Okay, so I’ve been wanting to get deeper into Tarot for a while now. I finally decided to buckle down and really learn the meanings of the Rider-Waite deck. You know, the classic one with all the pictures. Here’s how I did it.
Getting Started
First, I grabbed my deck. I mean, that’s pretty obvious, right? I needed the cards in front of me to actually, you know, see them.
Digging into the Images
Next, I started with the Major Arcana. Those are the big, important cards like The Fool, The Lovers, and Death. I laid them out one by one and just…looked at them. I mean really looked. What did I see? What did the colors, the symbols, the people’s expressions make me feel?
- The Fool: I saw a carefree guy, almost stepping off a cliff. He seemed happy, though! It made me think about new beginnings, taking risks, and maybe being a little naive.
- The Magician: This one was all about power and control. He had all these tools in front of him, like he could make anything happen.
I did this for each of the Major Arcana cards. Just taking my time, letting the images sink in, and writing down my first impressions. It felt like a conversation with the cards, almost.
Minor Arcana Next
After the Major Arcana, I moved onto the Minor Arcana. These are the numbered cards, like the suit of cups, suit of pentacles, etc. These were a little trickier, but I noticed patterns.
- Cups: Seemed to be all about emotions, feelings, relationships.
- Swords: More about conflict, logic, and mental struggles.
I went through each suit, card by card, again, just observing. What did the pictures show? How did they make me feel? I jotted it all down in my notebook.
Putting It All Together
Once I’d gone through all 78 cards, I started to see how they all fit together. The Major Arcana felt like the big life lessons, and the Minor Arcana were more about the everyday stuff. It was like the cards were telling a story.
Practice Makes Perfect
Of course, just looking at the cards once isn’t enough. I’ve been doing practice readings for myself and friends, trying to connect the meanings I learned with real-life situations. It’s a work in progress, for sure, but it’s getting easier to interpret the cards the more I work with them.
It’s been a fun journey. I wouldn’t say I’m an expert now or anything, but I definitely feel like I have a much better understanding of the Rider-Waite deck. It’s like unlocking a secret language, one picture at a time.
