I Suppose Everyone Has A Theory As To The Best Way To Learn And Remember The Meaning Of Each And Every Tarot Card.
The best approach is the one that works for you. I know people who will write keywords on a deck of Tarot cards. That is an approach that works. You can also buy Tarot cards with the meanings printed on them. This reminds me of the old-school flashcard method. It is a great tool.
As I said, the best approach is the one that works for you. I know many people choose a Tarot deck they like and will turn to it every day for their training and learning. I believe this is extremely important. We do need to practice daily and perhaps at odd times when we have a quiet moment to go through what we have learned. It is important to have this constant reinforcement.
Of all the great Tarot personalities on YouTube, I found Vincent Pitisci’s method to be the best one that has worked for me. What I especially like about it is that he has selected keywords for each card, plus gives 20 more from which to gain a better understanding of the meaning of a card. I have used many of his main keywords, but some don’t seem to resonate with me and I’ve chosen others. You can do the same.
Let’s Begin With The Major Arcana Cards — There Are 22 Of Them Numbered From 0 To 21
One exercise I started with was first remembering these 22 cards. Since they are picture cards and have specific names it is easy to practice them going forwards and then backward. Not that you need to learn them backward — It was just something fun I liked doing.
Above you will notice how I have three of Vincent Pitisci’s books displayed. You can purchase them, or not. You can also go to YouTube and watch his videos. That may work well for you. The goal is to learn the card’s meanings. However you do it, is best for you.
0 The Fool — Believing
1 The Magician — Awareness
2 The High Priestess — Mystery
3 The Empress — Creativity
4 The Emperor — Leadership
5 The Hierophant — Spiritual Guidance
6 The Lovers — Duality
7 The Chariot — Ability
8 Strength — Mind and Body
9 The Hermit — Inner Searching
10 The Wheel Of Fortune — Evolvement
11 Justice — Truth
12 The Hanged Man — Sacrifice
13 Death — Transition
14 Temperance — Inspiration
15 The Devil — False Truths
16 The Tower — Disruption
17 The Star — Direction
18 The Moon — Mysterious Paths
19 The Sun — Nurturing
20 Judgement — New Awareness
21 The World — Perfect Balance
It does help to have the cards either laid out before you or take them out one by one — say the name and the keyword associated with it. It is also worthwhile to look at the guidebook that comes with your Tarot deck and see if there are descriptions that work better for you. Thus, you can change the keywords to a degree whereby they are more meaningful and easier for you to remember.
Once you learn them in order, you can shuffle the Major Arcana cards and test your recall without looking at the title of the card. It is important to see them as old friends and the meanings are to a degree like their personality.
Let’s Delve Into The Minor Arcana . . . There Are Four Suits: Swords, Cups, Wands, and Pentacles
Swords — Thought
Cups — Emotion
Wands — The Spirit
Pentacles — The Physical/Material
There is a particular pattern to the numbered cards Ace through Ten — it shows the ups and downs of life. Learn this pattern and the meanings will make so very much more sense.
As I was going through my various decks, I came across Wizard’s Tarot and how it was laid out. Usually, the cards go through a suit, but this one had all the aces together, twos, and so on. It was an interesting comparison for me to see and one I wanted to introduce here in this lesson.
Vincent Pitisici gives a keyword for all the Minor Arcana cards. I’ll begin with that keyword and then add his main keyword that goes with the particular suit.
Aces — New Concept
Ace of Swords — Innovation
Ace of Cups — Awareness
Ace of Wands — Revelation
Ace of Pentacles — Discovery
Twos — Choice
Two of Swords — Equilibrium
Two of Cups — Opportunity
Two of Wands — Embraces
Two of Pentacles — Response
Threes — Creativity
Three of Swords — Manifest
Three of Sups — Conception
Three of Wands — Substance
Three of Pentacles — Variation
Fours — Stability
Four of Swords — Belonging
Four of Cups — Patterns
Four of Wands — Procedures
Four of Pentacles — Grounded
Fives — Change
Five of Swords — Adjustment
Five of Cups — Reversal
Five of Wands — Stimulation
Five of Pentacles — Shifting
Sixes — Perserverance
Six of Swords — Resolution
Six of Cups — Prevailing
Six of Wands — Established
Six of Pentacles — Unwavering
Sevens — Confidence
Seven of Swords — Spirit
Seven of Cups — Viligance
Seven of Wands — Intense
Seven of Pentacles — Absolute
Eights — Advancement
Eight of Swords — Betterment
Eight of Cups — Strengthened
Eight of Wands — Undeviating
Eight of Pentacles — Unrestrained
Nines — Attainment
Nine of Swords — Realization
Nine of Cups — Aspiration
Nine of Wands — Extending
Nine of Pentacles — Ownership
Tens — Completion
Ten of Swords — Closure
Ten of Cups — Fulfillment
Ten of Wands — Adeptness
Ten of Pentacles — Bliss
Pages — New Path
Page of Swords — Scholarship
Page of Cups — Pilgrimage
Page of Wands — Phases
Page of Pentacles — Initiation
Knights — Action
Kight of Swords — Movement
Knight of Cups — Activity
Knight of Wands — Expression
Knight of Pentacles — Involvement
Queens — Patience
Queen of Swords — Tolerance
Queen of Cups — Understanding
Queen of Wands — Diplomacy
Queen of Pentacles — Distinction
Kings — Knowledge
King of Swords — Proficient
King of Cups — Insight
King of Wands — Influence
King of Pentacles — Rulership
Oh My Goodness! We Did Get Through All That . . .
Do you see the pattern?
Is this beginning to make sense to you?
It is good to have a Tarot deck and to use it regularly as you’re studying the Tarot. I don’t know if this is such a good idea, but I remember reading in one of Vincent Pitisici’s books that once you learn these keywords, you can read any deck of Tarot cards . . . So, at some point it may be fun to get out another deck of Tarot cards and see if Vincent’s theory holds true . . . Or you may have a bit more work to do.
As always, do what seems best for you. You know how you learn best.
I do thank you for stopping by. I hope this was informative and beneficial to you. If so, please leave me a comment or tell a friend or two.
Sharon
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Thanks again!
I do hope this was helpful. I like Vincent Pitisci’s views on Tarot Card meanings.
Sharon
I too have found lots of wisdom in Pitisci’s works, thank you for posting this as this helped jumpstart my reentry into Tarot.
Thank you Cloud for your comment. I wish you all the best in your re-entry into Tarot!
Sharon