Am I the only one here who doesn't read cards?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 29 Dec 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Ophiel	29 Dec 2002
Even though my interest in Tarot goes back more than twenty years, I find I have no interest in reading them! I see them as a valid tool, so my lack of interest has nothing to do with the Tarot themselves. I'm familiar with astrology, too, even bought a $200 program, but I don't use that for daily life maintenance either. (I had other reasons for wanting the astrology program.) I think some of us are just not interested in gaining those insights that one could get from the cards, or the stars, or even the toothpicks. In fact, I have a good friend who reads cards and I've made it very clear to her I do not want her looking into the cards to see what is coming down the pike for me. Some of us want to forge ahead and make what we make of our lives, but know that whatever results, was based entirely on a creative impulse of living in the moment. And I'm sure these statements will make me not a popular guy here, since everyone seems so involved in the cards, what they mean in readings, etc. I find all of this very interesting, mind you, just not for me. My card interest is primarily the major arcana, and I must admit that I don't often get into the back room of the deck, the minors, but am quite content to do what I do with those twenty-two toppers. They are so complete in and of themselves, I feel, twenty-two archetypal concepts packed into a deck of cards. My interest is more along the magickal/meditational path with Tarot. Am I alone in this group? Do I get my own Tarot Suite, or perhaps my own little corner in this forum? (I bet that nobody has guessed yet that I am astrologically double Fire (Sun, Moon) and I won't reveal my rising sign [a hint], for what that matters.)

RedWood	29 Dec 2002
Well I dont know if you are the only one..I do understand what you are saying..I feel that when I am "reading" the cards..It is more of seeing the probable..specially in financial situations..Sometimes you need an edge..I feel like..this is the Divine telling me possibilities that apparently I am not hearing on other levels.. I like the Minor arcana..those to me ..are almost more important then the majors... Just asking: By using the cards magically..How so? Cuz i am thinking..(i could be wrong) using Magic is perhaps influencing the outcome of the situations..So the difference in reading them and using magic..is not that great.. So please inform me how you use them magically..and what you get from meditation? Cuz..I Have not meditated on any cards..I am going by my OWN speculations. If you get insights from meditating..isnt that like reading the cards to? Just in a different form..Am I being clear enough? If not..gotta let me know. Good Question tho Ophiel.

WolfSpirit	29 Dec 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Ophiel ... I'm familiar with astrology, too, even bought a $200 program, but I don't use that for daily life maintenance either... [a hint] , for what that matters.) Do you mean by "daily life maintenance" read the cards every day to see what's in store for you that day ? I use my daily draw mainly to get more experience in reading in general and often to get to know a new deck in particular. I do look back at the end of the day to see if my reading made sense, but it does not scare me if i have "bad cards" in the morning - after all, a day is over quickly, after that there's another one... My more long-term readings I do take seriously though. As many influences work long-term it also makes more sense than the daily spread imo. But to return to your question... I started with tarot as a reader, or rather, trying to be a reader ;) and only later discovered other uses as meditation and magick. I expect to use the cards more in this way in future, I still consider myself a beginner but I think with some practice I will enjoy using the cards this way. I guess meditation is a very personal thing at which you decide what the card means to you so there is no need to discuss the meaning of a card and you pick the card you want to meditate on yourself so there are no nasty surprises...maybe that is why there are so many discussions on readings and so little on meditation. Glad you brought the subject up, I find it interesting...

truthsayer	29 Dec 2002
i started my interest in tarot over 25 years ago as a reader. i've never had the self discipline to draw a card a day even tho i think it's a great idea. i also explored symbolism, numerology, and astrology. i also played around with some oracle decks. 8 years ago, i got into studying tarot from the perspective of universal archetypes and psychology--jungian stuff. in the past couple of years, i've become increasingly drawn to tarot in order to study graphic artistic styles. i still do occasional readings but for me tarot "isn't just for divination anymore". i suspect as i grow in tarot i will come up with more varied interests and uses for them. for some reason, i use oracle decks for personal divination more often than tarot these days.

