Cult of Tarot Forum

If you do how do you do it? I find I can't read for myself - I find it really difficult to interpret the cards. Even if they are nice cards:). How do you approach reading for yourself? Do you have any tips?

This is a very good question. I would like to say that everytime I have read for myself, I have ended up anxious and that is because I always knew that one should not read for their self. But, this could also be just a fallacy. If you really like reading tarot then you should go ahead and progress, and not fall for superstition. I always enjoyed the readings although I was a bit superstitious about the same.

For me, the main thing is to first get in tune with myself. I do this by meditating.

I choose a deck, the one I feel drawn to that day and then I form a question. And I think this is the most important part, forming the best question I can. The right kind of question. I use the cards mainly to sort out what the main issue is. I use the cards to deepen my own understanding.

Then I try to find out what is helping or hurting the situation and kind of go from there. I determine the spread I want to use based on the question I have.

Using tarot for myself is really just a way of thinking about something. Instead of staring out a window, or talking to a therapist, (also good methods) I use the cards to trigger my own thinking, my own subconscious or unconscious, to put me in touch with the parts of my mind that are a little harder to reach through the din of daily life.

Tarot is an extension of my meditation. The meditation calms and clears my mind, opens it up, and then the tarot stimulates it on a focused topic or question.

I read for myself a lot, and it can sometimes be hard to be totally objective especially since it's normal to wish for the best possible results. When I perform such readings, I first center myself, all the while aiming to achieve a businesslike mindset.

At work, while we'd like for things to run as smoothly as possible, it's inevitable that we run into problems. You don't try to wish these concerns away - you have to roll your sleeves and do everything you can to solve them. Similarly, in self-readings, I adopt a mindset that aims to catch any probable problems NOW. I don't want to be lulled by my cards into enjoying a false sense of security only to be jolted later on because I want them to just bear good news. I want my cards to be upfront with me now so that I can put the proper safeguards in place.

When I get deplorable outcomes, instead of feeling despondent I just draw more cards to know the best possible way/s to avoid or at the very least, mitigate the said outcome. That way I'm well aware of the possible pitfalls that I may encounter. As they say, forewarned is forearmed.

It takes some practice and on some days I'd also fail to follow this. I do think that I'm becoming better at it.

Regarding good cards, I don't look a gift horse in the mouth so they're very much welcome.

I read for myself - not often because my life is pretty settled and I don't have urgent day to day problems, but when I do a reading for myself, it's an important one.

I found that some techniques work better for me than others. Among my best readings for myself have been readings where I CHOOSE cards, not simply draw. A good example is my Picturebook for the Inner Child reading technique - it's still one of the most insightful readings I ever did.

Sometimes it's helpful to re-visit a reading after a while, then it's easier to see why a certain card appeared.

In my daily readings, I tend to circle around the same tired old problems that I always think about but never solve and in that sense, reading for myself is not always a great success. But from time to time, in the secure framework of this routine, I get a card that strikes home and brings a whole lot of new insight.

And the readings I do on solstices and equinoxes are very good, too.

But it's true - it's easy to see patterns and answers in readings for others, but so difficult to focus on my own issues clearly. I just continue to try. Without tarot, I'd probably be even more woolly about my own problems than I am with tarot

I try to read for myself for a weekly basis mostly on Sundays just so I can ground and prepare myself for a new week ahead. I have 4 main tarot decks that I use but because I get distracted very easily on which one to choose I can of gift wrap simply and kind of mix them around so when I do choose the tarot deck I'm reading to myself, it lets me get more familiar with that deck and for me allows a new perspective every time.

Yes I read for myself all the time and I don't think I have too much of a problem being objective. I dont really ask questions where I'm especially attached to a particular answer. I tend to use the Tarot for 'mood music' and to help me tune into what's going on or what I need to know. I also have a habit of reading a spread two or often.three times from different angles. So if my first reading is a very positive one I try and then turn it on its head and look for the negative interpretation and then a neutral one. So i work it out through a kind of triangulation. It's part of my spiritual practice. I tend to meditate on themes that come up. I've started drawing a card or two before I go into my sacred space and invite guides to help me with insight.

Hi there I'm pretty new to this forum. You should really go and check out my thread in Your Readings, you don't have to answer or help me out but I describe in a lot of detail my views on tarot as an intuitive advice tool and using it decode your own situations.

I also want to start, for the first time ever and genuinely, read for other people get in touch.

Emma.

