Are my Tarot cards tired or is it me?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 31 Jan 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Jypsie	31 Jan 2004
I seem to be blocked lately- I feel like when I do a throw, all I get is muddled garbage. Is it me? It seems to be happening with more than one deck. But if I do a reading for someone else, it seems all so clear. What the heck can I do to get out of this funk?

Lady Eclipse	01 Feb 2004
Hi Jypsie, Have you tried cleansing your aura or meditating on why your cards are muddled for you? This can happen for many reasons but the most common are fatigue, stress, aura/chakra blockage, sickness, depression, psychic burnout, or just plain old needing to take a break from the cards for awhile. How long has this been going on? Joy to you, Maralee

miss_apples	01 Feb 2004
Are you asking the same questions over and over again and its still not making sense? That happens to me all the time and Im not sure why. Maybe its because your not getting the awnser you want or maybe you need a second persons opinion on the cards to see them clearly for yourself.

allibee	01 Feb 2004
Hi Jypsie Sounds very much like Objective Syndrome to me ... a well known affliction of *the tarot reader*, and it can strike down any taroholic! There is no cure I'm afraid ;) Like hundreds, maybe even thousands of others, I too suffer from this ... welcome to Objectives Anonymous :o)

Jewel-ry	01 Feb 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Jypsie I seem to be blocked lately- I feel like when I do a throw, all I get is muddled garbage. Is it me? Hi Jypsie, I was like this once when I wasn't feeling too well. The general advice I got from here was to give myself a rest, which I did for just a few days and then everything was OK again. Perhaps you should do the same J :)

Le_Corsair	01 Feb 2004
You could also be doing so many readings that your cards are simply tired: "Oh, here she comes again! What is it this time, 4 celtic crosses and a life spread? C'mon, already, give us a break!" Seriously, step away from readings for a short period, say a week. Then see what happens. Bob :THERM

Jypsie	01 Feb 2004
Quote: Seriously, step away from readings for a short period, say a week. Then see what happens. A WEEK?!?!?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!?!? =S lol. maybe I should try that, for real. Right after I cleanse my chakras (I have also had trouble meditating... the one time this week I was nearing a trancelike state, my ex-fiance came home from work and closed the door so hard behind him the house shook and then it was gone... =S)

Nevada	01 Feb 2004
I never realized until I recently began doing readings for others how much more difficult it is to read objectively for myself (and my husband). Here's a suggestion: 1. Do only one reading for yourself a week. 2. Make a ritual of it, where you set everything else in your life aside for a little while and meditate first, or create sacred space, etc. Plan ahead what you want to read about, and draw only those cards. 3. If at first you don't see what the cards are telling you, write down your first thoughts anyway, then sleep on it. Keep the spread out where you can go back to look at it later. 4. Go back again (and again if necessary) another day and once more write down your impressions of that same reading. All in all, you need to remove yourself from needing an immediate answer, and get into a really loose, relaxed, meditative state. Also approach this with a kind of respect and reverence. We often don't approach things for ourselves in this way, making self-readings a little too casual and slapping cards down in a hurry. I've found the most difficult readings for self are those about the future. A focus on self-examination or growth is usually much more fruitful. Nevada

Lady Eclipse	01 Feb 2004
Hi again, Nevada gave some great tips on reading for yourself. I'll give you my secret: Ask the question in the third person as though you're asking for someone who couldn't be present. Treat it like a client's reading by taking notes that you would give to the client later on. Once you start doing this on a regular basis, you shouldn't have any problems reading for yourself since this method trains your mind to be objective. Try recharging your cards in sunlight or moonlight for 3 days while you take those 3 days to relax and don't do anything tarot related or divination related. This should help clear your mind as well as your cards. Let me know how it goes. :-) Joy to you, Maralee

Majecot	02 Feb 2004
I too suffer from that, allibee what did you call it? Objective Syndrome, yep.. that is it in a nutshell. It is hard to be objective about your self. Lady Eclipse, I am going to give your third party trick a try. Can we trick ourselves? he he he

ol_crazy_Legs	02 Feb 2004
Meditation... clear your mind. You must be able to feel your inner-voice and open you inner tutition.

Umbrae	02 Feb 2004
It’s you. It’s been often pointed out, that the cards are but paper product and ink. It’s what happens when the images pass into the mind…that’s where and when the magic occurs. Reading for yourself more than once a week, asking the same question again, reading for yourself more than you read for others…those actions will help enforce the illusion that the cards are tired, or it’s time to buy a new deck, or that a chakra is ‘blocked’. We are putting importance on our ‘actions directed towards self’, as opposed to ‘actions directed towards others’. Replacing self directed will, eliminates stress, depression, fatigue, psychic burnout, etc… Oh – and about meditation…it’s not what you think…

