Recently picked up my first deck (Rider-Waite) and I am still in the stages of studying each card (using the 'Pictorial Key'), researching the history, and reading the advice and personal experiences of others. I will not open the deck until I feel confident enough to do so.
That being said, I read somewhere, perhaps even here on /div/, that it is suggested to get your deck 'blessed' before use but with no mention of any specific methods. Can anyone elaborate? Thanks.
I understand that (for now at least) this is a relatively inactive board so allow me to shoot another newfag question in here:
>storing your deck
Where/how are some ideal places/methods? Are there any stones or household plants that can compliment the Tarot? What is the best way to carry my deck when I leave the house?
I still haven't opened the deck yet because I still plan on doing it at just the right time. But am I thinking too much into it? Should I just take the plunge?
Yo I got my first deck a few days ago, and was only familiar with the Major Arcana. After looking over it a bit I performed two celtic-cross readings on myself, with two questions, just as a "test" thing with very low expectations, while looking up some minor arcana meanings. However it quickly turned from a "test" thing to an insane thing as all the cards were lining up in the most perfect, synchronistic ways to answer my question, like I was speaking to an extra-dimensional oracle, and some of the placements were even quite humorous.
So take the plunge dude, the more self-readings you do, the more personal meaning the cards will have, and the more the cards will embed themselves into you.
Also, my two questions were really stupid, so I'd recommend asking those above questions ^^ to the cards. Like, what will happen if I store the cards here? What will happen if I carry them around like this? You'll probably be surprised.
It all depends on the current or philosophy you want to partake in. I personally dedicate some decks to certain subjects and actively request the spirit associated with that subject to help me.
A general blessing however could be a simple as requesting a divine entity to help you. Or dedicate an entire ritual to dedicate that tarot to a spirit or god.
Yeah, I'm probably thinking too much into it. I suppose it's not so much my responsibility (or even within my ability) to take overly specific preparatory steps beyond reading some of the literature and carefully studying the cards, but rather I should keep an open mindset that the cards will 'do their thing' as I do mine, to put it simply. So based on your advice, I shouldn't be afraid to embrace a more experimental approach. Thanks, and good luck!
>It all depends on the current or philosophy you want to partake in. I personally dedicate some decks to certain subjects and actively request the spirit associated with that subject to help me.
At this point, I guess I would say that I am drawn to the Tarot primarily as an educational tool for both myself and to share with others (if that is not too basic). But now that you have stoked my interest, I'd love it if you would be willing to elaborate on your method of allocating each of your decks, and perhaps share some of your thoughts on my own reason that I mentioned?
>A general blessing however could be a simple as requesting a divine entity to help you. Or dedicate an entire ritual to dedicate that tarot to a spirit or god.
Fascinating, could you elaborate on this point as well? I know I am asking a lot on a board that is not very active (yet) and your advice has been quite helpful and appreciated, but I am interested in any further insight you can offer. Thanks!
At first you will start with very simple readings. One of the exercises I started with was reading only with the Major Arcana. This helps a lot because you only have to think about fewer cards.
The Major arcana is also focused on more specific and concrete subjects whereas the minor arcana is more subtle.
I would always recommend 78 degrees of wisdom because it's among the best if not the best book on the tarot. It explains you every card with depth, it gives you information about the psychological, anthropological and overall occult symbols behind each of the cards.
The rituals I do are connected with the elemental spirits or deity I want to connect with. The process involves invoking the element associated with the subject I want to link the tarot to, then calling forth the elemental spirits or god I want to dedicate my tarot to.. then simply requesting the deity/entity to bless the cards and give me guidance every time I do readings with that tarot deck.
This process however is not so suited for beginners, but if you wish to do so, you can also simply focus on the spirits you would like the aid from and before every reading request them to help you understand the whole situation better.
My patron god is Hermes and I believe I will dedicate this tarot to him, once I buy it. Because he is the god of divination and magic, both of which are intertwined to the god.
There is also something else we were once discussing regarding tarot decks and them being better suited for certain subjects.
Each tarot deck will sort of have it's mood and certain particularities. Despite you can indeed read about any subject you want to do readings about, with say a Rider Waite Tarot deck, there are some decks with very specific subjects in mind. This is not a bad thing, quite the contrary, the tarot being dedicated to a subject means it will excel in that area. I for example use the tarot of the mermaids for love readings, and because of the water element inherently associated with the mermaids, I tend to get very good results. This tarot however tends to scold me from time to time, because unlike many readers my reading method is quasi-algorithmic, and this tarot always requests me to use more intuition instead.
Parsley, cress, pine. And one familiar smell, like Frankincense or a perfume, could be anything, the wrapper of your favorite bubblegum.
>78 degrees of wisdom
Thank you for the recommendation. I have already started reading. It was a difficult find, but see attached for anyone else who is interested.
>finding the right deity
Like you, I feel a strong connection to Hermes which is why I originally intended to purchase The Hermetic Tarot by Godfrey Dowson. But similar to what you said, the local occult shopkeep' advised me against trying to blindly invoke the influence of a serious deity until I have established a personal navigation process that is comfortable enough for me to do so. Thank you for your helpful advice that I can also corroborate.
>different decks for different subjects
Fascinating. It seems like I am right to be using the Rider-Waite deck for now before moving onto a more subject-based deck that I may risk misusing as a beginner. But your experiences further stoke my motivation to reach your level of being able to use different decks for specific reasons. I look forward to this progression.
>using intuition
Based on your experiences and what >>596 was getting at, it is clear to me that I should view this to be an ongoing learning process rather than something that can be 'mastered' per se. Trusting my intuition is something that I struggle with and I am even further intrigued now that I know this to be a vital part of learning the Tarot. I look forward to having the Tarot as an important tool that can compel me to embrace my intuition and to even clear away some of my personal anxieties in order to make way for deeper understandings from all areas of life, which as we all know the Tarot provides powerful metaphors for.
Thank you. While I am someone who is drawn to hidden knowledge and unlocked doors, I always find it important to revert back to Christ at the end of the day as my ultimate source of comfort inb4 >gnostic >Christian It is clear that based on all of these helpful responses, the Tarot is more of a personalized experience than I thought.
I deeply appreciate the insightful responses here, and perhaps can even look forward to more. With my gratitude I also feel the need to apologize for the 'me, me, me, me, me' tone of my posts, which is something I understand can come across as particularly annoying to many /fringe/ posters. Hopefully this thread can help others as much as it helped me.
I personally believe that, even as a beginner you can start with any deck that resonates with you. My first tarot was The Golden Dawn Tarot. But I always felt drawn to Thoth's, and it is indeed the one which tends to give me some of the best results.
The specialized tarot decks however will find you at some point or the other, however if they are good for your path.