Well I did it!  After dreaming of a tarot deck the other night and being really excited by it in my dreams I thought today was the day and I went to a bookstore in search of my first deck.  Well I got there and the only ones there were was a learning deck in a box, which wasnt a bad thing I figured.  It came with a DVD and book and each card has the meaning on the bottom.  I have been playing around with the cards tonight and really like it, the graphics are attractive, bright and modern.  I guess one day I will buy a 'proper' deck!!  once I learn the meanings of the cards more, or what they mean to me.

Has anyone else started reading tarot from a learning deck?  Do you still use it because your attached to it?

I have already been reading Gems classes anyway and plan to use them more, coz the books a bit limited really.  So im really glad I have something else to learn from.  Gem you rock  

My first spread I did for myself, and couldnt believe wat the cards were saying! So accurate.  Then I realised id screwed up the damn spread!  LOL  Funny how they were so accurate even tho id laid it out wrong.  I guess ill get it right one day.  Im sure I heard my late husbands spirit saying 'hopeless, just hopeless!'  like he used to haha!

Anyway my second question.... how long until you got to know the cards?  When did you first decide to read for someone else?  When do you know you are ready?!  Im keen for someone to practice on but im gunna look like an egg if I lay the cards out and go.... ummmmmm.... :D

Hi   There is no right or wrong Tarot deck, if you enjoy them and they speak to you then its the right deck for you now,
For your second question It takes as long as it takes to know your cards, the more you pick them up and work with them the quicker you will relait to them
I find the quickest way to learn a new deck is to shuffle them then turn one card over at a time asking each one to tell me a story about its self this can take a while but well worth the time
               Blessings Decia

The first deck I used was a learning deck. It was the Instant Tarot Reader by Zerner-Farber. It was pretty accurate but  not very in depth...nothing compares to a "real" deck. Comparing the readings from that instant tarot deck to the readings from my Universal Waite deck is like comparing a picture made by using one of those instant water color books to an actual painting one would hang up in a gallery.

I have my instant tarot deck in storage.  I worked with that instant tarot deck for  3 years but I am definitely not attached to it.  I felt like I knew that instant deck after the first day. It wasnt very hard to get used to.

There's nothing wrong with starting out using an instant tarot deck or a "learning deck." People say the Rider Waite is a learner deck and that is an excellent and very "real" deck.

I did readings for others using my instant tarot deck about a week after I got it. It was an instant deck so it wasnt very hard to get. However, I dont think you can actually call what I was doing reading- I was simply pulling cards and reading right out of the book.

I'll just chime in (I need posts to register my software, but can't seem to find the introduction thread).

My first tarot purchase was the Rider Waite deck, to which I had no strong attachment. I started reading/most playing with the cards at such a young age, I had no real sense of how to interpret the symbolism and implications of the tarot in any sort of practical way that could actually be applied to my questions. I still find that I'm getting to know the cards, even now- 17 years later, and how I relate to them and how they relate to each other. However, I should say....I haven't exactly used them consistently over the years, either.

Gave my first reading to a guest at the hotel where I worked. I was 17. Who knows what I said to him! I'm sure that I predicted all sorts of doom, death, and medieval disaster for him. Heh. I definitely was not ready to read for anyone at that time.

Thanx for your replies.  

Yea, once I get a basic feel for the meanings of each cards Im going to venture out to the only spirituality shop that I know of near here and get a 'real' deck.  For now, my little practice deck will do