Lady Eclipse	02 Feb 2004
Hi Umbrae, "Reading for yourself more than once a week, asking the same question again, reading for yourself more than you read for others…those actions will help enforce the illusion that the cards are tired, or it’s time to buy a new deck, or that a chakra is ‘blocked’." I read for myself more than once a week and have never had any problem. When I was first learning the tarot, I read for myself more than others and experienced no "illusions." Now that I no longer read professionally, I read at least as much for myself, if not more, as I do others and still no problems. I know people who rarely read for others and read for themselves on a daily basis and they're not suffering from any "illusions." "We are putting importance on our ‘actions directed towards self’, as opposed to ‘actions directed towards others’. Replacing self directed will, eliminates stress, depression, fatigue, psychic burnout, etc…" Interesting theory but in all practicality, that's much easier said than done for most people. I've yet to meet anyone who isn't at least as concerned for themselves as they are for others. Self-directed will is what gets us up and helps us accomplish the things that are needed to be done. Self-directed will is part of our being and helps us to survive in this world. Without it, I'd never accomplish anything whether it's something as mundane as cleaning my house or more important, like taking care of my children, or generating additional income by creating a tarot deck or doing a reading. Eliminating self-directed will will result in laziness and personal, if not global chaos. Society as it currently is, is not ready for such a concept. "Oh – and about meditation…it’s not what you think…" What do you think meditation is? Joy to you, Maralee

Imagemaker	02 Feb 2004
Quote: "Oh – and about meditation…it’s not what you think…" This line is an old joke about meditation. In most traditions, you're not supposed to think when you meditate (observe thoughts, chant mantra, or whatever method you use, though in insight meditation you DO ponder your patterns)--so usually meditation is "not what you think." Irony prevails :)

Jypsie	02 Feb 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Imagemaker This line is an old joke about meditation. In most traditions, you're not supposed to think when you meditate (observe thoughts, chant mantra, or whatever method you use, though in insight meditation you DO ponder your patterns)--so usually meditation is "not what you think." Irony prevails :) LOL. thank for illuminating that one, I find the irony GREAT! hehe. Well, on that note, here's what I did today, and I found it really cleansing, though I haven't tried to read the cards yet today. I took my favorite deck, and one-by-one, I smudged the cards, in incense and then in fire. That process took about 20 minutes, and left me in quite a trance. Then I sat all that aside and cleared my chakras through meditation, and just "vegged" a while. Then I put my cards back on the windowsill where they have been for the past 24 hours, resisting the urge to ask a question, and then I took a nice long nap. And I feel wondrous now. Still have not asked a question of them today, though.

katrananda	03 Feb 2004
Maybe you're asking questions you really don't want answers to? I stopped reading tarot for several years b/c my life was so horrid that I didn't want to know if it was going to get worse. ANd I was too messed up to listen to any advice coming my way, from man, beast or card. Perhaps give it a rest for a while and make your decisions yourself. Or if you absolutely can't do without something, choose a different oracle.

Indigo Rose	03 Feb 2004
Jypsie, when I am tired or stressed out it is hard for me to read the cards; especially for myself. From the other posts, you have indicated that you have been going through a lot of changes lately with work/relationship etc..Things of this nature will work to cloud your mind. Try to find some quiet time for yourself where you won't be interrupted and really let yourself unwind from all the stress. I think a clear mind is essential for reading Tarot. Maybe the readings are telling you just that; it's time to clear your head and let go of some things. Blessings, Indigo Rose

Umbrae	04 Feb 2004
Doing a daily draw of one or two cards a day is fine for yourself. I like a daily draw of two and only two cards. The first is the challenge or issue of the day. The second is what the challenge brings to you, your lesson, or what you must do to overcome the challenge. When folks are new, they have a tendency to ‘over read’. If they do not like the reading, they do a second ‘clarifying’ reading, and then perhaps another ‘clarify the clarification’… zorya, once said, “If we are too attached to a perceived outcome, we may miss opportunities, or what is truly meant for us.” You want to learn how the cards speak to and for you, not how your ego speaks for the cards. One full reading a week is just fine when you are new. Too many readings, and they get clouded by bias…and you learn nothing. It is easy to become too dependent upon oracular devices, to use them for everything that arises. If you become too reliant, they may show you what you want, and not what you need; and you may not obtain that which you have sought. Remember, when reading…it’s just the cards, the sitter, and you; and none of this is about you. It is about the sitter. Read for yourself only? If you truly want to learn about yourself, you do so by helping others. Zig Zigler said, ‘If you help enough people get what they want, you will get what you want.’ Here’s a question, why do folks come to us to have us read the cards? It has nothing to do with their question. They could get that answered on the Internet, or by a doctor, lawyer, or priest; but they come to us. It is something you should spend some time pondering. With all the science, they come to us. The answer is important... Even more important is this question…why do you read? Feeling blocked, is about losing sight of why we are here…looking at the obstacles and not the goals. So if we get outside of our skin, outside of our comfort zones, and begin to do for others – we will more clearly see what our own issues are. Do like Le Corsair suggests, step away. And while away from your cards…ponder the questions I posed. Why do they come to us? Why do you read? :smoker:

The Are my Tarot cards tired or is it me? thread was originally posted on 31 Jan 2004 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.