Learning tarot reading

[smilingsun]

I'm begining to learn the tarot for personal guidance, and as a mean to be in contact with the higher guidance. How did you learn to do readings ? Do you need to deeply have mastered the meaning of the 22 card before you make a reading or is it possible to learn the meaning of the card more and more as you practice doing readings ?

Is it necessary to already be psychic to do good readings ?

[tealily]

I learned to do readings initially with the help of a book (classical card definitions) but nothing really takes the place of doing actual reads for others. Even starting with one-card readings and getting feedback will be really helpful - eg you could start with a thread in the Reading Requests forum or give the Practice Thread here a crack :)

Card meanings will be an ongoing learning process - although I have to say, it's not really 22, it's 78 or 156 if you use reversals in a standard tarot deck.

re: Psychic - most people already have a level of baseline intuition. Good readings are largely a matter of experience, eg it's useless to say spooky-sounding stuff like 'I see a dark bird flying above you' if you can't relate it to whether a querent should accept a the job for Company B or whatever.

Hi smilingsun.
Firstly, you don't need to be psychic at all to do readings. Tarot is based on symbols which trigger associations in the unconscious mind (others may call it the higher self) and intuition (gut feeling).
It is helpful to learn some standard keywords for the cards (as you mention 22 cards I assume you are planning on working with the major arcana only). Once you have several keywords for each card then you can start doing a card of the day (write as much down as possible about these).

My best advice, pull a card and write anything and everything that comes into your head about it, eg
What's the first thing you notice?
How does it make you feel?
What's happening in the card?
Are there any people, if so what do you feel they are doing, thinking or saying?
Does any colour really stand out to you?
What do you think this card is trying to tell you?

One thing to keep in mind is that pulling a card daily means the significance of the card is not going to be a huge life changing message, the Tower card may just be telling you to be prepared for a light bulb to blow or you may stub your toe (I've drawn this card to warn me of a migraine attack).

Once you feel confident with this, progress to a 3 card spread. Most people get stuck with 3 card spreads and what card positions they can use besides the past, present and future. ULR Link removed via request from owner of the copy write materials and that they offer a paid service that they did not want associated here on our site )

Invest in a decent tarot book that assists you in learning what the cards mean to you, try to avoid buying a book of meanings. Card meanings are personal to each reader, a book on meanings is only that authors perspective. There are many websites that give this info for free.

The more you work with the cards, the deeper the card meanings become, so practice as much as you can. Reading is a skill, like driving at first you are thinking of every action as seperate from each other, eventually all the movements flow in a type of synergy.

It's a life long learning experience and you never stop learning, but it is rewarding (occasionally frustrating), insightful and can be very illuminating.

Good luck with your journey into the cards.

[smilingsun]

Tealily & Pisces, thank you for your advices. This is encouraging me to start practicing.

[smilingsun]

I've given my first 3 cards reading which wasn't accurate and using only the major arcana. I'm looking for a good method for beginner : is a 3 cards reading, shuffling all the 78 cards in total disorders like in the video a good way to do ?
I'm wondering that the unconsious or higher self must guide our hand and know which card it's choosing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzOjfk0L9uA