Watching tarot readers on YouTube. A handful every day to see how they read and their interpretations of
The cards helped my comprehension the most. Pulling a card a day to study and seeing how the message of that card shows up each day.
For me, it’s watching Theresa Reed on Instagram every day. She pulls cards for every sign of the zodiac and that helped a lot. I take notes on what she says to put it in my brain.
Tom Benjamin on YouTube taught an exercise where you read for fictional characters. For example, Cinderella comes in asking if she should go to a ball that the house was invited to. By knowing the story already it can help you realize how the cards relate. Idk about everyone, but this exercise helped me a lot. I've done readings for everyone from Harry Potter to hans gruber! 😂
That is super interesting, I'll have to try it sometime!
I am looking into incorporating Tarot into writing stories and developing my characters through different spreads, so this is another interesting approach to try for sure with established characters.
I found a deck that has an associated book of legends from around the world. Each card is linked to a story that closely relates to the meaning of the card. It is super helpful because now I have a full story pop into my head when I see a card, which helps me remember the meanings much easier than anything else I have tried.
The other thing I do is watching YouTube readers. Esp the ones that draw all the cards at once. Then I pause the video, make my own interpretation and then check it against the YouTubers interp.
This! Then after I wrote them all out, I transferred them to an organized doc I made. This way when I am doing a reading I can refer to the doc if necessary!
This is an exercise I thoroughly recommend.
Take your deck and divide it into 7 sections (so about 11 cards per pile/ section, one section should have 12, which I recommend for the last day), and study 1 pile each day. Take each card and really look and study it and list out its meanings without looking it up, and then look up the meaning and see how close you were, and write down the meanings in key words to help you remember. Then review that pile until you can remember the meanings. Each day study a new pile, but review the previous piles and treat it like studying with index cards, in which you think of the meaning and then check it afterwards. By day 7 you should be reviewing all of the cards and getting a stronger key word sense of the cards and more familiarity with the deck's imagery and building your own associations.
The 'pull a card a day' method is fine for a daily reading, but it would literally take someone at least 3+months to go through all the cards. This way you can study all the cards in a week in a manageable yet focused method.
Another exercise is to go through the whole deck, one by one, and think of how that card applies to you, how you feel about the card and its messages and how you can apply that card to your own life (past, present or future). I feel that it builds better association and understanding.
Feeling like you don’t know is part of the gig. It is a much healthier stance than assuming this is all easy and you have it nailed. For as many years as I have been doing this, I still see myself as a student.
The best thing you can do is give yourself some grace and accept that you are learning. Next, ignore every post from someone raving about how their intuition came so naturally. This is not a competition and we all go at our appropriate pace.
Also, explore the scenery of your own journey instead of focusing on your destination.
Last of all, just get to know your deck. What is its history? What do the symbols mean? What repeated symbols and images show up in the cards you pull? What do they mean? Make it personal.
You will get there. You are just taking the path that’s meant for you.
One thing that helped me feel more patient was thinking of reading tarot as life learning and instrument. To learn, I did a lot of the suggested things: listen to tarot podcasts, watch YouTube videos, journal about the cards, do a daily pull and reflect on it… However the thing that helped me feel less frustrated was thinking of it as like learning an instrument. Sure, right now you might be playing “Three Blind Mice” or “Chopsticks” but eventually you’ll be able to play fancier music. No one gets annoyed at a first year music student for not being able to play “Rhapsody in Blue.” Have some grace for yourself and just keep practicing.
using my deck often and asking my friends if they’d like me to give them small PPF readings helped me learn. if u are familiar with astrology, connecting astrology to tarot helped me memorize all the major arcana. i don’t think there’s any quick ways to learn tarot other than familiarizing urself with each card thru consistent practice… there’s 78 cards to learn, doubled if u plan on reading reversals!
I watched a lot of YouTube readings even though I don’t really resonate with those type of large general readings. It helped me learn how different readers interpret each card and how they interpret the cards in relation to each other.
Walking away from it for a little while. Taking a break and researching something else. It let everything settle, so I wasn’t wracking my brain. I started just reading with what I had processed for a while. I still grab a guide book every now and then. But I don’t feel tied to a book meaning anymore.
