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The tarot cards are a means of divination, which is a method of accessing answers from the unconcious or external forces of the universe. They are a set of cards, rather like the common playing cards in use today, consisting of a Major and Minor arcana. The Minor arcana contains cards belonging to four suits, like the playing cards, and represent everyday changes in energies. The Major arcana show far more powerful energies and are personifications of major life changing situations.
I have been reading my tarot cards regularly now for about a year, after I was bought a mini deck of Universal Waite cards as a present, and finally started to seriousely study them. I now own a full sized deck of Ryder Waite cards, and my next purchase will probrably be a set of Robin Wood cards.
I like to read my cards, and I get a lot of insight from them. Also, a few of my friends that I have done readings for say they are quite accurate. I think it is this combination of feedback and actual results, as well as enjoying and easily understanding the symbolism that has attracted me so much to the Tarot.
The best resource for learning the Tarot that I have found anywhere is the following website: Learn Tarot. This has the clearest, easiest to follow set of card descriptions that I have seen anywhere, and also includes a table of set lessons to follow. I used these lessons myself and found them extremely useful, and would highly recommend them to anybody interested in learning to read Tarot.
The next thing that I felt I needed to do in my study was to produce my own resources for the card meanings. I felt that I wanted full descriptions for each card, that I could read through every time a certain card was pulled out, to give me an overall idea of the meanings before I drew a particular reading from it. I copied down every scrap of information I could find from books, websites, small pamphlets, word of mouth and intuitive feelings and compiled them into the following resource: Card Meanings. I also used these compilations outside of readings as study references. You will find that they are mostly adapted from the Learn Tarot site, with added information.
I am now at the stage where I can confidently read and interpret the cards without the use of my references, and feel I can now start learning of other aspects of Tarot divination. My subsequent areas of study will include, card spreads, history, methods of preparation and relationships with other occult crafts. This page will be regularly updated as I learn more.
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