Tarot from Scratch: Seven Things you need to do to Learn Tarot
So you are interested in learning tarot? That's terrific! You will find that no matter how you use it, tarot will be a wonderful addition to your life.
Tarot can help you to meet wonderful tarot friends; like-minded people whom you really enjoy.
Tarot can offer you a spiritual world-view that helps you make sense of your life.
Tarot can be a tool of divination that assists you in decision making, career planning, personal healing and self-discovery.
Tarot can be a wonderful gift to share with your friends.
Tarot can offer you a full or part-time career reading for others.
The question is this. Just how do you get started? Learning tarot can be an investment of time, money and energy. What is the best way to begin this journey?
- You need a good beginner tarot deck. It is almost certain that you will end up owning many decks. To start you need a deck that is good for beginners. Most people recommend a deck based on the designs of A.E. Waite. That could be a Rider Waite, Universal Waite, Albano Waite or a Waite "clone" such as Hanson-Roberts, Robin Wood or Universal Tarot. Buy your deck from a local book store or New Age store, or order it on-line. If you feel drawn to a different sort of deck make sure you have a book that is designed for that specific deck, and see if you can find classes or websites that refer to that specific deck.
- You need a good tarot book that correlates with your deck. There are many great tarot books and e-books. Ultimately you will have many. To begin, you need just one.
- Look for classes, websites, meet-ups, webinars, on-line communities and other resources. It is best to use as many of these as possible so that you get many perspectives on tarot, rather than just the perspective of one teacher or author. The great news is that many of these resources are free!
- Keep a tarot journal! Include in your journal notes from classes, musings, and readings that you perform.
- Don't be afraid! Don’t be afraid of being new in a class of experienced readers. Don't be afraid of the task of learning the cards. Don't be afraid of what you might see in the cards. Make the journey fun, not scary.
- Study! If the cards interest you, you will enjoy studying them. The more you read, meditate, discuss and play with the cards, the more easily you will learn them, and the more you will enjoy them!
- Do not be confused by conflicting experts. There are many tarot traditions, and many beliefs surrounding tarot. Over time, you will learn the way tarot fits best in your life, and the way tarot makes sense to you. Ultimately, tarot is a personal thing for all of us. Take what works for you, and don't worry about the rest.
