Reading for yourself.....

I find it quite difficult to be objective when I do readings for myself. I've bought the Mary Greer book Tarot For Yourself, so that should help. I'm just wondering how many of you read just for yourself, just for others or both and any tips you have.

Many thanks

Amost exclusively i read for myself, always have done and learnt to be brutally objective early on, not much swayed by sentimentality.

1) I don't really have a lot going on that needs reading about.

2) I take part in a lot of exchange circles (well, three), so my needs are well catered for, and in fact, I'm usually scratching my head trying to find questions.

3)When I was younger and probablhy needed or wanted more readings than I do now, I read for myself, but I'd put my own wishful thinking or dread into the cards, and often they just plain didn't make sense. Or if they did, they were only a reflection on my thoughts of the moment and no help at all.

I read almost exclusively for myself, and have for decades now.

Yes, it takes some work and awareness to learn to be objective when reading for your self. It's a great exercise in developing personal integrity and authenticity, IMO. No one is perfect in that regard, no matter how much they've worked at it, but it is worth the effort, and you will make progress if you want to.

Tarot helps me with personal insight in ways I can't begin to describe. I don't read purposely to know the future. I mainly read for the current moment or day, or to help me understand what's going on internally, or in my dreams, personal life, etc.

Reading for self

I began by doing readings for myself, as I thought it would be the best way (for me) to learn the Tarot. I figured, if I could learn to be brutally honest with myself, then, perhaps, I could learn to be tactfully honest if and when I eventually did readings for other people. I also thought and felt that I should learn the cards really, really well before I took on the responsibility of advising others' about their lives.

In the end, we each have to figure out what does and doesn't work for us. This worked for me, but it might not for someone else.

I also found doing readings for myself helped and has continued to help me work though various problems and decisions I needed and need to face and make. Some serious, some not so serious.

I think we each have to figure out what works for us and does not work for us. Listen to what your intuition is telling **you**....

I read mostly for myself, with a ruthless, systematic objectivity. If I waffle about the interpretation, I am only deceiving myself and wasting time in the process.

I get more out of reading for myself

I know everyone is different, but tarot helps me think outside the box by interpreting the cards as I see them and that's what I'm ultimately looking for. I'm not saying that another reader's interpretation or reading couldn't be useful, just that reading for myself is my preference. I don't worry about being objective as I often ask direct questions and when I get a card like the Tower or Ten of Swords, esp quite a few times over a short period (which I have before), I don't try to candy coat it!

LRichard said:

I read mostly for myself, with a ruthless, systematic objectivity. If I waffle about the interpretation, I am only deceiving myself and wasting time in the process.

Click to expand...

I would love to learn more about how to read with 'ruthless, systematic objectivity.' How do you achieve that?

I read exclusively for others. I am a forth generation reader(which really doesn't make me any better!) I was taught by my grandmother at the age of 9 (I am now in my 50's), not to read for myself because you are too emotionally invested, it drowns out the whispers of your intuition. You see what you want to see and build bad habits of trying to please instead of reading the cards.

I do have friends who read for themselves who enjoy and get a lot out of it, and they are very good readers. But for me, it was drilled into me for decades not to do it, so I do not. I will teach my children the same as I was, not to read for yourself.

I do not preach to others what to do, you must follow your own path.

Interesting Pamuya

I guess it is how one reads, what one is looking for, etc. I went into tarot to read for myself to expand, be inspired, see things I might be missing and it's done that for me. It also tends to heighten my intuition and confirm it. But I read probably more from a psychological view than some because I was a psych major. Our backgrounds and experiences I'm sure must shape us as readers. As long as we all get what we want from reading, like you said, everyone must follow their own path. I am curious, Pamuya, I know you were taught not to read for yourself, just wondering if you ever tried and it just confirmed what you were taught? Obviously whatever you're doing works really well for you, was just wondering if you did ever try to read for yourself. And also if you don't read for yourself because of the objectivity issue, do you find that is an issue, being objective, with someone really close to you? You're one of the only people I have met here who comes from such a long line of readers, so I'm just really interested in what you have to say!