Daily Morning-Card Draw

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 01 Jan 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

horoskope88	01 Jan 2004
I understand that many people like to draw a card out of the deck each morning. As Joan Bunning says, it is "your theme for the day...The purpose is to heighten your awareness of one approach to life for a single twenty-four hour period." I wanted to ask, of those who practice this, if it...well...helps/works? I used to do this every morning before going off to school, but I found very little correlation between my card and the events of the day. Because of this, I haven't done this in a long time. I'm considering doing adding this practice back into my morning schedule (that's right...between waking up late for high school and rushing to get ready for the day ahead. -_- ') Verily, I could use some guidance in the hectic life of a highschool freshman. Has anyone who does this daily card draw ever like...been warned of "unsatisfactory" events of the day? Or perhaps been given a clue as what to look out for in the day ahead? Do you find it useful? Please share your experiences with the daily-card-draw. :) Off the top of my head, I do remember one interesting(?) day in which I had drawn the Queen of Cups. Now, I'm sure many of you remember running the Mile in your schooldays. ;) Needless to say, after about three laps in springtime heat...all I wished for was a chalice of cool water! But, that's probably the only connection I've ever made to my card-of-the-day and it's a bit of a stretch. Anyone have more luck?

snuffy	01 Jan 2004
i, too, have never had much luck with a daily draw. i tried to draw a card before school every morning as well, and though i had every intention of using that card as advice for the day, quite honestly i never managed to include it in my thoughts. tsk tsk on me! instead, i've found that doing a ten or fifteen minute reading (or two, depending on the time) instead of drawing a single card works a bit better for me. perhaps there's just more meat there for me to chew on throughout the rest of the day? nothing quite beats a celtic cross at 6 AM on a monday :D

horoskope88	01 Jan 2004
I can barely get myself out of bed at 6 am, much less interpret a full tarot spread at that ungodly hour!!! And plus, there is simply no time..I *think* I can just barely fit in a single card draw and think it over on my bus ride to school, but no way I could handle a full spread in the morning. Snuffy, do you ask the cards a particular question each morning? If you could give me an real example of one of your daily readings, and how it helped you through the day.. if it's possible. :) Sounds interesting; I think I'll try a Celtic Cross one morning before school....but if it makes me late for first period, you get all the blame!!! :D jk jk

snuffy	01 Jan 2004
aha, oh the sweet perks of being a "morning person"! i love the early morning time for a reading... i'm the only one up in my house (which equals massive potential for concentration), and it's a nice way to relax and organize thoughts before my 7:50 class. alas, i do admire you for being able to think of anything tarot related on the bus. that'd be way too much stimuli for my single-track mind!

fairyhedgehog	02 Jan 2004
The best time to do a 'card of the day' draw is at night, to reflect on the events of the day :) Just my 2 pence worth ;)

Little Baron	02 Jan 2004
Hi Horoskope, Snuffy and Fairyheadgehog, I have tried to do the daily draws many times, but am also not the best person for getting up early; I am always running late, can't find my shoes, got to pack my bag before going into university etc, so it seldomly seems to work for a long period of time because once I have missed a day or two, it all seems to go out of the window. I have found that it is a good practice for learning originally and getting to know the tarot or for getting to grips with a new deck. Along with Mann and Galadrial, we got to know the Phantasmagoric Theatre Tarot that way and it was very useful. Because, at one point, I was doing the daily draws and posting them here, I felt a responsibility to keep them going for the others to respond to, so that dicipline me somewhat. Basically, we just wrote down everything we saw and felt about each card, along with the creators thoughts and discussed them. As the thoughts came out, if we saw any relevance to how they affected our days (whether on that day or an after reflection), we posted them on the threads). For example of this, here is an a little of what I wrote about the '3 of Cups' - "Graham Cameron says of this card - "A Reunion is taking place in the Water Cup Desert. Three friends share their feelings of love for one another; they drink of each others love; they sense joy and beauty around them. The three of cups represents taking what is offered, reaching out, using the oportunity to meet people. The reverse meaning is that of holding back and withdrawal". I like this card. The colours, even though bright, are quite soothing. For today, and even last night, I can see people in the grouping of threes. I went for dinner with my friends Clair and Kev yesterday; there was a sense of a reunion because they had just had a baby and while she had been pregnant, it was harder for us to get out and do things together - especially drinking, as depicted in this card. The last part of my night was spent with two friends I hadn't seen in a year or so - Sarah, and her brother, James. Because of the time we hadn't seen each other (she had also had a child), a reunion was very much part of what was happening between us. Today, the threesome was of the family kind. I spent the day in Rochester with my parents. I can associate these 'three' different threesomes to this card because in each, there was such a sense of belonging and contentment of being with each other". As Fairyhedgehog says, the night time is a good time to do the draws. I did this when I was working on the Phantasmagoric. They would be the card for the next day and I would wake up fresh with that energy in my mind. I hope that this has been some help to you. Best wishes and great to have you on the forum. Yaboot