Alex	29 Dec 2002
but I don't see it as a problem. It's like thinking that your neighbors, who go to church every Sunday, would mind the fact that you are interested in studying teology, but that you don't pray. May be they would mind it but may be they would love to have you for dinner and talk about Teology with a lost soul! Alex. Quote: Originally posted by Ophiel And I'm sure these statements will make me not a popular guy here, since everyone seems so involved in the cards, what they mean in readings, etc. I find all of this very interesting, mind you, just not for me.

Dark Inquisitor	29 Dec 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Ophiel Some of us want to forge ahead and make what we make of our lives, but know that whatever results, was based entirely on a creative impulse of living in the moment. Not too humorous or dangerous: Some of us still do that, but would like to see the alternative paths possibly available. Also, some of us need all the help we can get! Daily readings have alerted me to quite a few things I otherwise would have missed, & have saved me from some trouble too. Creative impulses of living in the moment can get one in a lot trouble, depending on what they are. I guess I see readings as helpful advice & insight , not something that will interfere with my natural life course or choices I want to make. I'd like to know what might be coming so I can prepare & deal with it in a better way if I can. I have lived the first half of my life without any guidance & I don't see any big advantage in it for myself. Tarotphelia

MeeWah	29 Dec 2002
Ophiel: I am sure there are others who use Tarot for other than readings or divination, such as for meditation, pathworking, esoteric studies. Personally, I do not see reading as a primary function of Tarot, but as a tool for spiritual develpment which is how I initially approached Tarot. Whilst I do the daily card(s), I rarely do throws. I prefer to limit them for special occasions or when there is a pressing need simply because for me, throws oft require a time lapse of absorption/assimilation before fruition. There are exceptions where under some circumstances, the cards are very immediate. As Tarotphelia mentioned, the daily cards have alerted me to things I might not have noticed & served as warning or preparation. Being forewarned is being forearmed with the appropriate knowledge & insight to make the best decision possible a given situation (though that can be open to conjecture as it can be seen as subjective).

JC	29 Dec 2002
I don't read with the cards on a regular basis, which is one of the reasons I don't read for others. But I do often meditate on the cards, and I tend to use them as amulets. For instance, if I start a new series of work, I'll keep an Ace of each suit nearby.

zander770	30 Dec 2002
Quote: Originally posted by JC I don't read with the cards on a regular basis, which is one of the reasons I don't read for others. But I do often meditate on the cards, and I tend to use them as amulets. For instance, if I start a new series of work, I'll keep an Ace of each suit nearby. i can totally and completly understand using tarot for meditation (for that's exactly one reason that they're used for!) and for "other reasons," and/or "personal reasons" (whatEVER reasons, fine), and, whenever i create an amulet (i make talisman's much MUCH more often) it's in lieu of keeping something--to counter a preceived vexation? in attempts of warding off bad vibratory influences? stave bad luck for better? all of the above!--"away" from myself, but . . . here's my question, to you: if you use the tarot when you create "amulets" (and, i'd be interested in that process, as well as too the results, if recorded) and also "keep an ace of each suit 'nearby,'" sometimes, i cannot keep from wondering: to what end, and, since when? i'm just asking: when did you begin doing this? is it now a superstitution? i mean: there must be some "reason" for your "doing" so, i imagine, of course . . . zander from dander :T2P

Major Tom	30 Dec 2002
You're certainly not alone here. :) My own experiences with tarot was firstly meditations on the majors, then magick, followed by games and finally readings. Each individual will naturally have their own affinity to the various uses of the cards. What those uses are is an endlessly fascinating topic.

fairyhedgehog	30 Dec 2002
Well, I "read" the cards for myself but I don't do "divination". I often do a three card draw at the end of the day to take a sideways look at what the day has brought. And I sometimes do a Celtic Cross to look at my current situation from a different angle. But I don't use an "outcome" card, the nearest I get to that is a "moving toward this" card. And I only see the reading as one possible way to look at what is going on, not as a way to tell what the future will bring. Which I can't do at all.

