Should I not use tarot cards when I'm depressed?

I was just wondering is there a certain feeling or what not you have to feel before using your cards? I do want to know what month of March will be like but thing is I'm depressed at the moment and that probably would throw my cards off I'd think.

Just know that if your readings seem to tend towards the worst case scenario, it really could be your frame of mind. I don't know if I would say should/should not. What I see happening sometimes that people who are depressed can sometimes get to the "frantic" reading stage, pulling cards over and over again, hoping to get the reading they want. I feel awful for them when I see that happening; I've been there before and I know my readings weren't clear. If you find that kind of thing happening, put the cards away for a little while and treat yourself like your own best friend, gently, with love and encouragement. Just know that we are pulling for you here in the AT community.

Best wishes.

Man, I know exactly what you mean. If I'm immersed within a frantic, disjointed, non-receptive mentality, my readings are extremely haphazard. A major dropkick that I'm absolutely driving myself crazy is when the Nine of Swords is revealed in a telling placement. Whenever I'm feeling particularly unstable, a tremendous multitude of Swords emerge, essentially reminding me to "calm down and return later."

Sometimes, it's confusing to decipher whether your reading is telling you to prepare for the worst, or if the reading is simply revealing your worst trepidations during the moment. When your energy is spiraling, the cards will demonstrate that. They strongly pick up on your sensations.

My advice: Take a breather, and make sure you're in the appropriate mindset to receive guidance. Trust that the cards will never steer you wrong, provided you're willing to meet them halfway. I completely understand that it's difficult sometimes, when you're feeling particularly anxious about your future, but you have to be within a cooperative mindset for the reading to be fully clear. Remember, even if the results are entirely negative, the cards are willing to offer you advice to circumvent any hopeless feelings or nerve-wracking situations ... if you let them. But it must be a two-way street; the spiritual forces connecting with the tangible, working together.

Alternatively, you could tack something onto the reading beforehand. Ask the cards: "What mentality is causing me to consult you right now?" Or something to that effect. It does help.

In my opinion, excellent words of wisdom have already been spoken here!! Thank you.
I guess to add my thoughts to the mix, I too have experienced the struggles that others have described here.....(occupational hazard I think)...it's those awful feelings of nervousness, depression and anxiety that won't leave you no matter how much you pray, try to think positively, or shuffle your cards; nothing comforts in times such as these. I know this story well, and have wrestled with this very challenge on many occasions; until I was granted a breakthrough and discovered a most amazing secret: the Tarot can be used as a healing and meditative tool to help you change your mindset!!!
However, for this to happen one must open to the possibilities.
The old saying goes something like this: "Faith can move mountains!"
Well if one looks at the mountain as a metaphor for a blockage, it makes a lot of sense. We all have blockages and need help moving them out of our way, so we can grow and reach our highest potential. Help is just what is available to you in the Tarot.
First however, I think there is an essential lesson that must be learned for this help to be accessible to you:
There are things we can control, and things we can't.
Free-will is a gift that operates solely under the direction of Destiny. We too often fail to see the Truth of this reality in a modern world so far removed from the Deep Wisdom of the Ages. We, in ignorance and misunderstanding, assume we have much more or less power than we actually possess. Either imbalanced perspective is just that, an imbalance; left uncorrected both erroneous perspectives can lead to toxic life experiences.

The challenge revealed here is that we must learn how to discern that which is fated and that which is within our power to change. This human struggle is eloquently expressed in the Serenity Prayer(originally attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr):

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Try this reading...lay it out in any way you desire.....
1)What can't I change?
2)What can I change?
3)How can I tell the difference?
4)What can I do to find peace in this difficult situation?
When you're done pulling a card for each question, pull the Shadow(card from the bottom of the deck). Let this be a teacher card...a revelation to you of the hidden part of yourself...the one caught in the shadows of ignorance and fear. This is the thing that needs to come into the light, so you can work through it.

