Just did my first reading!

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 14 Jun 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

ferrous	14 Jun 2004
I just did my first reading this very morning for someone other than myself! I'm very excited about it. :) I did a three card reading, with a fourth which popped out during the shuffle, for my cousin who is shortly going to be moving back home to her parents' place where she had lots of troubles & where her mum is not the type of person you really want to live with. It was a reading via instant messaging. She told me she was feeling scared about the move, knowing that she has to face so many demons again, which she escaped from when she moved out of home. I suggested that we do a reading, to help clarify how she was feeling & she was keen. She knows I'm a learner, but she was happy for me to do it for her, understanding that my wish for her happiness was the reason why I wanted to read for her. Since she wasn't physically present, I shuffled the cards while she thought about the issue. I then spread them out in a line & ran my hand slowly over them, her telling me when to stop & pick a card for each of the three cards. To my surprise, all three were Major Arcana cards. Is this unusual? The first card was The Devil, the second card The Moon, & the third card Death. Over all, she & I took these cards to mean that it's her fear of the situtation, rather than the situation itself, which is keeping her 'in chains', that she has to give up the fear to her Higher Power & that out of the sitution she will rise up stronger & better than she was before. The fourth card which popped out during shuffling was the Four of Wands. Because of it seemingly coming out on its own, I took this card as a kind of covering over all the cards, perhaps to sum them up. I'm not relly getting my point across very well, but I'm sure you get the idea. Anyway, I took this card to mean that she's stronger now from her past experiences at home & has laid a good foundation for being able to deal with the troubles which will come up. She was happy with her reading. She said that it meant a lot to her that I did the reading & that she recognised where she stood within that reading. I think it helped her a bit. So there you go. My first reading. It feels good! Anyone want to have a say on how I read the cards? Any other opinons?

contrascarpe	14 Jun 2004
Bravo!!!! So happy to see someone excited about reading. Sounds like you had the situation well under control .... pretty exhilarating experience, isn't it? No, having all majors is not as unusual as you think. I had a reading done for me recently where all five cards were majors. This can mean many things including the fact that this decision is major, or that it is out of her control. Keep up with your readings. I look forward to seeing how you progress! Dan

tao51	14 Jun 2004
You are using the power of your intuition to help you. Keep spreading those cards! You will do well!--Tao

ros	15 Jun 2004
Now all you do is keep on doing readings one right after the other! You'll learn as you go. Congratualtions!

13thFaeChylde	15 Jun 2004
Congratulations! :) I feel very exhilarated after a reading, esp. if it feels right and there is confirmation.

purple_scorp	16 Jun 2004
Hi Ferrous, congratulations. I just wanted to suggest that you write your readings in a journal and that way, you can look back on them later on, to see how you are progressing. It's also interesting and satisfying to write in comments from the person for whom you were reading. Especially when they come back some time after the reading to tell you that something you had said had come true. Best of luck for future readings. Cheers purple_scorp

MeeWah	16 Jun 2004
Ferrous: Welcome to Your Readings & congratulations on your first reading! Not unusual for Majors to appear, but significant for a 3-card that all are Majors. Generally indicative of major developments; the main things or areas of issue; also pertains to those influences or forces beyond one's immediate control & need time & the self applications to work out. Your take seems on-target. Within the context of the throw, 18-The Moon could be read on more than one level. Indicate a fear of the unknown, possibly fearing it more than change. Apprehension not an usual reaction. Could also indicate a developing awareness which precedes any change. As 4-Wands an aspect of 4-The Emperor, related to last card of 13-Death. Suggestive of being inspired, even pushed to build a new foundation for the life; revamping the parameters.

MeeWah	16 Jun 2004
Since this thread is better suited to Your Readings, it will be moved there where it could garner more responses.

ferrous	16 Jun 2004
Quote: Originally posted by purple_scorp Hi Ferrous, congratulations. I just wanted to suggest that you write your readings in a journal and that way, you can look back on them later on, to see how you are progressing. It's also interesting and satisfying to write in comments from the person for whom you were reading. Especially when they come back some time after the reading to tell you that something you had said had come true. Great idea, purple_scorp. thanks for the advice. i think i'll find myself a nice book which i can use as my tarot journal. i just found one with a nice hard cover on it which will handle being thrown into a bag. could be perfect. Quote: Originally posted by MeeWah Since this thread is better suited to Your Readings, it will be moved there where it could garner more responses. Hmm, yes. When I read back over my post later & read where I asked for other opinions, I realised that perhaps I should have posted it in the readings section. I did wonder initially, but when I first began writing the post I was originally just excited & wanting to share my enthusiam .. then I guess i got carried away. Heh. Thanks for shifting it for me. :) thanks also for your take on the reading, MeeWah. much appreciated. I guess I still have a bit to learn about how cards work in combination with each other. Does this just come with practice or are there certain 'set' combinations? So much still to learn. Oh, one more thing, I apologise for the mixed use of proper case & lower case in this reply. I only realised part way through writing this that I was using all lower case, which is the way I write on my own site & emails etc, so I fixed it part way through.

MeeWah	16 Jun 2004
Ferrous: How cards work in relation or in combination to each other comes with practice, though I think some readers may assign certain meanings to particular pairs or combinations. As meanings need not remain static but depend on the moment & the context of a reading, it follows that combinations in & of themselves may be read differently as well. Also, the reader's perception at the time of a reading influences the take. Thanks for the gracious apology, but the general structure of your post clear. That is, the use of paragraphs & punctuation aid in the understanding :)

divinerguy	16 Jun 2004
Congratulations, and welcome to both a new and ancient world of discovery. I wish you the very best in your explorations.

diane drizzy	21 Jun 2004
Hi Ferrous! I too did my first "grown up" reading yesterday! I have done spreads for my closest friends but I read for a casual co-worker. I used the Pagan Tarot by Gina Pace. It's become my favorite deck,(after my FO of course!). I must admit I was Very nervous, but it went really well. I used the Horseshoe spread for a general read.My co-worker was floored because she said I had hit on all her issues. I feel soooo good! :D :D :D

ferrous	21 Jun 2004
Go, diane! It's exciting, isn't it! :)

tao51	01 Jul 2004
It is a wonderful feeling when it all clicks together!--Tao

The Just did my first reading! thread was originally posted on 14 Jun 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.