Reading Tarot cards

Hello all. I'm interested in learning how to read tarot cards. Any advice for books, instructions, type of cards, etc.?

 

Hey Molly, the best advice I can give is to check out the Aeclectic Tarot website at http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/


They have a whole bunch of reviews of different decks, books, software etc, plus a very lively and supportive forum.

One of the better beginners' books is The Tarot: History, Symbolism & Divination by Robert Place. Rachel Pollack's 78 degrees of Wisdom is also very good and something of a classic.

As for what deck to get, that really comes down to personal preference and you'd do well to check online reviews and scans of decks before making your choice. Or your local esoteric shop may have display copies or sample cards for you to look at. A couple of my favourites are the World Spirit and the recently-reissued Sheridan-Douglas deck.

 

Douglas's book 'The Tarot' (penguin) is also quite a good introduction.

 

So it is. The Penguin edition is long out of print, but Alfred Douglas is producing a self-published reprint which should be available real soon, if it isn't already.

 

Although Alfred Douglas book on the Tarot is good, and as I say, an intertesting and intelligent intro, I can't say the same for his I Ching translation, which I don't particularly like.

 

If you really want to get into Tarot in depth, I'd recommend Paul Foster Case's "The Tarot". He created the Builders of the Adytum that you can join and get lessons into the Kabbalah and expanded Tarot studies. "The Thursday Night Tarot" is an accumulation of weekly talks by Jason Lotterhand on the Major Arcana with the Kabbalistic flair.

 

its all in the cards by john mangiapane really helped me
you should check it out

 

Tarot cards are a good way of gaining insight into your psychology. They help in making decisions. Do not think they enable you to tell the future.

 

http://www.facade.com/tarot/

^ I found this site really helpful and the free readings surprisingly accurate.I recommend it.

 

Yeah,
The Tarot are a method of study devised for Qabalah.
The divination part is secondary and its accuracy depends on how psychic and "in tune" you are.

 

Hi Molly :seeya: There are so many books available on the subject it's impossible to say which one would resonate best with you. But I want to let you know about the Builders of The Adytum (BOTA). They offer a correspondence course in western occultism that begins with the tarot and proceeds through the Cabala and Alchemy. It's $15 a month which is to cover the BOTA's operating expenses. Best of luck to you.

http://www.bota.org/

 

practice, practice, practice.

it doesnt come overnight you also have to be really good at molding peoples question with the basic explanation of each card. Your not just reading Tarot, your reading the person as well.

 

Two books I've found quite useful are:

The Only Tarot Book You'll Ever Need by Skye Alexander is small and inexpensive but it gives a good overview of the Tarot in nutshelled form and uses the Rider-Waite deck for illustration.

Tarot Plain and Simple by Anthony Lewis is more detailed, yet written in a simple, straightforward manner and uses Robin Wood's illustrations.

 

Hi Molly,

Reading Tarot Cards can both be fun and rewarding. I am still often asked to bring my deck along to parties and do a few readings for my fellow guests, which often proves enlightening.

Some decks have very elaborate designs and can be quite expensive to buy, but for a beginner I always suggest a plain and simple deck which doesn't cost much money.

Good luck in your endeavours

 

One you might find interesting is the Symbolism of the Tarot, by PD Ouspensky.

 

http://www.bota.org/

Builders of the Adytum has a course in Tarot and it's what I used. It comes with cards that you have to color as you learn so that you get to know every symbol and meaning.

They also have a working vault of the adepti - one of the very few in the US