Trogon	30 Dec 2002
Don't know why you would be unpopular for not reading the Tarot. To each his or her own. You're doing what is right for you. In any case I don't know if using Tarot for meditation is all that much different from doing "readings" for yourself. You're pulling out a card, meditating on it, finding out what that card may mean to you, how it affects you. Using that card, perhaps, as a guide in your life. Is this really all that much different from doing a "reading" for yourself? I don't know, perhaps I'm not fully understanding how you use the Tarot, but that's okay too really. I'm not certain, but I don't think there is a hard and fast set of rules or commandments on how we must use Tarot. If there is, somone forgot to send me my copy. ;) Personally... I like doing readings with the Tarot. Actually using the cards to get answers and insights helps me to get more from the cards. Each time I have a card in a reading it gives me a better connection to that card. As does studying the cards and meditating on them.

Ophiel	30 Dec 2002
Thanks for all the comments. Mind you, I don't mind not reading cards, and I find this group's activities totally cool. I'm quite content with my own level of interest with the cards. I think there would be more of me in this group, too, but the discussions about readings are overwhelming. Again, I'm NOT complaining. New topics have been started, and I'm especially fond of the Historical & Iconographic Tarot section of discussion was added by JMD and/or Diana, or whoever is responsible for getting that going. I was active here long ago before and there have been many improvements here, for people like me that really love the cards, but are not inclined to read them. And my heading, Am I the Only One Here..., was not a plea of desperation. Honest. Meditating with the cards is really a great spiritual tool that opens up many avenues. As I said, I focus on the Major Arcana. There is quite a bit packed in those 22 cards. I think of the 22 as Archetypal energies, and the lower cards as workings on the mundane world. I'm sure not all will agree with that, and that's fine. Kabalistically, the minors are right on the Tree with the majors, packed into the spheres of power as expressions of the four elements in each sphere. I look for archetypes in our world, events and mostly individuals that, to me, symbolize powers of the Tarot. It's really quite interesting to do that. Also, if I had more time, I'd search through magazines and anywhere I might find inexpensive pictures, and look for the cards in what I see, and categorize them in folders. I think it is very important to 'see' the Tarot in our daily lives. If anybody would care to share any unusual uses they have for Tarot, please post it.

Ursula	30 Dec 2002
i DO read them, but i think it's interesting that you are interested in and fascinated by them & yet use them for other purposes. i actually use them magickally and meditatively as well. the majors are the easiest to use for that purpose, but i would suggest you get into the meanings of the minors & try them out for magick & meditation. they definitely have their own things to say. since i've gotten into the tarot, i find that different cards occur to me as i approach various situations. i was involved in a lawsuit and visualized "The Chariot", victory through self control and determination. i find that the archetypal images are much more powerful than simply thinking something like "be in control, here!" i also find that i learn a lot and expand myself spiritually from reading the various interpretations of the cards from different sources. i think it's interesting that you seem a little hesitant to admit that you don't "read" with the cards. why do you think we wouldn't like you just for that reason??? that may be something we don't have in common, but i think a lot of us appreciate the imagery of the tarot much like you do, so i would think we could still find lots to talk about! i used to refuse to read my daily horoscope because i didn't want it to influence my focus. i still hesitate to do so for that reason, but funny how i've been reading the tarot every day and the similarity never really occurred to me! i think it's different, though. i tend to get insight from the tarot in a way i never have from those daily horoscopes. i love astrology, though! have you posted on the Astrology board??? i bet you'd be interesting to chat with on that topic! peace, ~Urs :OL

