Unable to Read?

Are some people just not able to read Tarot no matter how hard they try? Because I've got the nagging suspicion that maybe I'm one of those people who just can't get it no matter how hard they study.

I asked my deck at some point and I think it told me this itself.

I'm feeling very frustrated and I'm not sure what to do. Just put the books and deck away and leave it alone? Bleugh.

It's not something you'll learn overnight, you didn't say how long you've been at it. Seemed like I had been using tarot for a couple of years before it really became second nature. Maybe you should try a different deck.

Maybe you just haven't found the right deck yet.

Is it that you don't get any kind of message from the cards or that you are doing predictive readings that don't seem to be accurate? It is a good idea to pay a lot of attention to how you are framing your questions. "what do I need to know about my work situation right now" might get better results than "will I get the promotion?" Yes or No questions don't usually yield good readings.

Are you trying to do readings with too many cards? People try and do the Celtic Cross or even 5-6 card readings and it isn't really helpful.

You could try a two card reading "not this" (card one) "but this" (card two)

Or pick one card and then look at the card on the bottom of the deck as a "context" card.

It took me years to get to where I felt tarot reading is really useful, and I stopped and started again a few times.

Hi iamrioteyes (what a lovely name!)

In Mary Greer's book "21 ways" she starts right at the beginning with saying the name of the card out loud for step 1, then giving a literal description of the card in front of you for step 2, then saying what emotion is in it for step 3. It progresses from here and is really well written. If you haven't already seen this book, you could try reading it and doing what it says - literally, without trying to do the adept sections (just the apprentice ones) and not trying to do it with too many cards at once. This way, you'll discover if it's really not for you or if you just got in a mess and confused yourself trying to get it all together at once. Several (loads!) of people on here say to use them exactly how they make sense to you, which is great advice. I guess that's what I do. Certainly the little white books are not necessarily the place to start from because they all say different things, with different lists of words. Madness in some ways! Trust yourself? Frustration usually results from trying to do it someone else's way, so you could just say I'm fine as I am doing it my way.

You probably can read...try some exchanges.
Say what you feel and you'll be amazed with the feedback.

I can't read for myself....does not make sense.
With exchange readings and in person readings I do fine.

We are our own worst critics. don't give up!

Hi there!

I'm sure everyone has some degree of ability to read the cards, but you may not have found your stride yet. It could be one of many factors that's keeping you from it: resource material, deck, spread, just about anything!

Exchanges are good ways to "test the waters" and get help with interpretations.

What exactly is getting you hung up? What sort of material has been available to you to help you on this endeavor (book, mentor, ect?) Do you read with spreads or without? If you can fill in the details, I'm sure folks would be happy to offer helpful suggestions to make your tarot-life easier.

~K

Don't TRY. Just take out the cards - one at a time - and get to know them as individuals.

gregory is right, and reminds me of what Yoda said "do or do not, there is no try." And it's true, there is no one who cannot read, but you must discover for yourself what the word "reading" actually means. Myself, I'm not a big fan of reading; I mean, I do it and enjoy it, but it's not the most important part of Tarot for me. For me, the most important part is the actual work that goes into it, pondering the cards, making them mean something to me, self-discovery, really.

Don't go into it either thinking that it is something you learn how to do and you just "know" it, or with trepidation. For the former, you never stop learning, I've been reading for almost twenty years, and I consider myself a very raw beginner. For the latter, it just doesn't work, think of the term "effortless effort." You won't learn how to read by struggling with memorizing meanings or anything like that, but by clearing your mind, and letting the images speak, that's all.

I can't read really well.. not like some of the other posters on here.

Sometimes I get flashes of intuition. Like I saw 3wands/5 wands together when asking about a colleague and got "power struggle" - literally I felt like the cards spoke to me. And it sounds corny - but it's this feeling that you just know.

My psychic friend told me I was a natural - and that I should meditate on the cards to gauge their meanings. I am so impatient though... And sometimes I can't understand my own readings at all.