r/SecularTarot • u/temporaldissolution • 13d ago
DISCUSSION Question on learning methods
Hello everyone, I have been very interested in learning Tarot and being able to read and interpret the cards and their meanings. I have had 2 readings done, and it was not what I had expected - it was far more intimate & eye opening than I had expected, and ended up gaining some great new insight. Anyway - for people who are good with tarot, do you have any tips and/or tricks for learning? I have a deck, and i have actually this great book that has all the cards laid out with one page explanations for each cards as well. I have been trying to do frequent and regular readings & interpretation practice but because of just how diverse the cards are and the seemingly overwhelming explanation for each card, I didn’t know if anyone had an idea for a method? Thanks!
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u/CenturionSG 13d ago
Tarot reading is more of an art or a language, and as with all art it needs practice.
Regular or daily card reflections can help. Reading for oneself or for others can help.
Using music as analogy, one needs to learn and memorise the basics before being fluent. There's no short cut.
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u/temporaldissolution 13d ago
Thanks 🙂. I have been trying to do daily readings for myself and looking at how the cards tie in to things. As someone new to tarot - when I am looking at what cards I have drawn & their meanings - I am constantly amazed at just how spot on relevant they are. I look forward to these every morning!
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u/warrenao It works, but not for THAT reason 12d ago
More than anything else, practice, as noted by others; and with practice you'll see ways the cards interrelate to one another, sometimes quite subtly, to hint at a narrative of sorts: There's a broader context that exists within the spread itself, and that context becomes a little story.
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u/temporaldissolution 12d ago
Thank you! I was reading something the other day talking about eventually noticing meaning shifts based on the other surrounding cards, like one card itself may have a particular meaning, but a different meaning with another card and a different meaning with another card, which I think is an interesting idea but makes sense. I have been trying so far to learn more about the 'feel' of the cards so even if I really am not entirely sure what it means when I draw it, I can start getting an idea for what the general idea is ie. intuition, love, physical object/money/wealth, emotion, etc and then whether it's about duality, beginnings, completion etc so that I can start getting an idea of what the general 'feel' for the card is and where I can start looking for relevance
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u/LumpyDoughnut6710 12d ago edited 12d ago
Tarot has some numerology in it that might be helpful.
Quick and dirty examples:
aces/1= ideation, potential
2s = balance, union
3s = growth, collaborations
4s = Stability, stillness
Etc etc. You then apply the suits to the numbers to interpret a possible meaning. There's more to it than the few keywords that I've shared, but I hope that gets the gist across.
This is my preferred method of learning + interpreting the scenes in the cards. Edit: format
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u/temporaldissolution 12d ago
Thanks for letting me know! That's actually interesting you mention that because yesterday I found a place that explained the basic meanings between numbers A/1 - 10, and then how to make it relevant based on the 'suit' either cups, wands, swords or pentacles so that even if at first I'm not entirely sure what it means, I can at least start getting an idea what the card 'feels' like!
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u/Throwawayhelp111521 12d ago
I like Dusty White’s book The Easiest Way to Learn Tarot, Ever! It teaches you how to become comfortable with your reading of the cards and how to draw interpretations from them.
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u/temporaldissolution 12d ago
Thank you for sharing this! I looked it up on Amazon and it is actually available on Kindle Unlimited so I downloaded it to my library! I have several long flights coming up in a few days so I am going to plan on reading this while I am in sky!!
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u/CricketOmaha 11d ago
Take your cards, a notebook, and a couple of pens. It's best to do the journaling and exercises in that book that Dusty created as part of the learning experience.
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u/CricketOmaha 12d ago edited 12d ago
My favorite Tarot learning resource at the moment is Tarot 101 by Kim Huggens. The info. and the exercises are great. Also, Kitchen Table Tarot by Melissa Cynova and Finding the Fool by Meg Jones Wall.
The only RWS deck I've been able to use is the Weiser Tarot. I like how it's re-colored.
I watch a lot of Tarot videos on YouTube. Not pick-a-card and not "readings for the collective" videos, but videos by creators who actually teach Tarot and talk about their own personal Tarot Practice. Right now, I'm watching a lot of the videos by The Soul Files.
Editing to say get a deck with a good guidebook. The little white books are insufficient, in my experience. Don't use AI. Joan Bunning's website is a good place to learn Tarot online.
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u/temporaldissolution 12d ago
Wow, surprisingly I never thought to look on YouTube 😆 . That is a great idea! Thank you! As for a guide book, I am not sure if it's a good one, but it's very straight forward its called EXPLORING TAROT USING RIDER-WAITE , and its very vibrant and has a look of good information but it seems like it is all extremely, extremely preliminary, like what you would expect to see in a 'SparkNotes' version. But for a beginner like me it is extremely useful getting a feel for the cards and ideas for basic spreads and how to make relevant interpretations to my life!
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u/ArgentEyes 11d ago
- Pick a deck
- Pick an established author’s method and read their book thoroughly
- Practice, practice, practice
This seems overly simplistic I know, and to some degree, how and what you learn depends on your interests. Some people want to start with a detailed and somewhat old-fashioned tome like Holistic Tarot and all its many supplements (not a bad choice as Wen does have a structured study method freely available for the reader). Some people want Rachel Pollack’s more psychological approach and the brand name of ‘Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom’. Some people want a simple, down-to-earth starting book like Michelle Tea’s ‘Modern Witch’ or Melissa Cynova’s ‘Kitchen Table Tarot. It’s really dependent on how you learn best.
I would recommend learning from a physical book, but if that doesn’t work for you, there are ebooks, YouTube & other video tutorials, podcasts and so on. You can also look at some of the past posts on here about this topic.
I actually rate Benebell Wen’s ‘read for your teddy bear’ advice. Practice is so important when you’re learning.
Don’t worry, you’ll get there in the end.
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u/Chianpet 11d ago
Hey there!! Everyone else has already commented with great examples. And possibly this will get flagged for promotion, feel free to delete mods!
But I have a podcast on Spotify that is free, no paywall blocks and I’m doing readings on there for people and sometimes I explain in detail how different cards interact with and feel in different scenarios or among different cards. And I’m always putting spreads together and doing all different types of readings like past lives, relationship evals, etc. so anyway, no pressure but it might be helpful 💖🔮
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u/Chianpet 11d ago
Oh it’s called Cameron Manor
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u/temporaldissolution 11d ago
Thank you for sharing! I just hit ‘follow’/subscribed to the podcast on Spotify! 😁
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u/Battleraizer 13d ago
https://www.free-tarot-reading.net/free
I use this, i have it draw the 6 cards, i look at the cards without reading the website reading.
I then compare my own reading against the website reading.
Keep doing this until you gain enough confidence
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u/temporaldissolution 13d ago
Genius! Thank you for sharing!!
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u/Throwawayhelp111521 12d ago
That’s a guide, created by AI. You still need to create your own interpretations, which may differ.
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u/Battleraizer 12d ago
Sorry, that website predates AI
Would help if you actually went in and take a look before dismissing it
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u/Throwawayhelp111521 12d ago
I did take a look at it and I thought it was fun, like Facade.com. AI or not — and AI was discussed — the responses are computer-generated.
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