Techniques for beginners

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Hazel said:

I am easily overloaded from the images and the abundance of information out there.

That is one reason to avoid one-card readings. Using two or triples help train the reader to combine and recognise the synthesis. 

[katrinka]

7 hours ago, Hazel said:

I would like to mention with the PKT that there are NO illustrations in the book. I found it on kobo. Also had a look at amazon and also there was says that the book has no illustrations,

 

Some editions are illustrated with the cards, some aren't. I have an older copy published by Causeway, and it has color illustrations. These come up on ebay pretty regularly, and they aren't expensive. 

 

But, while it's nice having an illustrated copy, it isn't necessary if you have the deck.

[Guest]

For now, I will stick with what feels good for me. 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, katrinka said:

 

Some editions are illustrated with the cards, some aren't. I have an older copy published by Causeway, and it has color illustrations. These come up on ebay pretty regularly, and they aren't expensive. 

 

But, while it's nice having an illustrated copy, it isn't necessary if you have the deck.

The book has a lot of information, so I am glad I got it. I am still learning and have a few decks that are based on RW. I do however when I use a tarot deck, go by the book that came with the deck.

[katrinka]

2 hours ago, timtoldrum said:

That is one reason to avoid one-card readings. Using two or triples help train the reader to combine and recognise the synthesis. 

 

Absolutely. Without other cards, you have no context but the question. It becomes guesswork.

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Hazel said:

would like to mention with the PKT that there are NO illustrations in the book. I found it on kobo. Also had a look at amazon and also there was says that the book has no illustrations

It depends on the specific edition. The Key to the Tarot has never been illustrated (if I recall correctly). But the separate The Pictorial Key to the Tarot did carry black and white illustrations. There has been colour editions.

 

The manuscript is now in the public domain. 

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, Hazel said:

For now, I will stick with what feels good for me. 

No one would expect you to do otherwise:) 

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, katrinka said:

 

Absolutely. Without other cards, you have no context but the question. It becomes guesswork.

This.  Traditionally, cards were never read singularly. Even the first operation takes the cards either side of the count into consideration.
 

But each to their own,

[Kristy]

14 hours ago, LoveLightPeace said:

Hi @Kristy!

 

In addition to the wonderful advice that you have already been given, I would like add - playing games with your cards. The Tarot Games right here on the forum are great, because they get you looking at the image on your cards. For instance there's a thread called "Let's make a story", where the participants draw a card from their deck and then contribute a sentence to add to the storyline. 

 

There are other game threads that you can participate in as well. The game threads can be found here

https://www.thetarotforum.com/forums/forum/148-fun-and-games/

 

I don't recall if it was already mentioned or not, but there are monthly reading circles that you can participate in. The Newbies Reading Circle is a good place to dip your toes in when you feel that you are ready, IMO. Readers of all levels are welcome to participate, and it's a great learning experience.

 

Hope you're enjoying working with your cards so far. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This sounds like such good fun! I’ll have a good look at this later. I always give myself about an hour in the evening to just do tarot related things like fill in my journal or read around a new card so this will be ace! 
 

I am enjoying it so much! It’s the only New Years resolution I have ever stuck to this easily! I know it probably sounds silly but I feel like already only a month in it has made me a better person. I feel more content/grounded and a lot less stressed (control freak by nature and this is great for helping me let go 😜!)

[Guest]

Yet, in almost every book I have encountered there are one card options, they often advice it.  A lot of tarot cards are not traditional either. 

[katrinka]

10 hours ago, Hazel said:

Yet, in almost every book I have encountered there are one card options, they often advice it. 

This wasn't always the case.  A lot of books these days aren't very helpful due to trends like this. Authors repeat what they read someplace else, but don't seem to have tested the idea much in practice. If they have an effective way of narrowing the interpretation of a single card, they never write about it. Suppose your card for the day is Judgement. Is it about a wake up call, or something from the past being revived? Something else? Is it something that's going to happen at work? At home? Something to do with your child's school? Something in the news like legislation that could impact you? Something to do with your pet? Your car? The plumbing? You can't tell from a single card. 

