Tarot Talk - Frequently Asked Questions and Observations

When it comes to learning and using Tarot I get many questions from my students and from those just purchasing Tarot Decks from my shoppe.  

I started my Tarot journey reading books until I found my first Tarot Teacher.  Since that time I have taken three Tarot certification courses, read countless books, and attended many workshops.  There are so many aspects of Tarot that I am constantly learning and growing with the art of cartomancy.

One question I am asked a lot is, "Can I just learn Tarot from the white guidebook that comes in the deck?"  I will not say it is or isn't possible however, many of the books are not as extensive as taking a course, attending a workshop, pulling daily cards, or reading a book. Most of the white books that come in the Tarot Decks have the general definitions of the cards both upright and reversed. I have purchased some Tarot Decks that don't contain a guidebook.  If you happen to purchase one of those decks you won't have a guide. Many of the white guidebooks are brief without additional information other than the keywords.  

The most important thing is building your relationship with your Tarot Deck, using your intuition, knowing the symbolism, and the keywords.  

Another common question I am asked "Is it possible to read a Tarot Deck if it isn't based on Rider-Waite deck?"  Yes it is.  If you understand symbolism, use your intuition, you can read any Tarot Deck.  Most decks are very similar to the Rider-Waite deck which is actually based off of the Tarot of Marseilles Deck from the 15th Century. Both decks have similarities and differences.

A big question that is asked "Can I read playing cards the same as Tarot?"  YES! I actually have a good friend from high school that started only reading with playing cards. She wasn't allowed to have Tarot Cards in her house growing up.  What you need to know is that some decks actually only have clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades without illustrations. And if you happen to only have a deck of playing cards you can do a Tarot reading.  This is where you need to know the Keywords and follow your intuition.

Here is the breakdown of the card coordinations:

Pentacles/Coins = Diamonds

Wands = Clubs

Cups = Hearts

Swords = Spades

The most important thing I recommend to my students is take a course, workshops, read, and practice daily pulling cards for yourself and others (especially if you want to be a professional reader). If you learn how to read the Marseilles Deck, Visconti Tarot or Rider-Waite you should be able to pick up any deck and read. If the Major and Minor Arcana differ from the main Tarot decks use your skills to learn the deck.

Most important skills:

1. Fool's Journey

2. Archetypes

3. Symbolism

4. Keywords

5. Intuition

Most decks are based off of Rider Waite however artwork, symbolism will differ. In addition, some decks may not have a Tower card it might be a House Card, Church Card, or Castle Card. Just because a card is different it doesn't mean the deck will be hard to read it will just have you tap into your knowledge, wisdom, and intuition.

If you are interested in taking Tarot from me you can find my list of classes at https://triple-goddess-apothecary-and-reiki.myshopify.com or https://www.eventbrite.com/o/rowan-ravenwolf-32039603195