Memorizing Meanings

[Artemis84]

What's the most effective way to memorize the meanings of tarot cards?

[StormCloud]

There are a lot of people who don't memorize meanings with the cards - they just let the pictures and symbols draw out a story and go from there. I study one card a day and read everything I can get my hands on.

This is from Joan Bunning's Barnes and Noble Tarot class that just finished - a lesson on how to get to know your deck better:

1.Make a tarot notebook with a page or two for each card. Enter everything you learn about a card in the appropriate section. Include useful ideas from teachers, books, fellow students and your own experience. This notebook will become your personal tarot reference manual.

2.Use the charts in the text to memorize the keywords for each card (pages 111, and 158-159). These will give you some basic ideas to work with during interpretation.

3.Practice daily Readings. the basic procedure is given in the sidebar, but see pages 15-16 in the text for details.

4.Spend time looking at each card's picture. Allow the mood of the scene to suggest meanings to you. Look at the image intensely for one minute, then look away. See how many details you can remember before looking back. Notice which ones were easy to remember and which were difficult (ask yourself why).

5.Develop your ability to call up a card's image in vivid detail in your mind's eye. Use visualization techniques to help.

6.Enter into a dream-like reverie after gazing at a card for a while. Flow with the energy of the card as it presents itself to you from moment to moment.

7.Find a tarot buddy. Take turns sharing your impressions of a card. Create a hypothetical situation, idea or personality, then ask the other person to choose a card that fits. (This technique works better once you've made some progress) Support each other's choices.

8.After some event, look through the card descriptions (or your memory) to find a card that matches, or choose a card at random and make a connection, even if it's far-fetched.

9.Tape a photocopy of a card to your computer. Glance at it from time to time for inspiration. Don't tape the card itself unless you have a spare. It might get damaged or lost, and you want to maintain the integrity of your deck by keeping your cards together.

10.Do an Internet search on a card and see what comes up. Plunge into the history of the tarot to see if you can deepen your understanding that way.

11.Draw your own version of a card. The tarot has inspired many artists and designers. If art isn't your specialty, capture the energy of a card with free-flowing lines and color.

12.Choose cards that match people you know, famous figures and fictional characters. Notice how different traits manifest in the tarot, especially in the court cards.

[Dagda Moon~Lily]

Yep! Those are all great ideas! For more about Joan Bunning's site: www.learntarot.com for more about Barnes and Noble University Couse by Joan Bunning: http://www.barnesandnobleuniversity.com/BaseServlet/sched_home;jsessionid=aaaa-jVdNordog?schedulingId=50904

What I used to remember three basic, traditional meanings of the cards: Turn your deck into flash cards. I took the small post-it notes and wrote three meanings of the cards from the learn tarot website on a Post-it and stuck it to the back of the corresponding card. iViola! Flash cards.

The second technique I used was to make a poster/chart with the three meanings for each card in it's proper square. Like this (pardon the periods....they make the spacing proper)

Fool.................Magician.............High Priestess
-Innocent..........-Action.................-Non-Action
-Adventuring.....-Power.................-Mystery
-Journey............-Conscious-...........-Unconscious-
..........................Awareness............Awareness

I made it 14 columns by 8 rows. (Fool-Death, then the Reversed; Temperance-World, with 6 extra squares...then the Reversed; then each suit of the Minor Arcana Ace-King.) I also had it color coded. Major's I wrote the names in Black, the word "Reversed" in Red. Then for the Minor's, I used Blue for Cups, Green for Pentacles, Yellow/Orange for Wands, and Red for Swords. Then I wrote the meanings in pencil, so when the meanings change for me, I can go through and change them. I have a big poster board of it, and a smaller 11x14 piece of paper of it to keep by the computer. :D (or you could probably just Print out Joan Bunning's Charts....but I made my poster before I found her charts.)

Another tecnique I used.....I LOCKED UP ALL MY BOOKS THAT HAD THE MEANINGS AND INTERPRETATIONS OF THE CARDS!! The best way to use the tarot is to just look at the pictures and let the symbols speak to you. Look at the card....if there is a veil on the card, what would that symbolize to you? Hidden things? Deceptions? Inner Knowledge? The Subconscious? What comes to mind....those soft floating thoughts....is your intuition nudging you.

Look at the people on the cards, what are they doing....what does their body language say to you? What do the colors say to you? Is there a specific item in the picture that just draws your attention?...pay attention to that symbol and just start talking it out....and see where you end up. ;)

Those are just some Ideas, for more....check out this thread: http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?threadid=6364

You can also check out this thread: http://www.mysticwicks.com/announcement.php?forumid=6

Both have great information! If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask! We are always more than happy to answer them! :D

:sunny:

~D

[Silver Venus]

Hi Artemis,
Those are all great ideas! Id do them all! :D

& also try to praticise with your cards daily until you really get to know them!
Maybe just take one card per day and carry that around with you, research the cards meanings and background and also sit and feel/see what meesages it is persoanlly telling you! Maybe have a look at it once in the morning, then in the evening when you get home from work and see what has come up during the day :) Then try out a reading with the full deck..
It does get easier and once you tap into your cards they are such great tools and fun!
:)