Overwhelmed by info

[zw82f4c]

Hello everyone,

 

I’ve just joined and am new to the spiritual side of life. I had a very distinct clairvoyant experience a couple of weeks ago (confirmed my visions were accurate and true) and have since dived into this world to explore. One of the things I’m exploring is the tarot.

 

I’m becoming a tad overwhelmed by all the info available on reading tarot. I bought a couple of books (‘The Tarot Bible’ and ‘The Only Tarot Book You’ll Ever Need’), a rider-waite deck from Amazon (rookie mistake) so I went to an astrology shop in Covent Garden today and hand picked a deck that I liked and I was drawn to.

 

I’m confused as to how to interpret the cards. Both books interpret them differently, as does the booklet that came with the cards (I bought the Crystal deck by Elizabeth Trevisan as I loved the artwork and the ‘feel’ of the cards.

 

I’ve also read that my intuitive feeling of what the card means can override what the books say.. What would you recommend for a complete novice on how to go about learning to read the tarot?

 

Many thanks

J  :o

[Page of Ghosts]

I'm a book nerd through and through but if you're a complete beginner I say stick to one book to use as a resource to begin with, otherwise it's really easy to get overwhelmed and confused. I also, as an intermediate reader who tries my best to develop my intuition, have a good look at the cards and try to get an idea on what they mean from just the picture before I peek in the book or booklet. Recently I've found that is actually enough for me and I can do without any additional insights ;) Journaling can be good for those ideas you have yourself if you're into the prospect of keeping a journal. I appreciate my background from reading books but try to listen to my intuition. Cards have so many possibilities depending on where they are in a spread and what other cards are around it, as well as slight differences from deck to deck, so intuition is important :))

 

From what I gather you have the Lo Scarabeo Crystal Tarot and their little booklets are not always the most helpful in my experience. ETA: Since I don't own this deck you will have to be the judge of that. In general the specific guidebook or booklet for a deck is what I'd stick to, since there are differences between decks. I'd look for reviews or info on this particular deck to see what others have to say about it and how they read it. It's on my wishlist and I did some research a while back, but I can't remember much, sadly. I wonder if it might be more inspired by the Marseille tradition than RWS? Certainly I remember it as being described as not a super traditional deck in general. If it speaks to you I'm positive you will be able to work with it and it sure is a pretty deck :D

[DanielJUK]

Hi zw82f4c, welcome to the forum  :)

 

I found myself in the same position as you in the first year I was learning, I was overwhelmed! When I was learning, I saw other tarot readers who seemed to know everything, any combination that came up, they knew the answer! I was so envious. I was trying to read every possible author's meaning and write down all the cards that could come up together. But I became overwhelmed!

 

Some time after that, I talked to one of my friends who was such a great reader and found out they had been reading for about 40 years, I hadn't made 12 months yet :) It's easy to put pressure on yourself and want to know everything at once but tarot and divination and spirituality topics are a lifetime's study! We are always learning new things. I learnt from that time to go easy on yourself, it's about finding your own way and own method!

 

I think the best way you learn and advance is actually reading the cards, yes reading books and studying is great! But every author has a different idea and their interpretations and ideas are their own takes, learning is about finding your own way of the cards. To actually use the cards teaches you so much!

 

Some people read the cards by learning meanings off by heart, this is the reference method, you learn all the different ideas and remember them. Other people read intuitively, they look at the picture and say what they see, they don't actually have to read any books because they don't need to know "learnt meanings" of the cards. Most readers combine both, a little of what they have studied and a little of what they see!

 

Keep your learning simple but set goals! I am not so good at this because I want to study everything at once, this deck and astrology and runes and I tend to have many things on the go at once. But my intention is to try to learn about one thing at once. You could read one book and use the cards as you go. You could also study one card a day and look at the meanings in the different books and come to your own ideas of it. Shuffle the deck and pick one card each day to describe your day and try to read it. How does it fit? what is it saying? do tarot reading for fictional characters, like watching a film or starting a book, what will happen between X and Y? You learn the most by really using the cards but reading and studying gives you the foundation of wisdom!

 

When you feel at a certain level of confidence with the cards, come join us on one of the monthly circles. They are for all abilities and probably the best one for starting out is the Circle of Seasons, they ask for people to sign up at the start of every month. You get a partner and read for each other (with the spread of that month) and then give feedback to each other.

 

The best thing I learnt is that you have to find your own method with the tarot, intuitive reading takes confidence to take the risk and go with what you see / feel. reference reading takes a lot of studying to remember but you have to decide for yourself what you think is the right interpretation. We have to find the message or story within :) It gets easier as you work out the basic interpretations for each card and get more used to the cards.

[Ix Chel]

I know you’re feeling. There is so much information in books and on the internet. And everyone has his own interpretations, especially for the Minor Arcana cards.  I started with the books from Rachel Pollack and Hajo Banzhaf.

