So, I’ve been digging into tarot lately, and man, there’s a lot to learn! I started by grabbing a deck and just playing around, but I quickly realized I needed to understand the lingo. You know, get the basic “tarot terms” down.
First thing I did was hit up the internet. I just started searching for “tarot terms” and “tarot card meanings”. I found a ton of websites, but it was kind of overwhelming. Lots of different interpretations, and it felt like I was drowning in information.
Then, I decided to get a bit more structured. I grabbed a notebook and started making a list. I wrote down terms like:
- Major Arcana – Okay, these are the big, important cards, like The Fool, The Lovers, The Tower. I figured these were a good place to start.
- Minor Arcana – These are the more everyday cards, divided into four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. Kind of like a regular deck of playing cards, but with a twist.
- Suits – Yeah, those Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. Each one has a different vibe, like fire, water, air, and earth.
- Court Cards – These are the Page, Knight, Queen, and King in each suit. They represent different personalities or approaches.
- Reversals – This is when a card shows up upside down. Apparently, it can change the meaning, sometimes making it weaker, sometimes the opposite, or sometimes something totally different!
I started by focusing on the Major Arcana. I’d pick a card, look at the picture, and then read about it from a few different sources. I tried to write down my own impressions in my notebook, too. What did the card feel like to me?
Getting My Hands Dirty
After getting a basic grip on the card meanings, I started doing some simple spreads. A spread is just a layout of cards, like a three-card spread for past, present, and future. It’s a way to ask a question and get some insight from the cards.
At first, my readings were pretty clunky. I’d lay out the cards, then scramble back to my notebook to look up the meanings. But, slowly, I started to remember some of them. And the more I practiced, the more I started to see connections between the cards in a spread.
It’s still a work in progress, for sure. I’m definitely no expert, but I’m starting to feel like I can actually have a conversation about tarot without sounding like a total newbie. It’s been a fun journey so far, and I’m excited to keep learning!
