Three questions from a tarot newbie

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 23 Oct 2001, and now archived in the Forum Library.

innersun	23 Oct 2001
1) When I do a reading, I focus on a question and then pick the card(s). Sometimes I end up selecting cards that seem so unrelated to my question that I'm not sure how to interpret the reading. Any suggestions? 2) When I pick cards after meditating on a question, should I attempt to read the WHOLE card(s) or just, say, a symbol that sticks out in the card(s)? I think this is really a question of trusting my intuition and getting out of my head. 3) How do I know if I'm not just interpretting the cards in ways that I want to have it answered as opposed to what it's really trying to show me? Thanks for any help you can offer!!

Melvis	23 Oct 2001
Very good questions, innersun! I think many of the problems we have with interpretation come from second guessing ourselves and over-thinking the problem. Sometimes when I'm doing a reading the querent and I just end up going around in circles about a card's meaning. What I have them do is take the card in their hands, close their eyes for a few seconds and clear their mind, then open their eyes and look at the card. I ask them what the first thing is that the card made them think of...what was their gut instinct about what was shown on the card? Whatever they come up with is usually the most natural reaction to the card, and thus what the card naturally means to this person in the current situation. From that, we come up with an interpretation. I'm sure others here have ways that they overcome 'Reader's Block', but this has worked for me. My best advice is just to ask yourself what your gut reaction is to the card, and start from there. I think we should all trust out guts more often than we do! ;P Peace, Melvis

Mojo	23 Oct 2001
innersun, Very thoughtful questions. 1) Even though it may seem like the cards you deal are unrelated to the question, chances are they are very appropriate. One trap that many beginners fall into is associating certain cards with certain themes or interpretations... usually based on memorized "keywords" or other preconceived notions about the cards. An example of this would be asking a question about career and getting the Lovers card and wondering what love has to do with career. I think you already gave yourself a clue to the solution for this with your second question... 2) If a particular symbol on a card catches your eye when you lay them out, by all means concentrate on that symbol. You can consider the entire card, but I would definitely use that symbol as the basis for my interpretation. This may actually help you fit cards to your question a little better. It also keeps your readings very fresh for both you and your querents. By allowing yourself to notice different things at different times, a card will read differently in every reading, which makes it much more fun in my opinion. 3) When reading for yourself, it's very easy to let your own bias interfere with the the interpretations. It's human nature. In order to get beyond that, I will usually do the same reading on myself at least twice to see if the same cards or themes show up. The key is to just stick with it and allow yourself to do whatever feels right along the way. Over time you will learn to trust your intuition more and more, and that is the key to the tarot.

innersun	23 Oct 2001
Thanks Mojo. That was really helpful! Innersun

innersun	23 Oct 2001
Thanks for your suggestioins Melvis. I really appreciate your suggestions! Innnersun

The Three questions from a tarot newbie thread was originally posted on 23 Oct 2001 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.