You do you, etc. We're just offering an experienced perspective, since the OP did ask.
 

Quote

A lot of tarot cards are not traditional either. 

 

I'm not sure what your definition of "traditional" is, but even the wonkiest deck out there works best with drawing more than a single card.

Edited February 4, 2021 by katrinka

[TheLoracular]

5 minutes ago, katrinka said:

I'm not sure what your definition of "traditional" is, but even the wonkiest deck out there works best with drawing more than a single card.

That's been my experience.  One card draws are like ice-breakers; they are conversation starters.  They make good writing prompts, they are great for a lot of very simple things but not for most things that deserve nuance and depth.  

[Guest]

5 hours ago, katrinka said:

This wasn't always the case.  A lot of books these days aren't very helpful due to trends like this. Authors repeat what they read someplace else, but don't seem to have tested the idea much in practice. If they have an effective way of narrowing the interpretation of a single card, they never write about it. Suppose your card for the day is Judgement. Is it about a wake up call, or something from the past being revived? Something else? Is it something that's going to happen at work? At home? Something to do with your child's school? Something in the news like legislation that could impact you? Something to do with your pet? Your car? The plumbing? You can't tell from a single card. 

You do you, etc. We're just offering an experienced perspective, since the OP did ask.
 

 

I'm not sure what your definition of "traditional" is, but even the wonkiest deck out there works best with drawing more than a single card.

I realise that there are very experienced people here and that I am a beginner. I have no teacher and have to start somewhere.  So, if most books are not helpful where does a new person go? 

[TheLoracular]

Hi @Hazel

 

8 hours ago, Hazel said:

I realise that there are very experienced people here and that I am a beginner. I have no teacher and have to start somewhere.  So, if most books are not helpful where does a new person go? 

14 hours ago, katrinka said:

A lot of books these days aren't very helpful due to trends like this. Authors repeat what they read someplace else, but don't seem to have tested the idea much in practice.

 

I don't want to put my own words in @katrinka's mouth lol, but I think Katrinka is talking about a trend in newer books/authors to simply reword things from older books/authors without actually having practiced techniques themselves so they don't actually have the hands-on-experience in knowing if something is useful or insightful.  These specific authors are being parrots not content creators.  

That doesn't mean all/most tarot books are useless to read.

Most of my own tarot book library is at least ten years old and not ideal for someone new to tarot imo, but I was telling @Kristy at the start of this thread about a pretty modern book I did find useful which Kristy did find useful.  

 

 

On 2/3/2021 at 5:58 AM, Hazel said:

For now, I will stick with what feels good for me. 

 

So what does feel good for you?  What techniques, books, etc., are you finding most helpful so far?  All of us are different and I'd personally be really interested in hearing more about your own tarot adventures so far and what has worked best and what you've tried but didn't fit.  

Edited February 4, 2021 by TheLoracular

[Guest]

The first two books I bought are Kitchen Table Tarot and Tarot Elements by Melissa Cynova. I lover her writing and the explanations of the card. With those two books I bought the Llewellyn Classic Tarot as one of the decks she recommend in her book. I started with one card, feeling the card, looking at the images and trying to see what the card meant to me. Then looking up the card and the meaning and writing down some keywords to remember the card. I then went a bit overboard with more decks and books. The decks I bought are: Wildwood Tarot. Everydaywitch Tarot and Light Seer's Tarot.

More books that I bought are: Modern Tarot by Michelle Tea, Tarot interaction by Deborah Lipp, The big book of tarot by Joan Bunning. The pictorial key to the tarot. 

