Where to use tarot cards

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 08 Oct 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

tepia	08 Oct 2003
Hi I don't know if this is a thread already, but.... I was just wondering where people like to do their spreads and readings. Any rules? Any unusual places? Practices? I always have read at home, so I myself am not very particular. But I had a friend that liked to read at muesums and archeaological digs sites. (we were both in archeaology and had access to some pretty interesting and restricted areas at times when there would be no one else around). She would not read there very often. I always thought it was odd to read there because it seemed like a place abosolutely filled with history of thousands of people, a rather confusing place. But it was for that reason she like these areas. I should have asked her more about it, but at that time I was not reading tarot and was only becoming interested in it. I was just reflecting on it the other day and wanted to know what others thought. Cheers Tepia _________ "...And we will pluck 'til time and times are done, silver apples of the moon, and golden apples of the sun." ~Yeats

Arora	08 Oct 2003
i prefer a quiet, relaxed atmosphere. doesn't really matter where, as long as the noise level & stress level is to a minimum. no screaming children, no TV blaring, no phones ringing, etc.

Emily	08 Oct 2003
Hi Tepia, I'm like Arora, I like to have a quiet peaceful place to do a reading, I don't mind people talking around me, I can shut them out, but I don't like to be pestered when I'm doing a reading. Its not very often I read for other people so usually I do my spreads at home either on the dining room table, on the floor or outside in the garden. I also like to take my cards on holiday so I do readings in new surroundings. I also use a spread cloth, a square of deep purple cotton, especially when I read outside to protect the cards. :)

Rusty Neon	08 Oct 2003
Has anyone used tarot cards while driving (as driver) a motor vehicle, boat or snowmobile? (Not me.) Using tarot cards while a passenger doesn't count. :) Has anyone used tarot cards while riding in an elevator? (Not me.)

nexyjo	08 Oct 2003
the place i most often read cards is at my altar. i'll normally have a candle burning, and when i can afford it, incense as well. for spreads, i'll typically use my coffee table. i normally do not use a spread cloth. when i get a new deck, or when i feel like spending time with a deck, not necessarily for reading, i'll do that in bed. weird perhaps, but it seems to work for me.

Thirteen	08 Oct 2003
I've read for people at parties, at coffee houses, at conventions--smack on the floor in a busy hallway. I've done readings for people in the back of cars (never while driving, of course), over the phone, on-line, at their desks at work, on airplanes and in hotel rooms. Public, private, here, there and everywhere. But then, it's hard to jar my concentration even in a crowded room. If I'm focused on the cards, that's what I see and very little short of a 3-alarm fire can distract me. If you feel comfortable reading in busy, noisy, lively coffee houses, do so. If you feel distracted by noise and need peace/quiet to do an effective reading, then keep to very private places.

caledonia	09 Oct 2003
I havent read a whole lot... maybe about 20 times. but I find the best place for me to read is on my screened-in front porch with a brewski in one hand and a cig in the other. (i dont allow smoking in my house.) For some reason, I just love the fact I can see the road, right there in front of my house, plus my porch is one of the only remaining original parts of my house, built in the 20's, which was once a general store. I like the oldness of it all I guess. Caledonia

Dark_angel	09 Oct 2003
I've not read in public yet, but when I do. I'm thinking of asking the local coffee shops. I live in a very eclectic (aeclectic!) community, with people of all nationalities and religions, so I don't think I'd have too many problems with tolerance, and there are several quite quiet places nearby, where I could get enough querents and still not be distracted. I usually read at home, but the circumstances vary depending on where I am! At the moment I'm living with three of my best friends, but they're all male and very loud (I think it's a guy thing, coz I've shared with girls and we were much quieter) so I can read pretty much anywhere in the flat, as the noise levels fairly constant. Soon I'm moving in with another friend (nothing to do with the guys; work-related... ie. it's closer to uni and I'm lazy!) and while there I can read pretty much anywhere but prefer to do so in the living room - it's HUGE, it used to be the ballroom of the house our block of flats was converted from, and it feels so old, like so many people have walked it before. When I'm ACTUALLY at home (not at uni) I only read in the comfort of my bed, with only a table light on. This isn't by preference though, my family don't like me reading elsewhere, so I respect their preferences. xxx

catlin	09 Oct 2003
I am an all-time, all-place reader but the place I prefer is in my study room which also serves as reading room (that was the main part why I took that flat). The atmosphere is calm, relaxing, I have my altars there, decks, books, incense and all that other nice stuff we all love and spend fortunes on :D :D

