Kate (Daily Tarot Girl)

3 Mistakes to Avoid When Learning Tarot

14 Comments / March 2018, tarot practice, Tarot Tips / /

Learning Tarot can be a bit of a shitshow. So many books and decks to choose from, so much to learn and so little time. It’s no wonder most students of the Tarot get overwhelmed and give up.

When I look back at when I was first learning Tarot, I made SO MANY MISTAKES. In the end it didn’t really matter – I learned Tarot eventually, but if I’d known these 3 things, I think I would have had an easier time of it.

MISTAKE #1: Starting with the Major Arcana

Most Tarot books start off by discussing the Major Arcana and most Tarot students try to learn the Majors first, before moving onto the minors.

This is what I did (initially) and I wish I hadn’t.

The Majors represent the soul’s journey. They’re deep, esoteric and can sometimes be confusing and tricky to understand. Each Tarot card has many layers to it but this is especially true for the Major Arcana cards.

The Minor Arcana are much easier to relate to. They depict scenes of day to day life and you can usually figure out what the Minors are about just by looking at them.

Rider-Waite Tarot

Starting with the Majors is like trying to read Tolstoy when your nine. You’re bound to get discouraged and end up thinking “this is hard. I’m an idiot. Maybe I can’t learn Tarot after all.”

To be honest, I still have NO IDEA what the Justice card even means! And I’ve been reading for a good 10 years.

Most people are able to understand the Minors without much Tarot experience and I recommend studying them first. This will boost your confidence and get you all juiced up to tackle the Majors once you’re ready.

 

MISTAKE #2: Trying to learn Tarot fast

We all want to figure shit out quickly. The idea of spending YEARS learning something is just not sexy. But learning Tarot takes time.

So if you truly desire to know and understand the Tarot, don’t be in a big rush. Instead, buckle up for a long and thrilling ride!

See the act of learning Tarot as an adventurous journey as opposed to an impressive task that needs to be completed. This will help you savor the experience of learning Tarot, because it truly is something to be savored!

Rider Waite Tarot, published by US Games, Inc.

Tarot is not some external thing that can be mastered like cupcake baking, pole dancing or carpentry. Learning Tarot requires you to journey into your self – it is more of an internal process than an external one.

For example, it’s not enough to just memorize the cards so that the next time you look at The Emperor you think Emperor = authority and stubborness.

What does The Emperor mean to you? How are you like him? Who does he remind you of? What do you love/hate about him? How does this card show up in your life? Answering these questions will help you truly understand this card but it will also help you understand your self better.

MISTAKE #3: Trying to memorize the card meanings

Memorization isn’t learning. It’s the opposite of learning, similar to brainwashing. If memorization is the cornerstone of your Tarot study then you will end up being a cold, robotic reader!

Dame Darcy Tarot

The most important way to learn about something is to experience it and Tarot cards beg to be experienced!

The High Priestess murmurs come closer and let me tell you my secrets, NOT put a label on me and remember it.

Meditate on the images and symbols, journal about the cards, and most importantly DO THIS EXERCISE  to dive deep and really explore your cards.

Once you explore and experience the cards you will truly understand them, which is way more valuable than superficial memorization. Here are my 7 tips for learning the card meanings (without boring memorization!)

Over to you!

What mistakes did you make when you were first learning Tarot? Tell me in the comments below!

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3 Juicy-Fun Tarot Exercises for a Rainy Day!

2 Comments / February 2018, tarot practice / /

I decided a month ago that I needed a break from The Internet (including Netflix). And I’ve been spending each day since meticulously planning my escape!

The internet can be a wonderful thing – a source of creativity, connection, learning, etc. But it can also be used for other things (things I would never do!) like stalking an ex, reading snark blogs, watching porn and immersing yourself in deliciously gossipy FB groups!

In other words, the Internet can be a massive distraction. And right now I long for quiet, emptiness and wide open space so that new ideas can float in. So I decided to take a two week break and use that time to do some soul searching, clean my kitchen cupboards and (hopefully!) get some inspiration for my next Tarot project.

Since I won’t have Netflix to fall back on for evening entertainment, I plan to cozy up to my Tarot deck each night. While I was searching my site for Tarot exercises, I found 3 that I’d completely forgotten about!

Be Your Own Life Coach…with Tarot!

This is a good one if you have a particular issue, question or problem that you’re working on. It’s a 9 step exercise so give yourself a bit of time for this one!

 

Decode Your Celebrity Obsessions with Tarot

If you love reading Star magazine in grocery store lineups, you’ll love this one. Who is your celebrity crush? Now, find out what this says about you…

 

What do you REALLY want?

