Before you read cards...

I am new at this and I want to do it right. Is there anything yall do to prepare for a reading.
I just recieved Fenestra cards today and I look at them and they just havent hit me yet. I havent really LOOKED at them yet. I am still looking them over and trying to decide what they mean to me.
I am waiting on my book to come it is the Mary Greer book I think that is her name.
I read over this site and I just dont see some of the things yall see. Do I just need to keep reading and learning or is there a specific state of mind I need to get into to understand .My friend just turns them over and knows what they are immediately.

I do a pre-shuffle and clear my mind. I like to shuffle alot..... Alot lol I make sure its all mixed good. Thats it.

I find that I shuffle A LOT as well.

Hmmm...

I look at each card - not a long look but to get a feel for the deck.

Then I shuffle - LOTS - occasionally turning over a card to see what I pick up.

And I shuffle some more.

Do a 3 card spread to see if I can read them...

Shuffle some more...

Just go with the flow....

Hi there! I have the Fenestra - and I see what part of your problem is.
Very few (repeat, very few) people who have never studied tarot can turn over a card, any card, at any time, and just know what it means. You practice. You make up little mini readings. How will the ball game turn out. What should defense work on - and then listen to the commentators. How will the murder mystery on tv turn out. Who done it? At night, draw 2 cards and interpret them as to how your day went. Past tense. How did it already go? Not, what will happen tomorrow. Begine to see what cards have to do with what's going on around you.

Then - post that you want to do a couple of like 3 card readings here at AT for feedback. Get some feel for the cards. When your book comes, see how it relates to what you've been learning. Read more books, or things online.

Then one day you will turn over a card as you are thinking of a question of importance and you will just "know" what it is saying to you. That simple. You will just know.

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As for me, if I am not asking a specific question I do not get "any answer" - I do like queenmil - shuffle shuffle shuffle. Let the cards get to know me, so to speak. When I am thinking a question, even if while watching tv, I find that if a card suddenly flips over or falls out of the deck, it will directly relate to the question I had been mulling over in my head. Otherwise it's just a card.

So shuffle, think, and see what happens. The more you read,in books or here, the more you'll know what works for you and what just doesn't. Nothing is set in stone.

Enjoy! Relax! And remember that you can't do it wrong. Just start - and let the cards speak to you when they are ready.

Nice deck, by the way! I really like it!
*S*

Thank You . That really helps alot. I will just hold on to them and look at them. It will come I know it. I have freinds that want readings but I want to wait till I feel more comfortable with what to say to them.

Remember, above all else, that just because a book says it doesn't mean it's true. It's what a card means to you in the context of each particular reading that's true. And that's going to change from reading to reading a lot of the time.

When you asked what we do before reading, did you mean before each reading, or before starting to read the cards at all when we were first new to tarot?

Solitaire* said:

Remember, above all else, that just because a book says it doesn't mean it's true. It's what a card means to you in the context of each particular reading that's true. And that's going to change from reading to reading a lot of the time.

Click to expand...

Definitely.
My impression of the card may not match what the book says, or what people in the readings section say, but if my brain goes "oh, that card is x", or the picture gives me an impression that's not in my book - 9 times out of 10 my own impressions were right. Symbols are what they mean to YOU, not other people.

Take an example - if you have a dream about red roses surrounding you, a friend might say "oh, you're going to have some romance in your life!". But to you, red roses might remind you of your mother/friend who used to grow red roses... So the dream could be about something totally different!

yes, queenmil, it will come, and gets easier with each reading you do. i also shuffle constantly.

before each reading, i make sure to shuffle them 10 to 12 times. sometimes i concentrate on the issue, sometimes, i don't. i just go with what i feel like doing. i use to light a candle, keep some sage near by, and all sorts of little things like that. i've tried many different things, but quite honestly i do just as well w/o all that too. so, now, i rarely do those 'extras'.

clearing my mind, occasionally concentrating on the issue, and shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, and most importantly---trust my gut instincts.

when i lay out the cards, i generally lay them out in groups of 3, unless i feel more is required or I'm following a spread. i go with my 'gut' instincts, even if it's not the 'traditional known interpretation' of the said card. my gut instincts seems to be very accurate. i pay very close attention to all my senses and try to incorporate them into the reading, and again they are quite accurate.

i think one of the very important things to remember is to trust your gut instincts in the reading, and you'll see that it pays off most of the time.

Yep I shuffle shuffle shuffle... then I got into this wierd habit of when I'm finished i knock on the back of the deck... (dont ask.. dont know why!).. then I cut the deck into three piles and pick whichever appeals to me more! After that if its a general reading I will just keep putting them out until I feel its enough.. (you just know), or I do a 3 card spread.. or follow specific spreads... sometimes I give each card a meaning (i do this before I lay them out... and even use post it labels in each position so I remember... oh to admit that!)

Its all personal to how you feel