, manifestation, and material accomplishment.
# 9: Nine is the last single digit in the series. It carries a connotation of completion or the ending of a cycle. It can signify the wisdom that is achieved toward the end of a cycle.
# 10: In the number 10 we see the final ending --- the sequence of pips is over. The cycle has ended and a new one is beginning. Being one more than nine, 10 often means "one too many".
The Minor Arcana
The very number of cards in a Tarot deck reflects this numerological scheme. The 10 pip cards represent a series of everyday feelings, events, and situations associated with each of the 4 suits. The four court cards represent the four members of the prototypical family: father/king, mother/queen, son/knight, daughter/page. Hence each suit consists of 14 cards (10 pips plus 4 court cards).
Mundane and family matters are thus represented by the 10 pips and 4 court cards of the four suits:
Wands (Baton, Rods), Cups, Swords and Pentacles (Coins, Disks). This makes a total of 4 x 14 = 56 Minor Arcana cards.
Wands (Rods): Clubs, Fire, Leo, Sagittarius and Aries
Cups: Hearts, Water, Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio
Swords: Spades, Air, Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius
Pentacles (Coins, Disks): Diamonds, Earth, Taurus, Capricorn and Virgo
Wands: physical activity, new, now, aggression, excitement, stimulating, courage, birth, start, masculine, passion Wands are associated with thoughts, inspirations, desires and the identifying of
goals that may create change in the future.
Cups: emotions, pleasure, partnership, love, sensitivity, relationships Cups are associated with emotions, feelings and spiritual experiences, a focus on being rather than on doing.
Swords: Mental, intellect, logical thinking, communicate, inventive, detached, study, ideas, decisions Swords are associated with action, conflict and struggle which brings about clarity.
Pentacles: practical, money, economical, reality, material, patient, foundation, caution, stability, organization, firmness Pentacles are associated with the realization of goals, material well-being and rewards for hard work.
The Major Arcana
The remaining 22 cards of the deck are the Major Arcana (major secrets) cards. These have a different numerological basis. Representing timeless spiritual truths, these cards are based on the numbers 3 and 7. The Fool, numbered 0, stands at the center of a triangle (3 sides), and each side of the triangle consists of 7 cards (connected with 7 days of the week that are named for the 7 visible planets). The Fool (numbered 0) plus the 21 lessons the Fool must learn (the other 21 Trumps) make up the total of 22 Trump cards. In numerology, 22 can be broken down into 2 + 2 = 4, the number of manifestation in the "real" world. Furthermore, 21 (the number of spiritual lessons awaiting the Fool) is the sum of the first 6 digits, that is, 21 = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6, a fact that was not lost on the original creators of the Tarot deck.
By playing with these numerical relationships and their connections to the cards of the Tarot deck, one can come to a deeper understanding of the origin, structure, and meaning of the cards.
Taken From
http://www.alltarot.com/AT_Tarot-Symbols.html
I'll get a link here for Thelemapedia, which has the Crowleyan /Western /Kaballah correspondances,it's a good reference tool.
http://www.thelemapedia.org/index.php/Tree_of_Life:777
Wow Eritik, info overload!
I'm the same, I still use the book, but I'm really, shockingly, bad at tarot
Plus, I have a really ugly deck, so it's not very inspiring.
But when I try to do a reading without the book, I get completely different meaning to what the book says... and I get really confused by the minor arcana cards, as they have the same pictures...
But yeah, like the others have said, give it a go and see how you do.
I'm the same, I still use the book, but I'm really, shockingly, bad at tarot
Plus, I have a really ugly deck, so it's not very inspiring.
But when I try to do a reading without the book, I get completely different meaning to what the book says... and I get really confused by the minor arcana cards, as they have the same pictures...
But yeah, like the others have said, give it a go and see how you do.
Earth my body, water my blood,
Air my breath and fire my spirit
Air my breath and fire my spirit
I still look at the book sometimes (even more now that I have a new deck, and I learned the old deck according to the images more so than the numbers and suits).
I think the best way to learn to read without the book... is to read without the book. It's just like training wheels, if you never take them off... well you know. The man who encouraged me to start reading tarot had been reading for a looooong time, and he still glanced at the book occasionally for clarity. I've also had my cards read once by someone who I thought SHOULD HAVE looked at the book.
It's not all bad.
Personally, with the new deck especially... I tried to look at the things on the card that would help me remember the meanings. Studying the images and I was VERY careful to make sure that my deck had images that would show the meaning. Although the new deck isn't as telling as the old deck, it's coming along.
Try to associate the meanings with the pictures, and then if you're unsure or feel that an interpretation doesn't fit... check the book to see what else it says afterwards. Basically, I went by the feeling I got from a card, the situation in question, and the other cards around it which I knew.
I think another thing that has helped me was staying away from reversed cards. If one falls out upside down, I'll check the book. But I stopped dealing with reading reversed cards because it was just even more for me to deal with. (Baby steps.)
Trust your instincts
I think the best way to learn to read without the book... is to read without the book. It's just like training wheels, if you never take them off... well you know. The man who encouraged me to start reading tarot had been reading for a looooong time, and he still glanced at the book occasionally for clarity. I've also had my cards read once by someone who I thought SHOULD HAVE looked at the book.
It's not all bad. Personally, with the new deck especially... I tried to look at the things on the card that would help me remember the meanings. Studying the images and I was VERY careful to make sure that my deck had images that would show the meaning. Although the new deck isn't as telling as the old deck, it's coming along.
Try to associate the meanings with the pictures, and then if you're unsure or feel that an interpretation doesn't fit... check the book to see what else it says afterwards. Basically, I went by the feeling I got from a card, the situation in question, and the other cards around it which I knew.
I think another thing that has helped me was staying away from reversed cards. If one falls out upside down, I'll check the book. But I stopped dealing with reading reversed cards because it was just even more for me to deal with. (Baby steps.)
Trust your instincts
Check out Robin Wood's Tarot and Tarot Book. The nifty thing about her set is that she uses a visually mnemonic system designed into the deck. Often there are visual puns in the cards themselves to help you remember! Also, her symbols aren't derived from esoteric sources, but are common Wiccan attributions. Though her deck can get very esoteric despite this!
Also her tarot book is cheap. It's something like $10 for a new book.
Also her tarot book is cheap. It's something like $10 for a new book.
-
wiccachicken
- Banned Member
- Posts: 234
- Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 10:55 am
- Gender: Female
-
sunstoneleo
- Posts: 232
- Joined: Mon Nov 12, 2007 7:09 pm
- Gender: Female
- Location: minnesota
-
amunptah777
Re: Use of tarot card booklet?
When you're first beginning to divine, it's helpful to become familiar with the structure (so you can ditch it later)Adiens wrote:When you get a tarot deck do you continue to use the booklet with a description of the cards or do you memorize the meanings so you don't need the book anymore?
I've been using the book, but lately I've been thinking of attempting to ditch the book and do the readings solo.
Advice...comments...?
If you feel you completely understand what the symbols mean, or at least understand what a particular card is "supposed to be" then YES, pitch the book.
The only way true divination can occur is through intuition, intuition is hindered by such rigorous structure...you might even think about getting a deck with a new artwork, so you comprehend what a particular card is supposed to be saying, but you'll be able to interpret it in new ways...
Good Luck!
Thet
