This is a guest post by one of my awesome Tarot Apprentice contestants, Kareena Nawani.  I’ll be featuring some more guest posts by these talented young tarot readers in the near future.  Be sure to watch for them!

Tarot is a self-realising tool, but after many years of trial and error, I have realized that some guidance is always welcome in the early stages of your tarot journey. I entered the world of tarot when I was just fourteen. I first experienced tarot when my aunt did a reading for me. Since I was always fascinated by astrology and numerology,  I thought this was another esoteric science  that I could learn to do;  predicting the future sounded exciting to me. I borrowed a couple of books from my aunt and bought a tarot deck and I was ready to begin.

Things were great initially. My readings were very accurate and I was growing confident day by day. The only problem that I realized after about a year was that I didn’t know the name of my deck. The deck only had the word ‘Tarot’ written on it. And the other problem I faced (it didn’t seem like a problem at that time since I was in school and we were so used to cramming for exams) was that I literally mugged up the meanings of the cards from the books and was quoting the book like a parrot! And I thought I was a great reader!  Things dawned to me much later on that the meanings of the books were not cast in stone.

The way I looked at the tarot changed dramatically when I finally purchased the Rider Waite deck. That’s when I realized my original deck had eaten up all the symbols and the pip cards specially had no pictures, just 10 swords  or 5 cups placed on the card. Only after I bought the Rider Waite did things start making sense to me. I had heard of this deck, but never bought it because I was so stubborn and hell bent that I was right and that I was an amazing tarot reader that I couldn’t be less bothered about what other people out there were doing. I was just like The Fool, ignorant, and innocent and on my own merry trip. This brings me to the question, ‘’Should one learn tarot on their own or join a class and learn from a teacher?”

In these 12 years, I have always wondered if I would’ve been better off if I had learnt tarot from a professional. Today, when I see the smiling face of my tarot students,  I realize the answer. When I was their age, I was confused but too scared to admit it. When you’re all on your own, you begin to doubt your abilities and I went through a phase where I didn’t believe in myself. When you learn on your own, there are so many tarot decks and books out there that it is difficult to choose the right one. There are so many authors who believe in different things- some do reverses and some don’t, some don’t do readings at night or when they’re sick and some claim to have the best readings when they’re sick and dazed! All this can be confusing to a beginner. Half of these books would scare away an amateur. To learn anything, you must seek the help of a guide because half knowledge is more dangerous than no knowledge.

From my own experience, I feel the first step is very crucial. Initially I was so frustrated that I wanted to give up tarot all together and my deck would gather dust for months. This was all because I was too stubborn to ask for help and thought that I could do it by myself. I eventually managed on my own, but what I learnt in 3 years, I could’ve learnt in 3 months with correct guidance.  Today, I have no regrets but my experience has made me help many tarot beginners. I have also started teaching tarot to stop people from making the same mistakes that I had made. One just needs to know the basics, and then from there the real journey begins, like the Fool’s journey. While learning and exploring the tarot, we explore our inner selves and that cannot be learnt from anywhere. Once you receive the gift, it is up to you how you use it. You could either nurture it and make it grow or you could forget about it and keep it locked in a cupboard. Tarot is simple because it is something we already know, it’s a part of our subconscious and the archetypes are part of the collective subconscious. Once we know that, its so much easier from there and it becomes our best friend.

The tarot teaches us that the innocence of the Fool should be balanced by the wisdom of the Hermit. Only when he shines his bright light upon us, can we be truly enlightened.  The  Hermit guides those who are lost and confused and brings them on the right path and shows them the way.

Kareena Narwani

PS: I’d love to hear your stories about how you learned tarot. Did you have a teacher? Were you self taught?  What were the frustrations in either method?  Post your story in the comment section below!

Learning the tarot can be a tricky and intimidating affair. Although there are many good books on the market, there is nothing like one-on-one guidance from someone who has experience. Getting help from a mentor can make the journey smoother – especially if you desire to turn your passion for tarot into more than just a hobby.

I noticed that there was a shortage of private mentoring for aspiring tarot readers – and for those who want to go pro, there is almost nothing to help them navigate the business world.  Face it, a tarot business is not like a regular business. We deal with many things that many other entrepreneurs don’t:  burn out, crazy clients, laws against fortune telling, etc.. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a seasoned tarot pro help you to get your business running smoothly?

I’ve launched my new venture, Tarot Mentor, to help you become the tarot reader you were meant to be.  Whether you are looking to get your tarot business up and running, remove your blocks or simply learn to read, I’m here to help you succeed.  I will be offering private mentoring and group workshops as well as a home study course “How To Create A Sustainable Tarot Business” for those of you who want to get your business rolling on your own.

In the private mentoring, you get me.  You will not be ignored, tossed off to some forum or handed off to an assistant.  I take a lot of time to work with you and make everything individualized to suit your needs.  I tune into your goals and help you find a way to reach them as effortlessly as possible.

If you are ready to make tarot work for you, visit my site at http://www.tarotmentor.com.  And while you are there, be sure to sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter where I will share tips to help your tarot world rock!

Blessings!

Theresa

One of the hardest things about working in the tarot field is the isolation that some of us feel.  Often times we find ourselves without peers – especially those who may live in a rural area.  It’s not easy to connect but thanks to the advent of the internet and social media in particular, the game has begun to change.  Many of my fellow tarot readers have been delighted to find each other through this medium – and it has made our world a little more inclusive and a lot less lonely.

Recently, a new site launched that has stepped it up a notch and created a true community for us tarot lovers.  It’s called “Tarot Town” and is the brainchild of Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin of Tarot Professionals .  Tarot Town is fun but don’t be fooled by the light tone – there is some SERIOUS tarot stuff going on here – classes, forums, discussions, groups and more!  Not only can you connect and make friends here – you can improve your skills, ask questions, learn about events and more.  If there was ever a Tarot Nirvana for us tarot freaks, I think I have found it here!

Of course, I had to ask Marcus and Tali about the creation and inspiration behind Tarot Town and this is what they had to say to me:

We were inspired to create Tarot Town by listening to the members of Tarot Professionals. We had been asked to provide a service to allow our members to network and socialise outside of the focused studies of Tarot such as Gated Spreads, the Diploma Course, Tarot Houses and other projects. When we looked at our existing forum we realised that it did not fulfil this purpose, although it is where we will continue to hold our Tarot course discussions.

We have exciting plans already in pre-production for Tarot Town. We will be integrating our existing WIZIQ Learning Environment from Tarot Professionals into the Town Hekademia very soon for online courses in the Town. We are already well advanced in a 3d-Avatar environment for Tarot Conferences, Rituals, Discussions and Socialising! If you watch our promo video, you’ll see a sneak preview of the 3D world which will be ready by 2011.

Marcus Katz is the author of Tarosophy: Tarot to Engage Life, Not Escape It (pub. Salamander & Sons, August 2010) and the founder of Tarot Professionals. He is an MBA graduate, M.A. holder (Western Esotericism, University of Exeter) and currently 3-years into a 6-year PhD Thesis on the Teachings of Occult groups in the Western Esoteric Tradition. He is a therapist and trainer.

Tali Goodwin is the Marketing Director of Tarot Professionals and a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Her career has also involved healthcare and occupational therapy. She has also practised Reiki healing.

No matter if you are a tarot professional, a newbie, or just curious, I’d invite you to stop by and take a look around.  You can find me as what else?  The Tarot Lady.  Hope to meet you there!

Blessings!

Theresa

Image property of Tarot Town