So, I apparently have an apprentice.  A casual sort of apprentice.  Alden's friend expressed GREAT interest in Tarot.  He bugs me every time he comes over to do readings for him, and of course, I do, because I love reading, and love reading for people who love to be read.  So, for Christmas, I got him his own deck, and Rachel Pollack's Tarot Wisdom, for starters.  I like having someone to teach, his exuberance gets me going, too.  I feel like I've done him a bit of a disservice, though.  When he first approached me for readings, I did single card question/answer flips.  I mean, it's what I do when a kid comes and bugs me while I'm cooking dinner. Fast, casual.  Unfortunately, it seems like he's treating tarot like that in general.  He's read most of the book, and applies the texbook meaning to the cards right off the bat.  Without really looking at them or spending time with them. He'll flip, and answer the question immediately.  Like "Oh, six of wands, that means I'll have a victory."

 I cautioned him to spend more time with the cards, and really focus on the imagery, the numerical value, the colors that jump out, and all the minor details.  He's strongly intuitive, but he glazes over all that.  I think he was trying to speed through stuff to impress me, or maybe because he felt like he was bothering me, and needed to hurry.  Anyway. I'd like to sit him down in less of a rushed way, and maybe have him do more readings in front of me, and then make him write stuff down, while I'm there.

Here's my "lessons" for the day.  I told him to do a daily 3 card reading.  Journal the results.  Read more about the history and symbolism.  Practice "spreads" and the art of reading between the cards.  But really the kid needs to start with the journaling.  I told him, it's work. I didn't just fall into cards and become naturally good at them.  I took my measure of natural intuition, and my natural quest for all things occult, and added years upon years of study and hard work, so that I have this powerful tool.  So that I can casually turn cards while I'm stirring a pot of soup.  So that I can tap into my intuition and read toothpicks and sugar packets.  This is not how I started.

Magic isn't "magic".  Magic means always having your face buried in some book, studying what's come before, so we can innovate, invent, and maybe write our own book.