Okay, so here’s the deal, I’ve been messing around with the Smith-Waite tarot deck lately, and I figured I’d share how it’s been going. I’m no expert, just a regular dude trying to figure this stuff out.
First things first, I grabbed a deck. I went with the classic Smith-Waite, because everyone says it’s the one to start with. Found a set online for like, 20 bucks. Nothing fancy, just the regular cards. I remember the smell when I opened the box, kinda old paper, kinda cool.
Next, I started reading. I didn’t jump straight into readings, no way. I spent a solid week just flipping through the cards, looking at the pictures, and reading the descriptions in the little booklet that came with the deck. At first, it felt like looking at a bunch of random images. The Hermit? The Tower? What the heck?
Then, I tried a one-card draw. Simple, right? Each morning, I’d shuffle the deck, pull a card, and try to figure out how it related to my day. Some days it was obvious – pulled the Wheel of Fortune on a day I got a unexpected bonus at work. Other days? Total head-scratchers. Like, what does the Five of Pentacles have to do with my morning coffee?
I kept a journal. This was key, I think. I wrote down the card I pulled, my initial thoughts, and then how it actually played out during the day. This helped me connect the symbols to real-life situations. It wasn’t always perfect, but slowly, things started to click.
After a while, I moved on to three-card spreads. Past, present, future. Standard stuff. I’d ask a question, shuffle, and lay out the cards. This was a little trickier than the one-card draws, because I had to figure out how the cards related to each other. A lot of times, the “future” card was just a reflection of what I was already doing in the “present.”
I watched some YouTube videos. I found some channels with people who were really good at explaining the cards. They helped me understand the deeper meanings and the different interpretations. Some of them were a little too “woo-woo” for me, but others were really helpful. Just searched for “Smith Waite Tarot for Beginners” and went from there.
- Pro tip: Don’t get hung up on memorizing everything. Focus on understanding the overall feeling of each card.
- Another tip: Trust your intuition. Sometimes the “official” meaning doesn’t resonate with you. Go with what feels right.
I still mess up. Sometimes I pull cards that make absolutely no sense. Sometimes I interpret them completely wrong. But that’s okay. It’s all part of the learning process. The biggest thing I learned is just keep practicing and don’t be afraid to just dive in and get a little messy.
What’s next? I’m thinking about trying some bigger spreads, maybe learning more about numerology and how it relates to the cards. And I definitely want to get better at reading for other people. For now though I’m just enjoying learning and seeing what happens. This whole thing is a work in progress.
