Tarot for Yourself

[Nemia]

For many years, there was a "rule" that one shouldn't read the tarot for oneself. Lack of objectivity and many other reasons were given. The "normal" situation was always a triangle: the cards, the reader, the querent.

Mary K. Greer broke this rule once and for all when she published her groundbreaking book "Tarot for Yourself" which deals with - you guessed it - reading for oneself. The triangle becomes a dialogue between reader/querent with the cards, which doesn't mean the reading becomes less complex.

The tarot cards refect archetypes found in many cultures and are thus connected to the Jungian collective unconscious. They can be used for shadow work when we explore the suppressed, unpleasant, frightening or embarrassing parts of our stories that we always push into the shadow when we build our own narrative. The cards show us our personal journey, can become a focus for meditation, prayer or affirmation work. There are so many ways of using the tarot for oneself, and we want to explore them in this section of the boards.

[kyan]

tarot for your SELF.

i haven't read the book, but i remember that discussion on another forum.

don't read for yourself? i never heard of that rule. i find self-readings very therapeutic and calming. it's much better than watching TV.

[Nemia]

Oh yes, your SELF is the book, and it's a great book and a great inspiration. But if we go beyond the book, into the area of Jungian work (anima, shadow), affirmation, meditation etc, Tarot for Yourself is a perfectly valid name.

Yes, there was this rule, along with "don't let other people touch your cards", "don't buy your own cards", "wrap your cards in black silk" and many others that set reader and the rest of the world apart. I'm glad these rules have been thrown to the winds as tarot evolved and opened up.

Oh, and hi Kyan, how nice to meet you here!

[kyan]

oh, hello! i was just ribbing you about your "self". i do want to get the book tho!

shadow work sounds interesting. i downloaded a benebell wen workshop worksheet that looked interesting. i have yet to sit down and do it, tho.

oh, i remember those rules. the silk wrap one especially, but even back then i thought it was rather absurd, or at least limiting. i actually did make a bag out of raw silk for my first tarot deck. but it was burgundy, not black.

speaking of rules, the owner of a tarot shop told me that one should NEVER trim or edge tarot decks because that would ruin the energy of the creator's intent. (?) then i told her that sometimes people trim their decks and mess up horribly... she soon agreed that trimming was okay, because it meant they'd have to buy another deck.

i'm all for readings for yourself, about 3rd parties, and even about medical conditions. maybe not professionally, but certainly for myself. what i don't like are the "does she/he still love me?" and "will she/he ask me out?" readings... those are basically yes/no questions, and that's another type of reading i'm not keen on doing -- the "should i" or "shouldn't i" questions. i much prefer the "show me how" type of questions.

[Flaxen]

what i don't like are the "does she/he still love me?" and "will she/he ask me out?" readings... those are basically yes/no questions, and that's another type of reading i'm not keen on doing -- the "should i" or "shouldn't i" questions. i much prefer the "show me how" type of questions.

With you on that!

Most of the readings I do are for myself - I find them quite therapeutic in a way...a bit like a waking dream in terms of being able to access the subconscious. Consulting the cards is my awake version of R.E.M. sleep especially if I choose a deck like Navigators of the Mystic SEA - very dream-like in imagery. A really good reading will then percolate a bit longer and themes reappear in dreams.

[Penelope]

I started reading "Dirty & Divine" just last night, which takes a journey through the deck, suggesting that you meditate upon one card per day and notice the synchronicities with your life. A way to connect more deeply with the cards and find how they relate to you personally.
Obviously, I am a Fool today...let's see how it plays out!

[CharlotteK]

I read for myself 90% of the time at least. Tarot is a very powerful and effective tool for self reflection and spiritual development in my experience.

I do like reading for others but more than anything I like settling down with a deck and a beautiful notebook and some searching questions.

I don't have any black silk and bought every single one of my decks. I do let people touch my decks but not the really nice ones, just in case they have mucky hands!

[CláudiaBoechat]

Já li para mim mesma algumas vezes. Mas acho que a gente acaba manipulando inconscientemente a interpretação para que fique de acordo com o que pensamos conscientemente. Por isso evito jogar para mim mesma. Sempre fico desconfiada...

[I Sunshine]

Obviously, I am a Fool today...let's see how it plays out!

What deck are you using? Just curious. I think I will do the same, starting today, with Poppy Palin's new Everyday Enchantment Tarot. I love reading Tarot for myself. It I a form of therapy; also a tool for personal growth. Ha! No one had better tell me not to .

Hi Nemia! Hi everyone!

[CharlotteK]

Já li para mim mesma algumas vezes. Mas acho que a gente acaba manipulando inconscientemente a interpretação para que fique de acordo com o que pensamos conscientemente. Por isso evito jogar para mim mesma. Sempre fico desconfiada...

I know what you mean about reading what you want in the cards or being biased towards the outcomes you want but if you ask the right questions it is surprisingly easy to be quite objective. I try to look at things from different angles. If my initial impression of a draw is very positive I challenge myself to look at other interpretations.

[I Sunshine]

I know what you mean about reading what you want in the cards or being biased towards the outcomes you want but if you ask the right questions it is surprisingly easy to be quite objective. I try to look at things from different angles. If my initial impression of a draw is very positive I challenge myself to look at other interpretations.

I wish our post had a like button. I would "like" this one for sure!

[Nemia]

One of the things I liked most in Greer's book is the idea of permutations. I feel permutations really help me see a reading, question and answer, from different angles without pulling new cards or introducing quintessences, shadow cards etc. I always prefer to work with the cards I have and "milk" them. And for "self readings", I use permutations regularly.

Technically, I like to use the Deck of 1000 Spreads to remember the spread positions when I do permutations, but obviously a piece of paper with the spread positions is enough. But that's why I wrote about permutations on the 1000 Spreads website, here is the link.

When I do a permutation of the cards in my spread, it feels like brushing against the grain. No self complacency or nice illusion survive a serious permutation round (or is that just another nice illusion...? )

[Sorceress Vibes]

How interesting that you mention permutations! I've just been reading this book myself and really love the idea of rotating the cards and reading them in another position within the spread to get more out of them. As you say , milk them!

It's something I'm going to start doing. If I have set positions, I usually read them, and the story as I see it unfolding. So I do try to look at the cards in different ways. But so far I've not actively swapped them around and read the past as the future, etc. How exciting! And so funny I was reading it this week and now you post about it.

[Nemia]

Yes, the idea of permutations was one of the wonderful things I took from Greer's book, and I find it really helpful in self readings

Synchronicity is always so beautiful!