Centering

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 15 Nov 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

allibee	15 Nov 2002
Hi peeps, I have my own particular technique for centering before I start a reading for myself and others, mainly based on a prayer and a visualisation, but I'm really keen to hear how you all center and focus before you start a reading. Thanks allibee

Joywalker	15 Nov 2002
I don't do any centering. Just make sure that the place is quiet and we won't be interrupted. Does centering necessary? I've heard from my friends that they sometimes do meditation or even yoga to clear their minds before any reading.

RedWood	15 Nov 2002
In one of the books i have on tarot..there is a little mantra....Tarot, tarot tell me true... I changed it to...Tarot, tarot tell me true..what do i tell (insert name here) too..

Teranar	15 Nov 2002
I sit down and calm my mind and try to blank it. Usually when I do this people try to speak to me and I politely tell them to be quiet. If they're extrememly rude and continue to bug me I tend to shout SHUT UP! at them.

HudsonGray	16 Nov 2002
I make the effort to calm my mind as much as possible, and random shuffle a bit, then concentrate on the question & shuffle till it feels right to stop. One of my cats comes running soon as I hit that calm mind part.....she's made it a point to sit & watch, soaking up the energy the entire time I read, but the others aren't interested. For me meditation goes in too deep. Centering is good enough.

zorya	16 Nov 2002
first i center. this is where i take a few deep breaths and calm my mind and body. then i ground. i connect to the earth through my feet, and to the sky through my head. i feel the energy move through me, up through my feet and down through my head. at this point i silently, or outloud if i have privacy, give thanks and ask for assistance from the four directions and my spirit guides and helpers. then plug in. let go of self... open to the universe....shuffle and read.

divinerguy	16 Nov 2002
This may sound a bit odd, but I smell the cards before a reading. The aroma of the ink and the paper put me in the proper frame of mind.

allibee	16 Nov 2002
This is interesting, keep 'em coming! allibee

Woof	16 Nov 2002
So far I've only read for myself. Before I read I meditate on my breath and try to imagine a warm protective sphere of light around me. I do this for about 15 minutes. I do it just because I enjoy the time meditating and centering. I have a candle lit at the same time and just feel the whole ambiance of the meditating and reading very peacefull and soothing. When I read for someone else I think I'd just have to take a minute or two to try to put myself in the right mindset. Woof

mrsjvan	16 Nov 2002
"This may sound a bit odd, but I smell the cards before a reading. The aroma of the ink and the paper put me in the proper frame of mind." -divinerguy Wow, I thought I was weird one who smelled my cards! I don't know why that seems to help but it does. I close my eyes and hold them flat between my hands and hold them against my lips in a praying position and smell them as I think about the question. I think it also has something to do with the deap beathing. So I guess you're not so odd after all are you divinerguy. Either that or we both are.

raeanne	16 Nov 2002
OK, I admit it! I'm a smeller also. The paper and the ink are intoxication!

HudsonGray	16 Nov 2002
You must have LOVED those old mimeograph machines, everyone smelled the paper when we got things from the school office on them! Actually, I touch the deck to my forehead or just near my lips, but I'm not smelling them, I'm doing a mental 'thank you' a the end when the reading is done & the cards collected. For some reason I started doing this, a touch to the head briefly, to transfer the thanks to the cards. It didn't seem strange at all.

Teal	16 Nov 2002
I got some chuckles out of this thread. So------divinerguy------I hope you didn't suck in all the good smells from the Haindl deck before you sent it off. LOL Did you leave some for me? Teal

divinerguy	18 Nov 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Teal I got some chuckles out of this thread. So------divinerguy------I hope you didn't suck in all the good smells from the Haindl deck before you sent it off. LOL Did you leave some for me? Teal Actually, I didn't smell the Haindl. I usually do that before I read, and I never did a reading with the Haindl.

