Beginner

[ScorpioGayle]

Hello - I am taking my first course in reading the tarot cards - what I am finding very confusing and frustrating is when I am asked to determine what a tarot card means (ex six of pentacles) without previously learning the meaning of the card... in other words using my intuition.  This seems like a backward way of trying to learn tarot as I believe you need to learn the meanings of the cards first and then add the intuition in after that.  I have tried to lay out all the major arcana and see a flow between cards but I don't see anything as I do not know what the cards represent.  Am I right to want to learn the meanings first?  I have talked to a couple of people who are seasoned readers and they say they learned the meanings first through things like flash cards... please let me know your thoughts on this

[Nordica De Spell]

Dear @ScorpioGayle, 

 

What deck are you using? 

 

There’s no right or wrong, and we each of us relate with the cards our own way — and we become different type of readers too. 

 

That said, in my view looking at the cards yourself before learning traditional interpretation is ideal. 

 

If you find that difficult, rather than skipping straight to traditional interpretation, maybe employ ”study questions.”

 

I.e 

 

”What is The Fool looking at”

”What’s The Fools facial expression”

 

etc. etc.

 

Things to get you into the imagery and get your intuition going. 

 

The truth is, no matter how far from traditional interpretation your own interpretation should turn out to be; it’s another dimension of the cards you’ll add and take with you, it becomes your personal take...

 

And once you learn traditional interpretation, though it’s never too late to become an intuitive reader, you’ll not be able to look at the cards the way you do when you first encounter them.

 

On the other hand, if it really doesn’t work for you and it isn’t what your tarot journey is about — just skip ahead to a way that works for you. 

 

After all, it’s YOUR relationship with the tarot, and there’s many ways to approach them!

 

Good luck with it, and nice to meet you! 🙂

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

welcome to the forum, I'm glad to see you've jumped right in!

 

I started like you are, using Joan Bunnings course.  Later on I wished I hadn't learned keywords because people who I thought knew much more than me said "you don't need books, the only book required has 78 pages, read the cards not the books" yadayada and I was embarrassed. Nothing ever jumps into my brain re: symbology, I'm always amazed at what my friend Bev pulls out of cards. 

 

  Over time I've come to revalue my studies, and accept I just learn differently. and intuition isn't one of them.

  I also like to use elements, there are only four...does water put out fire etc. 

And look at the way the figures in a spread are facing...away, toward each other etc. 

  Timing I don't much do but use looking left is looking at the past, right is looking toward the future. 

  My feeling on the suits is Swords are discovery, Cups are thinking about that discovery, Wands is action on that discovery, and Coins results of that discovery. 

  I do think about what the various artists have done with each card. Otherwise why have a good number of decks, one would suffice. 

 

All that said to say, our learning curve builds and changes directions over the years, all in a good way.

Tarot is a huge subject and no way can we all learn the same way and all be on the same path. 

 

again, welcome to the forum. 

Edited May 18, 2019 by AJ-ish/Sharyn

[McFaire]

12 hours ago, ScorpioGayle said:

Am I right to want to learn the meanings first? 

Whatever works for you is "right" for you.

 

I used a course way back when, same one I think, but mostly I prefer books because I like to flip around and get a sense of the whole before I start drilling down into details.