I read for myself daily, to get an idea of what to anticipate; I do a single card draw and use numerology to get a sense of the energy of the day. I also do a three card draw in the morning before work: 1) What is the root of my problems today? 2) The answer, 3) What I resolve to do. This has been surprisingly effective at providing focus and solving issues.

Wheel of Fantastic wrote: ↑18 Nov 2018, 00:29 I read for myself daily, to get an idea of what to anticipate; I do a single card draw and use numerology to get a sense of the energy of the day. I also do a three card draw in the morning before work: 1) What is the root of my problems today? 2) The answer, 3) What I resolve to do. This has been surprisingly effective at providing focus and solving issues.

For your daily reading, you're kindly invited to the planetary week reading. You don't have to take into account the planets if you don't want to

CharlotteK wrote: ↑29 Sep 2018, 20:50 I tend to use the Tarot for 'mood music' and to help me tune into what's going on or what I need to know.

I like the analogy of Tarot as meditative mood music .

CharlotteK wrote: ↑29 Sep 2018, 20:50I also have a habit of reading a spread two or often.three times from different angles. So if my first reading is a very positive one I try and then turn it on its head and look for the negative interpretation and then a neutral one. So i work it out through a kind of triangulation.

that's a fascinating technique, "triangulation" which is based in scientific practice.
I'm not sure I would attempt it for myself, I think I would ultimately find it too confusing, in fact I know for certain I wouldn't use this technique......but this is the first time I've heard of anybody approaching a reading this way and I find it quite a revelation.

CharlotteK wrote: ↑29 Sep 2018, 20:50 It's part of my spiritual practice. I tend to meditate on themes that come up. I've started drawing a card or two before I go into my sacred space and invite guides to help me with insight.

very lovely. thank you for sharing those insights.

One trick I use when reading for myself is to treat it as though I'm reading for someone else. If you often read in person, then get out a voice recorder and vocalize your reading as if someone is sorting in front of you - use a nickname for yourself even! If you write out readings, type it up like it's not your own reading, it's just another sending off to someone. This gets a really objective reading, I find!

I will read for myself on the off occasions, but every now and again I'll pull daily cards for practice or out of boredom. I just read them like I would for anyone else, but I'm also able to remove myself from the reading and analyze only the cards. If you're really emotionally invested in a reading, it might be harder to decipher the card meanings

A friend of mine told me that you can first try to get to know your deck. Each day, when you wake up, shuffle the deck and draw one card. It's called a 'Card A Day Reading'. This is so you can learn fro yourself what each card means to you for the day, and write it down how it happened in your book or at least a notebook you keep.

For instance, I tend to keep a small journal of all my card day readings and reading in general. Not only will this help you familiarize yourself with the cards but also help you with your readings. Try first simple spreads, such as ask a question, preferably NOT a 'yes or no' question as this can confuse yourself and the reading, and put down three cards representing the Past Present and Future of the question or often How you Feel, what will Happen, and How it will Affect you with the question. This is the simplest spread and try simple questions at first, then slowly work your way up to more bigger things.
You'll find when you first get a deck it feels like you don't really know what your holding, like they feel strange in your hands. But after some uses, you'll find that when you pick them up for the tenth or twelfth time they feel right in your hands. This might be why your readings are a bit off if the deck is new.

David, my friend, told me all of this when I was having trouble with my readings. Now a year later I find that my readings are slowly getting better and the cards seem to... how to put this, like me? When I pick them up they often just do their own thing, like with my thread on how sometimes the cards will jump out of you hands and just demand you notice them. Often, as David told me, this can mean they have a message for you.

My last advice would just to keep at it, start small as I said and slowly work you way up to the more larger spreads.

BlueStar wrote: ↑28 Sep 2018, 10:46 If you do how do you do it? I find I can't read for myself - I find it really difficult to interpret the cards. Even if they are nice cards:). How do you approach reading for yourself? Do you have any tips?

No I don't read for myself. When I was first learning tarot I did a little but then I was told to cast my questions out to the universe and just do readings. Since I knew I wanted to read for other people, it was easy to learn that way. Reading for myself just doesn't work. I know myself really well and would rather read for others.