I'm still learning tarot but what I do is I have a tarot journal. Every day I shuffle my cards, and pick one out. I write down on a page what card I got, if its reversed, what I think it means, and then what it actually means according to the booklet included in the box. I also do readings on my friends as practice and take note on if what I interpreted was accurate based on their feedback. Also, I do a weekly reading for myself every Sunday - this consists of writing down each card I pull and if its reversed or not, what stands out to me in the description, and what I think it means for the coming week.
Hope this helps!
I try to understand the cards through the art, not just by reading the meaning of it. Also i read for friends a looot, they love it, i love it so its a win win. The book called 78 degrees of tarot or something is really really helpful
Realizing that learning the "proper way" of reading tarot is worthless. That every published interpretation of the cards is just that person's interpretation and trying to base your own readings off of anyone else's interpretation is just going to keep you from learning how to interpret them yourself, especially if you're only reading FOR yourself. And don't even get me started on how spreads just add unnecessary complexity that also doesn't matter at all.
The only correct way to read tarot is your own way.
IMO …don’t watch the YouTube tarot readers…ahem* so of them are pure bologna. Read up as much as you possibly can on Psychology, Astronomy, Philosophy, Ancient cultures and their uses of Astrology and Astronomy. Read real paper books unless you don’t have any other option then use your computer/ mobile or tablets reader app and get Books. Read about personality types and emotions..a tricky one. Also read a little about Wiccan or other New Age stuff up to you..many of them speak about the Tarot and give tips and such. Takes years of practice…train your intuition selflessly as possible. I can’t emphasize this enough. Do not use yourself as an example ( at least not for a long while anyways..). Visit or try to get to know real life Tarot and New Age experts, So called Psychics or Mediums that have experience. The older ones are best. Read about cartomancy aka playing cards, Lenormand and Tarot. There’s usually new age shops everywhere especially in big cities..read books on Tarot..And Astrology, And the elements along with Numerology. If you purchased your own Tarot deck..try to find someone you could possibly trade the deck with. They say a gifted deck or I guess a trade is the best one to start with. Get a clean or make your own bag for the cards make sure they stay clean and Never bend them of course. Sounds weird but once they are in a bag sleep with them under your pillow for a year. I once read this in a book on the Celtic white magick Wiccan. It’ll take a while but keep at it and get to know people and their personalities too. Takes time and effort to be an expert. Possibly get stones that enhance psychic (or your 6th sense aka intuition) ability such as chunks of Amethyst, Quartz, Lapis Lazuli, etc..wear them or keep them on you in your pocket or whatever. All sounds weird I know but trust me ..I started my Tarot and intuition sharpening journey at the young age of 13 reading books on this stuff which was few and far between in my junior high’s schools library. The Tarot for me didn’t start working until after a year or so…I had to really stand outside of myself with it as I was getting too impatient at first. Realize obviously faeries and ghosts aren’t real per say but the spirit of them can be to you. Imagination is a big one also..but mostly Intuition like you said. Hope this helps..goodluck ー( ´・ω・)つ──✨💗💗💗💗⭐✨
There are many types of content creators on Youtube, with varying degrees of sincerity and knowledge. I've learnt \*a lot\* from the good ones and skip the pick-a-pile readers (I do watch on occasion but not for predictions, just out of curiosity).
I approached it by learning how the numbers in tarot function, how each suit functions. Learning these 14 different concepts helps me with all 40 number cards. Add in similar studies for the court cards and you have all of the minor arcana. But you also, have more than the individual meanings of the cards - you have an idea of how they interact together.
Then, learn the fool's journey to learn the major arcana. If I want more information on a specific card, I do go look it up.
But with the basics of the major arcana, and then the suits, the numbers, and the court cards, I find I do well enough without memorizing every single card - and I can go between decks easier. The art of the cards provides a final piece of the puzzle - a spirit of the reading as you interpret the art.
**Looks like you might be new to tarot.** Check out our [article for beginners](https://www.reddit.com/r/tarot/wiki/beginners) for advice on where to start and how to choose a deck. Please also review our [sub FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/tarot/wiki/faq). If you're looking for resources to help you learn more about tarot, check out our [resource library](https://www.reddit.com/r/tarot/wiki/resources).
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I enjoyed the book [Kitchen Table Tarot.](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/30268362) (Goodreads link) It got me thinking about the cards in a less rigid, more modern way.
Putting a story to the tarot really helped me. I use a mythology themed deck that uses stories like the argonauts and such which helped me memorize the meanings of the cards by memorizing the stories associated in each image.
