Once all
of the card meanings are learnt, it is possible to interpret them in a
divination sense. This is referred to as reading the cards.
When reading the cards it is possible to understand what is going on in
the past, present or future in a person's life.
Reading
the Tarot is not simply a matter of learning all of the card meanings and
then combining them. It is a matter which requires intuition and awareness
in order to be accurate.
The best
way to increase accuracy when reading the Tarot is to practice. When
reading the Tarot is practiced frequently, the person learning to read
will soon be able to know what cards mean what to them and will be able
to receive accurate information.
Due to the
intuitive nature of the Tarot, it is sometimes easy to make a mistake and
to see things that are either not there or to see something that the reader
believes to be one thing that may actually be another. For this reason,
it is best to have a broader interpretation of the cards and to not try
to limit them. When learning it is good to remember that it takes
time and practice to learn how to read well and to always give the benefit
of the doubt to your readings. Adopting a 'wait and see' approach
to your readings will give you the knowledge that you need to read accurately
in the future.
When reading
the cards, it is important to know that the different cards often mean
different things to different readers despite the traditional card interpretations.
I find that certain cards appear in my own readings that I have personal
meanings for or always tend to think of the card as meaning something different
than what is written traditionally. It is my own meanings of the
cards that turn out to be the most accurate when reading for others. This
is another reason why it is important to keep an open mind with the interpretations
when learning the cards as once you become accustomed to reading certain
cards will mean certain things to you.
Practicing
the Tarot on yourself, friends and family will give you the experience
that you need to get better at reading the Tarot. Contrary to popular
belief, it is possible to read the Tarot for yourself however it can often
take many, many years of practice before the reader is intuitive enough
to look at their own cards objectively. When reading for friends
and family when first learning the Tarot, it is best to let them know that
you are learning and that it is possible that the reading will not be as
accurate as hoped. It is important to ensure that people not take
your readings 'seriously' when you are learning as it will cause them great
upset if you are inaccurate. Another important point to remember
when reading the cards for friends and family is that our own hopes and
wishes for the person will often obstuct what we see in a reading.
It is good to bear this in mind and if possible, make some notes for future
reference.
It is always
good to learn from your mistakes when reading the Tarot. Often it
is these errors which help us become better readers. When you find
that a reading as gone astray or your interpretation has been inaccurate,
look up the traditional meanings again and think carefully about where
you went wrong. To be inaccurate when first learning the Tarot is
to be expected and your errors will give you great insight into how to
avoid mistakes in the future.
The best
way to get to be accurate in the Tarot is to keep trying and keep reading.
Practice makes perfect!
There is
more on reading in the Spreads section. I recommend that you go onto
this section when you have finished here as there are more detailed explanations
on how to read Tarot cards with the spreads in mind.
If you are
familiar with the spreads and you would like a few tips on how to read
then continue onto my Tips on Reading section.
Spreads
Tips
on Reading
© Tanja's
Tarot 1999
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