Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Starting this thread to see if there is any interest here in discussing Tarot cards. Anyone here use them? Tell us a bit about your experience with Tarot.
I do use them, not on a daily basis though. Mostly I read for myself. I have several different decks, my favorite is the Robin Wood deck. Had that deck for many many years now. I like working with the symbols in Tarot (same reason I like dreams). I don't use them to predict the lottery or anything like that. I use them as an aid to developing my intuition. I also love the artwork on them and have collected a few decks for that reason.
Starting this thread to see if there is any interest here in discussing Tarot cards. Anyone here use them? Tell us a bit about your experience with Tarot.
I do use them, not on a daily basis though. Mostly I read for myself. I have several different decks, my favorite is the Robin Wood deck. Had that deck for many many years now. I like working with the symbols in Tarot (same reason I like dreams). I don't use them to predict the lottery or anything like that. I use them as an aid to developing my intuition. I also love the artwork on them and have collected a few decks for that reason.
Anyone else?
Hahaha, where'd you get this idea?
I took a Tarot class last fall. It was given by a guy named George Koury. I didn't know it at the time, but he's fairly well-known and gives lectures and classes at the big witchy gathering near Buffalo, NY, known as the LilyDale Assembly. It's every summer. Still going on right now, I believe.
It was pretty interesting. We used the Rider-Waite Deck, and he told us the history of the cards and the artist who did the paintings.
Koury told us that for the first year, if we draw a card or do a spread not to read the little manual but rather ask ourselves what thoughts or messages we get from the cards. That's the whole point behind them--not that the cards have some kind of special meaning, but that they sort of serve as a physical focal point to identify things you are picking up through your natural intuition.
He did give us some basics on what the different suits and major and minor arcana represent.
I pick them up once a week, sometimes more often, and shuffle through until one drops.
I find it's a good exercise for finding out what I might already know that I don't know I know.
I took a Tarot class last fall. It was given by a guy named George Koury. I didn't know it at the time, but he's fairly well-known and gives lectures and classes at the big witchy gathering near Buffalo, NY, known as the LilyDale Assembly. It's every summer. Still going on right now, I believe.
It was pretty interesting. We used the Rider-Waite Deck, and he told us the history of the cards and the artist who did the paintings.
Koury told us that for the first year, if we draw a card or do a spread not to read the little manual but rather ask ourselves what thoughts or messages we get from the cards. That's the whole point behind them--not that the cards have some kind of special meaning, but that they sort of serve as a physical focal point to identify things you are picking up through your natural intuition.
He did give us some basics on what the different suits and major and minor arcana represent.
I pick them up once a week, sometimes more often, and shuffle through until one drops.
I find it's a good exercise for finding out what I might already know that I don't know I know.
hehe Yep you were the inspiration! I like how your instructor viewed it and also how you approach it. And you just mentioned Lily Dale, I am dying to go there someday
The little booklets that come with the decks a lot of times people just throw those away. Your impressions and what you see in the cards is the most important.
I also had Rider-Waite when I first started. There are tons of different decks out there now to suit just about every taste... its amazing.
hehe Yep you were the inspiration! I like how your instructor viewed it and also how you approach it. And you just mentioned Lily Dale, I am dying to go there someday
The little booklets that come with the decks a lot of times people just throw those away. Your impressions and what you see in the cards is the most important.
I also had Rider-Waite when I first started. There are tons of different decks out there now to suit just about every taste... its amazing.
The booklet he gave us is his own work. He asked us to please not copy it and give it to others, as it's something he gives as part of his course.
You are right! I was in a shop the other day and the number of different decks they have is mind-boggling.
I bought a second deck, a Shaman deck, that is more nature-based. In recent years I've become more interested in our connection to the natural world and its inhabitants and what we can learn from them. The aboriginal Americans observed and learned and saw signs in their natural surroundings, and likely so did our ancestors, but we've distanced ourselves from that. I'm working on getting back to it.
That is wonderful that your instructor gave you a booklet to use of his own work. Hang onto that I took a tarot class at a local shop that used to be around, gosh I think it was back in the 90s and he had given us a bunch of handouts. I don't even know what I did with them later. I got more out of reading books on Tarot than his class and taking part in various online forums.
Aeclectic Tarot is a great place to see decks for anyone that wants to see a huge variety of decks. Their forum shut down but everything is still online to look at.
I like the Robin Wood deck too. And also tend to favour the classic Rider-Waite and Native American decks. I have a few others as well. I've purchased a couple of decks just because I admired the artwork.
The Medicine Cards of Jamie Sams and David Carson are what got me interested in divination-type decks in the first place.
But I'm a little annoyed at the trendiness that afflicts the whole divination-card business right now. Dozens and dozens of copycat-type decks have exploded on New Age bookshelves in the past 15-20 years and I find that a little off-putting.
I like the Robin Wood deck too. And also tend to favour the classic Rider-Waite and Native American decks. I have a few others as well. I've purchased a couple of decks just because I admired the artwork.
The Medicine Cards of Jamie Sams and David Carson are what got me interested in divination-type decks in the first place.
But I'm a little annoyed at the trendiness that afflicts the whole divination-card business right now. Dozens and dozens of copycat-type decks have exploded on New Age bookshelves in the past 15-20 years and I find that a little off-putting.
I have those Medicine Cards too. Not sure where the book is that came with them, may have already packed it up (moving next year). Thats a nice deck.
I can't even keep track of all the tarot and oracle decks anymore that are available. It just seems like there is something for everyone. The nice thing about having additional decks, especially if there is an accompanying book (not booklet) it can expand on ways to look at each card. Things I hadn't thought of before. That is always welcome.
I've been using them lately because I've gotten myself into a confusing situation. I made a decision that led to other things happening, culminating in a bit of a mess. So I'm using the cards to figure out what I missed about the situation initially, what hidden motivations I might have had that need to be brought to light, what I can learn from the situation, what aspects of my personality I need to bring out as I handle things...stuff like that. I can't say that I'm happy with the situation at hand, but I am enjoying that the contrast it caused is bringing a lot of learning and growth for me and it's mainly happening through the Tarot.
I just put the question out there, and shuffle, and draw 3 cards. Then I try to tell some kind of story with the cards as they relate to one another and to the question.
I started out doing spreads as suggested in the various booklets accompanying the cards. But very soon, I changed my approach. For the past decade or so, I shuffle until one, two, or however-many cards pop out of the deck. I let the "universe" decide for me. (Or maybe my inevitable clumsiness....)
I like the Robin Wood deck too. And also tend to favour the classic Rider-Waite and Native American decks. I have a few others as well. I've purchased a couple of decks just because I admired the artwork.
The Medicine Cards of Jamie Sams and David Carson are what got me interested in divination-type decks in the first place.
But I'm a little annoyed at the trendiness that afflicts the whole divination-card business right now. Dozens and dozens of copycat-type decks have exploded on New Age bookshelves in the past 15-20 years and I find that a little off-putting.
why?
if something is popular how is that a problem?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yep you were the inspiration! I like how your instructor viewed it and also how you approach it. And you just mentioned Lily Dale, I am dying to go there someday 
