Alright, let’s talk about how I got started with the Rider Waite tarot deck. I kept hearing about tarot, you know? People mentioning it here and there. I got curious. So, I started looking around, trying to figure out where to even begin because there are so many decks out there.
Pretty much everywhere I looked online, folks were saying the Rider Waite Smith deck, or RWS, was the one for newbies. They mentioned the pictures on all the cards, not just the big important ones. Made sense to me – having something to look at seemed easier than just symbols.
Getting Hands-On
So, I decided to just go for it. Ordered a Rider Waite deck. I remember when it arrived, opening up that little box. The cards felt sturdy enough. Standard card feel, nothing super weird. The colors were kinda bright, maybe a bit old-fashioned looking, but clear.
First thing I did? Dumped ’em all out on my table. Just wanted to see them all. And yeah, every single card had a scene, a picture showing people doing stuff, or landscapes, or whatever. And the titles were printed right there at the bottom. That felt like a good start. Some pictures immediately made sense, like you could guess the vibe. Others were confusing, honestly. Like, what’s this person doing with all these cups?
Figuring Things Out
Then came the actual learning part. The deck came with one of those tiny white booklets. You know the ones? Super basic meanings. Didn’t help a whole lot, felt kinda vague. So, mostly, I just spent time looking at the cards themselves.
- I’d shuffle them and just pull one card.
- Look really closely at the picture. What’s happening? Who’s in it? What’s the mood?
- Tried to just guess the meaning based on the image before looking anything up.
It was a slow process. Sometimes I’d try a simple three-card spread – like, past-present-future, or situation-action-outcome. Just for myself, messing around.
Making Connections
Slowly, things started to click a little. Having those pictures really did help, I think. Like the source info said, it gives you something concrete to react to. You see the Ten of Swords – guy on the ground, swords in his back. You don’t need a PhD to get a general idea that things aren’t great, right? The images became like little story prompts.
It wasn’t always easy, and sometimes the readings felt totally random or made no sense. But having pictures on every card meant I always had something to think about, some starting point. It felt less intimidating than decks that only have pips (like regular playing cards) for the minor cards.
Where I’m At Now
I still have that same Rider Waite deck. It’s kinda worn around the edges now, which I like. I use it regularly. I’ve gotten way more familiar with the images and their usual meanings, though sometimes they still surprise me. It’s comfortable, like putting on an old pair of shoes. It just works for me.
So yeah, that’s basically my story with the Rider Waite. Didn’t do anything fancy. Just got the deck everyone recommended for beginners, looked at the pictures a lot, and tried things out. It was a pretty good way to start, I guess. Felt practical.
