I’m so excited to gather with you again and talk about Tarot! Hopefully you’ve been able to follow along with this amazing journey through, Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence. You can start from the beginning to get caught up. Here are the pervious posts: Introduction, Part-1, and Part-2.

This is part-3 Deepening Your Tarot Knowledge. So many wonderful and juicy things have been presented in this chapter. You will find yourself going back again and again to participate in the excellent activities that Brigit has created for you. Tarot is about continuously learning, no matter how long you’ve worked with Tarot these different activities will be valuable opportunities for staying in tip-top Tarot shape!

I want to begin by sharing some daily learning activities that I have found beneficial. These can be done one at a time, or in combination. You are able to tailor your Tarot learning to your own interest, needs and schedules. Remember… practice, practice! Tarot should eventually become second nature!

Daily Draws

Rather than relying only on theory, you now have the opportunity to call upon your personal experiences and intuition to deepen your understanding of the Tarot cards…. The Card a Day exercise is one of my personal favourites and, I believe, was most helpful in bringing the cards to life in my own Tarot studies.

-Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence by Brigit Esselmont

Almost every Tarot learning book will tell you to do a daily draw. It’s a wonderful and practical way of learning to read the cards because it allows you to see the cards, think about them, become familiar with the keywords and reflect on it through the day! I encourage you to follow this process, and Tarot Foundations will offer many opportunities for you to put this into practice!

Some people become a little discouraged with this process. They find it monotonous. They see it as Tarot in a vacuum. But in order to gain the full benefit of pulling a daily Tarot card you must reflect on it! This is about pulling each card into the real word and saying, “Show me what you got!”

Begin by making a daily ritual of pulling a card. Do this in the morning when you have your coffee. Sit at the table, sipping on your pungent morning potion and think about the day ahead of you. Ask the card, “What insight can you offer for the day?” or “What do I need to know about today?” or something similar.

Pull one card. Lay it in front of you. Look at the picture. Take in the colors. The characters. See what story is being told. What stands out to you instantly? What does this card feel like to you? Do you have any sensations as you look at this card? If this card could talk, what would it say?

Now look through some of your Tarot books. Find the keywords that go along with this card. Do any of the keywords jump out at you? Write down everything. You can do this quickly on a piece of paper, or collect all your information in your trusted Tarot journal!

Now go on and enjoy the day. Remember to be mindful of the card you’ve pulled. The reading doesn’t end at the table. When you return home in the evening make note of your experience. Did the cards insight clearly come to pass? If you’re not sure, still write down all the things that happened during the day. You can go back and re-read your week in Tarot and make more notes.

Week Tarot Card 

Here is another exciting exercise routine for learning Tarot! Many students have said that doing daily draws can sometimes stifle their Tarot learning because they pull the same cards over and over. This is common because you really need to absorb the meaning of that particular card. If something is chronic in your life, then you are missing part of the lesson! But let’s take another learning approach… pull a card for the week!

You can pick the card yourself; you don’t need to let this be a random pick. Go through the deck and ask yourself which cards you need to get to know. What cards really speak to you, or maybe there are some you feel ambivalent about. Explore those cards!

Once you’ve selected your card for the week you can begin. Make a task for each day.

Day one: look at the card from every angle. Make note of the colors, numbers, characters, symbols, and settings. Take in all the details. Write them down. Let them settle for a bit!

Day Two: Write about the card. What story does it tell? Pull all your observations together into a clear story. It can be a few sentences or paragraphs. It can be fiction or nonfiction. Be creative. Let the cards speak. Do whatever feels right to you!

Day Three: Look up keywords for the card. Write down any information that you find valuable about this card. Look at a few different sources.

Day Four: Pull quotes that you feel embody the card. It can be quotes, song lyrics, bits of a poem or even a paragraph from a favorite book! The quote should sum up the card or show it in action.

Day Five: Find a real life example of this card. Look for it in a magazine or news paper article. Sometimes it will find you.

Day Six: Look for a picture or pictures that embody the card (See the next exercise for more explanation).

Day Seven: Reflect on everything you’ve learned about the card over the week. Did your perspective change as the days progressed? Did you make any new discoveries?

Regardless of the timeframe you choose to do this, the process will be powerful and informative. You will find your ideas of the Tarot growing, changing and fluxuating. This is meant to mesh your personal Tarot soul with the many ideas that already exist about the cards. It’s a journey of exploring and reflecting.

Meditation offers a way to go even deeper into the meaning and symbolism of each Tarot card as it allows us to bypass the conscious mind and dive into the subconscious mind and connect with the higher self. By relaxing our mind and letting go of our constant thought processes, we open up the pathway to our subconscious mind and begin to tap into a higher level of knowledge and insight. We allow our intuition to guide us and in doing so, we build a much deeper understanding of the meaning of the Tarot cards.

-Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence by Brigit Esselmont 

Tarot Poster 

Creating a Tarot poster is wonderfully fun. It allows you to see the cards from different angles. I suggest that you pick a card or if you like, pick a suit and explore it through images. You can collect magazine clippings, old book illustrations, and photographs…whatever works for you!

Create a collage by pasting the images and pictures to a poster board. This will allow you to see the cards in a new light. Think of this process as exploring beyond the boarders of the cards… you are looking deeper into the realm, seeing the card through many different filters. You can even add words to the poster!

You will notice that this is part of the Weekly Tarot Process, but as a practice on it’s own you begin to really touch the heart of the card. You can even create a poster or page in a journal for each card… adding images periodically. This can be an ongoing process!

Writing Tarot 

I believe writing is innately powerful. Not everyone likes the process of writing about the cards. But if you naturally write, journal or tell stories, this will be a great tool for you. You can do this in your Tarot journal so that you can continue collecting from different angels.

Pick a card, any card. And then write a story about it. I have mentioned this many times. Look at the card from every angel. And then write a story about it. This can be a long or short story. It can encompass many layers of the card. Write about the card from different points of view… what if it’s a story about love, or loss, or money, or travel. See it through that card!

You can even write a story about the whole suit. I suggest doing this anyway because it allows you to understand the progression from the ace to the king in each suit. Imagine the suit as a family or a circle of people who are all interconnected. Tell their stories. How does each suites story differ?

Seeing Tarot Everywhere

Go about your day as you usually would, and as you do, be very conscious of certain situations, events or people that may have something to teach you about your selected Tarot card.

-Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence by Brigit Esselmont

 As you continue learning Tarot you will see the cards come to life, manifesting as real life scenarios. Sometimes it will be in seeing events come to pass after performing a reading. But other times you will observe something and think, “That was very much a 3 of cups moment!”

Make note of these real life Tarot experiences. Seek them out! These are incredible opportunities for you to add to your tool kit. It will give you a chance to see real life events in the cardboard pictures before you.

If you want to take this a step further check out a book called, Back In Time Tarot!

I hope this presentation of exercises excites and motivates you!  Tarot Foundations, is filled with a multitude of amazing exercises that takes you deeper and deeper into the world of Tarot! Brigit gives you plenty of growing room and offers different approaches to suit your learning needs!

I want you to try this for me: Instead of “learning” Tarot… shift your mindset to “living” Tarot! That’s a powerful affirmation. Good luck

I challenge you to try one of these exercises! Share your experience here. And please share your questions, tips and suggestions so that you can be entered into the drawing for a FREE copy of Tarot Foundations: 31 Days to Read Tarot with Confidence!

 

© Shaheen Miro 2013