 

I am not comfortable yet with reading more then three cards, so three cards is the max for me right now. Sometimes I ask a question but I feel more relaxed when I don't ask a question and try and tell a story. I am most comfortable with Kitchen Table Tarot/Elements Tarot. Big Book of Tarot is also helpful.  I have not read all books yet but have skimmed them over. Because the one card is mentioned a lot I thought it would be a great way to get to know the cards slowly and using a two/three card spread to practice. I also draw extra cards if the cards don't make sense and I 'talk' to the cards telling them is I don't understand. This works very well for me, because it it always spot on.  I do have trouble journaling. Can't do it. I hit a total block there. So instead I write down keywords. In the Light Seer's book she has written a mantra for each card and have started using that. As you can see I am still trying to find my way.  I am also not good with structured teaching with lessons. 

 

Edited February 4, 2021 by Guest

[katrinka]

4 hours ago, TheLoracular said:

I don't want to put my own words in @katrinka's mouth lol, but I think Katrinka is talking about a trend in newer books/authors to simply reword things from older books/authors without actually having practiced techniques themselves so they don't actually have the hands-on-experience in knowing if something is useful or insightful.  These specific authors are being parrots not content creators.  

 

That's precisely what I meant. 
A lot of them give me the impression that they don't even read cards, or that they're beginners themselves. They just paraphrase what they got from other books and from google. 

I recently got Minetta's book and I was struck by how the text leaves no doubt that she was an actual reader - a good one. And it occurred to me that this is all too rare these days. 

Publishers and editors have their own ideas of what will sell and a lot of great stuff probably never sees the light of day, while the silly tropes get recyled endlessly. But publishers and editors are not readers.
 

Quote

That doesn't mean all/most tarot books are useless to read.

 

I would disagree and say that most are. Sturgeon's Law is relevant here. */curmudgeon* 😁

 

Edited February 4, 2021 by katrinka

[katrinka]

 

1 hour ago, Hazel said:

The first two books I bought are Kitchen Table Tarot and Tarot Elements by Melissa Cynova. I lover her writing and the explanations of the card.

 

I pulled up the sample text of Kitchen Table Tarot on amazon. The author does seem to actually use cards (I don't know how well), and she's got that pleasant Silver Ravenwolf-style chattiness, but there are some factual errors - the 1JJ Swiss is NOT a deck in the "RWS tradition", for one. I did find the mention of one card readings:

 

"At night, I reflect on the card and write about where it showed up." This is not a reading so much as a practice exercise. There is nothing in the text that implies you can get a clear prediction doing this - quite the opposite, actually. It's just an exercise to help new readers learn the cards. She should have made this clearer. 

"Fun fact: It's almost always accurate." This makes me question her experience level. As timtoldrum has stated more than once, the cards are never wrong but the reader can be. If she's not seeing how the card is describing something in her day after the fact, well... 

It looks like a pleasant read, and it's got a rockabilly girl on the cover. And it's nowhere near as bad as some of the things I've seen. Beyond that, I don't see much to recommend it.

 

[Guest]

56 minutes ago, katrinka said:

 

That's precisely what I meant. 
A lot of them give me the impression that they don't even read cards, or that they're beginners themselves. They just paraphrase what they got from other books and from google. 

I recently got Minetta's book and I was struck by how the text leaves no doubt that she was an actual reader - a good one. And it occurred to me that this is all too rare these days. 

Publishers and editors have their own ideas of what will sell and a lot of great stuff probably never sees the light of day, while the silly tropes get recyled endlessly. But publishers and editors are not readers.
 

 

I would disagree and say that most are. Sturgeon's Law is relevant here. */curmudgeon* 😁

 

You are making it very very difficult for new beginners to feel positive starting their journey in Tarot. It makes me really sad. I will go elsewhere. 

[Little Fang]

I am sorry to hear you are feeling unwelcome here, @Hazel!  We all have to start somewhere, and I do especially like the Kitchen Table Tarot book.   There is absolutely nothing wrong with reading all you can, because there is so much out there.  Look at the books, look at your decks, make a journal and guide yourself to the meanings that work best for you.

I read more intuitively rather than strict book meanings myself, but they do offer guidance when the intuitive mind isn't clicking!

