My first Tarot reading was actually in middle school when I went to 6 flags during Halloween and there were Tarot readers doing reading for 5 dollars. I remember being captivated by the reader and the designs on the cards (he was using the Waite deck).

Afterwards, when attending events such as renaissance fairs with my family as a kid I was always interested in the Gypsy-dressed readers and their ability to tap into just what the querent needed to hear. How could they glean such interesting insights from a couple of colorful cards? I never pursued Tarot growing up because my family is very Catholic and I was afraid to learn more because my they would disapprove.

Years later I began dating my ex-boyfriend who’s Wiccan. Several of his Wiccan friends read Tarot and they were teaching him how to read too. In the circle that he was involved with, they liked the idea of having your first Tarot deck purchased for you. Though this group likes this method of beginning Tarot, this is certainly not the way it has to be done – nothing bad will happen if you purchase your first deck for yourself. In reality, purchasing your first deck will ensure that you’re going to get one that you’re comfortable with and appeals to you.

In accordance with his circle’s idea, he and I decided that we would pick out and purchase each others’ first deck. Since I knew he was into fantasy and dragons, I bought him the Dragon Tarot. He bought me the Thoth deck. Fortunately, he looooved his Dragon Tarot and really connected with it. Unfortunately for me, the Thoth deck is fairly different from traditional Waite-based decks and I have a really hard time working with the deck. I decided to purchase a deck for myself – the Revelations Tarot, which was recently released at the time. The deck is beautiful and I fell in love with it.

One of my ex’s circle taught me my first Tarot lesson, which is think has been the best one I’ve had. When I asked her to teach me, she picked up her deck (Gilded Tarot, which I also love) and she mixed up the deck and pointed to the first card and asked me what I thought the card meant.

“I don’t know, I haven’t really studied the meanings for that card.”

“Forget about that. Just tell me what you see in the card, what details you notice and what the card could mean to you.”

This method allowed me to develop meanings from my own stream of consciousness. We drilled through several cards, and I went back and did the exercise alone with another deck. Whenever someone asks me for a “quick way” to learn Tarot, I show them this exercise. I think this method builds confidence and empowers the student to have faith in their abilities.

Since then, I’ve collected a few more decks and furthered my studies. My future goals are to begin getting involved in the Tarot community more and learning as much as I can.

That’s my story, so far. What’s yours?