Kiama	09 Oct 2003
I'm another 'anytime-anywhere' reader. When I first started Uni here, I found myself doing alot of readings in pubs and bars: they were noisy, smoky, loud, and busy, but it doesn't break my concentration. (Although I did learn to carry a cloth to wipe the beer-covered tables before laying down the cards! They may be battered cards, but they're not going to be soaked cards!) During my early to mid teens I would do readings in school, out on the playing field, in the playground, in empty classrooms, during registration, and sometimes during lessons where the teacher couldn't be bothered to teach us anything (usually the last week before Christmas!) During this time, I did quite a few readings for my teachers aswell. :D (My English teacher at GCSE was very curious because I used the Shakespearian Tarot.) I used to go camping alot, so needless to say I read in tents by the light of a torch, or on the grass, by rivers, in forests, and by roaring campfires. :D When I was 16 I got a job as a waitress, and found myself doing readings in the kitchens where I worked, or out the back when my collegues went out for a cigarette break. (Or a Tarot-break!) I've read for people in taxis, in elevators (Yes, Rusty Neon, me), in canteens, coffee shops, restaurants, a walk-in fridge (long story don't ask!), on a fence-post on a farm, at the beach, and in the bath. (I was reading for somebody else at the time!). One of my favourite readings though was one I did for a friend when I first met him a couple of years ago, in the grounds (very beautiful grounds) of Oxford University. It was just after sunset, and I did the reading for him beneath a very beautiful tree, and the grass was soft, dry, and cool. It was beautiful. :D Kiama

tepia	09 Oct 2003
hi everyone, thanks for all of your replies. I do most of my reading at home on my drawing table or in bed (I'm poor so I don't have a lot of surfaces to choose from! :)) With some fun candles or something. The most exotic place I have ever read was while I was out camping, outside, next to the bonfire. That was a lot of fun. I think I have been inspired to bring my tarot with me more places just to see what I think. It sounds like most people just do tarot were they can concentrate the best, and if concentrating isn't a problem, you can do it almost anywhere. I read at at a couple of parties/dinner parties before. Mostly for fun, like a game, to help start to remember the cards better. But I thought it would have been really hard to concentrate there. To each his own... Tepia ---------- "...and we'll pluck 'til time and times are done, silver apples of the moon, and goldern apples of the sun." ~yeats

bonnycat	09 Oct 2003
hi I tend to take my card with me everywhere at present cause I am trying to practise reading for others so i can articulate what i see and have only been doing so for a few months. so if i am in a busy place i just take my cards and the querant to a quietish place and go for it. I have not as yet read in a coffee shop or pub but i intend to try as friends and family are runing out and i could do with reading for some strangers. sorry gone off on a tangent there the best place for me is the forunt room bonnycat

WolfSpirit	09 Oct 2003
I don't do readings for strangers at the moment, just for myself and friends so I normally read at home, sitting on the floor. Recently I started using spreadcloths, it is not a must for me but I do like it now to fend my deck off from "the mundane". Or maybe I just like the way it looks ;) When on holiday I often do nature walks and I always take a deck with me (in a waterproof bag, made from an old umbrella), I will always find a perfect spot (like that inviting tree to sit under, a big stone near a waterfall) where I can meditate and I love to take my cards out as well, sometimes to read them or just to meditate on. Those are my favourite places to do readings, wish I could be there all year long ;)

MattDouglas	09 Oct 2003
I will read anywhere. However, when reading in public I amke sure to preserve confidentiality. I don't mind back ground noise at all, but I will send others who are watching away if they don't have the querents permission to be there. If I feel the cards show something highly pewrsonal, I'll send onlookers away regardless of querent's okay. usually this is well understood by bystanders, but I think I once offended some curious tourists when doing a reading in Balboa Park (San Diego's largest). Love, understanding, and compassion, Matt

catlin	10 Oct 2003
MM, Matt, Good point to mention that! I also make sure my querent's privacy is ensured in public places but there was one day when I read in a meta phys shop that 2 GI's came in and the one wanted to fuss as I politely asked him not to stand directly at our table. His friend then dragged him away as he saw that this guy was not inclined to get off by himself.

Sulis	10 Oct 2003
I read for myself and for family at the moment (haven't got the bottle to read for anyone else ;)) so I do most of my readings either on my bed or on the living room floor. Love and light Sulis xx

Chronata	10 Oct 2003
I am another one of those "read anywhere, anytime " girls. For a while it was nothing but cofeehouses, bars, private parties and street festivals. Some of the more unusual places that I have done readings included... In an elevator at a sci-fi convention (yep Rusty Neon...me too!) At a prom (my High Schools...but not actually my own prom) At my Brother's wedding At a Church Spaghetti Dinner In a Bowling Alley In a willow tree Outside during a Tornado (where I lost...and then recovered ...half a deck!) In a cemetery Before and during numerous stage plays I have never been lucky enough to do readings anywhere near an archeology dig (that would be SO cool, I think!) And my favorite place, is in a wooded area, beneth a lot of old trees. I would like to say...that in each of the above places, that it was not my idea...but I was reading at someone elses request!

