Hello all, I'm phthalogreen! I’ve been interested in tarot cards since I was young and got my RW deck when I was 13. Unfortunately, even after more than a decade of dabbling, I am not exactly gifted when it comes to readings and interpretation, especially seeing how the cards in a spread work together. When I do readings for myself, I try to pay attention to my own gut feeling and understanding of the cards, but typically end up frantically Googling meanings for each card, second guessing, and becoming confused and unclear. I also tend to immediately jump to a negative view of a reading unless it is overwhelmingly, beat-you-over-the-head-with-a-rainbow positive.

 

I'm at a point in my life where I'm having more new and sometimes painful experiences, and need to make big decisions and starting really becoming an adult. I want to more effectively use these cards as a source of guidance and support. To that end, I'm here to learn, ask questions, and get to know others who share this interest.

 

Hi there phthalogreen! It's great to have you with us. I have to start out by saying that when I first saw your name, the word "pathogen" came to mind. I do like your actual user name though. ;)

 

In any case, it's great to have you with us. There are a lot of people here with a lot of knowledge and experience in the Tarot and other things. So, post away and ask questions. We don't bite (much ...). But, by the same token, don't be afraid to take part in other discussions, stating the things you have learned is just as helpful to yourself as it might be to others. The feeling of a lot of this being "guesswork" is not unusual, but that should pass as you gain more experience with the cards.

 

A couple of pieces of advice/suggestions that come to mind, if I may offer them:

 

Write down your understandings of the cards in a notebook or journal of some kind - preferably one that will make it possible to find those thoughts later.  I have found that writing things down, in my own words, helps a great deal in the learning process. There are already a few threads on journaling that you might want to check out.

 

I'm going to hazard a guess that you might be trying to do readings using the Celtic Cross spread, since that is found very often in Tarot books. I would recommend using much smaller spreads to start with. Spreads with 3 or 5 cards are much easier to work with and you can start learning how cards work together and modify each other on a small scale before diving back into large spreads.

 

As I said, these are just suggestions and not set in stone. ;) But as I said before, probably the best learning tool is here at TT&M, just joining the discussions and asking questions.

Haha, I can totally see reading it that way at first glance!

 

Keeping a personal tarot journal has seriously never occurred to me, but what an excellent idea. And you are totally right -- I generally have stuck with the Celtic Cross, it's where I started because it was one of the least complicated looking spreads in the guidebook that came with my deck. I've only recently started looking into smaller spreads and think it would definitely be a smart move to stick with those & gain confidence/skills to take back to larger ones later on.

 

Thank you so much! I've only been here two seconds and am already learning!

Welcome to the forums, and I hope you enjoy it here, phthalogreen. I learn something new everyday from the threads, that's why I hang out here when I have time to spare. Also: don't be afraid to ask around when you're stuck in your studies, alright?

 

See you around! :D

Hi phthalogreen.

 

Welcome to Tarot, Tea and Me.

 

It  is nice to see you and have you here!  :-*

Hi everyone! I’ve been letting the dust settle since AT closed, and this is the forum my friends have recommended most. So here I am!

 

Tarot Orat means “Tarot speaks” - it’s a nifty palindrome that expresses something too. I do believe that the Tarot cards speak to me. I don’t know *how* it works but I know *that* it works!

 

I got my first deck in the early 90s, my senior year in college, and I’ve been using tarot cards (and collecting them!) ever since. My level of involvement fluctuates over the years but it’s always there.

 

 

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Hello TarotOrat! Nice name you've got there. :D

 

It reminds me of the phrase ROTA TARO ORAT TORA ATOR, meaning "The wheel of Tarot speaks the law of Hathor".

Hi everyone! I’ve been letting the dust settle since AT closed, and this is the forum my friends have recommended most. So here I am!

 

Tarot Orat means “Tarot speaks” - it’s a nifty palindrome that expresses something too. I do believe that the Tarot cards speak to me. I don’t know *how* it works but I know *that* it works!

 

I got my first deck in the early 90s, my senior year in college, and I’ve been using tarot cards (and collecting them!) ever since. My level of involvement fluctuates over the years but it’s always there.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Hi TarotOrat!

 

Nice to see you. Yeah, I can't believe it has been almost 3 months since AT was shut, but here we are. Building a nice community for the tarot world.  ;D

 

Welcome to Tarot, Tea and Me!

 

Em

Hi, phthalogreen and TaroOrat!

 

Welcome!

 

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