Ursula	30 Dec 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Ophiel Meditating with the cards is really a great spiritual tool that opens up many avenues. As I said, I focus on the Major Arcana. There is quite a bit packed in those 22 cards. I think of the 22 as Archetypal energies, and the lower cards as workings on the mundane world. I'm sure not all will agree with that, and that's fine. Kabalistically, the minors are right on the Tree with the majors, packed into the spheres of power as expressions of the four elements in each sphere. I look for archetypes in our world, events and mostly individuals that, to me, symbolize powers of the Tarot. It's really quite interesting to do that. Also, if I had more time, I'd search through magazines and anywhere I might find inexpensive pictures, and look for the cards in what I see, and categorize them in folders. I think it is very important to 'see' the Tarot in our daily lives. ok, so you are a VERY INTERESTING guy!!! i still don't see why you seem to be a bit defensive about your opinions & rather unconventional use of the cards, but you have been around the board awhile and i suppose you have your reasons. i would actually love it if you posted some of your more unconventional/creative insights & uses of the cards on the "Talking Tarot" board. i'm really intrigued by what you've said so far & would very much like to hear more. thanks for contributing & being brave enough to admit your eccentricity--trust me, i know how that feels ;) ~Urs :OL

Laurel	30 Dec 2002
Heya Ophiel! Frankly, I don't see anything "unusual" about the way you describe using cards. They've all been addressed in lots of threads I've seen in Aeclectic, and are all practices that many other people in the forum do. Most of the other people seem to read cards, at least occaisonally. But I wouldn't be concerned that there's something wrong that you don't ever. Study and meditation are my favorite uses for tarot and I share your enthusiasm in them. I enjoy reading tarot as well, however, because I think the dialogue involved between reader and sitter can be *extremely* profound and magical. This particular forum "using cards" tends to be more focussed on 'reading', and "talking tarot" is where we tend to discuss other uses, at least imo. Laurel

Ursula	30 Dec 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Laurel I enjoy reading tarot as well, however, because I think the dialogue involved between reader and sitter can be *extremely* profound and magical. i so agree, Laurel! i've really only started and i'm already finding that. i think reading tarot is helping me develop my psychic abilities in general. yesterday, i was talking to a friend and suddenly had a tarot-like insight that i felt compelled to share. i felt just as i would doing a reading: urging her to go in a positive direction, cautioning her against following her fears and insecurities. it was really amazing! so yes, while i agree that the magickal and meditative uses of the tarot are worthwhile and powerful, i am also very grateful for the insights and experiences i get from reading them. peace, ~Urs :OL

Ophiel	30 Dec 2002
If you think my thread is misplaced, then get a moderator to move it where it 'belongs.' Surveying the list of questions in this group, it looks like there are other threads you might want to move also. Posting a question in a group where people primarily talk about reading, particularly since my statement is in a round-about way, ABOUT reading, seemed logical to me at the time. As for viewing all the threads of previous conversations in the groups about what I'm posting, I'm more interested in the people posting today than months ago. And if I wanted to read all those posts, a search is only as good as the critically important keywords used. However, I thought other members included some interesting comments. You always have the option of ignoring this, or any post, you know. ;)

Diana	30 Dec 2002
Ophiel: the lines between the different Tarot forums are often quite blurred. Your thread is fine here. Anyway, it's not important if people post in the "wrong" forum because it gives us moderators something to do! :D (Although we're not always sure ourselves and ask other moderators opinions sometimes.) Let's not concentrate on this too much, and let's get back to the original topic, okay? Which is very interesting. Personally, I think using the cards for non-reading purposes is probably the best use one can make of Tarot, and the 22 Majors are indeed sufficient, in my opinion, to understand the whole universe and how it works. But I love reading my cards for divination purposes. It's fun, and I like a bit of fun in my life. And I have noticed that since I have been using them for those purposes, my panic attacks that I used to get have lessened to such an extent that they are almost non-existent. Tarot has taught me what I can change, and to accept what I can't.

