Never Fails?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 10 Oct 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

mirja crimson	10 Oct 2002
Maybe I'm just new and I don't know how to read the cards very well (I admit, I still use a book to look at the card meanings), but do your readings ALWAYS work? A book i read about Tarot says that sometimes, the reading just doesn't work and there's a number of reasons why. But it seems like a lot of times my readings don't work. What am I doing wrong?

zorya	11 Oct 2002
i recommend starting with one or three card spreads. do them daily and keep a journal. often the meanings become clearer in retrospect. i believe they always work, we just sometimes don't see everything.

Umbrae	11 Oct 2002
It is a learning process. It takes time. Begin at the beginning. Go Slow! Unless you strive for mediocrity. Begin with three card spreads. Begin doing 3 card readings (for others). Do them for-ever. Do a lot of them. As Zorya said: Journal…Buy a spiral notebook. Use it as a Journal (very important). Write down every reading (both cards and your interpretation). Three card readings are versatile, and accurate. More cards do not always mean better readings (but they look good on tv). Read books (but remember they are a reference tool, not a reverence tool) (I recommend “Tarot Reversals” by Mary Greer. 3 card spreads? Page 215. Read old posts on this site. Usually when they fail, you can go back to your written journal and know exactly why.

Trogon	11 Oct 2002
Mirja; I have had some readings that I just couldn't make sense of at the time. Umbrae and Zorya had very good suggestions which should help you. I would also suggest one thing that has helped me tremendously; post your confusing readings to the "Your Readings" forum. Try to provide what background information you can (what you know about the querrent as it relates to the reading), along with the layout you used, what the positions relate to (for example; past, present, future), and the cards you dealt and any interpretations you came up with. The deck you were using for the reading might be helpful as well. There are a lot of very knowledgable Tarot readers here on A.T. If I may... here is a link to a posting I did a while back. I found the replies to this to be extremely helpful. I simply offer it as an example of how I did this... http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6901 Hope it helps.

lawguy51	14 Oct 2002
Mirja: You didn't mention if these readings are for yourself or others. I have found that constantly reading for yourself can lead to the cards basically getting fed up with you and revealing nothing. What is really happening is that you are no longer using your intuition and are just drawing cards for practice sake. Do as others suggested and try 3 card spreads. Also, it helps to develop a bit of ritual. I like to light some incense or smudge myself with sweetgrass before doing a reading, even for myself. I also sit with the deck in my hands and just meditate for a while. Find something that gets you in a comfortable frame of mind and then go from there.

Sinta	15 Oct 2002
Well so far all my readings have worked, except for one or two. I have learned to trust the cards and that there is something there to read. Sometimes I dont see it. When it doesn't work it just is when it doesn't make sense to me, but who knows! As others here have said. Practice Practice Practice. You will find the deeper meaning when you do so ;) Remember.. trust your cards somehow... go at it slowly. Try to build a relationship to your card. Take out your primary card (calculated by your birthday) and lookat it.. know you have an ally. The first time I got my deck, my first two readings didn't make sense. Then I decided to try and build this relationship with my card. Right after that, all my readings have worked so far. It's all in the mind ;) I trust my cards. When they dont work though, might be because you try to make a reading for someone else.... and it ends up to be a reading about yourself ^_^ cards have mix ups too.

Sinta	15 Oct 2002
Quote: Originally posted by lawguy51 I have found that constantly reading for yourself can lead to the cards basically getting fed up with you and revealing nothing. Also, it helps to develop a bit of ritual. I agree with you fully lawguy ;) I try to restrain myself.. I used to make a good few readings a day. The first one would be good and then the rest would get vaguer. That's why I try to restrict myself to one reading a day, maximal two. And ritual helps! To me it's all in the mind, but I seem to be able to relax after some incense and feeling of security before my table.

mirja crimson	15 Oct 2002
Thanks everyone, you've all helped with my question. I started doing a new shuffling ritual and now every reading is hitting right on the dot. =) I don't have a Tarot table, although I have something I could use... I use my bed, because I figure that that's where most of my personality is, it's my safety haven. Is that okay? It seems to be working and it's great for big spreads. But I also know that I have to be careful! When I have had a lot of stress or other negative feelings where I have gone to my bed for comfort, my readings get screwed up because of all the negative energies. I'm learning more about my cards (they're sensitive) and how to read them. Thanks for all the advice!

Sinta	15 Oct 2002
Quote: Originally posted by mirja crimson I use my bed, because I figure that that's where most of my personality is, it's my safety haven. Is that okay? It seems to be working and it's great for big spreads. Hey that's no problem ^_^ I'm glad it's working out for you. I can't explain it either. Maybe it just relaxes the mind when one has a ritual and a certain place to lay the cards down. And the bed is fine! To each their own I say... I make most of my readings on the table, because there stands pictures of my lover (who is the meaning to my life), a few plants, incense burner and aromatherapy pot... It's like a small shrine... just for me and my life :)

lawguy51	19 Oct 2002
Sinta: Yes, incense works for me. Sometimes I also smudge myself with sweetgrass (a clairvoyant did that to me once before she did her card reading). I also like to sit on the floor and lay my cards out on the the cloth that came with my Mythic deck. I also like to hold the deck in my hands, close my eyes, and meditate for a minute or two.

Shanna	19 Oct 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Sinta Take out your primary card (calculated by your birthday) and lookat it.. know you have an ally. Can you explain what this is and how you calculate it? Or do you know somehere that I can find out about this? Thanx! :)

Teranar	19 Oct 2002
I feel the closer you are to your cards the more they tell you. And 1 card can speak many words, and people like me who want to know everything sometimes fall into the habit of wanting to use an extra card or 2, but that usually says nothing. When I first started reading I wish I had known about the daily drawing journal, that would have helped me immensely. (then again, meeting other readers and reading books probably would have helped too...) Wait... I was trying to go somewhere with this... anyway, just do your reading in a place you closely feel with. Your bed may be best, some people have a special table, or even a creek - Just do it where you are not only the most comfortable but where it feels best to do the readings. (Like when its raining or the creek floods I do my readings in the bathroom)

rota	20 Oct 2002
this is probably turning into a new thread! :) So - What*are* the ways in which people ready themselves to read? What gets you psyched? What puts you into the proper frame of mind - receptive and questing at the same time? For me it's a few moments of feeling the One Point that I learned about in earlier Aikido training. I hold the deck in my hands while I feel that feeling, and then I go through a particular method of shuffling the deck. I hold the concern or issue in my mind, and I keep in mind the card spread I'm intending to use. That's basically it. For me, there's no particular place or table or outfit or odors, because often you're looking for insight when you might not be at home. And if someone else is shuffling, they can do it however they like. And I find this 'ritual' gives me good results. "Never Fails"? Oh, I don't know about "never"... but it works practically all the time.

Alex	20 Oct 2002
readings for oneself, may be once a weeek, and just think about it a lot. I can't say that my readings don't work. Many times I just can't make sense out of them. Sometimes, I had people in this forum giving me very accurate interpretations on readings I'd done for myself that didn't make sense to me. One thing is that it's easier to read for other people. But I also understand that in the beginning we don't feel very confident to do that. I didn't until I had all the primary meanings of all cards on top of my head, so I would not need to consult books in front of querents. I think the journal is important.

The Never Fails? thread was originally posted on 10 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.