I was struggling in spirituality a little and I discover that I actually don’t believe in Christianity nor Buddhism like what I was taught from growing up. I believe in nature, cause and effect of our actions determine our surroundings. For example, I believe in the direct relationship between consumerism and global warming. When consulting some friends, they suggest that I might be a witch. This is how I discover tarot.
It might sound terrifying, but there are thousands of definitions of witch depending on the practice and approach. I believe in magic but I don’t believe in white or dark magic. Everything depends on interpretation and point of view. As I am discovering this aspect of myself, I would like to document everything I learn in this blog, therefore there’s a new category “witchery” from now on.
Here are some of my learning process in tarot as a beginner.
#1 - Draw a card daily as a process of memorizing
There are 78 cards in a tarot deck. And each card may have up to 10 symbols. If you put it all together, you could get thousands of signs from your deck. It is hard to memorize every card especially when you are a beginner. So draw one each day and try to resonate with the meaning it is trying to tell you.
#2 - Don’t rely on the guide book but rely on own judgment to enhance intuition
Each deck comes with a guide book or guide sheet that explains the meaning of every card. As a beginner, we are drawn to the references but it is important to rely sparsely on the guide book so that you can intune your intuition from the card. This is also a good way to memorize all the cards.
#3 - Keep your deck close to you so that you can establish a connection to your card
A tarot deck by itself is just printed material. It doesn't have a magic power nor ability to predict the future. Just like a car, the more you drive your car, you establish that connection with your car over time. Keep the tarot card at a place where you can frequently see. It will invite you to use it more, hence you're able to practice more often. Also, your energy will infuse the card, so when you use it, you will get the message clearer what it has to say to you.
#4 - Use cards that have more details
My first tarot card was the Moonchild Tarot (picture above). It is beautiful, but the symbols aren't clear. Because of that, I didn't use it that often. When my teacher gave me the Smith-Waite Tarot deck, I begin to have a clearer picture of the symbols. My advice is to start with the Smith-Waite deck. Once you have master the symbols, you can proceed to other cards which are more aesthetically pleasing.
#5 - Use simple spread such as one card, two cards or three cards reading
I recommend starting with simple card reading such as one card or a maximum of three cards. Don't jump to the pagan cross spread that requires complicated reading.
#6 - Read tarot for yourself or for your friends as a practice
I always practice reading from myself, because I'm able to do the check and balance whether the reading is accurate. I have also read for my friends and I'm quite content when they tell me the reading is accurate.
For example, I suggested to my friend that her Eight of Wands card said she will be changing job or change company, but she said she has no intention to look for another job. Two months down the road, her company got acquired and there was a change of company name. She's able to come back to me and tell me that the reading is accurate. If you do the reading for others, you might not be able to get honest feedback.
#7 - Don't do the reversed card in the beginning
I only do a reverse card reading after a few months of practice. In the beginning, my focus was to remember the symbols and not the opposite symbols. It was a good help to align your learning process with your practice. I didn't jump into mastering everything and I'm glad by cutting down some practices, it helped me to learn faster.
#8 - Relate your daily experience with a card that symbolizes it
There's one time when I was at a cafe, I saw three girls with their respective cup of coffee, laughing and enjoying each company. Immediately it sparked me of the Three of Cups card that symbolizes friendship, celebration, and circle of support. I go about finding these signs and relate back to the cards. Surprisingly it works well to help me memorize them.
#9 - Book yourself multiple tarot reading service
One way to become a better tarot reader is to book yourself some tarot readings. You will get to learn from different readers and see what is their ritual. Some tarot readers have their own pre-reading prayers, some will dive into it, and etc. Find the ones that you enjoy and learn how they communicate to you. Communication is key in tarot reading, because the person that seeks help from you might not understand the meaning of the cards. You are the communicator between the cards and that person. This is the area which I need to improve now, so I am constantly looking for tarot reader to learn from.
#10 - Use the cheat sheet to memorize
Lastly, here is a cheat sheet that is super useful for reference. Credit goes to the person who did this from The Simple Tarot.
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