Tarot

[Crescent Moon]

Does anyone use tarot? I'm curious.  I've tried before with no luck.  A friend of mine told me it was probably due to picking a deck that wasn't suited for me. I've been considering trying to learn again.

[Labrys]

I somewhat negligently do tarot layouts on occasion.  I tend to over-analyze when reading for myself, after all, I know entirely too much about the subject of me. 

I think it helps if the images of the chosen deck appeal to you, or at least do not irritate you in some fashion.  I, for instance, do not like "busy" cards like some of the decks that try to incorporate virtually every symbolism system available into every card.

[Brijrian]

I use Rider Waite Tarot, Runes, and the Well Worn Path/Hidden Path decks. I've had a lot of success with this type of divination, myself.

My first introduction to tarot was when I was working a summer as a waitress at a golf resort. I worked with a gal who did some tarot readings for the other employees. I watched her do a couple, and then during one reading I piped up about what I saw in the cards.

She told me that I had an affinity for tarot, and bought me my first deck.

I used to do them a lot (I've heard that I can be really accurate and have shaken a couple of skeptic guys, and predicted the marriage of my friend to someone she would meet at my wedding--now she's my sis-in-law).

I've stopped doing them as often because they usually tell me what I already know, intuitively or otherwise.

By all means try to learn them again if it feels right. There are many different ways of divination, however, so if tarot isn't "clicking" try another system, or invent your own...there is at least one person on the board who has created her own divination system from intuition and scratch--Fillionous.

*Brijrian

[Crescent Moon]

I just feel I didn't really give the tarot a chance but I don't necessary "feel" that it's the right type of divination for me.  I will look into other divination methods thank you both for your input.

I do have a knack if you will (for lack of a better word) for dreaming of things that will happen in the near future. It's not constant as it does come and go.

The only thing though I cannot pinpoint who the person(s) the dream are about.  Usually it will be one person in my dream and then the what occured in my dream will happen to someone different entirely in reality.

As I've mentioned in another post, I have been thinking alot about making a set of runes and learning to use them. That might be better suited for me.

[Lark]

I do on occasion use the Sacred Circle deck but tarot isn't really my strong suit (pun intended!).  As for the Rider-Waite deck, it will let me work with it for about 5 minutes and then it tells me in no uncertain terms that it wants no more to do with me.

My prefered divination methods are the runes and the ogham.

-Lark-

[Silaria]

I read Tarot; dabbled with them since the early 90's and have been really studying them for about 6 years.

It is possible that you didn't click with Tarot cards because you weren't using a deck that "talked" clearly to you. My first deck, a traditional Rider-Waite, never gave me clear readings. My second deck, The Unicorn Tarot, spoke volumes right out of the box.

It is also possible that Tarot just isn't for you and some other divination tool is. Heck, I know a lot of people who can't read Tarot but are incredibly efficient with Oracle decks.

Personally, one issue I think I a lot of new Tarot readers encounter is the 10 Card Celtic Cross Spread. In my opinion, this spread is way too big for a new reader. (And often times it is too many cards for the questions being asked of the cards.)

Simple, and versatile, 3 Card spreads are much easier to learn with. I've also found that spreads between 3 and 5 cards are enough to address most issues.

I wrote this a few years ago for another discussion board I use to frequent. It was well received by the members of that board. I thought I'd post it and share some of what I've learned during my own study. Maybe it will help you and others interested in giving the cards [another] try.

WARNING - This may be a little lengthy

The Tarot

The Tarot is a very common tool used by Witches and non-witches alike for divination. The cards have been around for centuries, perhaps as early as the 14th century (1300's).

The most common deck of cards is the Rider-Waite cards. These are the ones most commonly used by Hollywood; which is the most likely cause behind their noteriety. In addition to the Rider-Waite deck, there are perhaps as many as 5,000 other decks out there - some in print some not. With such a wide variety to chose from you are bound to find the right deck for you.

I have been reading the Tarot off and on, mostly off unfortunately, for nearly 12 years. Only in the past 4-5 years have I really begun to fully understand and study the cards themselves. I am by no means a Tarot master. I don't know anywhere near all there is to know about reading the cards and, like you, I'm learning. I own about 15 Tarot decks, of which I read with about 5 of them.

What I'd like to share with you are some basic tips to get you started with reading the Tarot and share some of the lessons I learned the hard way.

Choosing a Deck

Choosing the right deck for you is one of the most important parts of your journey into the Tarot. Some people find that certain decks "speak" to them in a way they cannot explain. However, some decks make better starter decks than others. I would recommend the Rider-Waite or a Rider-Waite "clone" such as the Universal Waite or Hanson-Roberts decks. The Robin Wood Tarot is another EXCELLENT deck to begin with. Robin's deck, however, contains A LOT of Wiccan symbolism. If you are not interested in Wicca this may not be the deck for you.