[gregory]

1 hour ago, katrinka said:

I pulled up the sample text of Kitchen Table Tarot on amazon. The author does seem to actually use cards (I don't know how well), and she's got that pleasant Silver Ravenwolf-style chattiness, but there are some factual errors - the 1JJ Swiss is NOT a deck in the "RWS tradition", for one. 

 

This is a rather serious error..

 

1 hour ago, Hazel said:

You are making it very very difficult for new beginners to feel positive starting their journey in Tarot. It makes me really sad. I will go elsewhere. 

 

It is important to get things FACTUALLY right, Hazel - don't you think ? I think you wouldn't  want to start your journey with errors of fact. Leaning that something in a book you like is actually incorrect shouldn't make you feel unwelcome. If anything, it should make the author of that book feel bad -  not you.

[TheLoracular]

7 hours ago, katrinka said:

the 1JJ Swiss is NOT a deck in the "RWS tradition", for one. I did find the mention of one card readings:

Huh.  That is definitely a glaring error.  I hadn't even noticed that deck in the middle of that list and now, I will never UNSEE it.  LOL.  

Shame on you, Llewellyn editors.  

[Little Fang]

I never noticed that in there either!  I'll have to go take a peek at it and see.

[katrinka]

Here ya go. 

[Raggydoll]

I am going to suggest a resource that is entirely free and that I feel is a very good starting point:

 

http://learntarot.com/

 

It is both an online course and a place where you can look up in-depth card explanations - plus study pictures of the RWS cards up close. This resource also exists as a printed book, in case someone prefers that. And you can download the course for free too if you want to study offline. 

 

I have not been keeping up with new books on the market so I can't really suggest any good ones. But they old classics are still very much able to do their job. When I started out, it was the books by Rachel Pollack that made all the difference for me. Barbara Moore and Mary K Greer are two other very reliable authors. I have noticed that there are often silly errors in newer, more comprehensive guidebooks, and I have heard from others that this is also the case in some new tarot books. Calling the 1jjSwiss a RWS deck is embarrassing, and so is also all the misspellings of important names etc. That doesn't mean that those books doesn't have anything valuable in them. You just have to keep reading. Some of them will likely be reinventing the wheel though, so older books and resources are not to be overlooked. I don't feel that there is any need to be discouraged as a newbie. It takes a lot to learn any new skill and to get a solid grasp of tarot requires both study and a lot of practice. But it is oh so fun and rewarding. You can also browse this forum to see readings done by our members, that will show you a wide variety of different techniques and approaches in action. 

[stephanelli]

On 2/3/2021 at 6:55 AM, Hazel said:

For me the one card a day works really well. I am easily overloaded from the images and the abundance of information out there. I do do readings for myself but no more then three cards and I mainly use them to learn and see if I can make a story for the cards. Tarot for me is a very personal journey and we all have to find what works for us.

I just wanted to say that I actually really like doing small card readings.

 

I do a daily card and use it as a little meditation practice, particularly when getting to know a new deck. In the morning, I shuffle for a bit and so the question "what message do I need today", draw a card, then I study the imagery and see what comes to mind, then I read what the guidebook has to say (or a good book etc.) and then I sit with it further to see how my intuitive feelings can be reconciled with the guidebooks meaning. 

In the evening, I take a little time to see if I can see the influence of the card I drew in the day I've just experienced.  This helps me connect the cards to my real life.  That's the step I'd really recommend.

 

This works really well for me and helps me to keep working with the cards and getting to know them.

 

On days you feel able to cope with more cards, you could perhaps draw two cards (or more) and as well as studying them both individually, you can tell to connect them - I like to think of all the ways they could possibly connect and then in my evening reflection, I try and see which ones occurred throughout the day.

 

There's a lot of conflicting information out there and every reader has their own "do this, don't do this".  I think it also depends on whether you're reading just for yourself or for other people (professionally or not).  I primarily ready for myself at the moment so my view is that if the cards are helping me then it's all good.