The Alternative Tarot Course by Little Red Tarot

I came across this online course a while ago, maybe around summer last year and was fascinated by it, still was hesitant for whatever reason. It wasn't about the price, because that was very affordable ($25). But for some mysterious reason I waited for the 'right' time to do it. And it appears to be that this time has come now.

This course, designed by Beth Maiden, creatrix of Little Red Tarot has a different approach to tarot courses and doesn't stick to text book meanings and how to memorize them. It is about getting more confident using the cards, about their interactions, performing not only readings for yourself, but also for friends and training your intuition. But the most important thing you could learn is having fun while doing it.

This is an 8 weeks course that you can approach whenever you have time and which will always be available once you have purchased it. My goal is to share with you some of the insights I will gain from this course during the next 8 weeks and musings that might come up.


Week 1 - What is tarot to me?

One of the interesting insights the first week of this course brought up for me was, getting clear what I don't believe about tarot. Only a couple of month back I nearly freaked out when the Tower and the Death card showed up in my first yearly spread I ever did for myself. But thanks to the great and supportive online tarot community, who shared all their wisdom regarding 'difficult cards', my understanding of them and the tarot in general grew over the next month.

One of the first reactions of people I know is: 'Oh, I couldn't stand knowing something about my future.' This to me was also one of the big misconceptions and also superstitions I had about tarot. You draw a card and your future is written in stone. It is actually quite interesting that in a time of science and modern technology, long after the Age of Enlightenment, some of us still are that superstitious.

So what is my view on what tarot can be? A useful tool to untangle the mysteries of the psyche and bring more clarity in everyday situations as well as issues, that lay deeply burried in the subconscious. It is also a tool of empowerment and helpful, when I want to manifest things through my conscious actions. I'm sure that tarot can offer me insights about which way to go or which decision to make. But I don't believe that a set of cards can predict a future, which will be your fate without any doubt. Surely tarot can be a signpost, but you alone are the one, who decides whether to follow or ignore it. And if a set of cards show up in a spread, regarding the next few months or what the possible outcome of a situation is and you don't like the outcome, then change it. Tarot is a reminder of things that could need some attention in your life. It's also a focus point, when you want to bring a certain energy into your life, which supports you in changing your habits or moving away from unhealthy mindsets. Cause it all starts in your mind, the most powerful and magical tool of all. It may begin with a tarot reading, but in the end it is you, who's making the difference.


Exercises - What Tarot Reader Am I ?

Part of the first exercise of the Alternative Tarot Course (ATC) was a simple 6 card spread to explore, what kind of Tarot Reader I might be. It brought up interesting new perspectives and revealed my slowly growing need, not only using the things I learn for myself, but also for others. I already performed my first reading for a friend and it was a really special experience.

To be able to achieve it, this course can be really helpful to sort out my difficulties with the courts, dealing with bigger spreads, creating my own, finding my code of ethics, dealing with tricky cards and learning many more juicy things.

My hope is to move away step by step from text book meanings and finding my unique view on the cards. It's surely not going to get achieved by participating in one online course, but it's another part of finding my very own approach to the cards on my journey with the tarot. It is a work in progress and I'm curious, what I will think about this blog post in a few months time or in years to come.

If I could choose 3 words to describe, especially the last months of my journey, I would choose, inspired, passionate and hungry for more. Ok, a bit more than just 3 words, but I guess you get what I mean. It is the fuel that keeps me going, keeps me exploring and be happy as a child about my discoveries. But how to maintain that fire, if the massive beast, that tarot tarot could be, starts to overwhelm you?

One of the key things for me is persistence. Keep it rolling, even if it seems overwhelming at first. Focus on one thing after the other. Especially the last one is sometimes hard to follow for me, cause in my tarot enthusiasm, I'm sometimes all over the place, considering the abundant resources in terms of books, blogposts and videos. It can leave a feeling of getting lost in all of that.


But when I feel like that, I remember a passage from one of my favourite books, Momo by Michael Ende. There is a character called Beppo, who is a street cleaner and when being asked how he approaches his work, he says:

"You must never think of the whole street at once, understand? You must only concentrate on the next step, the next breath, the next stroke of the broom, and the next, and the next. Nothing else.

That way you enjoy your work, which is important, because then you make a good job of it. And that's how it ought to be.

And all at once, before you know it, you find you've swept the whole street clean, bit by bit. what's more, you aren't out of breath. That's important, too... ” 

Many Blessings

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Are you also interested in the Alternative Tarot Course? You can find it here