Learning how to divinate using tarot?

[rmcdra]

Okay I mainly use tarot for meditations. Lately I've been wanting to learn how to divinate using tarot. I feel cookie cutter and fake using the interpretations in the instruction books but am unclear about how to go about coming to my own personal understanding of the cards in context of divination. How does one exactly practice divinating and improving one's divination skill?  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

"Divine" is the word you want. wink

Get a book specific to your deck. Definitions will differ slightly, and you need one written for your deck specifically unless you have one that's more general like Raider-Waite. There are idiosyncrasies that mean a book written for one deck may not "work" for a different deck.

At the core it's basic number and element symbolism when it comes to the Minor Arcana. So you can sort of get a feel for the definition before looking it up. Ditto Majors and their archetypes.

Basically just practice. Spend time getting to know your deck, which it sounds like you've done already. Decks "speak", and they feel different to one another. What you're doing really is not so much using a book to interpret, but interpreting the definition given by the book based on what the cards are "telling" you. I'm a novice with the tarot but that's how it works for me.  

[rmcdra]

Sanguina Cruenta

"Divine" is the word you want. wink

Get a book specific to your deck. Definitions will differ slightly, and you need one written for your deck specifically unless you have one that's more general like Raider-Waite. There are idiosyncrasies that mean a book written for one deck may not "work" for a different deck.

At the core it's basic number and element symbolism when it comes to the Minor Arcana. So you can sort of get a feel for the definition before looking it up. Ditto Majors and their archetypes.

Basically just practice. Spend time getting to know your deck, which it sounds like you've done already. Decks "speak", and they feel different to one another. What you're doing really is not so much using a book to interpret, but interpreting the definition given by the book based on what the cards are "telling" you. I'm a novice with the tarot but that's how it works for me.

Thanks for the advice.

The deck I have is called the Zerner-Farber Tarot which is in Rider-Waite format but uses some Thoth elements like calling "knights" "princesses".
And it does a first for me in that it calls cups heart and I get that they are equivalent for the most part but again it's a quirk that just strikes me as odd.

Well I seriously question the book that came with it when the author says you can ignore inverted cards and doesn't offer any advice on how to read inverted cards. I get the vibe it was made for "Rede-ers" if you get what I mean. They also seem to associate one word that sums up the theme of a particular card and goes in to an explanation of that theme.  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

rmcdra

Thanks for the advice.

The deck I have is called the Zerner-Farber Tarot which is in Rider-Waite format but uses some Thoth elements like calling "knights" "princesses".
And it does a first for me in that it calls cups heart and I get that they are equivalent for the most part but again it's a quirk that just strikes me as odd.

Well I seriously question the book that came with it when the author says you can ignore inverted cards and doesn't offer any advice on how to read inverted cards. I get the vibe it was made for "Rede-ers" if you get what I mean. They also seem to associate one word that sums up the theme of a particular card and goes in to an explanation of that theme.

I think reversals have been around for a while. To different decks they seem to mean slightly different things... I think for some it means the opposite, for some it means that this thing will be restricted or in lesser amounts, for some it means the "darker aspects". If your deck doesn't include advice on that score, do what you can do work out what it means on your own. To begin with maybe focus on right-side-up and then incorporate the possibility for reversals into your deck later.

Aeclectic Tarot has your deck here. The reviews are generally very informative.

The word-and-theme idea isn't particularly uncommon. Is it difficult for you to work with?  

[rmcdra]

Sanguina Cruenta

I think reversals have been around for a while. To different decks they seem to mean slightly different things... I think for some it means the opposite, for some it means that this thing will be restricted or in lesser amounts, for some it means the "darker aspects". If your deck doesn't include advice on that score, do what you can do work out what it means on your own. To begin with maybe focus on right-side-up and then incorporate the possibility for reversals into your deck later.

Okay sounds reasonable.

Quote:

Aeclectic Tarot has your deck here. The reviews are generally very informative.

Thank you.

Quote:

The word-and-theme idea isn't particularly uncommon. Is it difficult for you to work with?

A little but it might be my lack of training more than anything. I've never been the greatest when it comes to divining.

Oh thank you for the word correction. "Divining" seemed like the wrong word for some unknown reason when I had made my OP.

Edit: I think part of my issue is that a big portion of this deck is covered in the DVD that is supposed to come with it. This deck and it's book was given to me by a friend who kept the DVD XD. I might want to see if I can find this DVD.  

[Sam Oaken Willow 17]

Just trust yourself and in the personal symbolism in the cards. Learn the book meanings, then forget them, because you already know them--they are with you now. Trust is the biggest thing, I think.  

[-Vampire_of_Nyx-]

I have the Deviant Moon deck. I still havent memorized what the cards mean but i have been holding a card and then reading what it means and then i look at the card again and keep thinking what it means over and over. This works best if, like me, you can "tag" memories to certain items.
I dont usually have my cards in the upside down position. i tend to put them right side up when i see there upside down. it just feels wrong to be when there upside down. It doesnt really effect the readings that i give people im acctually kinda good at it.  

[Esiris]

There are books that talk about Tarot using psychology. I think they're pretty cool.  

[DemonCount]

-Vampire_of_Nyx-

I have the Deviant Moon deck. I still havent memorized what the cards mean but i have been holding a card and then reading what it means and then i look at the card again and keep thinking what it means over and over. This works best if, like me, you can "tag" memories to certain items.
I dont usually have my cards in the upside down position. i tend to put them right side up when i see there upside down. it just feels wrong to be when there upside down. It doesnt really effect the readings that i give people im acctually kinda good at it.

Though what a book says can help you some, after a little bit you should try not to rely on what it says. Feel what the card is saying, not just what some book says. There have been many times when I have done tarot readings where I know for a fact what I feel is more accurate than what the deck's book told me. My favorite deck I have is Kat Black's Touchstone Tarot, I don't use reverse cards though.  

[DemonCount]

rmcdra

Sanguina Cruenta

I think part of my issue is that a big portion of this deck is covered in the DVD that is supposed to come with it. This deck and it's book was given to me by a friend who kept the DVD XD. I might want to see if I can find this DVD.

A word of advice, the same thing I said to -Vampire_of_Nyx-, don't worry too much what a book or dvd tells you. Go by your feelings on the cards. Your cards can tell you more than that book or dvd of meanings.

 

[Viz_22]

DemonCount

-Vampire_of_Nyx-

I have the Deviant Moon deck. I still havent memorized what the cards mean but i have been holding a card and then reading what it means and then i look at the card again and keep thinking what it means over and over. This works best if, like me, you can "tag" memories to certain items.
I dont usually have my cards in the upside down position. i tend to put them right side up when i see there upside down. it just feels wrong to be when there upside down. It doesnt really effect the readings that i give people im acctually kinda good at it.

Though what a book says can help you some, after a little bit you should try not to rely on what it says. Feel what the card is saying, not just what some book says. There have been many times when I have done tarot readings where I know for a fact what I feel is more accurate than what the deck's book told me. My favorite deck I have is Kat Black's Touchstone Tarot, I don't use reverse cards though.

I read the book that came with my book every now and then when I can. But I still refer to it when doing readings because I still dont trust myself to instinctually come up with the interpretation but I can come up with my own interpretation to go with the book's view. I also have a hard time discerning the minor arcana so I use my book with those cards a lot till I can be more familiar with them.

I also prefer reversed cards. But that's just me.