Welcome to Gaia! ::

http://www.learntarot.com/course.htm

maybe this is helpfull...

I learned out of a book that came in my "Tarot-in-a-tin" set, since then I did tons of research on the web, borrowed a couple of books in the library and read the books that came with my other decks.

Basically just read whatever info you can get your hands on and practice on yourself a lot. People say it's bad luck to read for yourself but it's the best way to learn.

I love that superstition... it is quite far from the truth... A person may have difficulty reading themselves... It takes a great amount of effort to "think outside of the box". I've worked with tarot for about 18 and a half years now... I've done personal readings quite often for guidance ((reasoning may have something to do with it as well... I do not ask stupid questions every five minutes... cards tend to find that rather annoying...))

A few tips:

Remember that *you* and *your* perceptions are what makes the reading. If you are only going by textbook definitions, you are diluting its purpose. Go through and look at each card. Take the time to interpret what the pictures mean and what *you* think they stand for. Jot them down and voila. (You'll find that you'll have an easier time remembering each card's meaning this way) This is looked on as being a way of cleansing and bonding with your deck.

Take the time to clear out your mind before doing a reading. You can't do them when you are overly emotional/stressed or else the reading will come out one-sided (generally blackened by your own feelings).

Make a point to think with a neutral mind. *You* are not the one that is executing the reading... the cards and whatever force that controls them is. As I said earlier... "think outside of the box". Step outside of your body and look at the situation passively. Let it happen... don't force it upon yourself.

Concentration is important. If the querent is thinking of a question.. don't try to grasp it, but focus on making it clearer and stronger. You will notice that while you shuffle and you are concentrating completely, the deck will "flow". If you are not... you may receive a "bite" or two... ((a sensation that feels a bit like the cards are literally nibbling and/or hurting you))

When it comes to asking a question or about a situation... make sure the question is well formed. Clear and precise. It leads to stronger readings.

Try to cut down on the card abuse. Don't do a reading while you or the querent are either drunk or on drugs... readings come out scattered and its nearly impossible to make any sense of it... It hurts the cards and your own mind, especially if you are really putting forth effort to have a strong reading.

If you have any questions, PM me. I'm always willing to help. heart

I forgot to mention about being repetitive when it came to asking a question. Say for example... you're doing a reading on yourself. You ask a question. The phone rings while you are shuffling the cards, distracting you... and the reading that comes out makes no sense. Instead of repeating the same exact question... try to reword it differently. Always try to avoid asking the same question more than once (especially on the same day))...

And no... life won't end and you won't be cursed for the rest of your life if you accidentally do this. Etiquette and respect can further you...

On a side note... some readings will always come out jumbled. If you or the querent keep asking questions and the reading has nothing to do with the point... make what sense you can of it and jot it down for later. In some cases, warnings come through.

I.e.: I was having a minor get together in my apartment with my friends when I was 18. Just for fun, I did three readings- one for my roommate, one for his fiancee, and one for my roommate's younger brother. Just joking around, they all asked if anything exciting was about to happen.

All three readings obtained a little information about each individual person... but all three had the same three cards show up in the same place inside the spread. I couldn't make any sense of those three cards... the only thing I could make out was... "You're going to lose a friend".

Since we were a very close circle of friends, we wrote it off that we'd probably get into an argument with someone else we knew... and lose them as a friend... (In all honesty, I could only make sense out of two of the three cards... it felt like someone was blocking me out entirely... or keeping me from really understanding...)

A month later... my fiancee and I were in a terrible car accident. Out of four people involved, I was the only survivor... he was my roommate's best friend (they had known each other since their first year). He had also been best friend's with the other two people that I did a reading on that night...

So you see... signs are shown to you... its up to you how you interpret them.