Tarot Lesson #1

Greetings, and welcome to tarot classes based on my book:
The Ultimate Tarot Guide: for Your Personal Tarot Journey

You can purchase your copy @ the link above.

You will need a notebook or three-ring binder and a pen. I recommend the notebook or binder, as opposed to typing your answers/reflections into the computer. A couple reasons for this…handwriting anything puts you closer to the topic and the energy you’re working with. This is why the emailed tarot readings I do are all written out in long-hand first, as I turn the cards, and only then typed into the computer. The second reason is that, at the end of your journey, you will have a keepsake of your adventure, in your own handwriting, to review at your leisure, to use for reflection and meditation.

You will also need a tarot deck to work with. This should be a deck that resonates with you, a deck that you’re comfortable with; but I do suggest that the deck be a standard deck, in that the major arcana, the court cards, and the suits be traditional. I recommend good old Rider/Waite. It’s a traditional set of cards that you may find yourself returning to again and again during a lifetime of tarot study and reading.

The first thing I want to tell you is that the journey you are embarking on right now will be an incredibly personal journey.

These tarot classes are copyrighted material and may not be reproduced in any form, nor may they be displayed to the public through blogs, social websites, personal websites, emails, etc.

When you re-read your notebook, when you review your lessons, when you handle the cards and interpret their meanings; your experience will be unique to you. You will come to develop a relationship with the cards that will open the door to your sub-conscious on many levels. You will discover, perhaps much to your surprise, that you can no longer look at the same card the same way twice. The tarot is fluid and ever changing, as are the lives reflected in tarot readings.

Lesson 1: A Card A Day

This exercise is going to go a bit deeper than merely choosing one card and jotting down your interpretations. We’re not going to leave it at that. We’re going to take this card apart, looking at it from levels unthought-of and through aspects not usually brought out in most tarot classes.

To begin, pick your card. You can shuffle your deck and cut the deck, choosing a card any way you want to. You can spread them out in a big messy pool, back sides up, and choose a card this way if you wish. Just find one card, one card that you select out of the entire deck.

• 1. In your notebook, write down the name of this card.

• 2. Is this card a major arcana or one of the suits?

If this is one of the suits, write down which element and season it is associated with. (Refer to page 136 in my tarot book.)

If this is one of the major arcana, write down which astrological sign and element this card is associated with. (Refer to page 26 in my book.)

Write down the number associated with this card. If the card has a two digit number, add the numbers together, and keep doing so, until you get a one digit number. Write down the numerological meaning for the number you arrived at. (Page 269)

• 3. Read the traditional meaning for the card that you drew.

If it’s a major arcana card, see page 26.

If it’s a card from one of the suits, Ace-10, see page 146; for court cards, turn to page 225.

• 4. Now put my book down and pick up your card.

Relax, take a deep breath, ground and center yourself if you know how to do this and if you feel the need. Look at this card, not in a rushed or expectant way, but in a contemplative mood. Allow your mind to be open, and allow your mind to wander. Pay attention to what you mentally ‘see’ and feel, pay attention to impressions that are coming to you. Take your time, all the time you need.

When you are ready, write down…

a) The first thought that came to you when you looked at the card. Include details, as much detail as you can. Did this thought involve a scenario or a stagnant scene? Were there characters or animals? Objects or locations?

b) The first person you thought of when you looked at this card. Is it someone you are close to, or at odds with? Is it a living person, or someone who is deceased?

c) What color came to mind? What do you associate with this color?…including people, places, objects, memories, feelings.

d) Did a memory come to mind when you viewed this card? If so, is it pleasant, or unpleasant? Does it include people you are still in contact with now, or people who have passed? Does it include particular animals, objects, a specific time period?

If so, write it down– in detail.

e) Write down any and all random impressions. This includes impressions and details that you might feel make no sense, at least not at the moment. Write down how you feel about the card, and what emotions surfaced.

• 5. If you have any dreams on the first night after viewing this card. Write this dream down in your tarot journal– in as much detail as you can recall.