warabi	30 Dec 2002
This is an absolutely facinating topic! I must agree with the above posts that say that your "different" way isn't very strange at all. In fact, I do not use the tarot for divinatory purposes either (Though I will read for friends at parties if urged to do so, but for a more recreational activity). I don't use them for magic though, as I am one of those "tool-less" types, but I can certainly see their use as a magical tool. I go for the more "looking into ones own sub-consious" thing when I look at the cards, but because that is how I view all art forms I guess it really isn't tarot specific.

tarotbear	30 Dec 2002
Well, it's not like you are going to be 'shunned' or anything...this is a very open group we have here. However, we are wondering if that you don't read the cards - what EXACTLY are you doing with them, since the majority of the topics deal with reading the cards. learning about the cards in no way implies that you have to 'read' with them. {Just don't tell me you're using them for drink coasters -- I'll cry!}

Ophiel	30 Dec 2002
Not to worry, Tarotbear, I assure you my cards are way too beloved to be used for coasters. I suppose it's true that I do READ the cards, just not in a spread. I "read" them one at a time, as a book, actually. The major arcana tells a very interesting story, filled with Hermetic philosophy. Perhaps the deities have hidden some very arcane knowledge in the cards, and by creating a dual purpose to the cards, the ability to act as a tool for psychic development, assures that the cards will not fall into obscurity. As for this group, I think it is a wonderful group. Great people roam the electronic halls of this site. I was in another group, a quite large group at that a few years back that actually discouraged me from speaking my mind, if my inquiries went beyond the conservative boundaries of the group's posted interpretation of the origins of the cards. I have tried reading cards and my interest wanders. I have been encouraged in this group to speak my mind. And that the cards have a dual identity fascinates me even more.

RedWood	30 Dec 2002
I guess I dont understand how you "read" the cards...For psychic developement? insights? insights for what? ( i think if you laminated the cards ..they would be neat coasters lol)

tarotbear	30 Dec 2002
You could always take a deck you don't like and have them laminated into placemats to give as a 'grab bag'. OOOOOOOOOOO! New Thread ! "101 things to do with a deck you don't like!"

zander770	31 Dec 2002
Quote: Originally posted by RedWood I guess I dont understand how you "read" the cards...For psychic developement? insights? insights for what? there are many "uses" for the tarot and, especially, for individual tarot cards (e.g., as/in talisman/sigil creations--that's why i asked my question to "jc," above--scrying/astral projection/dream invoking and other magickial rituals) and some of these (don't misunderstand me, Ophiel, for obviously you've "dug-deeper" that what i'm about to imply) "uses" might simply be to "relax," and, most certainly as a tool for meditation. having said that, i'd also think it quite unusual, if not downright "strange" if someone'd say to themselves and/or other's: "ya know? i'd really like to be able to relax and lower my stress level and maybe meditate!" then, come to the realized conclusion, _a priori_, that: "why, YES! me thinks i'll find a deck of tarot cards and get at it!" but, what the hay? i was quite a "strange kid," myself! in fact, i can recall "staring at/gazing upon" tarot cards, only, later to discover that this was a technique (well? a "bit more than" simply "staring") "scanning, contemplation, and negation," but, still, the "meditative state" is similar, and in order to do this you have got to use your eyes. is this what the quoted meaning for "read" might be, above? "read" = SEE in lieu of "READ" = interpret ~Z~770 :TDEV

JC	31 Dec 2002
I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner, Zander. I haven't been keeping an eye on this thread, so I didn't know you had asked my to be more specific. I'm thinking "amulet" was a bad choice of word. I seem to have given you the wrong idea. I'm not a Wiccan or a witch, and I don't "charge" my cards. I use them as a focusing tool, even when I do read with them. So it seems natural to me to have some cards nearby both physically and mentally to help me focus when I start a new project. I don't have a set ritual as to which cards from what decks I'll pick. Generally, I'll look at all the boxes my decks are in and pick whichever one feels right. Then I'll go through that deck and pick out one or two or maybe as many as four cards that seem to embody what I want to keep in mind. I'll repeat the process for any decks that I feel I should look over, and then edit my choices down to a half dozen cards at most from various decks. Alternatively, if I'm doing something like a job interview, I'll go through my major arcanas and pick out a card with a trait I want to express, like the Magician for creativity or Strength or the Star for hope. I'll base my final decision on the which deck feels right, again. I like your definition of reading = seeing. That's more along the lines of what my experience with the cards is like.

