possible to accidentally read for another?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 30 Sep 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

caledonia	30 Sep 2003
Well, I actually sat down to give myself a little serious reading for the first timein a while. And it's the oddest thing: I could swear this reading was meant for my hubby. He is in the midst of changing careers- and getting a new job that will seriously better our financial standing. It's all that has been on my mind for days, and I find myself obsessing over it. We have been having a very hard time, financially. I know it is constantly on my subconcious and well as conscious mind! I am terrified that something will happen to keep him from getting this job, which is just about in the bag. So is it possible, that, as I tried to read for myself, he was in my mind to the point of influencing the reading? Arrgh! Thanks yall! Caledonia

Thirteen	30 Sep 2003
Quote: Originally posted by caledonia So is it possible, that, as I tried to read for myself, he was in my mind to the point of influencing the reading? Absolutely. Happens all the time. It can happen if the querent (that's you in this case) has something on their mind, or if there's something more important in their life than what they're asking about (i.e, the cards think it more important to discuss their job than their love life). It can also happen if you have a very powerful, psychic personality at the table as well as the querent, of if there's a strong influence (like your husband) currently dominating the household. Not uncommon at all.

gloria	01 Oct 2003
Yes I agree, this constantly happens. I am trying to read a horoscope spread at the moment for a 21 year old. He is very much interested in learning more about relationship with new girlfriend. Well seventh house shows what is happening there, in fact angles are showing a lot of information. But it is 4th and 10th which is taking over the reading. Try as I might to read this as a house by house for him I just can’t. It shows the affairs of his mum and dad. (Affair being the operative word here in the father’s case) Have been putting the reading off, as am not sure how to handle it. Gloria

firemaiden	01 Oct 2003
Yes, I agree it is possible. Once I did a reading for Aoife, and I was sure that the first cards I drew were my cards, not hers, so I shuffled and drew again. But you know, they could very well have been her cards too! We have a lot in common!

shy1433	01 Oct 2003
I just wanted to say that this has happened to me before , at first I thought I did not shuffle good enough and reshuffled only for the same thing to come up. shy

Emily	01 Oct 2003
This usually happens to me too when I lose focus, either having too many problems to try and sort out or having other people on my mind, and you realise that the cards your laying out aren't yours. One classic was when I first had the Rohrig and I was trying to do a self reading but thinking of my Mom, who wasn't very well. The first card I pulled out was titled 'worry', can't recall the card just the keyword, and I realised i was thinking of mom, then I pulled out the Death card, alot of mom's problems are in her mind but this card just fitted the way she feels about herself at that time, the next card was The Devil, really this summed it up - She could work out her problems but can't be bothered doing it. I try not to think of others when I do a reading cause I do like my self readings lol :)

Ganymede	03 Oct 2003
Caledonia, This is a common and normal occurence. Tarot speaks to one in multi-faceted ways, sometimes direct, and sometimes non-direct. Ofcourse, this raises interesting questions as to the problem of reading for another without that individuals prior consent. An interesting question is to place oneself in the position of a reader who finds that his or her reading is meant for an individual nearby, for example, one's mother. Does the reader then inform one's mother of the reading? Alas, tarot presents one with a dilemma. In my opinion, this phenomenon can be explained with reference to energy. Oftentimes, I am reading for someone with another present in the room. If that OTHER person demonstrates a strong energy flow, or perhaps has undergone some powerful experience, or is experiencing major emotional problems, then I believe that this can influence the cards. This is why I prefer to read with only the querent present. Friends can wait outside. But too often, the querent insists on another being present. Conflicts of energy can pose particular problems in a reading, and can cause confusion to the querent as he or she struggles to make sense of cards that were not meant for him or her, but for the watchful friend sat beside them. This can also happen with readers who are not fully grounded and therefore are a source of unbalanced energy, thus influencing the spread. In this case, there does not need to be another present. The presence of the unbalanced reader is enough to cause friction. Harnessing energy, developing a good energy flow, and grounding, are in my opinion, some of the most fundamental attributes of a good tarot reader. Yours. Ganymede.

rota	03 Oct 2003
yes, this does happen all the time. It's allied with another common phenomenon, which is getting a reading about something different than the stated question. We've all experienced that one. As Ganymede tells it, it may be simply a question of who's energy/questioning is the strongest in the room. That idea places the cards in the position of mindless objects responding to currents of force emanating from the strongly-thinking querent or reader, like dried leaves in the wind. This may well be true in some circumstances. If it were always so, readings done in crowded coffeeshops or at conventions would be chaotic., when the reverse is often true. I prefer to think of the cards as a medium for a conversation between the reader and the higher self. This idea supposes that the cards can be sensitive and focused in a two-way fashion. Suppose querent asks about her work, but the cards are all about a quite different personal concern. You as the reader can therefore infer that you're being told the personal concern is really uppermost in her mind. This occurrence can be unrelated to whose thought is the clearest or strongest in the room. You as the reader have the ability to clear away interference.

Ganymede	04 Oct 2003
Rota, Excellent point. It is true that one can read tarot in crowded and clutterered social settings and yet still produce accurate readings. I have embarked upon cafe-based readings in the past to amazing results. However, I do feel that on some occasions the energy of others, even in these crowded situations, can impinge upon the reading. This is why I often find it difficult to read infront of more than one person. Ofcourse, other factors must also be considered. A common problem for readers is that they often feel they are being judged or 'tested' by watchful onlookers. This in itself can impact upon the reading. Also, in the cafe situation, it would be impossible to test if an inaccurate reading were due to the energy fluctuations of others, or due to the reader having a 'bad day'. That is, unless one was to ask every single person present. I fear this would make us look like fools. Yes, it is the reader who must try to gain control of fluctuating energy, in order for a balanced reading to occur. Grounding is thus, in my opinion an essential component of the reading process. Again, an excellent point. Yours. Ganymede.

The possible to accidentally read for another? thread was originally posted on 30 Sep 2003 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.