fairyhedgehog	02 Jan 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Yaboot001 As Fairyhedgehog says, the night time is a good time to do the draws. I did this when I was working on the Phantasmagoric. They would be the card for the next day and I would wake up fresh with that energy in my mind. When I draw a card at bedtime, it's for the day that has just gone ;) But each to their own.

Majecot	02 Jan 2004
If I am concious enough I do a three card draw for morning ( I get up at 430 am so sometimes I need several cups of coffee to get a jump start) If I do a one card draw it is for meditation.

horoskope88	02 Jan 2004
If I got up at 4:30 each morning, I would not need a to drink several cups of coffee, but to splash the scalding hot liquid on my face just to make myself conscious!! Thanks for all the insights everone; I think I'll try my hand at each of them.

TemperanceAngel	02 Jan 2004
I to, have done the daily draw at the end of the day though. Usually I do it for 2 - 4 weeks, so much insight comes within that period about the tarot and myself :) XTAX

Vynara	05 Jan 2004
I tried my hand at a daily reading today and, well, I stared at it for a long time but I couldn't make any interpretion. It was The Hanged Man btw. I shuffled and told my deck that I was confused, and drew another card - The World. I still wonder what it all meant ;P Majecot, may I know what do you mean by a three card reading for the morning? My limited knowledge tells me that a three card spread represents the past, present, future (L-R)? Or could you mean morning, afternoon, night? How do you go about interpreting a three card spread as a daily reading? Thanks!

horoskope88	05 Jan 2004
Yes, Majecot, I'd like to know too, on how you go about doing a three-card-daily-reading in the mornings. :) This morning I did a daily reading for the first time in ages with my new Whimsical Tarot deck (to break it in I've decided to use this deck for daily readings.) I drew the 2 of Cups. I read Joan Bunning's interpretation of the 2 of Cups off her site before going off to school today. (I find all her key phrases so helpful.) After coming home, rundown, tired, and without experiencing the energy of the 2 of Cups, I remembered why I had given up daily readings. But THEN, to my surprise, I was IMed out of the blue by an old, old friend who I had not talked to in months. In earlier times we had been very close, but grew hostile to each other (that's quite an understatement) through a set of very painful and unfortunate circumstances. But by now the pain had healed, and we actually had a conversation for the first time in a long, long while. Then it struck me---this is the 2 of Cups in my life! I reread Bunning's keyphrases: making a connection cementing a friendship establishing a partnership calling a truce healing a severed relationship letting bygones be bygones declaring peace forgiving and forgetting :) I will DEFINETLY be doing more daily readings...

Vynara	05 Jan 2004
Congrats horoskope88 with making peace with your friend ;D Btw, where can I find Joan Bunning's interpretations? Online or is it a book? Thanks!

horoskope88	05 Jan 2004
You can find her course at www.learntarot.com It's awesome! The website is available in its entirety as a book too. Enjoy!

Vynara	05 Jan 2004
great thanks horoskope88! the Individual Tarot Cards page is FAB.

Sherilynn	06 Jan 2004
When I first began learning the tarot a few years ago, I drew a daily card, as suggested, but found the cards had little to do with my day. The only time I draw a daily card now is for study purposes.....if I'm getting to know a brand new deck or I want to reconnect with a deck I haven't worked with in a while.

Vynara	06 Jan 2004
All of a sudden tho, my daily readings seem to make lots of sense... the first time i did it, i drew one but was confused, drew another and was even more confused. but with the website horoskope88 provided it seems that it all made sense - the first card refering to my day, the second refering to my night. So today again I drew two cards and kept them in mind... and WOAH, both were SPOT ON. I'm going to continue with my two-card draw... the first I term Sunrise, the second Moonrise.