 

Everybody does their Tarot journey on their own (if it is self study), and in their own way. There is no good or bad way. But there are things what everybody can help. The best tip what I can give you is to start a Tarot Journal. I started very late with mine, but now my journal is a book. I selected Tarot sources and I made a summary of it.

 

Learning card meanings is one thing, but interpreting a card is something else. You need to practice and practice. I love the reading circles on this site.  You learn things from others, from their questions. It enriches your reading level. Play with your cards; try to predict what is going to happen in your favourite television show, in the love life of your favourite stars, results of sport games. Just readings for fun, where you can learn from your mistakes, and where it does not matter if you were wrong.

 

So in short just play and have fun with your cards, in a way how they make you happy.

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

been there! Tarot is such a huge subject you'll never stop learning, if that is the route you choose to go. Many are comfortable stopping with learning keywords for each card.

 

I did that, then for a long time wished I hadn't.

Then I began wishing I still remembered them.

 

Intuiton fuels the resulting reading, but it has to start somewhere.

 

I thing I always enjoyed when I got a new deck, was paper and pencil, flip a card, write my immediate reaction, flip the next card, all done just as fast as I could go. No pausing to think, no second thoughts :)

 

welcome to the forum!  Sharyn/AJ

[TheFeeLion]

I’ve had the same issue with learning cards as you have! For me, I’ve found that the intuitive part of reading has taken a lot of work to be able to trust myself and what I’m feeling/seeing at first flip. I’ve also found, especially with multiple cards, there will often be a common thread or repetition through the card meanings which I see as the cards trying to emphasis a point. I tend to use the book the comes with the cards as each deck creator has their own impression of each card.

 

All this largely works for me but I find that there are still areas where I am unsure, but that’s ok, I know it all a part of my tarot journey.

 

Hopefully you’re able to make some sense out of all that! I haven’t had my morning coffee yet so I’m not sure how coherent that all is lol!

[HOLMES]

hail good sir or ma;am ?

 

when I started as I was too poor to take a tarot class is I got some tarot books , and for the most part some decks that went with the books. and read the books for sometimes (reading the book as I look at the picture in the book ). I practiced with the book for 2 to 3 years before friends were telling me to read with the book.

 

now it is 2018, and you have options we didnt' have.. forums you can practice for people.. option to read for yourself and get feedback.  and you can search and look find decks, books more to your liking !!! .

example if astrology is your thing  go for tarot and astrology book, if numerology or psychology is your thing  look for your own .

 

one time I was sharing that I recently brought books on minor arcana, reversals and court cards and some other topics and someone posted that I had created my own course for myself.

 

so where i am going with this for you is

1. take your time relax..

2. contrast and compare

what that this means is take your tarot books and pick six of wands for example and look for things the same and difference and as you do this , remember half of that is tarot standard meaning and the other half may be the author own take on the card.

by the sake token after you get 3 to 4 decks you like,and do well reading with,, contrast and compare with each card .

and that is why you have to take your time ..

for i feel this will go better then simply memorizing meanings as it will give your more options when you get stuck.

 

and so you will get lots of good advice ,, but remember the advice is based on our own mistakes, and triumphs and how we journeyed through the tarot and no one is perfect..

 

speaking of perfect..

i used to say everything you read with the tarot must be based on somehow on the tarot meaning that was me 15 years ago.

now i am older and more experience sometime you just get an inutative jump that has nothing to do with the devil or lovers..

go with it.. as the tarot are tools ,, but the gifts come from us.

 

[Saseena]

I remember feeling overwhelmed at first, but after doing a lot of studying, I'm surprised at how much I've learned. Here are a few things that helped me:

 

1--Pull a card every day, either first thing in the morning or last thing at night. Relate the card to what happens during the day.

2--Journal about anything you may have learned or anything that has occurred to you about the Tarot as often as possible--aim for every day, even if it's just a sentence.

3--Don't try to memorize everything all at once! Shuffle through your deck, relax, look at the pictures, and try to remember one to five key words for each card, or try to intuit what the card is saying. Trust that you are learning, even if it feels like it's taking a long time.

4--If you do a spread as practice, start out with just 2 to 3 cards instead of the whole Celtic Cross. What I have discovered is that it's one thing to know the meanings of the cards, it's another step to understand the relationships between them.

5--Know that the study of Tarot is a life-long journey--if you have the intent, you will never stop learning!

 

If it was easy, anyone could do it!

[Court de Gébelin]

AJ-ish has the right idea.  I'd only add that buying the Rider-Waite deck was not a mistake, if, for no other reason than, many of the writers on tarot refer to the symbology expressed by those cards.  And, I've even had querents specifically ask for those cards, since those are the cards with which most everyone is familiar.  I would expect every student of tarot to have a Rider-Waite deck, or at least be conversant with those cards.  Welcome to the world of Tarot.  It's a fascinating, never ending journey!

