As a Tarot Card reader who is always reading and never has my own cards read; I like to turn the table on my friends and ask them for a reading once I am done with theirs. This is often met with a look of complete terror as they exclaim that they don’t know the meanings of the cards. I tell them not to worry, and teach them to use a little trick called the Gestalt method. This is when you simply look at the cards and use the archetypes and symbols to explain what you think the card means.
Gestalt psychology proposes a unique perspective on human perception. According to Gestalt psychologists, we don't just see the world, we actively interpret what we see, depending on what we are expecting to see. A famous French author, Anaïs Nin, who was not a psychologist, framed that idea in an interesting way: 'We do not see the world as it is; we see it as we are.'
Here is a link to a great explanation of The Gestalt Method that I used when I was still learning:
http://www.tarotpassages.com/heartof.htm
Just memorizing the “meanings” of the cards from books is not going to make you a better reader. No two readers read the same card in exactly the same way. No one is going to yell “FRAUD” in your face if you don’t read a card the same way that they do. There are so many different decks, and so many different views on each card’s meaning out there. Every author of every book explains each card a little differently. While it is helpful to know basics like suits, numbers, and key words for each card; these things are only guiding factors to help you figure things out in your own way.
For beginners, The Gestalt Method will strengthen what you learn along the way and make your readings better. Once you get past the initial fear of getting it wrong, you realize how easy it is to get it right!
Gestalt psychology proposes a unique perspective on human perception. According to Gestalt psychologists, we don't just see the world, we actively interpret what we see, depending on what we are expecting to see. A famous French author, Anaïs Nin, who was not a psychologist, framed that idea in an interesting way: 'We do not see the world as it is; we see it as we are.'
Here is a link to a great explanation of The Gestalt Method that I used when I was still learning:
http://www.tarotpassages.com/heartof.htm
Just memorizing the “meanings” of the cards from books is not going to make you a better reader. No two readers read the same card in exactly the same way. No one is going to yell “FRAUD” in your face if you don’t read a card the same way that they do. There are so many different decks, and so many different views on each card’s meaning out there. Every author of every book explains each card a little differently. While it is helpful to know basics like suits, numbers, and key words for each card; these things are only guiding factors to help you figure things out in your own way.
For beginners, The Gestalt Method will strengthen what you learn along the way and make your readings better. Once you get past the initial fear of getting it wrong, you realize how easy it is to get it right!