I started by reading for myself, and it’s how I became convinced of the transformative power of Tarot. It’s given me incredible insights and helped me make some great positive changes in my life. I do have to be careful about it, though. Reading right after a loved one blew up at me resulted in chaotic card spreads showing how I felt, but nothing actionable, but when I read again the next day when I had some distance and calm, the cards were super helpful

I started with self reading, following by families and close friends, and now acquaintance or strangers. I dont read for myself that frequent, as i will tend to be judgemental of the readings

I definitely do read for myself, every day or at least every other day. For me tarot is also a tool for contemplation, I think someone here already mentioned something similar, reading tarot is a time for me to contemplate and think back on my question, on my day if the question has to do with the day. I especially read on my dreams, which I definitely encourage people to do. Tarot readings for dream work will reveal different ways of seeing the cards, opening up different possibilities and perspectives.

How I approach reading for myself? Well, I read from a heavy cartomancy à la Camelia Elias and Enrique Enriquez approach so it is based firstly on my question, what I see going on in the cards, and how the cards make me feel lastly. I don't generally bring esoteric interpretations to self reading unless it is appropriate to the reading. Basically, my meanings for the cards don't derive from a set of meaning derived from memory, it is more like instantaneous recognition, and mirroring. I hope this makes sense... But that is basically the gist.

It does make sense. That first gut feeling is important! But for me it's not the whole show, I do bring rote meanings to the reading as well.

And yes, I read for myself. I would never have learned to read if I didn't! One needs to be obsessing on issues to hit the cards as hard as is necessary for really learning. As an old curandero friend said, "You have to keep the cards hot", meaning you have to use them a lot or they won't work right, and I have found this to be the case. The decks that have been sitting neglected in the drawer just give me mud until I give them my full attention for a few weeks, even if I learned them backwards and forwards at some point in the past. That's why I always have a few I don't put away - right now it's Thoth, Vamp, Lenormand, and Kippers. That's about all I can keep going at once. If I were to bring out the Grand Jeu, Belline, or Livre du Destin, something would have to go.

Anyway, I mostly read for myself. Occasionally, I'm too stressed (Ever notice how when that happens, the cards are all "DOOM! ROCKS FALL EVERYONE DIES"? ) So in that case, I have another reader I trust. She'll tell me what the cards say, straight up, no sugarcoating, no doom, no spin whatsoever. And when she asks, I return the favor.

It gives me a bit of an edge, but I can still be caught off guard. I often don't even think to ask about things!

katrinka wrote: ↑31 May 2019, 02:24 It does make sense. That first gut feeling is important! But for me it's not the whole show, I do bring rote meanings to the reading as well.

And yes, I read for myself. I would never have learned to read if I didn't! One needs to be obsessing on issues to hit the cards as hard as is necessary for really learning. As an old curandero friend said, "You have to keep the cards hot", meaning you have to use them a lot or they won't work right, and I have found this to be the case. The decks that have been sitting neglected in the drawer just give me mud until I give them my full attention for a few weeks, even if I learned them backwards and forwards at some point in the past. That's why I always have a few I don't put away - right now it's Thoth, Vamp, Lenormand, and Kippers. That's about all I can keep going at once. If I were to bring out the Grand Jeu, Belline, or Livre du Destin, something would have to go.

Yeah, rote meaning, especially numerological, come into play when reading. I imagine that's unavoidable. But definitely the first encounter when reading the cards is the context of the question first faced with the cards.

I love that curandero's quote, it is so true, gotta keep the cards hot!

Ps. You have the grande beline?!

No, just the Oracle Belline. Though I intend to get the Grande at some point!

I didn't read for myself for years because I felt I was just projecting what I already consciously knew onto the cards. But Mary Greer suggests that that is exactly why we should do it. We read for ourselves specifically in order to discover our own fixed ideas and prejudices. That's useful information to have when you read for others.

katrinka wrote: ↑31 May 2019, 20:47 No, just the Oracle Belline. Though I intend to get the Grande at some point!

Oh it is such a beautiful the grande belline!

The oracle is as well, I just don't know if I would use it since I rarely use oracle decks.

dodalisque wrote: ↑31 May 2019, 23:09 I didn't read for myself for years because I felt I was just projecting what I already consciously knew onto the cards. But Mary Greer suggests that that is exactly why we should do it. We read for ourselves specifically in order to discover our own fixed ideas and prejudices. That's useful information to have when you read for others.

I wasn't able to read for myself well, be objective enough etc., but recently had a breakthrough where I had an issue I needed to resolve, was able to read objectively, and the cards really confirmed what I suspected was the cause. So yes, I think I agree, it can be good in illuminating what's going on, even if we already suspect it anyway.

I mainly read for myself.