Diet and Tarot??

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 01 Oct 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

afrikankween	01 Oct 2002
I have a friend who also reads Tarot, and she normally does not eat before she plans to give a reading. Has anyone ever heard of anyone doing this? She says it brings about more clarity.

zorya	01 Oct 2002
i've never heard of doing this before reading the cards, but i do fast before some of my 'bigger' shamanic journeys. it helps me to acheive an altered state, and i think in a way, it makes it easier to shut off my brain and tap into the universal. if i did it before reading the cards, i would never get to eat. lol.

juice	02 Oct 2002
This is probably a hold over from many esoteric traditions that believe that you are with a cleaner sharper mind if you fast before magick work. Fasting is considered purifying by many. There are various opinions on timing of the fast. Like the child who was told not to eat before swimming: "ever"? }) Severe low blood sugar can cause the brain to hallucinate. Plus what you eat does affect the energy in your body, which is like saying that waiting long enough after eating allows you to assimulate the food energy and give you a more balanced energy field to start from. Note although I have heard this from countless sources, I do not agree. I think it is a little like saying that hungry children pay better attention. Many midieval authorities equated too week to fight with aqcuiessance. Some more modern people will tell you not to eat to much so that you don't get puppy-dog symdrome. If you find food too distracting an energy influence, you might consider being careful of the type of food you eat. (I'm tired of the Vegan wars) Researchers now agree that people who want to perform well mentally should eat and make sure their blood sugar is stable. I have heard it said that thinking interferes with the intuitive process. That would make eating a bad preparation for reading tarot. It comes down to whether or not you believes thinking helps or hinders the creative process.

Pollux	02 Oct 2002
Well, I generally do nothing before reading, no rituals, nothing at all. Only rarely the process changes. If I know I am going to give a very importnat reading - say, and importnat issue, or someone close to me, someone I really really really want to help out and therefore get the best reading I can give... well, do I refrain from eating? Yes I do! *LOL* (hoping my mother does not find out, good old Neapolitan mothers... *LOL*) So far I just did twice. In probably 4 years? :confused: And in truth, I do believe in the "sleepeling" effect of food in my belly, more than a metaphysical belief it is a contingent condition *LOL* But I have never felt so stuffed to be put off reading... Well, to word it better, when I DO feel stuffed, I automatically switch to the "don't touch cars, stones, candles..." mood. Some people may find it idiotic, and it MAY WELL be, I admit it; but it is a issue of purity, and I feel it a lot. And on a general basis, I am always a bit hungry (it's a while I am trying to eat less and less), or at least when I read cards. It may be a chance, and a lucky one indeed, but when I feel like playing with my wicked packs of cards I feel appropriately fit (read: not stuffed, and maybe also a bit hungry, and therefore lucid... *LOL*).

afrikankween	02 Oct 2002
Thanks for the insight!

Laurel	03 Oct 2002
I am at my personal best for reading when I'm neither stuffed or starving- but at the happy medium between both. Hunger pains or a bloated tummy are both distracting :)

Jewel	04 Oct 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Laurel I am at my personal best for reading when I'm neither stuffed or starving- but at the happy medium between both. Hunger pains or a bloated tummy are both distracting :) I'm with you on this one!

Teranar	05 Oct 2002
I find it relaxing and helpful to drink something while reading.

Indigo	08 Oct 2002
I agree with Laurel. It's hard for me to think with a grumbly in my tumbly. But, if I've finished up a particularly intense reading or session, I give myself carte blanche to hog down a good helping of grounding food. Heavy on the carbohydrates and proteins. Food helps a lot of folks ground after any spiritual endeavor, and I'm mildly hypoglycemic anyways. ("No, really... I *need* that extra chocolate-chip cookie... Honest!") :)

The Diet and Tarot?? thread was originally posted on 01 Oct 2002 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.