In this lesson we will concentrate on the form of divination called Tarot. It is probably one of the most popular forms used and a lot of fun as well. It does take time to learn but well worth it in what you can learn from doing cards for yourself and others.
I'm assuming that if you've decided to do this lesson that you've already chosen and bought your tarot deck. If you haven't, you will want to do that now and come back to the lesson. The best way to learn is to have the cards right with you.
First thing you should do when you've bought your cards is to connect them to your personal energies. The easiest way to do this is to sleep with them under your pillow or under your side of the bed. You will also want to go through the deck just looking at the cards...... look at the pictures and what you can see in them. Spend a good bit of time just getting a feel for what is in your deck.
Now that you have a general feel for them and have kept them near you for a few days, you will want to begin taking a deeper look at their actual meanings. Most tarot decks at least come with an instruction paper with all the basic meanings and some decks actually come with a good instruction book. If you are very new to tarot, you might want to buy yourself a book on beginning tarot. Any good book will give you a good idea of how spreads work and finding the right interpretations of the cards. Take each card, look at it, and read its meaning. Think about how the card looks and relates to its meaning. You will notice that all cards have two meanings..... one for when the card is in a normal upright position and one for when the card is upside-down which is called reversed. This is very important when interpreting a tarot spread. I know that there are a lot of cards and meanings so don't expect to just memorize them overnight. The point right now is just to become familiar with them. As you practice with the cards more and more, you will learn them and need to look at the book or instructions less and less.
Now that you have become familiar with the cards, it is time to practice a simple spread. A spread is the order and manner in which you lay the cards on the table for divination. You will want to have a notebook to write down your spreads and meanings. I usually date the page and write what the question was and if it was for me or for someone else. A very simple spread to begin with is a 3 card spread. The first card will represent the Past, the second card will represent the Present, and the third card will represent the Future of the person or whatever question that you ask the cards. Generally, you begin any reading by asking a question either what is my future or a specific question that you need an answer for. Then you shuffle the cards and as you prepare to shuffle, make sure that the cards in one hand are turned upside down. The first time that you use your cards, you will want to shuffle them really well and then anytime after that, it is normal to shuffle them 3 times. Once you have shuffled them, pick a small stack off the top and lay them down, then a second stack laying them down left of the first stack, and finally what is left in a third stack left of the second stack. Then pick them up beginning at the left and lay them on top of each of the next two stacks. You should now have all the cards once again in your hands. Now taking off the top lay one card face down left to right until you have 3 cards laid down. Now turn over the first card and look up its meaning. Write down what you discover and do this for each of the next two cards. Remember to designate Card 1- Past, Card 2- Present, and Card 3- Future. Now read what you've wrote as a whole and see what you get from the cards in regards to the question you asked. Write down your personal perceptions of what the cards mean as a whole in relation to the question. That is it, you've done your first simple reading.
Just keep practicing now and try other kinds of spreads. Any good tarot book will have several kinds to choose from for example, 3 card spread, Horseshoe spread, Celtic Cross spread, Fan Spread, 7 card spread, and so forth. Get a good tarot book to continue learning and practicing. When you feel ready, try a spread for a friend. The most important thing in learning tarot is just to keep working with the cards. The more you do, the better you will get and the more you will see in them. It doesn't hurt to focus on each card individually as well. Maybe take a card a day or a week to really learn it's meaning and look into the pictures on it.
If you want to look at or buy a deck, I just added a section to our community book store that has lots of different decks pictured.
Your Assignment
Very simply, it is to practice, practice, and more practice with your tarot deck. Post in the group about your experiences with your cards and any readings that you would like to share or get input about.
Brightest Blessings,
Arianna Moonlightshadow
