Hi everyone

I have been using the 'Split Hexagram Spread' method in reading Tarot cards. I am only a bigginer in this and so far I have dedicated 1 and a half hours a day in practicing although after doing alot I find that all my readings are sounding the same with every card if you know what I mean. What I seem to be doing is just looking at the 'card key words' with no other way of going about it. Does anyone know how I can be more accurate in my interpretations in reading the cards? I been using the Major Arcana only. Im currently reading 'Modern Magick by Daniel Michael Kraig in which this system is used. Has anyone completed this part and could give me some guidance on making my readings even more accurate and creative? Like for example I know how to read the other cards in context but the FIRST TWO CARDS in 'Spiritual influences coming down to the physical plane' I don't know how to interpret them. I would really appreciate if someone could help me just a little it would be really appreciated.

thank you!

ShogunRonin

Hey i know im not that good of a mage myself and im pretty new but let me offer some advice.

1st of all, how long have you been doing this?
Have you contemplated the cards and the individual meanings they have?
Do you use your noodle to find a connection between the card, the location of the card on the spread, and the question you are asking?

For instance, "What if i use magic to make me popular?"

The final outcome is the fool

it means that it will probobly hinder your spiritual progress, or may just not work at all.

if you get it for your reason anywhere in the bottom of the hexagram,

it probobly means that you have a foolish reason and is not a good idea to do, but it will probobly work.

I have also been doing the Tarot Contemplation ritual everyday, however with some of the cards im finding a conflict. For example when looking at the 'Sun' card I got a super eerie feeling about this. I have the 'Golden Dawn Deck' with the boy and girl holding hands and I just didn't like it, it felt like they were plotting something evil, like the destruction of the world. Yet in the book the cards mean happiness and contentment so im finding it confusing how the 'Tarot contemplation ritual' helps with anything but confusing the meanings to the individual. I have been doing this for around 5 days so far, and I do realise that the placement of the card varies it's interpretation. But I have seen some Tarot readers able to predict a fine amount of detail about the spread 'more than just the keywords' and it was a little confusing in that maybe im getting the wrong end of the stick somewhere.

I too have this deck, though personally I would have found it difficult to use when I began tarot. I used a rider-waite version which was more user friendly for me. The sun as your example can mean alot of things as with most other cards, and how dignified they are, and where in the spread they appear, and what cards surround them. The sun follows the moon in the tarot sequence, and for good reason as the tarot is a journey from the fool to the world. Its the bringer of light to a situation aswell, so you can see the truth of the matter, after the confusion and illusion and fear of the moon, and brings enlightenment, as an example.

I have studied Kraigs book some years ago, and know of the spread your talking about, I personally found much more benefit in doing readings for myself using other spreads that incorporated the minor arcana, which I found gave some substance to the interpretation.

Another way to progress is to do a daily reading incorporating just one card for that day. This helps in refining your intuition and personal interpretation in relation to the card and what transpires throughout the day. Note down initiial feelings you have towards the card, what you think it may mean, and in hindsight what it actually meant. Keep a log, and you will soon have a personal meaning for all the cards, aswell as the traditional interpretations.

What's up everybody, I spend alot of time reading in these forums but i don't post to often as I don't really have much to say. Nobody knows me but I feel like you know all of you. Thats really off topic.

Shogunronin, I am working through modern magick and I am having the same problem with the tarot card spread and the tarot contemplation. In fact I was about to start a new thread asking a very similar question when i saw this one at the top of the list. Kinda funny how that works out. I guess it's just nice sometimes to see others coming from the same place if you know what I mean.



This really seamed to click with me. I will start this tonight.

thanks and good luck to all

I'm not that familiar with the golden dawn deck, although I've seen it before, however on the subject of learning to read tarot, what I found to be an effective method for myself was to do a weekly reading - every day on monday I would do a reading for the following week. I recorded the cards and their placement in a journal, and my initial interpretation, and then each day went back and related the events of the day, as well as my general sense of self each day, and then referred back to the reading to find correlations. Within a matter of months my readings improved drastically, as I began to not only recognize subtle nuances in the placement of particular cards, but also certain combinations that seemed to represent the particular possibilities regardless of their placement.

While a daily contemplation of each card is certainly of benefit if you require a certain amount of structure, also keep in mind that the tarot is a book of symbols, archetypes which exist and manifest on every level of our lives - in a way, its a kind of language of the universe. Contemplating an individual card is like learning vocabulary without learning grammar. Doing a periodic reading in this way is more like immersing yourself in a culture and their language and learning organically. How much highschool (insert language here) do you remember? Can you speak it fluently?

So, this is my suggestion, then. Also, I would suggest the standard celtic cross spread for a beginner, as it is a fairly diverse spread that can be used for a wider variety of questions and situations. It has a brilliant geometry as well that over time opens up to the reader in a way I haven't seen any other spread do. I've read Kraig's books, and although I haven't practiced them, my impression was that he seems to have an interest in being a 'unique' and throw in own personal spin on many aspects of the subject matter. While that's not a bad thing, for a beginner I think there should be a lot more base study from which to build that level of personal interpretation. But, that's just my opinon, and like some other things, everyone has one.

peace

thnx for the help. i was reading through this thread, in order to help me (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)
and i found ur suggestion very helpful in my current situation. lol
thanx +rep wen i figure out how to... lol

This post has been edited by Naihr: Jan 11 2009, 03:33 AM

I too have been studying using Kraig's book. I didn't find his ritual all that helpful, and like somebody else said i have been using other spreads more frequently. When i began i had a lot of readings that simply just didn't make sense or that i didn't understand. Nowadays though when i use it i tend to get something that makes a lot more sense. I think that this is due not only to me getting better at reading the cards but also due to just a general meshing of the energy better as i have been working on myself.

Have you ever tried another form of divination? I had a hard time with Tarot and then tried Runes. It turned out I was much better at the Runes. Maybe you would just resonate with something else better.

The cards aren't my own modality, either. I do a lot better with astrology, although I'm still learning about that.

Tarot works for some people, but it isn't for everyone, it seems.

I know I'm a little late on replying to this one, but anyways...

Try putting the deck in order, going into a meditative state and then looking at the top card, taking in all the imagery and then mentally stepping into the picture and walking around it, taking everything in. After doing this put the card on the bottom and repeat with the next one.

Only do this for as long as you can take the information in and feel free to do it more than once. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Reading Tarot is all about intuition and what the cards symbolise to YOU; books and online resources are pretty much just a guide for you to base your studies on.

Good luck!

This post has been edited by NetherSpirit: May 2 2009, 03:21 PM