Newbie

[Snowdropnz]

Hi guys, it's lovely to be here - I'm very new to the world of Tarot (2 weeks in). 

 

I had the calling at the end of 2017 to get in touch with my higher self and, through daily meditation and mindfulness, have been making good progress since the start of the year.  A couple of weeks ago I had the urge to investigate and learn Tarot, which brings me to this point.

 

Obviously as a complete newbie I'm enthusiastic but have a great deal to learn - and I'm hoping for some guidance with my card-a-day practice.  For the last week I have drawn - Temperance twice, the Four of Wands; the King of Pentacles twice, the Four of Cups and The Emperor.  I'm sure you would all have picked up sooner, but last night it dawned on me that these all represent 'fours' - this morning after my meditation I asked "why are you sending me 'fours', please help me understand?" and drew the Two of Cups (I was unsure so shuffled again and drew the Two of Cups again - aha, this was the card meant for me).

 

I feel that there is significance in there for me but I'm struggling to see it.

 

If anyone has any guidance for me I would love to hear it.  I appreciate you taking the time to read my message.

 

Love, light and blessings.

[Raggydoll]

Fours are all about stability and building a good foundation, and that is also a really good approach to starting on a spiritual journey (which I think is what your cards are trying to convey to you. Temperance often speak about moderation, balance and being able to assimilate everything, while two of cups shows that this is something new that you are not only passionate about but also willing to show dedication to).

 

I know it can be super exciting to dive in to every topic under the sun, but sometimes it can be useful to slow down (at least some of the time!) and cover all the basics first. By that said, keep an open curious mind and never feel that you have to decide on what you believe in or what/how you want to practice - that will enfold organically with time. Being new to something is such an amazing gift. Glad to have you with us and I hope you will continue to share parts of your journey with us  <3

[Snowdropnz]

Wow Raggydoll, thank you so much for taking the time to give me such a detailed response - I love what you are saying and it totally makes sense to me.  I'm an Aries - but I've totally taken on board your comment about slowing down.

 

Thank you for your encouragement and I look forward to sharing as my journey unfolds  :)

[Starlight]

Hi Snowdropnz[/member] and welcome! :)

[Bookworm]

Welcome Snowdropnz from a fellow Aries. 8)

[Snowdropnz]

Hi Starlight and Bookworm, thank you for the welcome messages.

 

Originally from the UK, I live in New Zealand - came over in 2004, so there may be a time delay in my responses  :)

 

I've just realised, we came in 2004, this is our 14th year here, and my birthdate in numerology = 4  ;D

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

welcome Snowdropnz

That is a lot of duplicate draws! If I might make a suggestion?

Shuffle a couple of times then take a 1/3 of the deck and put it back on the other side.

shuffle again as you like, then fan the cards on a flat surface and draw at random.

I'm guessing you are shuffling, not cutting, and dealing from the top?

 

I do a daily draw on my blog, have for years, so my take on the cards is somewhat skewed :)  I drew Temperance this week and got into a discussion with myself about ancient Egyptian beer.  I never know where the cards will take me!

 

[Snowdropnz]

Hi AJ-ish, thanks so much for your message ... mmmmn beer ... oh sorry, got distracted  ;)

 

I meditate while holding my deck - during which time I cut the deck 3 or 4 times when I feel it's right.  Afterwards I shuffle the deck while asking my question and I keep shuffling until a card flips out - I'm not sure why I started doing it this way - I guess I feel more confident if a card flips out than if I select/deal - if that makes sense? Thank you for your suggestion, I will definitely give it a go.  I do believe that the duplicate draws (flips) were intended - it's just that I'm so new to Tarot I don't have the skills/knowledge to figure it out for myself.  Hence your input is very much appreciated  :)

 

Many thanks.

 

I just checked out your blog and I absolutely love it - what a great source for me to tap into :-)

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

your method sounds random enough!

How do you get a card to flip out?

 

Thanks for the complement!

[Snowdropnz]

I don't know - I just keep shuffling and alway one, or occasionally two, card(s) flips out - but it makes me feel like it was 'meant' rather than me 'selecting'.  I think as I become more confident in my own ability to tune into my intuition I'll be able to select cards  :)

 

This morning I got the High Priestess - so time to research  ;)

 

Blessings x

[Saturn Celeste]

Hi Snowdropnz, first of all I LOVE your username!  And welcome to TT&M!  Remember, all tarot readers were beginners at one point so you are in good company.  I would like to comment about shuffling cards.  With tarot reading, there is intent.  When you shuffle your cards, you think of the intention you want to put into your mind for the cards to pick up.  This is the query, the question you're asking the cards.  So you shuffle with intent.  If you're always allowing them to jump out of the deck you are losing out on building a relationship with your cards with each shuffle.  You are missing out on the intent part of the reading.  There are a few different ways to shuffle if you don't like riffle shuffling (Card Player's Method) on the link page.

http://www.learntarot.com/shuffle.htm

[Snowdropnz]

Hi SaturnCeleste, thank you for liking my username  :)

 

I really appreciate your comments about my shuffling- I hadn't thought about it like that at all, I'm going to follow up with looking at the different techniques.  This may be a dumb  question, but how do you 'know' when it's the 'right' card to select?  I'm sure it's different for everyone but I would love to hear some examples.  I do ask and concentrate on my question while shuffling but I have relied on a card flipping for me - I guess due to my inexperience I don't want to overthink the 'which card to select' part.  I'm not sure if I'm explaining myself very well.

 

Thanks so much for your encouragement  :)

[Jewel]

First off welcome to TT&M!

 

This may be a dumb  question, but how do you 'know' when it's the 'right' card to select?  I'm sure it's different for everyone but I would love to hear some examples.  I do ask and concentrate on my question while shuffling but I have relied on a card flipping for me - I guess due to my inexperience I don't want to overthink the 'which card to select' part.  I'm not sure if I'm explaining myself very well.

 

Thanks so much for your encouragement  :)

I use various methods, but the most common is to just shuffle the deck until I just feel like I am done shuffling and I then cut the deck into three piles using my non-dominant hand (left) and place the cuts left of each other.  I then restack the deck and take the cards off the top of my restacked deck.

 

Sometimes I will select cards from the tops of each cut, so say I was doing a 3 card reading I would pick the top card from each.

 

When I do use fanning I just close my eyes, and let my non-dominant hand hover over the fanned out cards and when my hand feels warm or tingly I pull the card beneath it.

 

So yeah, there are tons of ways to pick your cards  :).  I am so excited for you on your new journey with Tarot.

[Snowdropnz]

That's really helpful Jewel - I will definitely give your method a go  :)

 

Today I got the Star card, it didn't 'flip' out but somehow when shuffling the card turned over - I'm feeling so pumped, the High Priestess yesterday and the Star today, I really feel like I was guided to start learning Tarot  <3

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to share.