Deep down you have a hidden desire and it drives your behavior and life decisions in all sorts of ways. This Tarot exercise helps you uncover that hidden desire…

 

 

I hope you have fun with these Tarot exercises and that they inspire you to engage with your Tarot cards more often! But what I really want to know is…what’s the longest you’ve ever been away from the internet? And what was it like for you?

xoxo
Kate

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Tarot Reading for Feb 12 – 18

6 Comments / February 2018, Weekly Tarot Forecast Videos / /

After trying on seven – seven! – different occasions to film this video, I finally did it! Had to wait for my cat to fall asleep first though (she was diving at the cards before and yanking my background fabric in her teeth!)

I am using the Osho Zen Tarot for this one…

Have a good week and thanks for watching 🙂

xoxo
Kate

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Prisma Visions Tarot & Light Visions Tarot Deck Review

3 Comments / Deck Reviews, February 2018 / /

The Light Visions Tarot and it’s colorful sister deck the Prisma Visions Tarot are created by James R. Eads. Both decks are gorgeous, high quality decks with some very unique features.

Likes:

Very high quality card stock

Borderless Minor Arcana! Yes!

Deck comes in a wonderful, sturdy box

Minor Arcana suits form a long picture when you lay them out (more on this!)

One extra special card that is unique to the deck

Dislikes:

Tricky to shuffle because of thick card stock and glossy finish

Borders on Major Arcana can make the Majors feel a bit small

You know you’ve got a high quality deck as soon as you hold the Prisma Visions Tarot box in your hands. It’s beautiful and sturdy and when you crack it open you see the mystical looking card backs of the deck nestled inside…

I was lucky enough to receive the Prisma Visions Tarot as a gift from one of my students almost a year ago. As soon as I opened the box and looked through the deck I thought “this deck is mine and it’s only for me!” which is funny because I don’t usually get possessive with my decks.

I have found this deck to be a welcome challenge in my reading practice. The cards aren’t always easy to decipher but they beg to be contemplated and pondered. This has helped me get new ideas and insights that can only come when you sit with a card for some time.

Prisma Visions Tarot is gorgeous. The Cards are vibrant, richly colored and pulsate with energy and movement. And I LOVE the fact that the minors don’t have borders.

One of my favorite things about this deck is this: each suit when laid out in order (Ace to King) forms one long, continuous picture. See my video above for a demonstration. This allows you to really study the minors in a whole new way as you get to see the story of each suit unfolding and see each card in a greater context.

Prisma Visions Tarot

Is there anything NOT to love about Prisma Visions Tarot? I have two minor gripes…

I don’t love the fact that the Majors have borders. It make the cards seem smaller than they actually are although I guess it’s easier to tell them apart from the Minors.

The other thing I don’t like is that this deck is a bit cumbersome to shuffle. The cards are normal size but their thick, good quality card stock makes them un-bendy and their glossy finish makes them slippery. If you have big strong hands this shouldn’t be an issue but I’m a weakling in this department.

Light Visions Tarot

I was recently sent the Light Visions Tarot (for review) and it’s been really fun working with both decks and comparing and contrasting them.

The Light Visions Tarot was actually the original, colorless deck. The Prisma Visions Tarot is basically the colorful version of that deck, with a few minor differences.

Light Visions Tarot

After working with the Light Visions deck for a week or so, I still cannot decide which deck I like best.

These decks each have a slightly different energy to them – the Prisma Visions is bright and alive while the Light Visions beams with…uh, light and takes on an etherial, other dimensionesque feel.

I have to say that I appreciate the simplicity of the Light Visions Tarot. Sure, lots of vibrant color is great and all but sometimes your just like enough with all these mind cluttering hues, I need a break!

And that’s when a color-free deck like the Light Visions Tarot can feel like a sigh of relief, like a cool, dark basement during a heat wave or the soul-nourishing quiet of your own home after your friend with three kids has left.

Sometimes your mind needs kind of that space, that kind of calm, to access the intuitive realm and this is what the Light Visions accomplishes so beautifully. Fuck color! You don’t need it.

Just kidding. I love a big, bright, colorful deck but I am starting to really appreciate the black and white decks too. Although the Light Visions isn’t really black and white, it’s more dark purply and sepia/cream.

Should you buy this deck?

Light Visions Tarot

I wouldn’t recommend this as your first deck. If you’re brand new to Tarot get something easy like the Rider Waite or Robin Wood. Then get this one when you want something meatier!

Readers with a bit of experience will appreciate this deck most and anyone looking for a bit of a challenge. Deck collectors will want this one in their collection for sure.

This deck also makes a fantastic gift for the Tarot lover in your life 🙂 I say this because of the exceptionally beautiful box that the deck comes in!

To purchase or find out more about his deck:

https://prismavisionstarot.com/

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