So. How do You 'Practice' Reading With a New Deck?

[Raggydoll]

42 minutes ago, Aldor44 said:

What do you mean in circles?

He is referring to the reading circles we offer here on the forum, where you pair up with another member and exchange a reading based on the theme of that particular circle. Like:

 

https://www.thetarotforum.com/forums/forum/31-tarot-reading-circles/

[Aldor44]

oh.. ok.. thanks 😄

[Jewel]

@Aldor44 I sometimes test pilot them on people I am super comfortable with and just tell them I am new to the deck and need really honest feedback.  I will use intuition and check the book (if it has one) when I start out and apply the rest of my reading style (patterns of numerology, elements, card distribution, etc) and just go for it.  If you are reading for people who volunteer to be your guinea pigs the stress of doing the perfect reading is lessened because you have warned your victims volunteers are clear on the fact that they are guinea pigs.  You will end up surprising yourself.

 

The Shadowscapes is fabulous for bringing out your intuition, and the number themes and court essences run very true.  If you still have access to the Classroom section of the Mentorship forum area, go to the work the mentorship thread between myself and @NoellaRoyce, she did an amazing job working through each set of numbered cards with the Shadowscapes, in fact we did the whole mentorship with that deck.  It is a solid RWS based deck so if you like it you will probably take a like a duck to water with it.

 

Another technique you can use is do your spread, interpret it, then pull out your trusted Dirty Pam and lay out the exact same cards and see what you think comparatively.  Yes as the imagery varies you will get different nuances, voices, tones from different decks because the imagery is different, but you will also see where the crossovers lie and that will help you gain confidence in yourself with the new deck.   Think of it like this, its like going from an older car, say one from 2002 and buying a new one.  You know how to drive so that is not really an issue (you know how to read so feel confident in that), what you are adjusting to is where the new controls are, and the new features (voice, imagery, size, reverse camera, etc.).  In the end you will get use to your new car because you like it and want to! 😜

Edited September 27, 2019 by Jewel

[Hedera]

On 9/20/2019 at 5:02 PM, gregory said:

Nice stuff. There are also some excellent exercises in Lynda Cowles' book: The Tarot Playbook. Which card would you like to take out to dinner ? Which would you give a a gift to your aunt ?

 

'The Tarot Playbook' is wonderful!

 

I also love 'The Tarot Activity Book', by Andy Matzner; full of exercises and activities that help you to get to know your deck (as well as yourself).

 

'365 Tarot Spreads', by Sasha Graham, is great to dip into if you would like to do a reading for yourself or a fictional person, but can't really come up with a question or a topic (sometimes I go back a day or two, if the current day's spread doesn't appeal to me; the majority of them are very good though!)

[Aldor44]

On 9/27/2019 at 10:12 PM, Jewel said:

 

Another technique you can use is do your spread, interpret it, then pull out your trusted Dirty Pam and lay out the exact same cards and see what you think comparatively.  Yes as the imagery varies you will get different nuances, voices, tones from different decks because the imagery is different, but you will also see where the crossovers lie and that will help you gain confidence in yourself with the new deck.   Think of it like this, its like going from an older car, say one from 2002 and buying a new one.  You know how to drive so that is not really an issue (you know how to read so feel confident in that), what you are adjusting to is where the new controls are, and the new features (voice, imagery, size, reverse camera, etc.).  In the end you will get use to your new car because you like it and want to! 😜

Hey @Jewel

 

This tip raises an interesting point- I would like to hear your and other people's opinion on it:

 

From the way I see cards- Lets say from the same system but different images is that - while the card "represents" the same theme- the different pictures give it the specific nuances - so if for example I used deck X with pic X to answer Q A- this specific card showed up BECAUSE of the certain image which would be lacking in the same card but from deck Y.

If this is so- putting the same cards from two decks side by side won't be as effective because the individual image is what counts and not only the universal meaning of each card.

 

What do you think?

[Jewel]

@Aldor44 I would say that a particular card from a particular deck emphasizes an aspect of a card meaning, when you lay a couple of other cards from different decks you get a bigger picture of the meaning of said card, but it also helps you hone in on what the card you drew was about because it triggers what you know from decks you are familiar with about the card.  It adds to the picture, they key in the comparison is to identify the aspect of the card meaning the creator focused on.  It can also help you find some ties from familiar images to those not so familiar.  I found that it gives me some "AHA!" moments and helps me understand or disagree with certain cards from unfamiliar decks.  I had this post on the 9 of swords from like 6 different decks, wish I could find it so I could show you what mean ... dang it.  It was great because they all covey the meaning, but some focused on us making things worse by how we think about them, others showing a paralysis due to negative thoughts we have, others as straight out nightmares, etc.  The imagery gave an area of focus but they all in their own way captured the negativity in thought patterns and how it affects us mentally which impacts how we feel and how we react.  But seeing the whole picture you can discern the themes of the card, and then what that specific version is trying to tell or show you.