When is a chair, just a chair....

Thanks, Woods!

That was the best and most concise advice, I'm printing it out and keeping near my decks!

Blessings and you rock!

GD

BOOST FOR THE EGO! mucho, thanks! glad i could help you! (ya rock too!)

greatdane said:

OK, a card comes up, along with a couple other cards, that if one went by even a basic guide, it means let's say, some sort of career challenge ahead, but you're getting a totally different vibe from the cards. If you don't have to be intuitive to read, how do you really know when a card is just a card, or when it means something really different? Doesn't that require some intuition? That part confuses me. I'm sure those of you that have been reading awhile know what I mean and have your own ways of addressing it, I'm just saying, when beginning, did you go by your intuition or what the guides said?

Thanks,
GD

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My answer is if you are getting a vibe or feeling that a card means something, then that is what it means. Book meanings are not necessarily bad. Depending on the way you read, some make more or less use of them. But if you ever had a feeling that goes against the book meaning or the meaning you expect the card to have, the feeling supercedes the otehr meaning. When you have a feeling or an intuition about something in Tarot, you are meant to follow that. It is part of the intended answer.

I don't know that I agree that you don't have to be intuitive to read. Not everyone reads "intuively" but that does mean that intuition is not involved. There is always some intuition involved in reading, even in those who don't read intuitively. There is always some degree of it necessary. Sometimes you can see and card could be saying either this or that. You need to use your intuition to know which meaning applies, for example.

We are all of us intuitive. It's a normal part of being human, but often we've learnt to supress it from living in a society that undervalues it. But we all have it and it can be developed and learning to read Tarot does develop it more and more.

So that is my best advice. If you want to use book meanings as guides go with it until and unless you have a feeling inside of just what the card is saying to you. If and when you have that feeling honour it and choose tha over anything that conflicts with it.

Babs

Thanks, Babs

U rock!!



GD

You have to be sure, though, that what you're getting is really your intuition and not your own opinion or based on information you already know about the person or situation.

I don't have guides, so I can't answer about that. Learning card meanings is a starting place for some and for others, just relying on their own perceptions is their preferred way of learning.

This particular question has been asked many, many times.

If you'll use the search function and indexes here, you'll get a lot more information a lot quicker than just going by what you get in a thread you start yourself. I've noticed that you tend to start threads in which people say "there are a lot of threads on that already" and the reason they do is that by using "search" and using the indexes in the forums, there's a huge goldmine of information, some of it by brilliant readers who are no longer here anymore and if you don't access those, you're missing out on a ton of invaluable answers to your questions. If you have trouble figuring out how to use those, anyone will be glad to help you, I'm sure.

Ahem! Not to say that we're not all brilliant, mind you----- But really, there's so much information in the archives and indexes that you really shouldn't miss out on and I hope you're starting to use them. Posting in the main areas is great and we're glad you're with us, so don't stop posting, but do dig around. You can even post to old threads and bring them back to life if you've still got questions or comments on that topic.

I hear you Griz...

However, I DO search and because of all the threads and posts, often don't find what I'm looking for (sometimes a bit like trying to pick through a haystack). I have only been here since March 15th though and am still getting used to navigating the site. However, ANYTIME, someone knows of a particular thread that has what I'm looking for, I would be happy to have my thread removed or edited or moved. I have noticed though, I am getting a lot of responses to my questions when I post a thread, so I guess people are ok with answering my probably general questions they've all seen before. I am trying not to post a thread when I can find the answer somewhere else here. This site is soooo big and can be a little daunting to a newbie like me, but I will try not to post any additional threads for awhile.

GD

BOOKS!!!! I LOVE the books! I dream of books! I sleep with books in, on, under, and around my bed!

Some of them are tarot books, and they are my crutches. If it's been a while since taking out a deck (I hoarde them all, my preciouseses, but can go literally a year or more between readings) the books come out and are spread all over the place for quick reference. This happened more when I first started reading, and gradually they were used less and less.

Eventually most people reach a breaking point, where the book meanings don't make any sense and the pictures read like a child's book. I remember when this happened to me very clearly - it was a simple five-card spread, no particular meanings to the positions, and the book meanings for the cards were just a jumble that didn't fit together in any sensible manner. It didn't matter WHICH book or combination of books were tried, it just didn't work. I literally got mad enough to throw a couple of the books against a wall, then just sat down and stared at the cards. My son (about a year old at the time) crawled up into my lap, and pointed at the cards, so I used the pictures on the spread to tell him a story - and it was one of the most accurate readings of that particular period for me.

There are still times in which the intuitive or storybook readings don't work. The books are still here, still reliable crutches, and make a good cushion to fall back on when the energy just won't come through. Sort of like writer's block - you know it's there, but it won't come out right. And they still work wonders for me.

Loved your story, Cricket!

Thank you for sharing that. So encouraging when one is beginning to know other's tales. I smiled re the books thing. I, too, love books and have a bookcase at the end of my bed When you mentioned the my precious thing, today I reminded myself of that character in The Hobbit, Oh myyy precious... because I can't say that even though I don't fancy myself ever been what many here would call a collector, how can you not go ooooooh, preeeeetttty! when seeing so many amazing decks!

Namaste,
GD

Ah, just because some of us talked about something before doesn't mean people can't talk about it some more

The most insight I've seen here on this topic was someone saying: Mostly people are projecting, and calling it intuition.

I think she had a point.

greatdane said:

However, I DO search and because of all the threads and posts, often don't find what I'm looking for (sometimes a bit like trying to pick through a haystack). I have only been here since March 15th though and am still getting used to navigating the site. However, ANYTIME, someone knows of a particular thread that has what I'm looking for, I would be happy to have my thread removed or edited or moved. I have noticed though, I am getting a lot of responses to my questions when I post a thread, so I guess people are ok with answering my probably general questions they've all seen before. I am trying not to post a thread when I can find the answer somewhere else here.

Click to expand...

Exactly the same thing happens to me!

greatdane said:

This site is soooo big and can be a little daunting to a newbie like me, but I will try not to post any additional threads for awhile.

GD

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Please don't!! I have found your threads to be INVALUABLE!! I'm starting out too and you are asking exactly the questions I want to know. And even questions I didn't know that I wanted to know.

So thank you. <3

Ange