Submitted question covered in this blog:
"Can you please give suggestions to a beginner tarot reader?"
As a professional tarot reader I am always interested in helping others who are wanting to learn tarot for themselves. My suggestion would be to start with learning to do self readings.
Doing self readings is really about getting to know yourself well as you analyse your thoughts, emotions, and reactions to the messages in the cards by applying them to the situations of your life, or to the question or subject of the self reading. It is within this inner self reflection that insight and new perspectives are gained.
There is a difference between Oracle cards and traditional Tarot cards. Oracle cards are usually numbered or ordered (but not always). However oracle decks tend to contain their own individual structure.
When referring to self readings, I am more referencing learning a traditional tarot structured, such as the Ryder Waite Smith deck and alike. In this case, I would recommend separating all of the cards into seperate groups to learn gradually. For example,
Lower Arcana cards (suits Ace to Ten)
Cups (or Water, or West) - emotion
Wands (or Fire, or South) - action
Swords (or Air, or East) - thought
Coins/Penticals (or Earth, or South) - money/health
Court cards of the suits (Pages, Knights, Queens, Kings)
Higher Arcana (0 to 21 [without suits])
Put each group of cards in order and go through each one by one as if flipping through pages of a story. Each suite is a different path in life.
Swords represent thoughts and intellect.
Wands or sticks represent physical accomplishments and passions.
Cups represent feelings and intuition.
Coins or pentacles represent work or projects or needs of the body and mind.
I previously wrote about doing tarot and rune readings in a previous blog entry at: https://www.askagreywitch.com/post/runes-and-tarot
On my other website, www.staffordtarot.com there is another blog all related to tarot which includes reading tips and suggestions and also features a free online video beginners course created by Lindsay Knight, a talented numerologist and intuitive reader (and a mentor of mine):
http://www.staffordtarot.com/blog/categories/lessons
I would strongly recommend taking these free lessons and following along with your own deck of cards. My website also gives other helpful suggestions, advice, and tips on how to do self readings. Including the following Do's and Don'ts to consider when getting started:
DO'S:
Create a relationship with the cards or runes and get to know their meanings on a personal level.
For simple questions or topics, use a simple spread or layout.
Choose a spread or layout to use first, even before shuffling the cards or holding the runes.
Focus on the use of the spread or layout chosen with the intention of the reading while shuffling the cards or holding/casting the runes.
Be objective through out the reading, and remain subjective.
Keep an open mind, and accept the messages received.
Hear what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.
Expect the unexpected
DON'T:
Readings shouldn't really be done for others while haven't taken the time to get to know the cards for one's self.
Don't do readings when emotional
They're should be no need to draw "classifiers" or extra tarot cards from the same deck beyond the chosen spread
Avoid doing multiple readings on the same question or topic without allowing time to pass in order to offer a new perspective.
Don't do readings in hopes for specific meanings.
There's no need using complicated spreads or layouts for simple questions or basic topics.
Please feel free to contact me from my website www.staffordtarot.com/contact if you have any questions regarding tarot or intuitive readings specifically.
Otherwise, any questions related to my magickal practice can be submitted right from the homepage of www.askagreywitch.com. Thank you for reading my blog and for submitting your question!
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