Demonesse	31 Dec 2002
Hmm. This is an interesting thread. It's like joining a book club when you have absolutely no interest in plowing through acres of words...sounds like me! I'm an artist and art lover first, a reader second. I'm definitely not a "regular" card reader - I read very, very infrequently, nor do I ascribe any divine or pagan associations to the cards. I do not do magic, spells, shadow work (whatever that is) or meditate with them. I do not base major decisions on the fall of a card. Rather, I use them to develop my understanding of humanity and philosophy. The major reason I love the cards is because I love the art and appreciate the fact that these are artworks with symbolism and that fit within an ordered pattern of meaning that I can relate to - but like Diana said, reading is fun.

Ophiel	31 Dec 2002
I've been re-thinking about my declaration, that I am not a Tarot reader. I see the cards as a living organism that is connected to the entire spectrum of life. No, I don't lay out a spread to see what my day's going to bring me, or inquire about how a particular situation will resolve, or check to see if this life, I will finally gain full access to my Guardian angel...but by working with the cards, particularly the majors (universal truths, for me at least), I do 'read' the cards. They aren't just a collection of pretty pictures to me. The cards are truly a gift, and they function on many levels. Just by virtue of the fact I have spent so many years with them has created a bond between the cards and myself. I hang out with the cards and look at them as a source of great wisdom. Perhaps the mysteries of the universe are waiting in the deck. My other interests (which are reflected in my use of the Tarot) include magick, Rudolf Steiner, Qabalah, etc. I wish Rudolf Steiner had referenced the cards more, but that just isn't the case. No, I'm not looking to reduce my stress level with the cards at all. When I get inside a card, I'm exploring the terrain, seeking significance and links to other hermetic wisdom inside the deck. The same pack of cards that is used for divination is also a potent tool for spiritual development. And that can take on many forms, spiritual unfoldment. Some find it through art, through music, through Nature, and also in combinations. My Tarot is a combination, and if you've ever seen my name hanging on other posts, you have an idea where my interests reside. Tarot has been in my life for over twenty years now. As for the coasters, that's not a bad idea. I was thinking something more fun than seeing a ring around THE HIGH PRIESTESS's head would be to distribute randomly tarot cards. Perhaps if someone saw a card pinned to a telephone poll, it might be a symbol for something in their own life, in case that particular area is short on crows that season. We really have so little awareness of the results of our random acts of kindness, and that's okay. Yes, I do read the cards, but perhaps in a different manner than most of you. Actually, I thought there would be quite a few more of 'me' in the group, but that's fine that there aren't (or you're afraid to speak up -- lol!)

lawguy51	31 Dec 2002
I got a digital camera for Christmas. A very feature laden, versatile, complex camera. And yet you can set it to auto and take excellent pictures. Or you can pour through the manual and manipulate its more esoteric uses. Some people will put it on auto. Some will play around with a feature or two. And me, I have to know everything it is capable of doing, whether I inend to use those features or not. In other words, to each his own. That's the beauty of Tarot. The instrument of our wisdom, I think that's what Rachel Pollack calls it. Lawguy51

RedWood	31 Dec 2002
I dont do a lot of readings myself..Whatever you use them for..Fine with me..I was just curious since you brougth it up..What you were actually doing with the cards... I do see reading=seeing but i think seeing=interepting on some level..whether it be for universal truths or something else.

The Am I the only one here who doesn't read cards? thread was originally posted on 29 Dec 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.