Some other decks on the market include the Witches Tarot, The Tarot of the Witches, The Goddess Tarot, The Dragon Tarot, The Celtic Dragon Tarot, The Saced Circle Tarot, The Legend of King Aurthor Tarot, and many many more. You can look at some samples of these and other Tarot decks at http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/tarota.shtml.


How to Read the Cards

Ok, you have a new deck of cards and you want to jump right in and start to read. So, what do you do? You pull out this little white book (LWB) that comes with you cards and flip through it. In the back of the booklet is a 10 card spread called the Celtic Cross. So, you shuffle your cards and lay them out according to the instructions. Once layed out you proceed to look up each card in the LWB and discover your reading is complete garbage. You start to wonder what you did wrong and you may even get frustrated, put the cards away and never touch them again.

Well, there is a better way!

First things first... HIDE THAT LWB!!! (Or hide the book that came with your deck.) Don't throw it away, just hide it. You may want it for future reference.

Take a deep breath and relax.

Each card in the Tarot deck tells it's own story. This story changes from spread to spread sometimes; depending upon the cards surrounding it. The secret to unlocking that story is not in a LWB or even a book you buy on how to read the Tarot. The secret is within you and your mind... your instinct.

There are MANY ways to learn Tarot and NONE of them involve memorizing the meanings of the cards. Below is 1 method.

The Card of the Day
Shuffle the cards. Once you feel they are shuffled enough turn over the top card. This becomes your "Card of the Day".

When you look at this card, what is the first thing that draws your eye? Make a note of this in a Tarot Journal. Now, look at the entire card. What does it say to you? Again, make a note of this in your Journal. During the course of your day, see if there are any events that coinside with the card you pulled. Again, make a note of this in your journal.

Finally, and only if you want to, pull out the LWB before you draw your next "Card of the Day" and look up the written meaning of the card.. How close were you? If you weren't close that just as good as being on the money. Why? Because the cards will speak to our souls differently each time you look at them.

Reversed Cards
There are a few things to be aware of regarding Reversed Cards. Let's start with the most basic: What is a Reversed Card? A Reversed Card is one that appears "upside down" in the spread. Reversed Cards (sometimes notated as Rx) provide a different meaning to the card in question - sometimes the "literal reverse" sometimes not.

The other thing to be aware of is that some decks use Reversals while others do not. The Rider-Waite, the Hanson-Robers, and Unicorn Tarot, use Reversals to exapand the information the Cards can provide. Other decks, like the Shapeshifter Tarot, the Dragon Tarot and the Robin Wood Tarot, where not designed with Reversals in mind. The best way to determine if your deck of choise uses Reversals or not is to consult either the LWB or the actual Book(*) that comes with your deck.

(*Some books come with a separate book that explains the cards in detail. These books are sometimes sold separately from the deck (as in the case of the Unicorn Tarot and Robin Wood Tarot) or sold with the deck (in the the case of the Shapeshifter Tarot, Celtic Dragon Tarot, and Fairy Ring Tarot).)

The use of Reversals is a matter of personal preference when you perform your readings. When you are just learning to read the Tarot many experienced readers will advise you to avoid Reversals until you are comfortable with the standard cards. Even then you may choose not to include Reversals in your readings.


The Major Arcana

22 cards make up the Major Arcana. These are Fool, Magician, High Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Strength, Hanged Man, Wheel of Forturne, Justice, Hermit, Death, Temperance, Devil, Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Judgement, and World.

For excellent information about each of these cards, please visit this web site: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/learn/meanings/. I see no point in reinventing the wheel when someone has already written a very nice summary of the meaning for each card.


The Minor Arcana

These are the remaining 56 "suit" cards. The suits may vary from deck to deck depending on the author. Here is a list of the Suits you may see and the Element they are associated with:

Air: Swords
Water: Cups
Fire: Wands, Rods, Staves
Earth: Pentacles, Disks, Coins

Some decks reverse the association of Air and Fire.

A subset of the Minor Arcana is the Court Cards: Page, Knight, King and Queen. These cards tend to represent people more than events. They can also respresent the state of mind. (Example: A Page of Cups may mean Puppy Love or Unconditional Love like a child has for a parent.) The meaning depends on the cards surrounding it.

Again, please visit http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/learn/meanings/ for detailed information on each card. The write ups are wonderful and I see no need to recreate the information.


Suggested Starting Spreads

The LWBs always seem to start people with the Celtic Cross spread. This spread is useful but there are times that it's just not appropriate for the question at hand. It's also a VERY difficult spread for a new Reader and can lead to frustration.