Teal	18 Nov 2002
I didn't smell the Cosmic Tribe, either. You'll have all the pleasure of that, but it will smell like buckskin, probably, after being in that bag. Did you get the deck yet? I haven't gotten Haindl yet. Maybe it will be in today's mail. I don't know what's taking it so long. The mail is incredibly slow at times since 9/11.

divinerguy	18 Nov 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Teal I didn't smell the Cosmic Tribe, either. You'll have all the pleasure of that, but it will smell like buckskin, probably, after being in that bag. Did you get the deck yet? I haven't gotten Haindl yet. Maybe it will be in today's mail. I don't know what's taking it so long. The mail is incredibly slow at times since 9/11. With all the naked people in the Cosmic TRibe - I'm not sure I want to smell it. (geez, I crack myself up).

Trogon	18 Nov 2002
Oddly enough... I find that the more I try to "prepare" myself for a reading, the more it seems to work against me. I usually just close my eyes for a few moments to try to clear my mind from the clutter and noise of daily living. I think about the querrent (don't know a better way to put that... just kind of set my mind onto them... ;) ) and start shuffling the cards. Shuffle a few times, have my client cut the deck however they want (except with a sharp instrument) and deal out the cards. It works for me... [edit] Hmmm... I may have to start smelling the deck though... I like this. I was a mimeograph sniffer in my youth as well... })

Teal	18 Nov 2002
divinerguy---- You crack me up, too. I didn't think of that. Ewww! LOL

Kiama	19 Nov 2002
To centre myself befor reading, I put up wht I call my 'mental Do-Not-Disturb sign' which is basically me telling myself I'm going to do a reading, and I don't want any of the day's thoughts creeping in on me, especially if I'm reading for somebody else. This doesn't involve a ritual, or visualisation or prayer, just me saying 'Pay attention Kiama!' I also find it helpful to just tell myself in my head, what the question is, and what each card will represent. That way, I am sure I know what I'm doing (Since I often make the spreads up as I go, a new one for each reading, this is v.important: Don't wanna go forgetting which card represents what!), and it does drive all other thoughts outta my mind. (This thinking thing takes alot of concentration!) I used to o alot of the visualisation, meditation thing, but now I do lots of readings for others in crowded pubs, it is very difficult and often inconvenient for me to sit there in silent prayer... Now, I have found that cuz I've been doing the above type of centring for a while, I can just 'snap into it' when I need to, regardles of where I am, what time it is, how drunk the people around me are... Always good when in a pub surrounded by a hoarde of drunken Pagans! ;) Kiama

WolfSpirit	19 Nov 2002
I just concentrate for a short while, then start shuffling, listening to my intuition when to stop shuffling and spread the cards. Don't think I could do this in a noisy pub though... Kiama you must have amazing gift of concentration !!

lupo138	19 Nov 2002
I donīt actually center myself. I simply start and try to concentrate. I only center in order to do something active and reading is more passive to my, because I listen (or at least try to listen) to the cards, thatīs all.

Eviemay	19 Nov 2002
Hiya, First I ground myself, growing my roots into the earth. Then I center myself in the moment, to the task in hand. Simply by focusing on the question and shuffling the cards, not allowing my mind to stray. As for smelling the cards, while I don't do that to center myself, I do enjoy the smell of my RW deck! :) Bright Blessings, Evie

Teal	19 Nov 2002
I actually concentrate better when some other noise is going on. I don't know why that is, but I've always been that way. My mother used to make me turn off music and leave the TV room for homework, but that background noise actually made it possible for me to study better. She never believed that, though.

VGimlet	22 Nov 2002
I usually just sit down, pause for a moment and take a few breaths and focus on the cards. If I'm feeling particularly twitchy, sometimes I light a candle and look at the flame for a second or two first. For me, it's more of a rountine that helps me concentrate (okay, let's get to business now, no more thinking about the shopping list...lol), like turning on the stereo before I start writing. I'm like you Teal, it sometimes helps me concentrate to have a little noise in the background. (My mom was always skeptical too, :))

Kiama	23 Nov 2002
Quote: Originally posted by WolfSpirit Don't think I could do this in a noisy pub though... Kiama you must have amazing gift of concentration !! It's Tarot! Of course i can concentrate on it... ;) :* Kiama

The Centering thread was originally posted on 15 Nov 2002 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.