Lady Mary	13 Oct 2003
I found out that I get the most accurate results when I DO NOT try to concentrate. In a mood of lightness and relaxation. When I do a reading "just for fun" or "out of curiosity". When I just think: "Let's see what the cards want to tell me." I like to do readings in public places, like bars or restaurants. When I'm in the right mood nothing can disturb me. I once did a reading for myself in a computer shop because I wasn't sure if I should buy a notebook or not. Where I live Tarot-readings are not very common, so I also like the look on the faces of waiters, etc. when I take my cards out of my bag. I do not look very much gypsy-like, so people tend to be surprised when they see me picking cards.

Yami Yugi	17 Oct 2003
Ha you guys are lucky. Trapped in mere boyhood i am and living in a very serious christian (baptist) community. I am stuck to hiding cards and reading in my room or my closet if my parents invite company over. I do read for clients over the MMORPG shadowbane for stuff. If I am on vacation and i find a quiet park and take out my Mini Tarot Nova and read with that. If you have discovered that this seems kinda feminine it is because i take a more poetic approach to things. Although there is this one 8th grader on our bus who we know is gay. He said he was himself. I've told some of my closest friends and i'm sort of the advisor of our group. I am kinda sick of those odd looks. Most people think that kids our age should not be knowing and using such occultic devices but when they have that strange look on their face i say "Hey you use astrology this is pretty much the same accept you don't have to read some frauds horoscope"

Cerulean	17 Oct 2003
I am hardly ever bothered in libraries, bookstore coffeehouses or sometimes while waiting for class, because I have kits in foreign languages as a title or I put a paper or bookcover over the title. The cards are in a zipper bag and usually I have a notebook. I take less than three cards out at a time. I guess because usually there's an art museum catalogue or poetry book on my table, it's not interesting at all to anyone else. I also sketch and paint. Most times everyone ignores my books and decks and feels free to look at my sketchpad. When I looked under 18 (well into my 20s), more people felt inclined to check out what I was looking at or reading because they felt a responsibility. People cannot help being nosy when someone looks very young to them--so yes, it feels horrid, but under 18, people really watch and feel free to comment because they usually feel responsible. Although when I was reading "The Decameron, " the text was so small, no one said anything and I kept my face very straight even at the funniest parts. I used to write in my journal on public transportation when I went to a university--but a man reading over my shoulder once at a bus stop asked if I was writing about my boyfriend--at that time I was writing Gothic Romance in the first person. I started spacing my paragraphs to look like poetry and no one ever read over my shoulder again. I think I look like one of those people writing letters or postcards to someone else. I also sometimes take a break and balance my checkbook or read my book or sketch as well.. I also seem to vary my activity so the longest I've been someplace is two hours, I think.

lark	18 Oct 2003
I usually read at an old refinished desk in my tarot room. In here it is quiet and peaceful. On the weekends I read at a psychic fair. It's noisy and everybody is milling around so I've had to learn to lose myself in the cards and shut out the rest of the chaos around me. But there is another special place I like to go to read. When we built our house alot of large rocks came out of the foundation dig. We put them in a circle in the back yard near a huge oak tree. I planted a tree in the middle and filled in the rest of the space with flowers. There is one rock that is very flat and is great for sitting on. On windless days(and there aren't very many of those living on top of a hill) I do a reading on that rock. One night this summer there was a full moon it was very bright outside and very still. I took some candles and my Tarot of the Moon Garden out and did a reading in the moon light . I let the candles melt all over the white rock. It was magical. Gave me the goose bumps.

VGimlet	19 Oct 2003
Back when I first started I usually read on my bed, or on the floor, or outside if it was nice. After I got married, still either on the bed (we had a VERY small place, the bed was the largest semi-flat surface in it, LOL) or outside. I'm another anyplace-anytime reader, although I haven't read in the variety of places you all have, LOL. I have read at car and kart tracks, with races going on. I think part of the reason I learned how to focus so well is that when we were just married we always had lots of people over, so if I wanted to write, or read, or read my cards (or sleep) I learned to concentrate no matter what was going on. :) Now I usually read at the dining room table, because it's rarely used for dining. I have my moon & stars tablecloth, and usually a candle if I want it, and plenty of room for my querant to write out what I'm telling them.

Mystic Zyl	20 Oct 2003
I carry cards on me at all times, never leave home without them. I can say I have never read while driving a car, I have read in a lot of different locations. Like on the trunk of a car in a parking lot, a private room in a courthouse for an attorney, church, hospital emergency room and at funerals ( no I did not use the casket as my reading table).

Mystic Zyl	20 Oct 2003
I have also read in casinos and libraries. Both establishments were amazed that I would do it , I had their employees lined up for readings! I also read for my mother's emergency room doctor and many nurses. I have done many readings in hospitals, it is better than a psychic fair for interested people.

The Where to use tarot cards thread was originally posted on 08 Oct 2003 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.