IMO the best spread for a new Reader to start with isn't listed in the LWB. That's the simple and flexable 3 Card Spread.

These 3 cards can be any trio that go together such as Past, Present, Future or Morning, Afternoon, Evening. You are also not restricted to just 3 cards since you can keep laying 3 cards until you feel you have enough information. (Use your outcome card as the question for the next triplet.

Sample Spreads (NOTE: The numbers represent the card position)

Past, Present, Future: 1...2...3
Card 1 - Past
Card 2 - Present
Card 3 - Future

Daily Spread: 1...2...3
Card 1 - Morning
Card 2 - Afternoon
Card 3 - Evening

Mind, Body, Spirit Spread: 1...2...3
Card 1 - Mind
Card 2 - Body
Card 3 - Spirit

Situation Spread: 2...1...3
Card 1 - Question/Situation
Card 2 - Hidden Factor
Card 3 - Advice


If you purchased the Rider-Waite deck, this site, http://www.learntarot.com/, is an EXCELLENT online resource for them (and any other Rider-Waite clone decks too). Barnes and Noble, http://www.bn.com, also offers free online Tarot classes from time to time. They make use of the information located at the site as well as the book Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners by Joan Bunning (who happens to be the author of the site and 90% of the information in the book is on the site).

As I noted in my long post on the Tarot, www.aeclectic.net is an excellent site as well.

If, like me, you are interested in Tarot Spreads, check out http://www.tarotspreads.com.


Useful Books on the Tarot
Please note: This list covers a wide range of topics from Beginners (the first 4 books) through Advanced (the ones closer to the bottom of the list.)

Tarot for Yourself: A Workbook for Personal Transformation by Mary K. Greer
Tarot Plain and Simple by Anthony Louis (Uses The Robin Wood Tarot instead of Rider-Waite as it's 'education' deck)
Learning the Tarot: A Tarot Book for Beginners by Joan Bunning
Complete Book Of Tarot Spreads by Evelin Burger, Johannes Fiebig
Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot by Rachel Pollack
The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals (Special Topics in Tarot) by Mary K. Greer, Barbara Moore
The Tarot Court Cards: Archetypal Patterns of Relationship in the Minor Arcana by Kate Warwick-Smith
Tarot for Self Discovery (Special Topics in Tarot) by Nina Lee Braden
Designing Your Own Tarot Spreads (Special Topics in Tarot) by Teresa Michelsen, Mary K. Greer
Tarot and Magic by Donald Michael Kraig, Mary K. Greer (Surpisingly good book. More than just "here's a spell go do it")
The Forest of Souls: A Walk Through the Tarot by Rachel Pollack

[Crescent Moon]

Oh wow....Silaria thank you so much for taking the time to post all that information for me.  I shall do just that...hide the LWB for a while until I get used to the new deck.  I picked a deck that a friend had suggested.  It really wasn't a deck that said "here I am", "pick me"  I most definately will listen to the inner voice and pick a deck that suites me and calls to me.  I'm going to print out all the information you posted.  I really appreciate it. : )

[Silaria]

You are quite welcome, Crescent Moon. I hope the information helps you.

Good luck with your studies.

[Brijrian]

Silaria, I really like your Mind, Body, Spirit and Situation Spread.

I just wanted to comment about Rx cards--I have the Rider-Waite (as I mentioned before) and technically they do have reversed meanings. Upon first handling/reading my cards, however, I had the distinct impression reversed readings were rubbish in relation to my deck. So I have followed that intuition, and have been rather successful with my readings.

Thank you for the tarot meanings site, by the way. My LWB is mostly wrong, and I largely read by intuition. But when it comes to pulling Major Arcana cards, I feel that there is a big *pay attention* sign on them, and I always go to the book to see what's up. (although not always satisified with those meanings either!)

I'm excited to check out this website.

*Brij

[Silaria]

Three card spreads are wonderful things! They can be tweaked and adjusted to suit your needs very easily.

If reversals don't work for you, that's perfectly OK. I know quite a number of folks who don't read with reversals very successfully. Personally, I do use them and find them helpful to identify when a certain energy/element is lagging or backing off.

Glad you found this helpful.

[Crescent Moon]

Yes very much.  Thank you again.  It makes it so much more comprehensable to me now.  That LWB made me crazy. Lol!  Funny thing, I have to look but I do believe the deck I have is a Rider Waite deck.  I think it might have been the wrong time for me to have "tried" to learn at the time I did. I am going to give it another try.  But first I want to cleanse the deck in the full moon light which I will have to wait a bit for as that won't be for about 2 weeks (give or take a few days).

I will use this information when I sit down with them this time as I'm sure the information you provided me will make so much more sense to me as an apprentice to the tarot then the LWB did. LOL!  : )