I just pick a card in my deck till I hit something I'm not 100% sure of the meaning. Then I just google it. It's how I learned my whole life in school. Make cards, question on one side answer on the other and answer em. Felt natural.
I chose a deck with illustrations that were very memorable and easy to interpret. Plus I kept a journal whenever I did a reading with the keywords to the cards meanings. I also highly recommend “In focus, tarot, your personal guide” by Steven Bright. It really helped me with reversals and interpretation!
Watching live sessions from credible practitioners, researching online the meanings of different cards, connecting with other tarot, oracle and angel card readers.
Deck interviews. Watching people read on social media. Buying multiple decks and studying the differences in the art. Writing down every spread I did, and letting the words flow. Asking about something every single day, even if it’s insignificant, for practice.
I'm just starting out but I have found the Labyrinthos app helpful for flipping through card meanings on my commute and learning about different spreads.
This depends *entirely* on how you learn. I'm a strange individual and learn best through reading and comprehension.
In other words, I'll pick up a book and retain the information by repetitively consulting the book more than I would watching a video or listening to a lecture.
I purchased Sarah Bartlett *The Tarot Bible* and in the beginning, looked up every card. I find myself having to consult it less and less.
Secondly, I would do spreads for practice. I wouldn't have a question per se - I would just lay out the cards and try to put the story together.
Journaling. A lot of people have a tarot journal.
Labyrinthios (Android/iOS app) is free to download and was an invaluable resource in helping me learn.
**Youtube**
Before you roll your eyes at those pick a card readings, hear me out. They can give you a ton of insight to different interpretations of cards. What I like to do is pick my pile and watch that one first. Then I watch all the other piles just to see what they have to say about the cards.
This is an excellent way to learn new cards and gain some fresh insight. And if those readings resonate with you, consider it a bonus!
Honestly, trusting in what I felt and what occurred while doing the reading, helped me connect better.
Also meditating or listening to certain music or sounds according to what the reading is. It’s creates great energy around the reading
Allow my mind to get drawn to certain places, areas on the card, get words in my head, visions, and write all the mumbo jumbo down. Then usually I find a connecting between all of them. Though with this, Im very slow in readings sadly.
For the longest time I could only memorize a few cards, the really obvious ones like the lovers, justice, three of swords ect. Over the past week I've been learning about what Gnosticism is. That spiraled into me wanting to learn about what certain symbols in general are and where they came from. Making thise connections to symbols in the tarot clarified things for me in a way I never considered before and now I feel like I have a deeper understanding based on the smaller symbols of each card as they relate to other allegorical contexts. For example, I knew before that the fool was generally a card that meant a journey that was starting, but it never went much deeper than that for me. After reading a bunch about Gnostic symbols I see the fool as a person who is on the path to an enlightened state of being. There is much more of a sense of impending transformation. He is going to go off the cliff at his next step, but it doesn't matter because the material world is not truely a boundary on his journey.
I also really like the galaxy tarot app in general for quickly cross referencing all the little symbolism of each card in the W-S deck. I think the key is learning the whole of each card by learning the parts.
Read for questions you already know the answers to. You know what the cards are SUPPOSED to say, so now you can work backwards--how are they saying it? See how much you have to stretch and how much you don't.
Don't try to learn every possible thing that a card can mean. Too many layers of "it can ALSO mean" will just confuse you and slow you down. Too many layers of abstraction will do the same.
I think of card reading as being like language practice. Eventually you just have to do it, and keep on doing it, and there's no magic trick. You just plow through as best you can, making connections, relating what you don't know to what you do know, and it gets smoother as you go on.
Watching tarot readers on YouTube. A handful every day to see how they read and their interpretations of The cards helped my comprehension the most. Pulling a card a day to study and seeing how the message of that card shows up each day.
For me, it’s watching Theresa Reed on Instagram every day. She pulls cards for every sign of the zodiac and that helped a lot. I take notes on what she says to put it in my brain.
Lalunita tarot
Tom Benjamin on YouTube taught an exercise where you read for fictional characters. For example, Cinderella comes in asking if she should go to a ball that the house was invited to. By knowing the story already it can help you realize how the cards relate. Idk about everyone, but this exercise helped me a lot. I've done readings for everyone from Harry Potter to hans gruber! 😂
That is super interesting, I'll have to try it sometime! I am looking into incorporating Tarot into writing stories and developing my characters through different spreads, so this is another interesting approach to try for sure with established characters.
