The Fountain ∞

[johnnymonster]

I'm learning the tarot.

This is in some ways, still a shock to me. Most of my life, I dismissed this sort of thing as, well, illogical. And I suppose it is, in a way. The tarot does not operate in terms of "logic" as my long-closed mind understood the word. But lately I've been so thirsty for new ways of understanding the world, myself, and the interaction of the two. Enter: Tarot.

It's all very intimidating. I keep reading, and being told, that there is no wrong way to approach this. But it is such a massively discussed and researched topic, that means so much to so many people. And I feel I'm coming at it late in life and with a bit of guilt about dismissing it for so long. It's easy to feel overwhelmed. But it certainly has its hooks in me.

I was given the Fountain Deck. I absolutely adore the art. I've read that some say you should never buy your first deck, it should be given to you. This deck would have been special to me regardless. In some ways, I suppose it chose me, and it's an honor to start to work with it now.

I am starting slow. I come into this with next to no previous knowledge, which I've decided to use to my advantage. Before I start going all of the various books I'm collecting on the subject, I'm going through this deck, card by card and journaling my first impression of each one. And these truly are first impressions, not just of this deck, but of the tarot generally. I've flipped through the Rider-Waite Deck, played around with the Golden Thread app for a bit, but very little card knowledge has stuck with me. I really like going through this deck blind. I'm not quite interpreting the cards yet. Just sitting with the art, describing it and how it makes me feel. I'm quite excited to go through this deck then start to compare it with more traditional decks, and more decks to come.

At this point, I'm not even thinking about pulling cards, doing spreads or anything like that. Maybe I'll get to that someday. But for now, just sitting with the art, analyzing meanings and symbols and iconography, that all seems so rewarding unto itself. And the infinite decks out there that interpret these images and ideas in their own language! Gah! It's all very exciting.

Comments

Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

You're off to an excellent start.

When you feel that you have absorbed the images and interpretations of your deck, you might start with a one-card draw or a three-card draw. One card gives you a snapshot. You don't have to worry about interactions, just one set of ideas relating to yourself or your day. Three can be set in many different ways, like Past/Present/Future or Self/Home/Work. This is the easiest way to learn how to link cards, because you'll often see counterpoints or confluences among them. Save the more elaborate spreads for later.

Regarding logic: Tarot is a mix of logic, intuition, and mysticism. You can actually use just the logic side to prompt you to think about random topics. You can use the cards for insight into your subconscious. It doesn't have to be for divination, there are lots of other uses.