Learning the Tarot

I bought a deck of Tarot cards recently and I've decided this year I'm going to learn how to work with them. I've always had an interest in tarot, since my husband has been reading them for years, but I've never tried them for myself. After searching online and in the bookstores, I've found a deck that calls to me. Originally, I was going to get a Rider-Waite deck, since that seems to be the classic version that the other decks are based on. But, my husband has that and I wanted something different. One uniquely my own.

 

The Mystic Dreamer Tarot deck by Heidi Darras is just my style. I love the dreamy, fantasy artwork. It's just beautiful. And every time I look at the cards, I see something new, something that I find interesting or something that resonates with me when I'm reading them. 

I'm also reading :

 

This is a great book for beginners, like me, since I know so little about the tarot such as its history and how to work with it.  Reading the tarot isn't so much like fortune-telling as I thought, but more like a tool for your intuition. You ask a question and focus on it and then place the cards in a specific spread. There are several different spreads in which to lay the cards for a reading. From a single card to a multi-card layout, each card represents an individual message. But, when the cards are put together, the meaning they convey may answer your question as you recognize certain symbols or meanings. 

I already see potential for how this might help me work on the stories I write. Sometimes in the process of plotting, I might get 'stuck' either with a plot point or a how a character responds to a certain situation. Instead of putting the story aside to let my subconscious work on the problem in its own time, I'm going to try to work with the cards to assist me in solving whatever problem arises.  

My husband has a great talent with the readings and he's been invaluable with teaching me how to see what the cards represent. So far, I'm trying to keep it simple, until I get a 'feel' for the layouts and learn the meanings of each card. In the meantime, I'm learning to focus my thoughts and energy and I'm having fun in the process.