Can readings get too specific?

May I ask, when doing a reading for myself, is it possible I can be too specific in the meaning I assign to the cards? I posted a reading on Your Readings, and the feedback I received is more general and seems to me more intuitively right than my take on it, which was very specific. How can I avoid the trap of getting too specific, or projecting onto the cards things about myself that bug me or that I'm obssessing over?

I think you have hit on a very pertinent point. Its is way too easy to see what we want to see in the cards because we are too close to the subject. I rarely read for myself because of this.

I'm not sure there is an easy way around it other than to avoid reading for oneself about emotive issues.

I don't worry about being specific if that suits my inquiry BUT:

The thing that can slip into my spreads if I'm not careful is presupposing an answer and not leaving the cards room to contradict me .

I was going to quote Joan Bunning on asking questions, as I think it also applies to spread positions but the link is just too good so here it is :


http://www.learntarot.com/less7.htm

ETA: I've just gone and looked at your reading and those positions seem fine to me. Clear and with enough wiggle room so the cards can say what they need to.

I think it depends on the type of reading you're doing.

When you're reading for yourself surely the fact that you know the situation and all it's nuances should help you. I really don't think it's possible to get too specific, in fact I find that the more specific I get the more help tarot actually is to me.

I think that if you're talking about fortune telling type readings then knowing a lot about the querant (so yourself) may hinder you because (as you say), you project your desires into the cards.. You want a certain outcome so you try to see that outcome in the cards.

When I read for myself though, I tend to read for advice; I don't want to know 'what will happen?' because I find readings like that to be less than useful. When I read for myself I usually want to know 'How should I handle this?' or 'What do I need to know about this?' then 'How should I deal with it?' With questions like that I don't think it hurts to add specifics of a situation at all.

Carla said:

Thanks, Amanda, that is a beautiful interpretation of the cards. I was especially struck by what you said about not thinking too much.

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You're welcome, I'm glad it made sense. The interpretation of the Ace of Swords I gave you is not a typical one for me; I was feeling the flow of the cards. So, no I didn't "see" your constant urge to overthink everything, I felt it.

May I ask, when doing a reading for myself, is it possible I can be too specific in the meaning I assign to the cards. Yours is more general and seems to me more intuitively right. How can I avoid the trap of getting too specific, or projecting onto the cards things about myself that bug me or that I'm obssessing over?

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If you are just starting out, yes. I did the same thing, and I'm sure many others have too. It's what happens as you try to find your own meanings with the cards. I found that by picking a key phrase for each card starting out was really helpful- for instance, "Strength in adversity" is the one I had chose for the Ace of Swords... but it doesn't exactly go with the meaning I gave you in your spread does it? Eventually you will get an 'essence' of a card that you can apply to the cards around it. You'll find that it's helpful to have short phrases to build on as you look at each card and the flow of the spread. It may change over time, as you start to see just how versatile each card can be. For me, feelings are everything. I found that jumping right in and reading for strangers was most beneficial to me in learning the cards, because it is pretty difficult to read spreads for yourself most of the time.

I hope I've answered your question, keep in mind I'm just one person though. As Alta said, there is a wealth of information over in the Using Tarot Cards thread and the Talking Tarot thread. This is a very good place to be for learning the tarot and when you are ready and able, I hope you'll consider trying the exchanges. Feel free to PM me if you'd like as well. I'm no expert, but always willing to help.

Carla said:

May I ask, when doing a reading for myself, is it possible I can be too specific in the meaning I assign to the cards? I posted a reading on Your Readings, and the feedback I received is more general and seems to me more intuitively right than my take on it, which was very specific. How can I avoid the trap of getting too specific, or projecting onto the cards things about myself that bug me or that I'm obssessing over?

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Those are two very different topics. In my opinion it is not possible to get too specific. If you see something specific in a card that is part of the intended message. And the more specific something is the more helpful it is likely to be.

On the other hand projecting things that bug you and that you are obsessing over is something to be avoided at all costs if you want an accurate reading.

The two are not really connected, the way I see it. You can get a very specific reading without projecting anything at all onto the cards. The best way to not project any negative feelings into a reading is to not read when you are feeling worried or negative. Take a time out, meditate, laugh, exercise...do whatever you have to but don't come back and do the reading until you truly feel at inner peace and calm inside.

Readings don't work well at the best of times when we're upset over things, it tends to make it hard to see clearly. So it's best not to try to read in a state where you are feeling upset.

And it helps if you truly believe that your readings can teach you how to heal what is wrong. So you are looking for a positive solution to a problem, not a negative description of what feels wrong.

For what it's worth, my readings tend to be longer than most people I know and more detailed. I read using my intuition and it is usually right. I don't believe at all that just because something is shorter or less detailed that that makes it more accurate. You just have to find the reading style that naturally works best for you and when you do it will work well for you consistently. And it has nothing at all to do with what others do, you'll have to find it inside yourself over time.

Those are my thoughts,

Babs

SunChariot said:

Those are two very different topics. In my opinion it is not possible to get too specific. If you see something specific in a card that is part of the intended message. And the more specific something is the more helpful it is likely to be.

On the other hand projecting things that bug you and that you are obsessing over is something to be avoided at all costs if you want an accurate reading.

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I would agree with this, and add that there are so many reasons to read for oneself that it's a very individual thing as well as a situational thing from reading to reading. If reading about the future, it can perhaps be too easy to be overly specific or read what we want to into the cards. But when reading for introspection or advice in a situation we already know exists, then specificity isn't necessarily a problem. However, I find that my most specific readings, those I'm so certain that I'm a bit opinionated about, tend not to be as accurate as those in which I might say, from a quiet place in my mind, "Wow, I wonder if this could mean..." and I might say that a few times, with a few possibilities, until a combination seems to feel right.

Part of it has to do with whether we're in our busy conscious mind or have relaxed and accessed something deeper.

There are also different reading methods. Some people read what stands out in the image they see in the card, others read more along traditional meanings. When reading the image, I often get very specific about what it might be saying. I can also sometimes get fairly specific when using more traditional meanings if they "click" in such a way that I can easily fit them together.

As for specificity about your life, well, you know you best. But of course it's important to quiet your mind and let the meaning of the cards come through rather than over-think what they might mean as if it were a puzzle to solve. A very busy conscious mind can come up with lots of stuff to say about the cards. A quiet, listening mind will pick up on what the cards have to say (or what one's inner guide or unconscious has to say) about the cards.

In any case, I think your first reading was great, and it appears that you got something useful from it for yourself. If you also got something from others' feedback, well that's an added bonus.

I also think a reading can have overlapping and layered meanings, as dreams sometimes o, so you may very well all be correct.

BTW, welcome to Aeclectic, and may I say, what a beautiful blog.

Moderatror note

Some posts about the Osho Zen and Buddha decks have been split into a thread of their own, now in Tarot Decks: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?p=2100039

Sulis - Talking Tarot co-moderator