Astraea	06 Jan 2004
I draw between one and three cards (face down) in the morning shortly after I get up, and I don't look at them until before bed. Then I relate the card meanings to the events, attitudes and orientations of the day. This has been most helpful, both in terms of understanding the card meanings (and putting them into perspective), and personal awareness.

miss_apples	06 Jan 2004
Quote: Originally posted by horoskope88 If I got up at 4:30 each morning, I would not need a to drink several cups of coffee, but to splash the scalding hot liquid on my face just to make myself conscious!! Thanks for all the insights everone; I think I'll try my hand at each of them. Wait until you have kids...if you ever do. the first at least 4 months you'll be waking up every 2 hours. And then when theyre toddlers they sometimes wake you up at the crack of dawn and are ready to play....lol. And Until they are about 5...you can forget doing daily readings first thing in the morning all together. It will be more like afternoon nap time daily readings...or sneaking one in during your lunch break at work....or something to that effect. I dont do daily readings only because my life is way too predictable since Im a stay at home mom and not a whole lot of events happen to me in a day. Although I suppose I could do a daily reading on what I should be trying to accomplish in my free time. I couldnt just do one card though...Id have to do at least 3...drawing one card usually leaves me more confused than it does help me with anything.

Aerten	06 Jan 2004
Heh, Horoskope, I know exactly where you're coming from because I'm a high school senior and every time I draw a card (which is infrequently in the mornings because I, too, am a late sleeper) I never find it particularly relevant to my day, much less helpful. What I've found about daily readings (please don't kill me for this, anyone) is that we all go through a bit of each aspect of each card every day, so I find it kind of pointless to try and isolate one. Every decision we make is based on our past experiences, our values, what we've been taught is right, etc.-- our minds are pretty complex and there are many layers to how we think. This is sort of mirrored in the cards, which to me represent each facet of our minds, and thus, you'd really just be limiting yourself by trying to stick to one card du jour. Really, every card you draw can fit into your day one way or another. I'm sure people have found a way to use this single card as a focal point for their day with a lot of success; I just can't honestly say it's ever worked for me! So, what I've taken to doing is a one card reflective reading, which seems to have the same educational value but is a lot more specific and helpful to me (and I can do it at night, so I have more time to peruse multiple sources). I'll think of a situation where I had to make a decision more or less of consequence, and do a quick reading on it, to see what else the cards bring up. For example, I cheated on a math quiz one day, and I spent the rest of the day feeling sort of nervous (I thought it was from the cafeteria food, heh). Later, I pulled the nine of swords on the situation, and realized I was probably nervous because I was worried about being caught, and, more importantly, I felt guilty, though I didn't want to bring myself to admit it. Hope that helps somewhat. I'm a little sick today so that may have been rather incoherent... Good luck to you, Horoskope!

lunakasha	07 Jan 2004
I try to do a one-card draw each morning, which is challenging at times as I am NOT a morning person and can relate to those of you who describe yourselves sprinting out of bed and off to school or work :D I find that when I do take the time to draw a card, think about its meaning and meditate on the image, it provides me with a "fresh" start to the day ahead, it helps to clear the fog out of my brain. As difficult as it may be for me to take 15-20 minutes for myself in the morning (as opposed to sleeping a bit longer), I find that it definitely makes a difference during the course of the day (usually much more positive and focused when I do a reading than when I don't). Also, I enjoy using some of my oracle cards for this purpose, as I find that they are better suited for self-reflection and meditative practices than for divination.....whereas tarot can be used either way.... :) Luna