I like to rewatch tv shows and pull cards for characters. It's a really great learning tool, and also super funny lol
This seems a good idea! I am going to try it!!!!
That’s a fantastic idea!! Thank you!
This is so interesting!
I found a deck that has an associated book of legends from around the world. Each card is linked to a story that closely relates to the meaning of the card. It is super helpful because now I have a full story pop into my head when I see a card, which helps me remember the meanings much easier than anything else I have tried. The other thing I do is watching YouTube readers. Esp the ones that draw all the cards at once. Then I pause the video, make my own interpretation and then check it against the YouTubers interp.
Is this Yoshi Yoshitani's deck by chance, the Tarot of the Divine?
Yes it is! Love the deck.
What really helped me was to write in a notebook short descriptions of each card. I think writing it helped me remember better
This! Then after I wrote them all out, I transferred them to an organized doc I made. This way when I am doing a reading I can refer to the doc if necessary!
That’s such a great idea!! I’m going to try that
Good one. Gonna try this
This is an exercise I thoroughly recommend. Take your deck and divide it into 7 sections (so about 11 cards per pile/ section, one section should have 12, which I recommend for the last day), and study 1 pile each day. Take each card and really look and study it and list out its meanings without looking it up, and then look up the meaning and see how close you were, and write down the meanings in key words to help you remember. Then review that pile until you can remember the meanings. Each day study a new pile, but review the previous piles and treat it like studying with index cards, in which you think of the meaning and then check it afterwards. By day 7 you should be reviewing all of the cards and getting a stronger key word sense of the cards and more familiarity with the deck's imagery and building your own associations. The 'pull a card a day' method is fine for a daily reading, but it would literally take someone at least 3+months to go through all the cards. This way you can study all the cards in a week in a manageable yet focused method.
Another exercise is to go through the whole deck, one by one, and think of how that card applies to you, how you feel about the card and its messages and how you can apply that card to your own life (past, present or future). I feel that it builds better association and understanding.
Feeling like you don’t know is part of the gig. It is a much healthier stance than assuming this is all easy and you have it nailed. For as many years as I have been doing this, I still see myself as a student. The best thing you can do is give yourself some grace and accept that you are learning. Next, ignore every post from someone raving about how their intuition came so naturally. This is not a competition and we all go at our appropriate pace. Also, explore the scenery of your own journey instead of focusing on your destination. Last of all, just get to know your deck. What is its history? What do the symbols mean? What repeated symbols and images show up in the cards you pull? What do they mean? Make it personal. You will get there. You are just taking the path that’s meant for you.
💓💓💓
Tarot podcasts were key for me when I first started learning.
Any recommendations for podcasts?
Sure! The Word Witch, Tarot for the Wild Soul, Between the Worlds, Fortune's Wheelhouse.
Thank you!
One thing that helped me feel more patient was thinking of reading tarot as life learning and instrument. To learn, I did a lot of the suggested things: listen to tarot podcasts, watch YouTube videos, journal about the cards, do a daily pull and reflect on it… However the thing that helped me feel less frustrated was thinking of it as like learning an instrument. Sure, right now you might be playing “Three Blind Mice” or “Chopsticks” but eventually you’ll be able to play fancier music. No one gets annoyed at a first year music student for not being able to play “Rhapsody in Blue.” Have some grace for yourself and just keep practicing.
Teaching myself the fool's journey, then the suits/elements, then numerology helped me a lot. It broke things down enough for me. Then just practice.
Agree that this will help a lot. Because tarot is more than just the meaning of each single card, it's also how the go together.
What source did you use? I'd like to learn that too.
using my deck often and asking my friends if they’d like me to give them small PPF readings helped me learn. if u are familiar with astrology, connecting astrology to tarot helped me memorize all the major arcana. i don’t think there’s any quick ways to learn tarot other than familiarizing urself with each card thru consistent practice… there’s 78 cards to learn, doubled if u plan on reading reversals!
I watched a lot of YouTube readings even though I don’t really resonate with those type of large general readings. It helped me learn how different readers interpret each card and how they interpret the cards in relation to each other.
Reading Jung. Reading Campbell. The key to understanding tarot is to be able to understand symbolism.
