TAROT READING



For this "lesson" you will need a loose leaf ring-binder with paper, a pen or pencil, 
and common sense.

Now that you have your first Tarot deck, what do you do next?  Hopefully, you 
chose the cards yourself, so that you have had the chance to at least see other 
decks. Perhaps had the experience that most Tarot readers have had: the deck 
chose you! Now that you have your special deck, you may have looked at the 
instruction book and found so much information there that you're a bit confused 
and overwhelmed. Don't worry!! You don't need to memorize the entire book. A 
reading comes from within you and the cards are just a tool to help guide you.

Examine each of the Major Arcana in turn. Notice the main figures in the card, 
their positions (seated or standing, relationship to each other, how they hold their 
hands or position their bodies, etc.) Look at all the figures on the card, human or 
otherwise. Does the main figure have any tools or props? Does anything in the 
background stand out or "speak" to you? In a nutshell, notice everything on the 
card, for each item has some significance.

After you have studied each card, write down your impressions. Give each card its 
own page in your notebook No fair peeking at the book, rely on yourself and the 
knowledge that you already have. Answer these questions on the page:

          My impression of the card is______.
          What does each detail mean to me?
          Overall my interpretation of the card is______.

You may think that it is a waste of time to be writing this stuff down when you 
have a book right in front of you, but believe me ,if you really want to learn and 
remember all the cards in a relatively short period of time, this exercise is well 
worth the effort. This will also help build the confidence you need to do a reading 
successfully, without the book strapped to your fingertips. Many querents know 
when their reader has just memorized the book, and you would feel rather 
unknowledgable if you ever read for another reader! Along with this is the fact 
that once you have read someone else's interpretation of the cards, it will forever 
affect how you see them. So it is best to rely on yourself first, and add the book 
later.

Now that you have carefully studied each card and completed writing your 
impressions, you may open the book. Did you identify at least some of the 
important elements? Most likely you did!  Does the book show you anything that 
makes you say, "Oh yeah, I didn't see that, but it makes sense." If so, include this 
in your personal notebook. Now, don't get all in a dither if you seemed to be off 
track with some of the cards. The important thing to remember is that you are the 
interpreter, and what the card reveals to you  is the key. Ask 100 different readers 
for their interpretation and chances are you will get 100 different responses, (not 
totally different, just different variations) unless of course they all memorized the 
same book and deck. But that will not be true in your case!

Now before we go on, make sure you have the right deck for B>you. If you did not 
get any impressions at all from the Major Arcana cards this is NOT the right deck 
for you! Choose another deck, and repeat the above exercise with the it. Your 
religious background may play a role in how the cards "speak" to you. There are 
some decks that are clearly Christian, Pagan, Feminist, etc. If your religion, 
political background or philosophy conflict with your deck design, you will need 
to get another deck so that you feel more in tune and comfortable with your Tarot 
cards.

I think I have given you enough homework for now! You have only just begun 
your journey toward being a successful and enlightened reader. There is still more 
work ahead of you. I will leave you with a bright light to be your guide, a strong 
hand to push your pen, and a pat on the back for applying the true effort it takes to 
become a Tarologist!




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