CreativeFire	09 Jan 2004
Did the daily card draw when I first started to learn tarot years ago and found it a good way to focus on the meanings, symbols, colours in a particular card. Haven't done it for years but just started again on New Years Day as a way to get to really know my new deck that I bought myself for Christmas :-) and it has been really interesting and even more of an insight now that I have learnt so much more about the tarot in general. Also part of my New Years resolution to spend more tarot time this year! So far have made a "connection" with all cards drawn but some really have had a moment during the day that I can really relate to them and has made me really think about the meanings. The other day I drew the Ten of Wands and read through the meanings in different books / web sites and could relate to it generally with work etc, but then during the day (last day at work before going on holidays - rushing around trying to get everything done) had a real "flash" of connection. Was carrying some new promotional gear in large (light weight) boxes stacked up in front of me and found that I was walking carrying the load but couldn't see where I was going - nearly walked into a wall. Then some of the things I had read that morning hit me - "The wands are no longer free; there is no space between any of them. Instead they are all lumped together to form a huge load. Yet if you look at the image closely, there is no reason why the bundle should be carried in this way. The person is quite free to organise his burden however he likes but he chooses to carry them in such a way that he cannot see where he is going." Sharman-Burke And I thought - that's me - look at what I am doing. So I stopped got a hand-trolley and then wheeled them to my destination! I'm very keen now to keep up my daily draw - even though it is not the same time each day - can relate to the don't get enough time in the morning bit too! Also think the Joan Bunnings learntarot.com is an excellent site! Cheers CreativeFire

inanna_tarot	02 Feb 2004
When i was at school i always used to do a daily draw, and some days it would be better than others. Now i dont used it to divine my day, but just a card, its symbolisms etc that i can muse over during the day and write down any interesting things that pop up. Its about rather than meditating on the card in 10-15 mins, i keep seeing the card in my head and seeing another symbol and thinking on that symbol. It gives a good channelling for my tarot ness - and so i dont annoy all my friends with tarot talk :P I remember a summer or so go i was going daily draws and kept gettin The Sun - and i thought potential? potential as what?! Now i realised AS A TAROT READER! lol Sometimes blondes can be so stupid. I'm doing the daily draw to get back into tarot reading (after stopping since those repeated suns - yeah i'm daft i know) but its a really good way to kick back into it all again. If anything it gives me a card to search on this site for, and if i need help i'll see what responses are around! The majority of my daily draws are from the Universal Waite, but Thoth is calling to me. I'm still getting a feel for them but its definately calling. Maybe next week i'll be brave enough to pick it up for a daily draw?! lol Sezo x

ol_crazy_Legs	02 Feb 2004
Usually I do a three card spread for the next day at night... right befor i go to bed. When Im lying in bed trying to fall asleep i try ti keep my mond open to every thing that could happend the next day. When i wake up i deffinantly feel that there is something to the day. I think it is good to do a daily spread. its good practice in learning the cards and helps you with your intuition and inturpritation for the Tarot. Always keep and open mind... and expect the unexpected.

Cocobird55	02 Feb 2004
I tried the daily draw, but didn't have much success with it. I think I found it a little confusing. However, I have found that if I have a question or concern about the coming day, a one-card draw focused on that concern or question is very helpful. It has kept me out of trouble a few times. So I only do a one-card morning draw sporadically. Sue

Dexter	07 Feb 2004
I used to draw three cards in the morning. One each for body, mind, spirit for the day. But I've stopped that mostly because of time and now try to draw 1 card. Keep the thought in the back of my mind during the day and jot down ideas at night in my journal. Dexter

Rusty Neon	07 Feb 2004
For morning readings to guide you on dealing with the day, I always wonder to what extent that which happens is self-fulfilling prophecy, perhaps more than in other kinds of readings, since it's so immediate.

Phoenyx*	10 Feb 2004
I found out this morning, after I drew my card, that since it takes me an hour to get to the hospital in the morning, that it's a wonderful time to contemplate the card, and it gives me a great thing to think about in those off moments where I'm just mindlessly swapping specimens to the machines.

BlueLotus	09 Jul 2004
As I have some free time on my hands lately , I usually draw a card in the , to check how my day would probably go and take special notes of what I should be concerned about; another at/around , in retrospect or for some additional insight into the rest of the day; and a final one just , to wrap up the day's events and get fresh insights to help me meditate on the day's most outstanding events and/or people, and insights thereafter. I may do these one-card readings using different decks at the times stated. When and if I need special readings anytime during the day, I would pull my at the time and usually do a three-five card readings then.

generation	10 Jul 2004
I draw a Mind, Body, and Spirit card for each day. I'm not much of a morning person either, so I don't always have time to think about them in the morning, but I do jot them down in my daily pocket calendar. Then as the day goes by, and things come up, I try to use the cards to help me figure out why events are happening, what role I'm playing in causing them, and what I should do about them.

