However, the little booklet with the card descriptions that came with my tarot deck differs a little bit from what's in Joan Bunning's book. For the most part, they are primarily similar but some seem to differ a little more significantly. As I learn, I'm just curious: is it better to go with the more general/accepted descriptions for the cards, or go more by the descriptions in each decks booklet?

Any thoughts, musings, answers welcome!

I started making my own bags after realizing that most store bought ones were designed for those who prefer the classically "witchy" woo-woo style (you know, the bags that always come in either black or purple and are almost always decorated with large pentagrams or other magical symbols). Of course there is nothing wrong with that style, it just isn't my thing. 8)

So I decided to try and make something out of all the scrap fabric I had laying around. I eventually started looking for vintage fabrics at second hand stores as well. Especially table cloths that cost basically nothing (because they had a small stain or a hole) were perfect to cut up and use as material. And I took some of our extra bed sheets (the odd ones that just sits in the closet) and used for lining. And all my buttons were bought at second hand stores as well, so this has been a very affordable and fun project!

So here are some examples!

(Different drawstring bags. I have used both vintage and new fabric (scraps that were left from when I made some curtains)

I know the title is weird but its a couple questions combined into one im afraid. Ive been working with this deck since I began, its my first ever deck actually, and I've had a decent amount of success contacting spirits with it but this has been limited to family members and friends/family of friends. I ask if its a good idea because I have heard conflicting opinions on whether it is a good idea to bring a deck to this place, as it is notoriously haunted prison that is very old. The real kicker is that a family member claims to have contacted an ancestor here, wich is possible given our family history but I am very sceptical. I didn't think it would be an issue but another tarot reader in my life is adamant it would be, would I be at risk of anything becoming attached to the deck? Also would this be an appropriate place to attempt mediumship in the first place or is it a bad idea? This prison is known for being haunted by some malevolent spirits and I don't want to f myself over.

Sorry this is all over the place lol, and I especially apologise is this is the wrong place for this post, Id just love some advice/clarity on this as im very new to this part of tarot<3

1)How do you choose your deck ,if you don`t like any decks and you are looking for a year and Nothing clicks?

2)I absolutely love late Maestro Pitsci and his approach of Tarot resonates with me 100% does it means I should go for Marseilles deck?

3)I have one fully functioning hand what card size you would you advice? I can shuffle regular cards but not very well

4)I can fully clear my mind in few minutes with ease is it needed if I am secular reader and my only goal is analyzing my thinking and why I think the way I do?

5)What is the best advice for secular beginner?

6)What are best books and videos for secular beginners to read and watch ?

7)What are best beginner spreads ?

Thank you all friends

or just because they feel like fiddling with something.

My version of this is bedtime decks.

Decks that are pretty, not emotionally taxing, maybe a little funny and easy to run the eye over - that I just like to look

through before bed sometimes...

Mine are all Tarot:

Dame Fortune's Wheel Tarot

Metanoia Tarot

All Hallowes Eve & Halloween Waite Tarot, stars editions (Hybrid deck)

Spring & Winter Waite Tarot, stars editions (Hybrid deck)

The Gendron Tarot.

Anybody else? 🙃

Comments welcome on this below and why / how you voted

Altho the decks that I like are very rarely available locally (I think I had to import around 70% of my collection), I have never bought a bogus deck. Maybe that's because they are quite scarce here too lol. But sometimes, the prices of OOP decks are just so annoying that I would often find myself thinking that I'd like to stick it to the sellers. I know, that's quite horrible of me, right? ;)

My question is: do you combine those with the PKT or do you keep them strictly apart? For example for the 8 of Pentacles, said to be Lord of Prudence (not negative in my view) Book T seems quite negative about it ("penny wise, pound foolish"). The PKT talks about craftsmanship though possibly in its early stages. @Katrinka here said "Prudence. Measure twice, cut once".

I have found many posts recommending the PKT, very few the Book T applied to RWS. Yet former user @timtoldrum mentions how Pamela Colman strictly followed Book T on this one. Someone here said Eden Gray was a PKT lite yet unless I misremember, she goes for apprenticeship.

Sometimes it feels like Book T gives the "gist" of it, and the PKT the more mundane, everyday application.

I've also seen someone on a private blog using Book T meanings on RWS (including the keywords related to the sephirot (? Not sure)) and it was beautiful and made me look into it (had never heard of Book T prior to that). I'm surprised I don't see that many people refer to it for the RWS.

What is your approach?

And when "opposing " terms are listed in Book T, do you envisage them as one when well dignified, the other when ill dignified?

