Tarot cards - Book meaning or gut instinct?

I've been interested in learning Tarot for quite some time. I've played around with it in the past but I am hoping that this will be the year I can really start studying it.
I've noticed that you usually get a guide when buying tarot cards, a little book that tells you the standard meanings of the cards. What are you opinions on these books? Did you study what these books said? Or did you go with picking up your own vibe / energy from each card to enable you to then give a reading?
And if you go on your own vibe, how did you develop this?
And does your own personal meaning for each card come anywhere near to the book meaning or are they totally different?

[norseman]

Each tarot tends to have different interpretations of the same card. So, differences in "book" meanings. The standard Rider-Waite tarot has essentially christian imagery but I use the Sacred Circle which is based on Celtic Mythology, so differences also occur from the imagery.
Reading the tarot is largely intuitive. You could, however, think of the book meanings as Chapter headings leaving you to write the text. It also depends on the complexity of the imagery. I find Rider-Waite simplistic, whereas I could write a small book on each card in Sacred Circle because of the complex layering of the images.

When you first start, there is a tendency to rely on the "book" but as you gain experience, you consult the book less and less.

Thank you both!

I will check out the Tarot school :)

It’s good that you want to learn tarot. There are some tarot courses where they will teach you about the meanings of tarot card readings. There are also many blogs and discussions on the Internet where you can read about the meanings of the tarot cards.

[Shalimar]

Hi Firecracker!

You can meditate on each card and as you do so write down all that the card is revealing to you. That is the way I do, I let the card speak to me by gazing at the picture. Find a Tarot that "speak to you" that will help a lot to know what the card means.
You can also look up the traditional meanings of each card online or in a book, but never do that first. In my opinion it is better to first see what the card says to you, write it down and if you want after that you can look up what the traditional meaning was just for reference. At that point, if your interpretation is different, trust your intuition.

I am part of the Tarot School, that be great if you'd join our group! It is for beginners and more advance alike...

Peace

i'd say you need a bit of both, but i tend more to gut feeling. with time you come to see that you developed your own language with the tarot cards.

G

It fluctuates for me. Sometimes I feel it's what the image tells me, especially when reading for myself, and others it's from the book. Book gives you more ideas and one of those will click for you. The reading would be influenced by your intention as well.

Originally Posted by Firecracker

I've been interested in learning Tarot for quite some time. I've played around with it in the past but I am hoping that this will be the year I can really start studying it.
I've noticed that you usually get a guide when buying tarot cards, a little book that tells you the standard meanings of the cards. What are you opinions on these books? Did you study what these books said? Or did you go with picking up your own vibe / energy from each card to enable you to then give a reading?
And if you go on your own vibe, how did you develop this?
And does your own personal meaning for each card come anywhere near to the book meaning or are they totally different?

I have been a student of the Tarot for more than (30) years and what I have found is that there are days when my instinct and intuition are flowing and the Cards tell a picture story for me that is quite clear.

However--there are those days when tapping into that flow is a difficult task and it is at times like this when my indepth study of the Divine and Inverted meanings serves me very well.

You will (also) learn (in time) that the meanings change depending upon the question that is asked, the situation at hand, the surounding Cards, the Spread that is chosen, and the Houses in which they fall. You will discover that there are different levels and kinds of practically everything (ie. Death, Love, Health, Relationships, etc.).

I would like to suggest that you remain open and explore every available avenue and resource--then you will find what works best for you.

One of my favorite books is entitled, "Tarot for Beginners" by P. Scott Holander--in it you will be introduced to many concepts (including the Sister Suits and the Predominance of certain Suits) and how they can (also) contribute to bringing the "BigPicture" in to focus and helping the Subject to better utilize the information.

Peace and Love on your path to dicoverying the Mysteries...

Blessed be...

Originally Posted by Firecracker

I've been interested in learning Tarot for quite some time. I've played around with it in the past but I am hoping that this will be the year I can really start studying it.
I've noticed that you usually get a guide when buying tarot cards, a little book that tells you the standard meanings of the cards. What are you opinions on these books? Did you study what these books said? Or did you go with picking up your own vibe / energy from each card to enable you to then give a reading?
And if you go on your own vibe, how did you develop this?
And does your own personal meaning for each card come anywhere near to the book meaning or are they totally different?

you can also try out each method to see which one works better for you.
and by the 3 methods i mean: your feelings, the cards' interpretation, as well as combo of the 2.
in addition, you need to find a deck that speaks to you as well
good luck

[Apakhana Akshobhya]

What I will tell anyone is to first learn the authentic kabbalah and all about the sefirot/tree-of-life from a 'kosher' source. A sincere rabbi can help.

You have then 2 approaches I think, and they are either:
Read the cards literally according to guides and suggestion that may apply to the circumstances in question.
Intuit through the cards by your own growth, experience, and understanding of the kabbalistic tree, according to what may apply to the circumstances in question.

So, we either read of the cards or we intuit through them.

There's a dynamic of individual dialectic that comes into play and we should understand our own synthesis.