lunakasha	10 Jul 2004
I have recently gotten back into the practice of drawing a card every day...as a theme for the day, something to be aware of more than as a divination of what might happen... I find it much easier to draw my card the night before...not quite as hectic as in the morning. I have also enjoyed posting my daily cards here, in the Your Readings forum, and sharing insights of the cards with other members...it is also an excellent way to become gradually acquainted with the individual cards of a deck... My current decks for daily cards are the Osho Zen and/or Gothic... there are threads for both in the Your Readings forum if anyone is interested in posting there.... :) Luna

linabeet	10 Jul 2004
I do a one card daily when I think of it. Morning, night before, night after. Lots of times I never think of it again, but sometimes, enough times, I'll get the 'oh yeah, so that's what that's about' realization. It's very useful to see which cards keep popping up. You notice this less in bigger spreads I find. You can track trends more easily this way. It doesn't take me long. I pull it, mentally note it and move on. Sometimes it spurs a drawn out but what does that mean, and what do i need to know about, and what should i do about...drawn out card flipping session though. Hopefully I've already got my lunch packed when this happens, though not usually the case.

linabeet	10 Jul 2004
I do a one card daily when I think of it. Morning, night before, night after. Lots of times I never think of it again, but sometimes, enough times, I'll get the 'oh yeah, so that's what that's about' realization. It's very useful to see which cards keep popping up. You notice this less in bigger spreads I find. You can track trends more easily this way. It doesn't take me long. I pull it, mentally note it and move on. Sometimes it spurs a drawn out but what does that mean, and what do i need to know about, and what should i do about....drawn out card flipping session though. Hopefully I've already got my lunch packed when this happens, though not usually the case.

Luminessence	11 Jul 2004
I've been doing daily one-card readings for about three months now. I don't do it in the morning, though - I'm really not at my best in the mornings, and often I have a lot to do in the morning, and I would be more likely to forget then, so each night I draw my daily card for the next day. This method seems to work fine for me :) I have a chart where I keep track of the cards I draw. I have columns for the date, the card number (or rank, if it's a court card), the card suit (or name, if it's a Major Arcana card), the card keyword (if the deck I used has keywords printed on it), the deck name, and whether or not it fit my day. I color each suit name a different color, as well, so it's easier to track patterns. It sounds complicated, but it's really not, and I enjoy doing it this way. I seem to have gotten a lot better at these readings. At first, only about two-thirds of the cards, or less, would actually have applied to my day. But now they fit most of the time. By keeping track the way I do, I've also noticed some interesting things - like the fact that my Quest deck, while wonderful, is terrible for daily readings, while my Robin Wood deck works excellently for that purpose. And I notice patterns, like the fact that for a couple of weeks fully half my daily cards were Wands. Often, these readings don't apply to the whole day, at least not for me. Sometimes they describe the energy of the whole day, but sometimes they just relate to a specific event. It varies. And sometimes it's hard to figure out how it relates, but then all of a sudden it hits me. Readings like this also help me refine my personal meanings for the cards. For example, I've noticed that when I get the Five of Pentacles in a daily reading, it often means a time when I feel physically terrible but when my mind is unusually active. So now if I do a reading for myself and see the Five of Pentacles somewhere in the reading, I know that it probably signifies some sort of hardship, but that a lot of mental activity, or an imbalance between the two sides of myself, might be involved as well. I think you can draw daily cards in a lot of different ways, depending on what you want to focus on. The way I do it is to draw a card simply asking what the day is going to be like. But you can also ask what you need to focus on for that day, or what lesson you're going to have to learn that day... depending on what you want to focus on. I also like the simple 3-card spread which Galadrial mentioned here: http://67.19.40.82/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14175&perpage=10&pagenumber=2 (you'll have to scroll down for awhile to find it). I think that spread would work well as a daily reading to tell you what to focus on. Well, my reply sort of went all over the place. But the main point is, yes I do do daily readings, and I find them quite useful. A lot of times, though, it's not so much useful in learning about what the day will be like, but rather it's useful in helping me learn more about the cards. (By the time I wake up in the morning, I've often forgotten what my card for that day is, and I usually don't even think about it until that evening, when I go check my chart.)

The Daily Morning-Card Draw thread was originally posted on 01 Jan 2004 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.