Studying Tarot will improve your focus and problem-solving abilities. It will help you balance your life, and it can reduce stress. It will teach you about yourself and your world. It will improve your decision-making skills, and it stimulates your creativity. Using Tarot also improves the link between your subconscious mind and your conscious mind, thus improving your intuition.
ΓÇó "How long would I have to study before I can do Tarot?"
Not long. Most people can do amazingly accurate interpretations in less than a week. The longer you study, the more you learn and the more benefits you receive.
ΓÇó "Isn't Tarot satanic and/or evil?"
No. Tarot is a tool for self-development and self-discovery. You cannot put "curses" or "hexes" on people with Tarot. Tarot does not descriminate on basis of religion - any one can use it. Just as anyone can use a knife: it is a helpful tool, but it can be used for evil in the wrong hands.
ΓÇó "Do I have to find a guru or teacher to really learn Tarot?"
No. It is a personal discovery, self-paced and self-directed. You could find a teacher if you wanted, but it isn't necessary. Tarot will reveal information to you just when you need it; the more you seek, the more you will find.
ΓÇó "How much money do I have to spend to do this?"
Decks run between $7 and $15, and books are about the same. One deck and one book will get you rolling. After that, practice and creativity are all you really need.
ΓÇó "I thought your first deck should be given to you."
No, you must be thinking of a rumor about crystals. A Tarot deck is a very personal thing, and you should be the one to pick it out.
ΓÇó "Can I tell the future with Tarot cards?"
Not really. What you can do is predict - quite accurately - the outcome of your life situations. This is not done through magic or such, however, it is done through analysis of circumstance and knowledge of cycles and patterns. Your subconscious minds already knows about cycles and patterns, and it is very good at matching your situation to past patterns (boths in your life and other's you know). Using Tarot, you can "ask" your subconscious mind to tell you what it knows.
ΓÇó "Will the cards always be right about the outcome of situations?"
Readings are based on the situation as it stands at the time of the reading, and the state of the factors and attitudes affecting the situation at that moment. You can always change your life and the outcome of any situation through action. If the reading predicts an outcome and changes your attitude, you can easily change the outcome by changing your course of action.
ΓÇó "Do I have to be a witch or warlock to use the cards?"
Absolutely not. Ordinary people of any religious persuasion can use Tarot. It's like using excersise equipment - anyone can and it is good for everyone. Tarot is excersise for your right-brain and subconscious. Witches and warlocks obviously valued the benefits Tarot offers, but I don't think they actually use(d) Tarot to its fullest potential.
ΓÇó "How long does it take to do an average reading?"
Usually about 20 to 40 minutes. Quick spreads can be under ten minutes. Some people leave a spread out for days to study it several times. Large spreads can take an hour or more to fully interpret. Again, the spread you choose and the detail you want from it are up to you - Tarot is flexible enough to mesh with any lifestyle.
ΓÇó "Should I do readings for my friends?"
If you like. It definitely develops interpretation skills. However, be sure your friends have a positive, accepting attitude, or you might just find them laughing at you and making light of the whole thing. As you know by now, Tarot is a focusing and analysis process that takes serious thought and concentration. I do readings for my closest friends, and they appreciate it. When I have tried giving readings to others, they usually don't know what to make of it and don't allow enough time to finish the reading. You see, most people expect Tarot to tell them things like "you will meet a tall dark stranger" or "someone in your family will become ill" - you know, standard fortune telling stuff. When they find out that Tarot is simply explaining their present life situation (and probable outcome) in pictures, they often don't know what to make of it. Since you didn't tell them "their fortune" as they had expected, they conclude you don't know how to do readings - or that the cards are worthless. Such readings do not help your skills, since you never get to fully finish the reading. Choose reading subjects wisely and you will avoid uneeded frustration.
