Intentional Tarot by Denise Hesselroth There are a lot of reasons to love Intentional Tarot by Denise Hesselroth, such as her unique approach which brings practical benefits and her lovely writing voice. Another bonus in these pages is her discussion of learning styles. Newbies often ask "how is the best way to learn the cards?" Every reader would have their own advice, probably based on their experience. However, people learn differently and their natural inclination should shape their learning process. In this excerpt from Intentional Tarot, Hesselroth discusses three types of tarot learners.   Getting Off Book It seems to me there are three types of beginners

Learning the meanings of the cards is just one part of learning tarot. In some ways, it seems like it is the easier part. I cannot tell you how many students learn the cards, with deep and profound understanding and spiritual insight, ask me "how to put them together into a reading that makes sense?" One of the trouble is, I think, that we forget how to tell stories based on pictures. As children, this is no problem! But when I lay three cards in front of an adult and say, "just tell me what you see...what is the story?" the person freezes and seem to be afraid they'll "get it wrong." So, my first tip is of course that one: lay out three cards. The first card is the beginning of the

Tarot shelves at bookstores are filled with beginner level books. Do we really need so many? Aren’t they all essentially the same? I think we do need so many and that they are not essentially the same. First, they all differ in terms of voice and presentation. People learn differently and respond better to some styles of communication than to others. Every author has his or her own voice and way of explaining things. Second, not every tarot reader interprets or reads the cards in the same way. By seeing that there are so many different methods and schools of thought, new readers are encouraged to explore until they find what works for them. This month we will look at eight different