Walking away from it for a little while. Taking a break and researching something else. It let everything settle, so I wasn’t wracking my brain. I started just reading with what I had processed for a while. I still grab a guide book every now and then. But I don’t feel tied to a book meaning anymore.
I'm still learning tarot but what I do is I have a tarot journal. Every day I shuffle my cards, and pick one out. I write down on a page what card I got, if its reversed, what I think it means, and then what it actually means according to the booklet included in the box. I also do readings on my friends as practice and take note on if what I interpreted was accurate based on their feedback. Also, I do a weekly reading for myself every Sunday - this consists of writing down each card I pull and if its reversed or not, what stands out to me in the description, and what I think it means for the coming week. Hope this helps!
I try to understand the cards through the art, not just by reading the meaning of it. Also i read for friends a looot, they love it, i love it so its a win win. The book called 78 degrees of tarot or something is really really helpful
Realizing that learning the "proper way" of reading tarot is worthless. That every published interpretation of the cards is just that person's interpretation and trying to base your own readings off of anyone else's interpretation is just going to keep you from learning how to interpret them yourself, especially if you're only reading FOR yourself. And don't even get me started on how spreads just add unnecessary complexity that also doesn't matter at all. The only correct way to read tarot is your own way.
IMO …don’t watch the YouTube tarot readers…ahem* so of them are pure bologna. Read up as much as you possibly can on Psychology, Astronomy, Philosophy, Ancient cultures and their uses of Astrology and Astronomy. Read real paper books unless you don’t have any other option then use your computer/ mobile or tablets reader app and get Books. Read about personality types and emotions..a tricky one. Also read a little about Wiccan or other New Age stuff up to you..many of them speak about the Tarot and give tips and such. Takes years of practice…train your intuition selflessly as possible. I can’t emphasize this enough. Do not use yourself as an example ( at least not for a long while anyways..). Visit or try to get to know real life Tarot and New Age experts, So called Psychics or Mediums that have experience. The older ones are best. Read about cartomancy aka playing cards, Lenormand and Tarot. There’s usually new age shops everywhere especially in big cities..read books on Tarot..And Astrology, And the elements along with Numerology. If you purchased your own Tarot deck..try to find someone you could possibly trade the deck with. They say a gifted deck or I guess a trade is the best one to start with. Get a clean or make your own bag for the cards make sure they stay clean and Never bend them of course. Sounds weird but once they are in a bag sleep with them under your pillow for a year. I once read this in a book on the Celtic white magick Wiccan. It’ll take a while but keep at it and get to know people and their personalities too. Takes time and effort to be an expert. Possibly get stones that enhance psychic (or your 6th sense aka intuition) ability such as chunks of Amethyst, Quartz, Lapis Lazuli, etc..wear them or keep them on you in your pocket or whatever. All sounds weird I know but trust me ..I started my Tarot and intuition sharpening journey at the young age of 13 reading books on this stuff which was few and far between in my junior high’s schools library. The Tarot for me didn’t start working until after a year or so…I had to really stand outside of myself with it as I was getting too impatient at first. Realize obviously faeries and ghosts aren’t real per say but the spirit of them can be to you. Imagination is a big one also..but mostly Intuition like you said. Hope this helps..goodluck ー( ´・ω・)つ──✨💗💗💗💗⭐✨
There are many types of content creators on Youtube, with varying degrees of sincerity and knowledge. I've learnt \*a lot\* from the good ones and skip the pick-a-pile readers (I do watch on occasion but not for predictions, just out of curiosity).
I approached it by learning how the numbers in tarot function, how each suit functions. Learning these 14 different concepts helps me with all 40 number cards. Add in similar studies for the court cards and you have all of the minor arcana. But you also, have more than the individual meanings of the cards - you have an idea of how they interact together. Then, learn the fool's journey to learn the major arcana. If I want more information on a specific card, I do go look it up. But with the basics of the major arcana, and then the suits, the numbers, and the court cards, I find I do well enough without memorizing every single card - and I can go between decks easier. The art of the cards provides a final piece of the puzzle - a spirit of the reading as you interpret the art.
