how to begin

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 21 Oct 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

loveinspirit	21 Oct 2004
when you start a reading for someone, is it best to say..... ie, this card is the king of swords and this means..... or is it best to say from the layout of cards in front of me i can see ...... how do other people start the readings, do they focus on each card and explain what it is and what it means, or do they explain about what reaction or feeling they get from it??????...

closrapexa	21 Oct 2004
I usually start with the most urgent thing. If there is a stong message that jumps out, then I start with that. I sometimes show the querent the cardsand explain that "this is the five of cups, and by the symbolism you can see that etc." I find this helps to offer the querent some kind of foothold in the reading, especially the skeptical ones or those that have never been read to before, and feel afraid/unsure. I feel that the ultimate thing to do is make the querent feel at ease with the reading, even if you are delivering bad news. And hope that things will be better.

tarotlova	21 Oct 2004
I do a combination of both, if one single card seems to stand out to me I begin with that, but if a combination of cards are screaming the loudest I will start with that and then tell them what they mean on their own and then together, I hope this helps.

lunalafey	21 Oct 2004
It really depends upon the issue and the cards that appear in the throw. Generally I start from the beginning, the first card. But times there is a card in a position that leads the pack (no pun intended). I'll start there and then either go back to the beginning or go to a card that is strongly connected to the card that got my attention. When it comes to delivery- I keep things from sounding 'writ in stone' I will say things like "it seems..." or "I feel that...." because sometimes it can be an off day and this just covers me for a mis-reading :D

Ace	21 Oct 2004
I like to look for patterns, but sometimes there aren't any. So then I just start reading from the center outward.

Fulgour	12 Nov 2004
We may not usually be aware of it, but as a group we handle our decks pretty well after awhile, all 78 cards. I've noticed a lot of people absolutely fascinated with the shuffling and cutting, but then really I still am too.

The how to begin thread was originally posted on 21 Oct 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.