Tarot Use and Troubled Times.

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 03 Nov 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Kath	03 Nov 2004
As I mentioned in another thread, I found that there was a correlation between using tarot cards, and the state of things in my life. When things were bad I read a lot more than when things were good. At the moment, because things are going quite well, I rarely read for myself, because I don’t have many questions to ask. Has anyone else experienced this?

SeraphSarah	03 Nov 2004
Well, I donr read for myself but clients i get always seem to come in when there is a problem they need help with. This makes sence when u think about it tho. If everything is great in your life you are not worried about the outcome or how to deal with it at all. But once you get into a mess you immidiatly want to know the results/future to see if that will releave your stress. Just as when the greeks and romans used to consult an oracle before heading to war..They needed to know the results of a bad situation to make them feel stronger and better about the situation.

Mesara	03 Nov 2004
Im exactly the opposite. I read more for myself when my life is good, and hardly read at all when I am upset, depressed, or stressed about things. I think it is because I am a *flight* person (you know, the whole fight or flight response thing). I do not like to face difficult things, and having them laid out before me in a tarot reading only makes me more depressed. Also, when I am experiencing a lot of stress and anxiety, I tend to withdraw into myself, and I cannot be bothered to do anything, even tarot. HOWEVER- I am working to change that. I now force myself to do readings even when I don't want to even get out of bed, just to keep my mind active and to keep me from trying to ignore my problems.

Flavio	03 Nov 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Kath When things were bad I read a lot more than when things were good. Agree with Kath, I read more on difficult moments, looking for insights to help me solve the trouble, at that times any advice the cards can give me is more than welcome, If I feel my mood will not allow me to do an unbiased reading I ask someone else's help wheter reading for me or helping me with the interpretation. I think John Lennon said once something like "God is useful to measure the human pain", meaning most people only remember about God at difficult times, if God is used like that, what chance can have a Tarot deck?

WalesWoman	06 Nov 2004
This is too much, I was just writting to a tarot buddy about this very thing a few minutes ago. I hadn't seen this thread before the upgrade hiatus. That when things are going well, when I'm feeling good about life in general, I rarely do any readings for myself, but once I'm feeling uncertain...out come the cards. The readings I do when I'm feeling down are totally reflective and unless I have someone else to give me their take, I often times send myself into a total 9 Swords state of mind and miss what I really need to see. I've been wondering if sometimes by misreading cards that may seem to be negative, if I'm not actually creating a situation that didn't even exist in the first place. I know for sure I freak myself out sometimes...like last month in particular...I see a 3 Swords and some other cards that indicated a major change, some deceit and immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion- my Knight of Wands personality in action, when yes, these things were going on, but not even close to what I had imaginined. Not even in the neighborhood. I'm trying to decide if I should just stay away from readings for myself when I'm like this, rather I should ask what it is that is the root of this, what I can do to improve my sense of well being or the situation and NOT ask what the outcome of the situation or I really send myself into a tizzy.

Teranar	06 Nov 2004
I can relate to this directly When things were bad and I needed something to guide me, I first learned to use these funny cards. Now I use them on people having rough times or myself having rough times. When things are good, I guess I don't want to face having my bubble burst, or the forseeing of such an event.

lunalafey	06 Nov 2004
I'm in the majority- like you all, I use tarot more- to help me through the hard times. But there are exceptions {like the invisible deck from the above mentioned thread}. I would ask the cards more questions, not so silly, but not so serious, if I could think of a question.

Alice	06 Nov 2004
like most people I also sem to use the cards more when I am down. I meanI started tarot when I was ill in hospital and needed something to make me feel better. The one thing that goes against this is that the only time I seem to get around to drawing a daily card over a long period of time is when things are going well. When they are going badly I tend not to do that for some reason and stick to bigger readings.

Formicida	06 Nov 2004
I think I tend to have more time and energy to read the cards when times are good. A lot of times, when things are bad and not changing, I'll give up reading for myself for a while because there's nothing new they can tell me and nothing else I can think about. On the other hand, when I'm happy and life is going well, I can come up with more interesting and creative questions. But certainly when a difficult situation comes up, that's when I ask more personal questions. I only have to stop reading when the situation goes on for a while and shows no signs of changing.

DarkElectric	06 Nov 2004
I read for myself a lot, good times and bad. But I must admit, when the going gets dark, the Dark gets reading. And it's possible that I may go a bit overboard, depending on the disaster du jour. When things suck, I'll: Read tarot, fairy ring oracle (which has been eerily correct on some important matters), Norse runes, I Ching, and Witch's runes. (Susan Sheppard) Usually this obsessive blast of oracular questioning concerns events which occur in the relationship department. Everything else I seem to be able to go wth the flow. But relationships confuse me to no end, so I bug my divination tools. Then I usually get this from the I Ching- Hex 4, Meng-Youthful Folly... "Youthful Folly has success. It is not I who seek the young fool; the young fool seeks me. At the first oracle I inform him. If he asks two or three times it is importunity.If he importunes, I give him no information. Perseverance furthers."

magpie9	06 Nov 2004
It's taken me a long time to find the balance in when to read for myself. --Youthfull folly, indeed!! I have gotten that soooo many times, both from the I Ching and Tarot ! But sometimes I just don't know what to do, as waleswoman says: Quote: I'm trying to decide if I should just stay away from readings for myself when I'm like this, rather I should ask what it is that is the root of this, what I can do to improve my sense of well being or the situation and NOT ask what the outcome of the situation or I really send myself into a tizzy. What I've been doing in the last year or 2 is to read on what I can do to change the outcome of the situation, or my reaction to it. That has turned me away from "fated" style layouts like the CC, to ones that focus on change, like Pollacks' Work Cycle readings. It's a big improvement for me.

Sulis	06 Nov 2004
I read for myself more than I do for others. I definately find that I use tarot more when I'm having problems - tarot has really helped me through some dark times and helped me to learn quite a bit about myself. I go in cycles with tarot (as with everything else), I should really see whether my tarot use matches my menstrual cycle :) It wouldn't surprise me at all if it did. Love Sulis xx

RedMaple	06 Nov 2004
I find that my reading occurs in cycles, not necessarily when things are going bad or going well, but more internal, solitary times, and external social times. Also, I find I do a lot of Tarot when i'm in transition from one phase to another. Often, I find myself busy with Tarot, not just doing readings, but generally studying and working with the images, before a creative period. RedMaple

Phaedra	06 Nov 2004
When I'm in a depressed cycle, all my psychic work goes down the tubes. If I read cards, I'll do so obsessively -- "Maybe this time I'll get the answer I want!" I've learned during those times, I'm better off relying on readings from others.

The Tarot Use and Troubled Times. thread was originally posted on 03 Nov 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.