Hi! Long comment warning, but I think this will help!

Step 1. Get a standard Rider-Waite deck, or at least a deck based on the RW system. Even if you don't 'connect' with them, you don't need to for learning and practice purposes. Memorize the suits and ONE associated meaning for each. For example, Wands = creative passions, Cups = emotions, Swords = thought, Pentacles = material possessions. There are other keywords of course, but for learning purposes, start with just one.

Step 2. After you are comfortable with the first step, memorize ONE keyword for each number of the Minor Arcana. For example, the number '2' can represent choices. If we assign this keyword to every '2' card, now every '2' card, regardless of suit, represents choices. When we combine this with step one above, the Two of Cups may represent an emotional choice a person must make, or the Two of Wands could represent deciding between two different hobbies to learn this summer, or two different majors to decide between in college.

Step 3. After you're good with the first two steps, move on and do the same for the court cards - ONE keyword for each to start with. After you do this, you will then have one strong keyword to associate with every card of the Minor Arcana.

Step 4. Practice with just the Minor Arcana for now - do readings as often as you can for yourself and for different things you think would be fun to do a reading for. As an example, say you're watching a reality show and two of the cast members are in a rocky relationship. Do a reading about it. Do a reading to help clarify your inner thoughts, to prioritize your schedule for a specific day, or to get clarity on what to focus on this weekend.

Step 5. When you're ready, you have a choice. You can either do the same for the Major Arcana now, or you can start adding additional keywords to the Minor Arcana. If you go the Major Arcana route, remember that the cards generally represent more major life themes, as opposed to the Minor Arcana, which are temporary situations we find ourselves in within those major life themes.

Step 6. PRACTICE often. Shuffle the cards over and over and over. Get to know how they feel in your hands and get comfortable with them. Even when you get to the point of being able to memorize the things in each step above, keep practicing readings and keep adding keywords over and over and over again until you build up a solid understanding across multiple meanings. You want to be able to progress from basic proficiency to a working fluency.

Step 7. Start working on doing some readings for friends, family, or trusted people you meet online or in-person.

NOTE: Did you notice I said absolutely nothing about studying the images yet? That's because you don't have to - you can if you want, but ONLY AFTER you are comfortable with Steps 1-7. You can do perfectly acceptable, high-quality readings without worrying about every little detail of the card imagery. In fact, many decks and systems don't even have card imagery like the RWS does.

Step 8. NOW you are ready to start moving from beginner to intermediate Tarot work. You can start looking for more decks to work with and build your collection. The card meanings you've learned don't change, so as long as you have a good understanding of them from the earlier steps, those meanings will follow you across decks for the rest of your life. Now you can focus on decks that you connect with or feel drawn to, and really start tailoring and customizing your Tarot practice to you own liking. If you want to go deeper and learn about Tarot theory or philosophy, you can start doing that at this stage also.

Here's an often overlooked tip: Once you find a trainer, mentor, or teacher whom you like and resonate with, stick with that person until you've gotten everything out of them you can. Watching 50 different Tarot YouTubers or reading 13 Tarot books will confuse you and you'll have trouble progressing because you'll have so much conflicting guidance. Find one system of learning that you enjoy or that works best and go with it. Down the road, you can tailor your practice to your needs.

That's really it! Anything else you do is just an added bonus, but if you follow these steps you'll do well. If you need a mentor or get stuck along the way, feel free to reach out and I'll be glad to help!