New Best Friends

There is no such thing as a beginner's deck. Sometimes people ask what is the best to begin with, but the best advice is to simply pick a deck whose artwork you really like. If the art speaks to you, you will be able to work with it.

Meanings and interpretations will come to you as you gaze at the cards and let your mind wander over all of the possible meanings a picture can hold. you will notice that a card can mean one thing all by itself, but then in various combinations with other cards, it can take on other meanings.

As you work with your spirit guides and let the feelings flow, other meanings will come to you which may seem at first to be totally unrelated to the pictures. We have to learn to trust our instincts and intuitions. Pay attention to your first impressions.

When teaching a person about working with cards, it often happens that when I have them draw a card and then ask them what it means, they tell that they need to look it up in the book first. I advise to set the book aside. Work with the cards first and read the book later. The cards will work with you and you may or may not agree with what is in the book.

This is the way I began. My fist deck did not come with a book, so I had to get familiar with them and learn to work with them without any instructions. Today, a great many decks come packaged with a book. Some books are wonderful and some don't offer a lot.

If you just focus on the central image contained on each card, you will be on the right track. Some designers include other symbol sets on cards, such as runes, letters of the Hebrew alphabet, I Ching hexagrams, alchemical symbols, astrological signs, playing card equivalents, and other things.

In my experience, these other symbols can in some cases deepen your experience of the cards, but they are extra, and not essential. A card set relies on the pictures, and the central image will always tell you something.

So if you are just beginning to work with cards, do not be intimidated. Just enjoy and appreciate the imagery and let every picture tell a story. In the constant shuffling, different combinations of pictures will tell different stories. Don't be too hard on yourself and think you need to understand every little detail.

If you see me at the fair, I will have a number of decks with me that I can read for you with, and if you wish to purchase a deck for yourself to use, I have some excellent deals. I love tarot and will be happy to introduce you to a fabulous array of decks that can become your own metaphysical tool box and tutor. Some of us even feel like our decks are our friends.

Think of working with a deck as making a new best friend and avail yourself of the wisdom, insight and beauty that each has to offer. Amazing how something that fits easily in a pocket or purse can yield such giant results, and grow with you over the years. A combination art gallery and book of wisdom that just gets better with age, revealing layer upon layer of beauty, truth, wisdom and advice, and your deck is always ready for you.