What went wrong?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 08 Apr 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kittaine	08 Apr 2004
I'm a beginner in tarot reading. I just started less than 2 months ago actually (although it feels like 3 months already), but I think I'm learning fast. Just yesterday, I pulled out my first ever tarot deck (the Hidden Folk) and did exercises with them the whole day. I also used the Celtic Dragon for the first time as well as the Faeries' Oracle. And I did this from dawn till dusk. I felt so drained after. But something else was wrong. It was like the act of reading tarot lost its sacredness to it. I used to be able to give bull's eye readings with the Hidden Folk (well, on occasion, but I think that's a pretty good feat for a beginner), but all my readings yesterday were less than true, although they still held some truth in them. And they began to look repetitive and boring, and it felt like the magic was gone. What went wrong? Will the magic ever come back? What should I do and shouldn't do again?

Star Spirit	09 Apr 2004
Tarot reading can be draining, so you're not going to be wanting to make a habit of reading from dawn until dusk :) That probably had a lot to do with the accuracy in your readings. For one, going that long is draining and your mind/intuition were probably worn out afterwards, and thus you may have been misinterpreting or just not understanding fully. Second, if you were asking the same question(s) over and over, your readings will definitely be repetitive. I'm not saying you were, but I think of the tarot as an insightful psychological device, that helps us to reveal the things we know deep down. If your readings seemed repetitive it may be because deep down you already knew the answers. Everyone goes through those spells where it just doesn't feel the same, and they can't read, or don't want to. It always passes though. There's nothing wrong with playing with the cards for as long as you like, but if you were doing serious readings all day, that would be enough to give anyone a headache, or get lost in their train of thought and interpretations, or feel bored. My advice is to take it slow, enjoy it, but don't expect perfect results every time, because you have to find your niche. Make it more of a hobby and less of a career, at least for now :D Also, drink plenty of water while you read and make sure you eat and take breaks in between. It seems to me like you just had a mental overload.

WalesWoman	09 Apr 2004
The only thing wrong was that you might have overdone it, just a little bit. Don't worry about it, really. You've just gotten a wee tad overboard and that's really normal. I've been doing Tarot for less than a year, but the first few months were borderline obsessive, I lost the whole summer, spent my time on tarot forums, (not this one) instead of doing housework, neglected my garden, ignored my kids, all I could think of was Tarot and I'm still a novice at it, for all of that. Don't sweat it, just think of Temperance, keep it in balance. It's like falling in love in many ways. You were probably asking similar things and I believe you can overdo Tarot until things become so muddled there is no way you can make sense of anything, not so much brain drain as over saturated, to the point where you can't soak another thing in. Take a little break and don't do marathons, they are draining. Stick to a couple readings and don't ask the same things in different ways, it will still give you the same answers and if you won't listen, not tell you a darn thing. That's just my opinion, for what it's worth, or IMOFWIW.

Kittaine	09 Apr 2004
LOL! Good to know others before me have tread on the same path! And yes, I actually did ask the same questions over and over! So, no wonder! Wow, I hope I'll never have it as bad as you did, WalesWoman.

smokey	09 Apr 2004
Greetings, Kittaine Wow! Using the Tarot at any given time "from dusk till dawn" is simply just asking for instant burn-out, therefore causing you to feel the magick is "gone". I FEEL tis always there...just in "re- mission" at present, due to the exhaustive drain you've experienced! Lighten-Up!!! Tarot can be FUN!!! Take a long, hot bubble bath /aromatic oils, lay back,relax, place a coupla' cucumber slices 'oer your eyelids, & gently meditate on your favorite,prettiest images of your best cards. If you have any crystals or gemstones,play w/these.The Magick SHALL return. lol...

Ivy Rhiannon	09 Apr 2004
I agree with everyone else! Well can't say your not dedicated! LOL. Especially good advice dead star!

The What went wrong? thread was originally posted on 08 Apr 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.