If you begin to shop for a deck beyond the Rider-Waite deck, you will see decks of all sizes and descriptions. There are decks that are based on antiquity and carry very traditional artwork. You will find decks that are based on Goth culture. There are decks that celebrate Fairies and Elves. There are decks for religious affiliations and decks with erotic themes. There are decks that follow current trends such as teenage movie vampires or werewolves. There are decks that are nothing more than abstract artwork. You name it, and you can probably find it as a theme for a Tarot deck somewhere.
Then how do we decide? Well, how does a guitar player decide on which guitar to buy? If you walk into a music store you will see maybe a hundred guitars hanging on the wall. For the most part they all share common themes. They all have six strings. They all have the same number of frets and a bridge, and they all tune to pretty much the same number of octaves. So other than obvious cosmetic differences, how do we decide which one is for us?
Obviously, we choose the one that speaks to US as an individual. When it comes to a guitar, this probably means picking it up and playing it to see if it feels right and if we like the sound.
With a set of Tarot cards it means looking at the symbology on the cards. Remember, we will be spending a lot of time with these cards, and the images on the cards must be something that inspires our thoughts and words. Ask yourself these types of questions:
Are you comfortable with what the deck depicts?
Do the pictures speak to you at all?
Do the images make you think?
Do they inspire your imagination?
Look over a number of decks until you find the symbology that draws you to it. You might like traditional pictures, or you might be drawn to abstract artwork. Either is fine, so long as the deck speaks to your heart and sparks your intuition when you look at it.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Choosing a Tarot Deck
There are almost as many different types of Tarot decks as there are Tarot readers in the world. We already stated that the Tarot is basically a collection of symbols, and over the centuries people have produced thousands of different interpretations for these symbols. Some are based on ‘traditional’ decks that came before, and some are totally original or even bizarre.
If you take a look at online catalogs, or you go down to your local bookstore or metaphysical shop, you will likely find a very large selection of Tarot decks readily available. The Rider-Waite deck is probably the most easily recognized in the world, and is the deck that most people think of when they think of the Tarot. If you don’t wish to spend a lot of time to look at all the options and pick a personal Tarot deck at this time, then you can probably just pick up a set of Rider-Waite Tarot cards and you will be ready to begin. You can always go shopping later for other cards.
There are other benefits to starting with the Rider-Waite deck. First, since it is the deck that most people are familiar with, most people would expect a Tarot reader to be familiar with this deck as well. So it is to your benefit to understand the symbology contained in this deck whether or not you end up using it as you progress for your own personal deck.
Second, as you continue to study beyond here, you will find that a majority of Tarot books refer to the Rider-Waite deck. It is not that this deck is any better or worse than any other deck, as that is a subjective point of view for each to decide. The fact is when discussing the cards we all need to have a common reference point and this deck has become that reference. Because most books do refer to Rider-Waite, your continuing studies will be easier if you’re familiar with this deck.
Lastly, the symbology in this deck is good. It is typically inspiring to the new reader as well as the accomplished person, and includes all of the elements you need to learn. Some other decks tend to be vague or sparse on symbology, and therefore a bit more difficult for the beginning reader. Then again, I am not telling you that you have to start with this deck, only that you should become familiar with it at some point. There is a world of possibilities out there to choose from.
If you take a look at online catalogs, or you go down to your local bookstore or metaphysical shop, you will likely find a very large selection of Tarot decks readily available. The Rider-Waite deck is probably the most easily recognized in the world, and is the deck that most people think of when they think of the Tarot. If you don’t wish to spend a lot of time to look at all the options and pick a personal Tarot deck at this time, then you can probably just pick up a set of Rider-Waite Tarot cards and you will be ready to begin. You can always go shopping later for other cards.
There are other benefits to starting with the Rider-Waite deck. First, since it is the deck that most people are familiar with, most people would expect a Tarot reader to be familiar with this deck as well. So it is to your benefit to understand the symbology contained in this deck whether or not you end up using it as you progress for your own personal deck.
Second, as you continue to study beyond here, you will find that a majority of Tarot books refer to the Rider-Waite deck. It is not that this deck is any better or worse than any other deck, as that is a subjective point of view for each to decide. The fact is when discussing the cards we all need to have a common reference point and this deck has become that reference. Because most books do refer to Rider-Waite, your continuing studies will be easier if you’re familiar with this deck.
Lastly, the symbology in this deck is good. It is typically inspiring to the new reader as well as the accomplished person, and includes all of the elements you need to learn. Some other decks tend to be vague or sparse on symbology, and therefore a bit more difficult for the beginning reader. Then again, I am not telling you that you have to start with this deck, only that you should become familiar with it at some point. There is a world of possibilities out there to choose from.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
About Reading the Tarot . . . Final
After you work through the entire spread with your sitter, end the reading on an upbeat note. Recap all of the things you spoke about, and close the reading. Always review what was discussed, and always send your sitter away on a positive note with hope for the future. Although the Tarot may show us dark things from time to time, our purpose is to try to figure out what the cards are telling us about how to stay on a positive course to bring things into the light and achieve a brighter future.
Put your cards away as discussed in the section on “Handling Your Tarot Deck”, and thank the sitter for giving you the opportunity to spend some time together.
Hopefully this will have been a meaningful experience for both of you.
From time to time you will run across a sitter for which a good connection cannot be made. This will be very rare, but don’t worry when it happens. Politely thank them for trying and maybe recommend a fellow reader that might be more suitable for them.
So that was a lot to cover. I recommend that after you have finished this book and feel comfortable with the cards and the spreads that you come back and reread this section. Also, never forget that you should not be afraid of being ‘wrong’. It can’t happen if you speak from the heart.
Put your cards away as discussed in the section on “Handling Your Tarot Deck”, and thank the sitter for giving you the opportunity to spend some time together.
Hopefully this will have been a meaningful experience for both of you.
From time to time you will run across a sitter for which a good connection cannot be made. This will be very rare, but don’t worry when it happens. Politely thank them for trying and maybe recommend a fellow reader that might be more suitable for them.
So that was a lot to cover. I recommend that after you have finished this book and feel comfortable with the cards and the spreads that you come back and reread this section. Also, never forget that you should not be afraid of being ‘wrong’. It can’t happen if you speak from the heart.
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