Tarot Cards

I finally had a chance to go and pick up a set of tarot cards.  I needed something to justify the purchase, even though they are something I’ve been curios about for a long time.  So, when I was cast as “Joy Darby, the Fortune Teller” in my friend’s murder mystery birthday party and it suggested I have some tarot cards as a prop, I jumped on the chance to pick up a set.

When I went it, I had a few criteria in mind for what to get.

1. I didn’t want this to break the bank.  I know there are some very nice, easily readable sets out there.  But, I don’t know how much use I’m going to get out of my tarot cards, so I didn’t want to invest too much.  I can always buy another set later if I feel the need to.
2. I wanted a full deck.  From what I could see, there are some decks that don’t have the same number of cards in them.  In the bookstore that I bought them from, there were a couple decks that only had about 40 cards in them, but I picked up one with 78 cards.
3. I wanted a deck that resonated with me.  So, instead of the ‘lighter’ decks recommended by the sales associate, I picked up a set of Dragon Tarot cards.  I just wasn’t able to connect with either the Gilded Tarot set or the Mythical Tarot set.  The sales associate said that some of the other decks might scare off a beginner, but I don’t scare easily, so I’m not worried.

I didn’t get a chance to check the cards out much before the party last night (which was a tonne of fun!), so they were just a nice prop for my character.  But, now that I have the cards, I’m wondering what do I do next?

I’m new to this whole thing (and the downside of saving money on the cards is that there aren’t very many instructions with them) so I’m wondering if it’s appropriate to do some sort of ritual before I start actually using them?  Also, I’ve never had a tarot card reading myself, so should I have one done before trying to use them on my own?

I am inclined towards preparing some sort of ritual for the cards before I start seriously using them, though I’m not sure what would be appropriate.  But, I’m hesitant to pay for a tarot reading because I’ve always been more of a self-taught person when it comes to my spirituality.  Also, I don’t know any local tarot card readers so I wouldn’t really know where to go.

I just wanted to put my thoughts out there now because this is when they are in my head.  November is a busy month for me, so I’m not sure I’ll really need any answers for a while.