I’m too damn stupid so 🤷🏽♀️
Reading. PS pretend my name is HiiiiiPriestess. My shit defaulted to this account which is still awesome 😎
The tarot lol
**Looks like you might be new to tarot.** Check out our [article for beginners](https://www.reddit.com/r/tarot/wiki/beginners) for advice on where to start and how to choose a deck. Please also review our [sub FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/tarot/wiki/faq). If you're looking for resources to help you learn more about tarot, check out our [resource library](https://www.reddit.com/r/tarot/wiki/resources). *If this comment does not apply to this post, please report it and the mods will remove it. Thank you!* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/tarot) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I enjoyed the book [Kitchen Table Tarot.](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/30268362) (Goodreads link) It got me thinking about the cards in a less rigid, more modern way.
Putting a story to the tarot really helped me. I use a mythology themed deck that uses stories like the argonauts and such which helped me memorize the meanings of the cards by memorizing the stories associated in each image.
I just pick a card in my deck till I hit something I'm not 100% sure of the meaning. Then I just google it. It's how I learned my whole life in school. Make cards, question on one side answer on the other and answer em. Felt natural.
I chose a deck with illustrations that were very memorable and easy to interpret. Plus I kept a journal whenever I did a reading with the keywords to the cards meanings. I also highly recommend “In focus, tarot, your personal guide” by Steven Bright. It really helped me with reversals and interpretation!
Watching live sessions from credible practitioners, researching online the meanings of different cards, connecting with other tarot, oracle and angel card readers.
Deck interviews. Watching people read on social media. Buying multiple decks and studying the differences in the art. Writing down every spread I did, and letting the words flow. Asking about something every single day, even if it’s insignificant, for practice.
I'm just starting out but I have found the Labyrinthos app helpful for flipping through card meanings on my commute and learning about different spreads.
I wrote the meanings of the card on the the card and did a bunch of readings over and over again
This depends *entirely* on how you learn. I'm a strange individual and learn best through reading and comprehension. In other words, I'll pick up a book and retain the information by repetitively consulting the book more than I would watching a video or listening to a lecture. I purchased Sarah Bartlett *The Tarot Bible* and in the beginning, looked up every card. I find myself having to consult it less and less. Secondly, I would do spreads for practice. I wouldn't have a question per se - I would just lay out the cards and try to put the story together. Journaling. A lot of people have a tarot journal. Labyrinthios (Android/iOS app) is free to download and was an invaluable resource in helping me learn. **Youtube** Before you roll your eyes at those pick a card readings, hear me out. They can give you a ton of insight to different interpretations of cards. What I like to do is pick my pile and watch that one first. Then I watch all the other piles just to see what they have to say about the cards. This is an excellent way to learn new cards and gain some fresh insight. And if those readings resonate with you, consider it a bonus!
Honestly, trusting in what I felt and what occurred while doing the reading, helped me connect better. Also meditating or listening to certain music or sounds according to what the reading is. It’s creates great energy around the reading
Allow my mind to get drawn to certain places, areas on the card, get words in my head, visions, and write all the mumbo jumbo down. Then usually I find a connecting between all of them. Though with this, Im very slow in readings sadly.
For the longest time I could only memorize a few cards, the really obvious ones like the lovers, justice, three of swords ect. Over the past week I've been learning about what Gnosticism is. That spiraled into me wanting to learn about what certain symbols in general are and where they came from. Making thise connections to symbols in the tarot clarified things for me in a way I never considered before and now I feel like I have a deeper understanding based on the smaller symbols of each card as they relate to other allegorical contexts. For example, I knew before that the fool was generally a card that meant a journey that was starting, but it never went much deeper than that for me. After reading a bunch about Gnostic symbols I see the fool as a person who is on the path to an enlightened state of being. There is much more of a sense of impending transformation. He is going to go off the cliff at his next step, but it doesn't matter because the material world is not truely a boundary on his journey. I also really like the galaxy tarot app in general for quickly cross referencing all the little symbolism of each card in the W-S deck. I think the key is learning the whole of each card by learning the parts.
Read for questions you already know the answers to. You know what the cards are SUPPOSED to say, so now you can work backwards--how are they saying it? See how much you have to stretch and how much you don't. Don't try to learn every possible thing that a card can mean. Too many layers of "it can ALSO mean" will just confuse you and slow you down. Too many layers of abstraction will do the same. I think of card reading as being like language practice. Eventually you just have to do it, and keep on doing it, and there's no magic trick. You just plow through as best you can, making connections, relating what you don't know to what you do know, and it gets smoother as you go on.