How do you keep readings fresh?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 20 Jul 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

aneski	20 Jul 2004
How do you keep from saying the same things for the same cards? Do you see something different each time? I've just read the same card a few times for different people, and I found it a little difficult to find something fresh. The card was The Lovers reversed, from the Old English Tarot.

Tarot Sparrow	20 Jul 2004
I know what you mean about running out of things to say. If you read intuitively it's easy to come up with a bunch of things, but after a while you sometimes feel you've said them all. You can try looking deeper into the card images; sometimes the message is not the card itself, but something depicted within the card; concept, object, etc. Also read the surrounding cards as part of a whole. When you understand the greater picture it's easier to draw singular meanings from a card, because you just know what fits. Even if it means going beyond and seeing something that may seem somewhat ridiculous for that particular card, the message is real. But there's always the possibility that the card can mean the same thing twice ;) It doesn't HAVE to say something different every time. Given the querent/situation/reading, a card could very well mean the same thing it has meant more than once already. Just go with what feels right.

Aun	20 Jul 2004
Each single card bears a countless spectrum of meanings, which can be greatly amplified by the surrounding cards, the position on the spread and the nature of the question... not to mention reversals and EDs.... Just allow the cards to speak to you!

mooncat2	21 Jul 2004
Hello Aneski, I have had the same experience this week - four readings in which the Death card was prominent. Every one of these people is in a different situation , each one has suffered loss and is in the grieving process but each one is also an individual and the needs and advice is different. Look to the cards that surround the card in question - here you will find the subtle differences between one reading and another.

inanna_tarot	21 Jul 2004
the only problems with readings i find hard to keep fresh - is the meanings of the aces - new things and beginnings, seems all well and good, but you are saying the same thing every time it pops up. Any new ideas on the aces folks? Muchly appreciated! Sezo x

Eco74	21 Jul 2004
..I go for the surrounding cards. If there are problems in the background, here is a chance for a solution of some sort, or a change for the better. If the querent has love issues, here is a new beginning emotionally or practically that relates to relationships. If there are questions of faith, the ace may well significate a beginning clarification of what to believe in. The aces are after all NEW beginnings... Though in odd cases they may well be a chance to start over with the same thing. I've yet to see thisone though but will try to remain open for the alternative.

aneski	21 Jul 2004
Thank you very much for your insights. I truly appreciate it!

miss_apples	21 Jul 2004
You could put your cards in the freezer with a fresh box of baking soda. Sorry...bad attempt at being funny. I had the same situation here on Aeclectic awhile ago. I was doing three readings in the reading exchange to test a new spread I had created and everyone got a few of the same cards. Just keep it in context with the other cards in the reading...if all the other cards are different then your interpretation will be a little different for that card in conjunction with the question and all the other cards.

Ace	22 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by miss_apples You could put your cards in the freezer with a fresh box of baking soda. Sorry...bad attempt at being funny. Not bad at all: I just literally LOL at the computer! Anyway, I find that I say the same thing about a card for two main reasons: 1) I really am seeing the same thing for each person 2) I have been reading too long at that point, and I am not really getting anything or I am too tired to look for the differences. Sometimes, I look carefully at a card and see a new detail that jumps out at me (after years of reading with the Robin Wood that will still happen!) That is usually a major hit in the reading. Sometimes, it is the surrounding cards that cue you in to the differences or nuances and sometimes, well, especially among close friends, I sometimes get very similar readings. Finally, about Aces: New things and new beginnings but where? Swords are directions and worries, Cups are energy, etc. That will help in the interp. BTW: a friend just pointed out to me that Robin Wood (or actually Mike Short who wrote the little white booklet) sees the Aces as the apotheosis--culmination or highest point. She noticed that because I gave her a copy of RW and she uses the booklet to read for herself! I had never noticed this, since I DON'T usually use it to read for myself (and I seldom get Aces) so there is something completely different right there!

Umbrae	22 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by aneski ...saying the same things for the same cards? Do you see something different each time? I think the key is to not look at the card(s). Pay attention to the relationships of the cards. In a three card spread, you have (depending on how you count it) 2 prime relationships, and two secondary relationships. It's been said that history is not made up of static moments; but the little things that occur between moments - the tiny things that cause those moments to come about. It’s what the cards are – little moments in time – the context is the relationship between those moments. Like Aum said: “Just allow the cards to speak to you!” Don’t’ tell the cards what they mean – let the card relationships tell you… I'll sit down now...sorry...I got carried away...

Sillanza	22 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Ace BTW: a friend just pointed out to me that Robin Wood (or actually Mike Short who wrote the little white booklet) sees the Aces as the apotheosis--culmination or highest point. This is a really interesting take on the Aces -- sort of a "strike while the iron is hot" message? Thanks for sharing this insight. On keeping it fresh: I have one friend that whenever I read for her, I feel like I'm reading from a script. Why? She hasn't done anything to change her situation from the last reading! This is when a journal can offer some guidance on the "is it me, or is it the querant?" question! I can also recommend "Tarot for Yourself." Sometimes all it takes is a little study to reawaken the cards to you.

Eco74	22 Jul 2004
I have yet to read that for the Robin Wood tarot.. Well, aside from occational cardmeaning checks when I first got it.. On the other hand I have ordered the companion book and will most definately be reading it so I should get a little bit of an overview anyway. But maybe I should still give the LWB a quick lookover? Not that I feel the need to since the cards speak to me quite well but to get some background on it.

Ace	22 Jul 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Eco74 I have yet to read that for the Robin Wood tarot.. But maybe I should still give the LWB a quick lookover? Not that I feel the need to since the cards speak to me quite well but to get some background on it. I never noticed because I DON'T use the LWB! Like you, the Robin Wood spoke so clear to me, I never needed it. But I rarely read for myself either. A friend once told me that if she needed to read for herself, she used the LWB to avoid fudging on interpretation. I do that too nowadays, it really helps. (But ONLY for reading for myself.) So when I gave this friend a deck, I suggested that she do that, and since she mainly reads for herself, she got to know the booklet quite well. Usuallly, I like Raymond Buckland's advice on starting with Tarot: read the LWB once or twice then THROW IT AWAY. It can keep you from seeing a new interp when you read for someone else. One that does not follow the book, but works perfectly for that instance.

The How do you keep readings fresh? thread was originally posted on 20 Jul 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.