Tarot and Drinking

I rarely plan exactly when I am going to use my cards, I just get the right feeling and go for it. Sometimes on a weekend or in the evening I will want to use them, but have had a couple of drinks.

Now I would never use my deck when I am drunk, I would see that as disrespectful - but can any one see any harm in using the tarot after a moderate amount of alcohol?

Interestingly I did a reading after a couple of glasses of wine that was very profound recently. Not that I'm advocating using alcohol to help reading the tarot!

I was just mulling over whether it is right or not, and would appreciate your views.

I think I'm coming to the conclusion that as long as one is not intoxicated it is OK.

Some of my best readings have been done under the infuence, lol
It was always wine though, never with beer or liquor. I think those types of drink would put me in a different frame of mind and would thus be an impediment to the reading. I also kind of understand it being disrespectful too.

Sebavin said:

Some of my best readings have been done under the infuence, lol
It was always wine though, never with beer or liquor. I think those types of drink would put me in a different frame of mind and would thus be an impediment to the reading. I also kind of understand it being disrespectful too.

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Ditto. I'm the same way. If I have a couple of drinks, I read MUCH better. I don't exactly know why, but I'm leaning towards a connection with higher consiousness.

I think that really depends on how much you drink, how it affects you, where you are, who you're with (if you're reading for another), so on and so forth.

In other words are you talking a couple of glasses of wine with dinner? A few beers with a friend? Or a some cocktails at a nightclub? And again, evey person will be affected differently by a drink or two. My mother goes as "giddy as a wheel" (her phrase) on a SIP of alcohol. I tend to fall asleep after two beers, and yet I know people who can drink TWO whole bottles of wine on their own, and still be perfectly coherent.

I do find that for me, one drink can help relax me. And in some situations this is great and allows me to relax the barriers between my intuition and my mouth. You know, get me talking. But as I said, too much and I tend to drift off, which is NOT good for a reading.

So I guess it really depends on you and how you feel about it. But I personally don't think of reading after a drink as disrespectful. But then I tend not to worry about respecting or disrespecting my cards, after all they're just cardboard. Though I do think reading while drunk is pointless. After all if you can't see straight or think straight, how are you going to interpret what you do see there?

Just my 2c
Faolainn Storm

As most of us have unnaturally hectic and stressful lives with work and travel etc I wonder whether a small amount of alcohol just shuts down that mundane part of the brain which could inhibit intuition and interpretation.

Agreed, whether disrespectful or not, drunken use of the tarot would be pointless.

I don't know how the tarot works, but am pretty humbled when it works well and whatever causes it to work like that would probably not work for (or be pleased with?) a drunken interaction. Just my guess.

I am glad you brought this up, I agree there is nothing wrong with a small amount of alcohol, I personally hate being drink but enjoy say a small Brandy or some Rum in my tea to relax me and I agree it does shut down the mundane part of your brain.
My alcohol tollerance is so very low lol
I also think when you have had a good meal, good wine and wonderful company you feel more creative and energized and want to get your cards out!

Hey Ed,

I've already seen some threads on the topic. Wait a minute ... I'm doing a search ...

Well, I think this was the thread where the latest alcohol + Tarot thread arouse from:
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=40769&highlight=tarot+reading+alcohol

And here are some threads that covered the topic "Tarot + Alcohol = ??":
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=72812&highlight=tarot+reading+alcohol

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=40763&highlight=tarot+reading+alcohol

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=61740&highlight=tarot+reading+alcohol

Astraea Aurora

All things in moderation, of course... but I believe that anything that helps open up communication between the conscious and subconscious minds would enhance the process of reading tarot.

Wow, I was going to start a topic of the same subject!

A drink before reading works also for me. I never drink to do a reading, but if for some other reason I have had some alcohol, I feel that my intuition works better. I guess a small amount of alcohol opens the channels to my intuition and shuts down my rational mind. Normally I would get the same results after meditation and relaxation. I feel that alcohol speeds up the process.

However until now I have thought that alcohol and tarot is never an appropriate combination.

Viona said:

Wow, I was going to start a topic of the same subject!

A drink before reading works also for me. I never drink to do a reading, but if for some other reason I have had some alcohol, I feel that my intuition works better. I guess a small amount of alcohol opens the channels to my intuition and shuts down my rational mind. Normally I would get the same results after meditation and relaxation. I feel that alcohol speeds up the process.

However until now I have thought that alcohol and tarot is never an appropriate combination.

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It's a fine line isn't it? I would be uncomfortable thinking "right, I want to do a reading so I'll neck some booze!", but as you say if fate has conspired that I have had a small drink and i want to use the cards it can be a good thing.

Maybe it comes down to focusing. I wouldn't have the telly on when reading the card for the same reasons I wouldn't be drunk. So the issue is not alcohol good/bad per se but issues that affect concentration and intuition.