Tarot [Discussion]

[Ellisari]

I'm still learning Tarot, I acquired my first deck not long ago--- a Golden Tarot deck. I found it at Barnes and Nobles, and I haven't truly worked with it yet--- I plan on doing a cleansing ritual soon [I was actually thinking of doing it tonight when I came across this thread]

However, I have a deck of oracle cards-- Animal Messages. Yesh, it sounds incredibly fake and stupid, but I've found I like it alot.

I have been nervous to try out my new deck, though. I'm going to hopefully try her out tonight.  

[Starlock]

It seems there are a few very different schools of thought when it comes to using tarot cards. The predominant one seems to be the following:

1) Use of pre-designed spreads.
2) Use of fixed card meanings (e.g. a book).

But then there's another one that I don't see discussed as often or utilized as much:

1) No spreads (or spreads always done intuitively on the spot)
2) No fixed meanings (e.g. relying solely on intuition)

From these two approaches, 'learning' tarot becomes very different. One involves memorizing symbolic meanings or meanings from a book along with all these different spread types. The other involves simply working with the cards and letting intuition guide you. One can of course mix the two to some degree; it seems to me that most people who pick up tarot for the first time really fall into the first trend more though. What do you guys think of this?  

[Shearaha]

I'm starting out with a book and a couple of pre-made spreads. But I've always been one to try and listen to my intuition, so I plan on once I know the basic (book) meanings I'll see where my intuition takes me. I may or may not develope some spreads.

I think it also depends on how you are getting into tarot. If you are picing up a deck from a store and learning on your own that book can be very helpful. If you are learning from some one who already works with tarot then, I feel, that you are more likely to learn through intuition.  

[Ellisari]

If you've got no one to teach you, you'll probably go by the books for a while while you're getting familiar with the cards..

I used intuition when learning to use my oracle cards, because there's no true set meaning to the cards.

But as for Tarot, its a bit harder, so I'm going by the books while I get used to it...
Once I am accustomed to it, I can go more by intuition.  

[Starlock]

I kinda worry sometimes about going by books, even though I've been known to do it myself. It almost seems to me that a 'better' book-ish approach would be to learn the symbolic systems behind the cards themselves and go from there. I'm not sure what books there are out on the market that are any good at dissecting card symbolism. Anyone run into a good one?  

[Shearaha]

The one I've got came highly recomended from some people I know online who learnd from books. I don't have it in front of me right now and I can't remember the title, but it does take a look at each card and goes into some detail on what the diffrent symbols mean, in the Major Arcana anyways. The Minor Arcana has less description but they still include an illustration of the card so that you can get to know the immages a little even if you don't have a deck. It's only describing the Raider-Waite deck though.  

[Aryain Flames]

i found a set of 8 cards with pics of each of the 4 elements and a card with something pertaining to that (earth, air, fire, water, cold, dryness, moisture, heat), and despite the fact that it's only 8 cards, i can usually get a pretty accurate reading.