One more thing to do, for an added dose of insight that will frame the message and help you gather an overall theme for your reading, you can opt to uncover the Crown Card(aka QC or Quintessential Card). To do this, simply add the numeric values of the cards 1-4, and reduce the sum to a corresponding Major arcana. Here is an example:
SAMPLE(not a real reading)...cards in layout....
1)The World-21
2)The Fool-0
3)The Hermit-9
4)4 of Swords

OK, to find the Crown
add cards 1-4:
21+0+9+4=34....we reduce this Numerologically to a 7(as 3+4=7)
Finding the corresponding Major to this number, we are lead to the Chariot.
So, you would pull the Chariot-7 and lay it above this reading in the layout.
This works very well with Majors 1-21; but the Fool has a special rule.
The Fool is treated as either 0 or 22. If you have all courts, and or no numeric values showing on the cards in the throw, then the Fool is an easy choice at a Zero numerically. However, what happens if your cards add up to 22? For this number you will also choose the Fool as your Crown. Anything above 22, gets reduced to it's lowest numeric value(see example) and then the corresponding Major, numerically is chosen as the Crown.
It sounds complex, but it simple once you get started.
I hope this helps.
If all of this advice is too much for you right now, you can always try going through the deck and just picking out the cards that reflect the highest and most happy desires of your heart....then just sit and meditate on them and pray that God will manifest peace in your life.

Keep seeking, love. You will find.

I do avoid actually reading if I feel down, experience has taught me my cards always closely mirror my mood and circumstance. If I'm down the readings echo that and so ultimately I can feel worse. I believe I control my own destiny, I can only control my own actions and what is called fate is in fact the result of how I choose to deal with things, sometimes I make mistakes and it all goes pear.

So rather than have the pressure of a reading and trying to find answers I lighten up, go for a long walk, and then play with the cards instead - put the major's to one side and play patience or pull the same card from different decks and do a spot the difference, pull a few cards and write a story that kind of thing... and it usually takes my mind off how I feel, why I feel and cheers me up.

irisa

You've been given some great advice here.

I guess we've all been here before. When I'm upset, I find it hard to focus on the reading and it's meaning usually don't make since. If you are lucky enough to have a friend who reads, I suggest letting him/her do a reading for you. Your mood could still influence the cards, but it can normally lift the spirits. (At least, this has been my experience.) Don't hold too much to the reading, though, for the outcome may be altered by your mood. Once you are feeling like yourself again, do another reading.

Indigo Rose - I like the spread you introduce here. I'm going through a bit of a delay concerning buying a home. This spread may be a good one to try for the situation.

The Quintessential Card is a wonderful addition to any reading. I was introduced to it years ago and now use it for every reading. It really pulls the reading together.

Don't.

What everyone else has said is spot on. And I'll answer you flat you. No. You should NOT use the cards when depressed.

Period. Don't do it.

Tarot cards can be wonderful things that can lead to all kinds of enlightenment and epiphanies. But they're not for everyone at all times or in all situations. Being alone with your thoughts and fears/hopes doesn't help your depression. And when you do a reading with tarot cards you are pretty much all alone with your thoughts and fears/hopes. When your head is clear, you can see if fears are justified and what actions you can take to make real your hopes; you can see the best way around problems or how to weather them if you must. When you're depressed, however, you can't see any of that--you just see, in the cards, all fears and problems magnified, insurmountable, no escape unless unrealistic hopes miraculously come to pass.

Tarot cards, at such a time, are like walking into quick sand. They're only going to get you stuck in that depression, or, worse, sucked under.

So no. Do not do readings when depressed. Wait till you're coming out of the depression. And then get that first reading from someone else--someone reliable who will give you one reading and one only for the month. Because if you must have a reading when semi-depressed, it's best to have it from another person so that you're not alone with your thoughts and fears, and that other person can very clearly tell which of your fears/hopes are realistic, and what you can do to make things better. AND, most of all, so that you're not alone. There is an actual, real, live person who can put their hand on your shoulder and say, "We'll can get you through this."

I agree, that during depression the cards in the reading tend to show your feelings/fear, and not what the situation actually is like... However, when I am having depressive feelings, sometimes I do a reading about these feelings and what would be a better way for me to deal with them... and these readings have been very inspiring and helpful so far.

I have found Tarot a very soothing and helpful friend during stressful times. But like so many things, one can overdo it.

Thirteen said:

What everyone else has said is spot on. And I'll answer you flat you. No. You should NOT use the cards when depressed.

Period. Don't do it.

Click to expand...

I have used tarot cards when feeling depressed and totally overwhelmed and I have found them to be a source of hope and strength and they have helped me to get through some very difficult days. (they have become my personal advisor in a way). Just shows that not everyone is the same!
However, if you keep pulling cards for the same question repeatedly or feel that you can't see the message because your own emotions are so strong then it's a sign to take a break.