[Sassyinkpen]

I think it's pretty common and expected to be overwhelmed at first. Ultimately, I feel the best way to learn tarot is to read a lot of difference sources until they kind of coalesce into the meanings the cards have for you.

 

What made the biggest difference for me, hands down, was when I finally buckled down and did an intense study of the cards.  Basically, I wrote my OWN guide book.  One of my favorite books is "Tarot: Your Everyday Guide" by Janina Renee, and it happens to have large margins and a lot of white space, so I used it as my base.  By this time, I also had 7 or 8 tarot decks.

 

So I set out all my tarot books, and a couple websites too boot, and all my tarot decks

 

Starting with the Ace of Pentacles - and pulled that card from each one of the decks and laid them all out together on the table so I could compare them and really study them.

 

Then I looked up the card in each one of the books or sites and read through the material - a lot of it is the same, but anything new or interesting that really jumped out at me, I would jot down notes in the margin of my book.

 

I worked my way through the whole tarot doing that, and now have a really good grasp of it and what it means to me.  I also have a guidebook that I can refer to that really speaks to me and my intuition, but that I feel I can trust to be "accurate" too.

[DevonCarter]

It is easy to get overwhelmed - at first I got a deck and book and HATED it, then got a RWS and another book and it was better, and then for a while I did nothing much with it. But about a year ago I got more interested again (literally the very day they announced AT forums were closing), and went a little crazy buying decks. I'm definitely a collector! But, I think that in the long run this has helped me a bit. What I've been doing is pulling a card a day, so even if I do nothing else, I've at least seen and thought about one card each day. (I have an app on my phone, so I don't have to remember to carry a deck with me.) I also sometimes do some fun readings for myself with them, just three card ones, to see how they can relate to each other. I try to always look at the cards myself and see what it seems to be saying before looking anything up. I also like to read or watch videos of other people's readings, to see how they interpret each card, and whether their interpretation makes sense to me.

 

I've also started a tarot journal, and I write down any readings I do for others or serious ones I do for myself, and a couple times a week I'll pull out the same card from all my decks and compare them, writing down what I get from each card THEN (and only then) looking in the book for that deck. I also try to read online a lot. Sometimes I'll group, say, all the twos together from the deck, and see what they have in common or what is different. With the exception of court cards, I very rarely draw a complete blank on what a card could mean anymore. So I really need to focus more on the court cards!

 

Every deck is a little different, every author interprets them differently, and every reader interprets them differently. I'm definitely considering myself a newbie still, but I just recently feel like I'm really starting to GET it. Some decks are easier, some take some study. Some have a very useful book, some don't. Sometimes a deck won't appeal to you at first, then one day will click and become a favorite.

[Sword Queen]

Information overload is something most of us go through, I think. There's so much to learn and it's all so interesting but we want to feel t least a little competent and how long does it take to feel that?

 

I don't have any advice to offer, really. I've just recently returned to the tarot after many years away from it, and I know I wasn't very good at it back in the day. Choosing a book to work with is helpful, for me. I started a notebook where I record interpretations of all of the cards. This is more concise than hunting through books all of the time, and I can add to each page as or when I need to.

 

There are quite a few good books about tarot spreads, too. I find these really helpful. I think this is where I'm learning the most, right now. Also, look through the posts here about cards, spreads, journals--whatever catches your eye. This is my preferred way of studying. I kind of dive in at the deep end, flail around for quite awhile until I feel ready to slowly find my feet on the bottom of the pool and gradually wade out of it.

[TheFeeLion]

I kind of dive in at the deep end, flail around for quite awhile until I feel ready to slowly find my feet on the bottom of the pool and gradually wade out of it.

Bahahaha! That’s sounds almost exactly like what I do!

[Emswe]

You got some really good advice in the posts abowe :) here is how i started, and what i can contribute with.

 

I sugest you try to learn the basics of the numbers of the minor arcana, like what do the aces have in common no mather it be wands or swords. And to that you add som basic studies about the fundamentals of the four elements, no need to overdo this but you need to know the basics meanings of the earth element for e.g. like the earth element is somehing about Home, health, material world. Then you combine this with your own understanding of the cards numbers e.g the aces is somehing about a New beginning, New opportunity and so on.  The twos is about this New thing taking form, and the trees is a New step added to this.

 

In the threes We start to form the future activley. In your deck we can see something like how the seeds of you planted in the two start to grow and dewelope in a material plant (coin) abowe the earth.  Or like in the cosmic tarot how three men buids a future Home together. This basic knowlege makes you able to discuss your self forward to a basics idea of every card in the minor arcana.

 

I recomend you try to make your own idea of what the suits have in common. Hovever if this shows to be to owervelming i can share my own basic idea whit you after you tried your self. You may have to remind me in a pm in that case.

 

For the major arcana you could simpley draw one card every day during a month asking what do i need to know today. And then compare the day and the card. Like other alredy Said a journal is a really good tool.

 

Best regards

Emswe

 

(Edited  some Swedish words my phone wrote back to english)