"Tarot is a useful tool that anyone can familiarize themselves with, and use to their advantage."
How I did it: I began with two decks, both of which I list further down, and recommend to any student of tarot, new or otherwise.
You can begin in a day. Don't get sidetracked and confused by "professional" dabblers. The best way to "learn tarot" is to "do tarot". I've been reading for myself and others on and off for nearly 10 years now. In that time my understanding of tarot has grown, but not so much from books, but from my own experiences with tarot.
In other words, everything I've learned about tarot is a result of reading tarot. This can't be stressed enough. You don't need to "memorize" the cards to begin. You don't need to read a hundred books and confuse yourself with other people's interpretations. You don't need to learn 50 different spreads.
Obtain the cards (Thoth is what I recommend, or else Waite), learn 1 spread, or even start with single card readings if you're ready to delve in right away. Look at each card, read the booklet that normally accompanies your cards to get an understanding of how the cards work, and the general guidelines as far as their meanings. This should take you less than an hour. After that, get to it. Start working the tarot. Everything else will build on that foundation.
Lessons & tips: Avoid decks made by artist who are clueless on the symbolism of the tarot. There are 1001 decks featuring everything from cats to vampires. Choose a deck with a "legitimate" background (Thoth is an excellent first choice, or Waite, failing that). If you really want that cat deck, go ahead and follow your instincts, but be aware you will be missing something. Those images are not chosen at random, and are not just pretty pictures. They are designed to help you program your subconscious mind, and to tune into levels of understanding not accessible otherwise.
Learn by doing! Start now!
Don't get hung up on reading books on tarot, or the details of reversed meanings, ill-dignified, various spreads, etc. Do what works, but do something and once you have the basics down, it is your system, so make it work for you. Just be consistent.
Avoid charlatans and flakes. Avoid forums of armchair occultists and wiccan wannabes. Tarot is an art. Use respectable sources when possible, and your own intuition over asking people you do not know or online sources.
Resources: Aleister Crowley's Thoth deck, Tarot Divination by Aleister Crowley, Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley.
4 people found this helpful
Mar 11, 11:06AM PDT
| 3 comments
| 3 cheers