Preparations

The next step is titled "Making Preparations."  It involves, not surprisingly, a few steps to prepare for actual readings.

One of those steps is acquiring and charging a protective crystal to keep with your cards, so I will venture out this afternoon to shop for a suitable one.  I'll probably go to The White Flame Company, a new-age type shop within a few minutes of my house.  They have a fabulous crystal and stone collection, and I'm sure I'll find one that feels right there.

Other steps include the care of your deck, a phrase for getting you in the right mindset for reading, and ideas for preparing the cards themselves.  The idea that made the most sense to me is to sleep with your cards for a night or two, in order to align the cards' energies with your own.  I plan to do it tonight.

Sweet dreams, all!

The Basics

I've started on Part One of my book, Good Foundations.  In this section are the first 6 steps in the method.  So far, I've read the first two, which are simply a background on the cards themselves and a kind of FAQ about them.

In doing so, I've run into a problem I've often encountered before.  Most tarot decks, and tarot readers, for that matter, associate the suite of Wands with Fire and that of Swords with Air, and this one is no exception.  But this has always seemed backwards to me.  Wands are light and wispy, they move through the air and make a light swishing noise if you swing them hard--all things associated with Air.  Swords, on the other hand, are heavy and sharp and pointy.  They cut and stab and destroy, all things associated with Fire.

Now, I understand that there ARE decks with the Sword/Fire Wands/Air correspondences, and I will probably favor those decks once I actually know more about the whole process.  In the meantime, the best advice I've seen is to interpret the suites as you, personally, see the elements.  I'm worried it might make this particular method confusing, but I just can't force myself to see it the other way around.  I suppose time will tell if this works for me, or if I end up changing my mind.

Which correspondence do you favor?

A Controversial Start

I'm beginning my journey with a book that seems to give reviewers fits!  The book is "Easy Tarot Handbook," by Josephine Ellershaw.  It is one of the companion books to "The Gilded Tarot", with which I will also begin.

I received the kit containing both as a birthday present from my DH, and in glancing through it I liked its slightly different approach to learning.  Most reviews I've read say the tone of the book is too dictatorial.  I usually dislike anything claiming to be "the one true way," but I've tried other methods and they haven't worked for me, so I'm willing to give it a try.  The cards themselves are absolutely gorgeous, and appeal to my love of shiny things.  :)

I can't wait to get started!