(I'm still very much studying Lenormand but each time I feel I'm getting closer/better to/at a cartomantic approach, I have the hope to take it to tarot)

Lee Ann Obringer, Contributing Writer

Lee Ann Obringer holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and advertising with an outside concentration in marketing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In­ addition to writing for HowStuffWorks, she works as a freelance marketing communications consultant and designer.

The website is:

https://www.howstuffworks.com/

Copyright © 2018 HowStuffWorks,

a division of InfoSpace Holdings LLC,

a System1 Company

______________________________________________

HOW TAROT CARDS WORK

https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/extrasensory-perceptions/tarot-card.htm

______________________________________________

Tarot Tea and Me does not own any of this material, it is simply sharing it for the benefit of this forum community.

Any thoughts on the differences between a TT&M private blog, public blog, and library journal thread?

Creepy as hell, i had to decide between:

1) Being honest and passing as egocentric, and obviously announcing the intentions I had, which I wasn't even sure about 🥲.

2) Being vague and abstract on purpose, so they wouldn't associate the prediction with me, at least at that moment.

I chosed the second (i know i know, is not the most ethic thing), but the funny part is that 6-7 weeks later i ended up fulfilling the prediction, after much thought. Nothing drastic or nasty don't worry, i just cut off contact with that person for certain reasons, and I obviously explained the reason to them first and listened to their answer.

SO, moral of the story: predictions are sometimes scarily accurate and don't care about the persons involve hahah, even the tarot reader. You count as a "player", and the board is bigger than you think.

Has anyone had a similar experience with omen/future prediction spreads? 

I love the music links!  It's a wonderful touch, Toadie and Marisa!

I have playlists I listen to when I read.  If I have a few readings back to back (3 or 4) I really get in the zone and light the incense, put on a wax melt, and fire up my playlists.  Even though Industrial music is my favorite music (Rammstein is my favorite band) but for card reading I like music from India, Binaural beats and other types of mind music and trip hop.

Lets only list resources that we know are trustworthy and of high quality. And entirely free!

You can help me with what categories we will add, here are some that I could think of:

Educational tarot sites & free tarot lessons

http://learntarot.com/   A free online tarot course

https://www.thetarotlady.com/breaking-celtic-cross/    A great guide to learning the celtic cross

http://www.corax.com/tarot/index.html

https://supertarot.co.uk/ very comprehensive site, great for esoteric tarot studies 

https://littleredtarot.com/learn-tarot/

https://ethony.com/tarottutorials/

Basic tarot card meanings

http://learntarot.com/cards.htm

http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/learn/meanings/

https://www.biddytarot.com/tarot-card-meanings/

https://www.corax.com/tarot/cards/index.html   For the thoth deck

https://littleredtarot.com/learn-tarot/library/

https://www.serenapowers.com/tarot2.html

http://carriemallon.com/blog/the-wild-unknown-tarot-card-meanings/  This is a deep dive into the Wild Unknown tarot but it presents you with a great example of how you can read cards visually

https://www.thetarotforum.com/forums/topic/8630-learning-tdm-resources-and-discussions/ Our resource thread for studying the Marseille tarot might also be of interest 

Sources for reading tarot books for free online

https://archive.org/details/americana?and[]=tarot&sin= 

An online library where anyone from around the world can sign up and read ebooks etc

https://www.sacred-texts.com/tarot/index.htm

Lots of classic tarot books can be read for free here

Youtube channels

Kelly-Ann Maddox has a great tarot trainee program that has become sort of a classic on youtube. Link to the playlist of all the lessons:

Paul Hughes Barlows very informative channel :

https://youtube.com/c/PaulHughesBarlow1

Benebell Wen has a youtube series to help you learn tarot meanings across the different tarot systems (rws, thoth, marseille...)

And here is her series called Sightsee the tarot:

------------------------

Just keep in mind, no links to sites that infringe on copyright!

I added a section for youtube channels. Though, please know that this is NOT the place for self promotion. If you are unsure, please read our rules, and if you are still unsure after reading our rules- message a moderator! Thank you!

But my primary way of mixing the cards is riffle shuffling the cards, however I noticed that the cloth would move around on the tabletop when I did that.

So, I switched to a jewelers' display pad, but I found the pad wasn't thick enough or big enough to do the layout on.

Then I found the perfect solution - The Magicians close-up pad. It makes riffle shuffling easier and they come in different sizes. I have two of them, a red one 11 X 16 which is perfect for my monthly coffee shop gig in which I do three card spreads. And my big pad which I do my regular layout of the cards on 16 X 23 black pad.

Standard Close-Up Pad 11X16 (Black) by Murphy's Magic Supplies

Just curious, do you use a surface pad or a cloth to do your readings on?

Rick,

So I'm curious, how do others in this forum get to know their new decks? Who else likes to interview their decks and what sort of questions do they ask? Or what other ways are there, other than simply using the deck over a period of time?