What's your method and set-up for reading?

That's my question.

Do you read in a particular place you have devoted to that? Do you need any particular requirement, add any sort of prayer/incantation/other paraphernalia? Is there anything that completely disturbs you if it happens and makes you abort the process?

I don't have a set method yet, but I think I'll be trying to be comfortable reading in different places as long as I can find a moment to calm down in order to focus at the questions.

Yesterday I did my first reading for someone else, I should have taken a photo or something for the record, and for sharing here and so on, but the idea didn't come up at the time. I spread the cards on the case of an old guitar, handed down to the querent by a grandfather. I wasn't very sure about doing a reading for him, but hey, I have to do it to learn, and when he told me to do it in the guitar case, I thought it was such a good idea that I *had* to do it.

I think that... perhaps it's useful to stick to whatever is there and then when you're going to do the reading, tapping into the moment and environment of the reading, as long as you feel comfortable with it and find some reason to use the place/environment/reading surface, perhaps because you find it beautiful, poetic, meaningful or just "cool".

But what are your ways of doing it? I can probably learn a little bit of each of you, so please tell me!

Well, I haven't done too many face to face readings. I wouldn't have a problem doing it the way you did if it was a fairly quiet environment- I still feel too new to be able to do it when there is tons of noise. I would just lie the cards out on a clean surface, even a napkin if I had to.

At home, I like to read in my living room. I have a large coffee table that any sized spread will fit. I usually just put a spreadcloth down, but when I am really trying to do an intense spread for myself, or when I am really trying to focus on studying, I find it comforting to light incense or a candle, put out a few stones, and maybe add a few other things just for the calming effect. When I did some email readings for a friend, I put things around the table that she had given me just to try to tune in to her energy.

Today when reading for my mom, I had the spreadcloth, a goddess charm, a small black cauldron with a tea light candle burning, 3 river rocks engraved with symbols of a raven, the moon, and the word "harmony" and a large amethyst crystal. Those things were all on the table already as I was working with my Tarot of the Crone deck, but I left them there when she arrived and she asked for readings, so.. it worked out well.

Good luck with your journey.

Disa

I don't have one. I read wherever I am. Usually I'm in front of the computer to just do my own readings to practice. I'm slow being able to get settled into my new place---I've gotten rid of tons of stuff and still have too much, so it's frustratingly slow deciding where everything is going to go and how to fit it there so my desk hasn't made its way to my room yet.

Anyway, what I'm using for a desk right now is my oak TV stand. It's one of those that's made to look like an old ice box but has a turntable on top. That's where my monitor is. Then I have a wooden TV tray set up in front of that to put my keyboard and mouse on. And then I've got this old computer chair. The turntable with the monitor on it on the TV stand tends to turn itself slowly to the right and my computer chair, for some reason, will turn itself slowly to the left, so I'm sure if there were a video camera in here, it would be a very silly sight, with me having to turn the monitor back and turn my chair back and then when I type for awhile they both go different directions again. LOL

But back to the question. This is my "set-up", if you could call it that. Sometimes I sit on my bed, using a smoothly finished oak board I use for a writing board. I lay my cards out on that and write in my journal there.

Away from home, I use whatever is handy. For me, it's not the bells and whistles, it's the cards and the sitter that matter.

At home I burn candles for people who are having a hard time and I burn incense and I always have my stones and crystals out but not for my card reading in particular.

Psiweapon said:

Do you read in a particular place you have devoted to that? Do you need any particular requirement, add any sort of prayer/incantation/other paraphernalia? Is there anything that completely disturbs you if it happens and makes you abort the process?

Click to expand...

I read tarot any place I happen to be . . . at work, at home, while traveling, etc. Probably my most common reading "set up" is laying the cards out beside me on the sofa in my living room, with the laptop computer sitting on the coffee table in front of me (or in my lap).

If I invite someone over for a reading, though, I'll take them into my tarot room. Actually, it's presumptuous of me to call it "my tarot room" . . . it serves as our home library as well as space for my tarot collection, but in the middle of the room we have a table and chairs, and there I have plenty of space to lay out a spread cloth and read in a more serious way.

Sometimes I light candles, but usually not. I don't burn incense. I don't say prayers. I don't envision white light. I don't cast a ritual circle.

I do stop and take a few deep breaths, though, to clear my mind.

No, there's nothing that I would take as a sign to abort the process, aside from getting a telephone call or a knock on the door. But if I'm reading for a sitter, even those things wouldn't be cause to stop the reading.

this is a great thread full of pictures of our reading spaces.
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=80701

I have an enclosed patio with the furniture and plants in it.
It faces the east.
I love to go out there in the morning with my cards and coffee.
I light inscence or use simmering oil, use some candles too.
We also keep magazines and a few other materialistic things out there too.
But I take all that stuff out before I do my readings.

AJ said:

this is a great thread full of pictures of our reading spaces.
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=80701

Click to expand...

Haha! Don't click that! That thread makes me long for a "real" reading space.

I use a tv tray stand and my deck. Sometimes I use a spread cloth. When I read out, usually at a dance club, I do use a cloth so my cards don't get yucky.

I have no rituals. But I really should come up with some sort of prayer to do beforehand.

I have no rituals. I usually read at home, either on the living room floor, the kitchen or dining room table, or my bed *LOL*. If at a friends house then either on thier living room floor or a table. Other screeching kids nothing really bothers me.

I have my little section in my house where I have all my things set up, and I like to read at my dining table, I don't have a prayer but I always must have QUIET, candles, some incense and I like soft meditation music playing in the background, then Im ready to go! pretty simple really but thats just my little way

Wow

That "reading space" thread is very intimidating. I have a good eye for decoration and all, but obtaining all the "extras" like a nice spread cloth, stones, candles, statues, etc. gets very expensive. Personally I can't afford all those things -- but not only that, I don't feel it's necessary or even beneficial to do a good reading.

I do my readings "on the fly"... On the coffee table at home, at my desk, on the plane... All that matters to me is the deck. I can spread them out anywhere that's clean and that is just fine.