Learning to read Tarot cards for yourself can be incredibly valuable. Not only do you receive the insight and guidance of a good reading, you gain practice and confidence in your own intuitive skills. However, it can be quite a challenge to learn to give yourself good reading.
When I first learned to read Tarot cards, I wanted to practice all the time. And what better way to do that than to pull cards for yourself? While there is some truth to that, I also made several mistakes that turned it into a learning experience before I found the best way to read for myself.
The first lesson I learned is to never ask the cards a question for which you are not prepared to hear the answer. If you cast a spread expecting or hoping to get confirmation of something you already feel or believe, you may be in for a rude awakening.
If you are excited about that new job and ask the cards what this new path holds for you and it indicates strife and ruin – are you prepared to hear that? If you are infatuated and thrilled with a new love in your life but the cards tell you this person is not “the one” – are you still going to enjoy the relationship? Think about all the potential answers you might hear to a given question before you ask it – from the one you want to hear most to least – and only ask the cards if you are prepared for any outcome.
The next lesson I learned is to respect the answer you receive. If you ask the cards for guidance but do not like the answer that you receive, it can be tempting to discard the answer and try again until you feel you get the validation you crave. But Tarot is not a digital camera – you are not supposed to keep re-taking your “tarot selfie” until you find the one you like best!
You may tell yourself “oh, I must have been distracted” the first time or “I wonder what will happen if I just try it again for fun” or any other excuse you give for not listening to your intuition. Often, re-asking the same question over and over will produce variations of the same answer even with different cards. But if you do it enough times you are bound to cast a spread from which you can convince yourself you got the answer you wanted all along. Then suddenly the previous ones can be magically explained away! You can avoid this issue by choosing the right question at the right time, and respecting the process. This will also teach you to trust your own intuition.
So what if you feel you are not ready to hear answers to the big questions in your life but you still want to practice? Easy – start small! Pull one card every day and meditate on its meaning. Then see how that theme comes up in your daily life. Recording this in a journal is a great way to enhance your intuition and learn Tarot.
I often do a daily 2 card spread that shows me what the Universe will offer me that day, and what I need to do to accept it. This is sometimes called the Window and Door spread. You will find this is a great way to get value from self-readings.
Above all, I believe the best way to approach a reading for yourself, especially if you are ready to ask one of the “big” questions is to pretend you are reading for a stranger. Separate your thoughts, emotions, and memories from the subject as you begin to read the spread. If you were reading these cards for a stranger, what story would they tell? It can be difficult to be objective when tapping into your intuition and getting guidance from Tarot, but this is often the best way to get the most out of a self-reading.
While I find self-reading extremely valuable, like most intuitive readers or psychics, I still seek out guidance from other readers from time to time! Even the best readers know that they may not always be able to be 100{3299194b8ba2b627201b1ae63a9bb47881badc8b9e7eaa72ff1dd7dcf0c96dfc} objective about themselves.
And if you find you want a second opinion or are not ready to face a question on your own, I would be happy to do a reading for you.
Peace and light.
~Tim
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