!@#$!! Skepticism crisis!

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 06 Feb 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Aerten	06 Feb 2004
Ever have one of those periods where the tarot just seems not to click with you at all? Where you take a really critical & hard look at it and see that it's so vague and subjective that you have serious doubts as to why you had so much faith in it before? And you think back and wonder, When was the last time I really learned something important from these fluffy little pictures? For some reason or another, I'm having these thoughts recently. I guess this is because it's been a long time since the cards have given me any good ideas, or suggested something that has concretly helped me. Have any of you ever gone through something like this? And what have you done to give you some motivation? Apologies if this is excessively pessimistic for a tarot-positive (to say the least) board.

Phoenyx*	06 Feb 2004
At times like those, I take a break from it, and go back to it when the calling comes back to me.

Cerulean	06 Feb 2004
Why would someone like to take a break from tarot? You may want to make your own pictures. You may want to only listen to music and write poetry. You might want to garden and walk and find if nature will show signs of Spring. You may want to make your own photo albums or look at good magazines for images to rip out and collage Whatever quiets your spirit, adds strength to yourself--perhaps reading silly books or good books or trashy books as an escape or listening to the radio or just seeing good movies for rent... Or just exercising or walking and putting the cards away for awhile...sometimes I check out the library or bookstores (used or new) for ideas is fun. Sometimes I just end up looking at greeting cards and thinking of people that I want to write and make small card designs for... Maybe you do journalling and don't need cards for awhile. Best wishes and hope the ideas might help. Mari H.

WolfyJames	07 Feb 2004
It's never a good idea to read when we're upset. It never makes sense, worse, it comes up with catastrophes. After, we doubt, so the connection is somewhat cut, and the readings make even less sense. Avoid your cards when you are upset, go jogging, read a book or do some gardening instead. Read your cards when you are happy, about happy things that are not too important, so that the readings don't upset you, with small spreads, to build your self-confidence slowly. Buying a book on tarot, or buying a new deck, could reawaken your taste and curiosity for tarot. Try rediscover decks you bought but kind of ignored.

Umbrae	07 Feb 2004
Times like that, I go looking to read for strangers. When you are speaking to their soul (and you think you are talking bovine scat), lights should go on inside your head...and illuminate you.

lunalafey	07 Feb 2004
there have been a few times for me when nothing made any sense. I never became skeptical. Sometimes I would take a break from the cards, I figured that what ever was happening in my life at that time was something I have to figure out on my own. I usually still read for friends ok.

jmd	07 Feb 2004
These are not usually times that seeking motivation may be useful. For some of us, it may be simply an indication that we have been approaching Tarot from one particular perspective or orientation only. For example, it may be that we have stepped into the images so much with our heads - with our analytical and thinking side, that their wholeness is 'lost', their heart connection seemingly gone. Hence why study, which is so important, needs to be balanced with both actual engagement with other people in one's physical environment (not only this wonderful cyber-community), but also reflecting on how a card - any card - may help us in taking steps in our professional, or professionally aspired, life: 'what do I do next?' The answer, of course, needs to be related to that professional aspect, and reflection on what this tells us of the card kept to a minimum - or even discarded!

LaLa	07 Feb 2004
how about the reading exchange here on the board? get someone else to do one for your current situation and then do one for them Like a lot have said here it's sometimes easier to hit the targets for someone else than it is for yourself OR like me you may be working too long with one deck and getting bogged down in preconceived meanings or expected outcomes - a new deck could give you fresh insight into meanings and (forgive my impudence) have you considered whether you're asking appropriate questions? I've found going right back to basics "What do I NEED to know" can help clear up confusing interpretations and (again as has been said before) taking a break can help too - if life is just too confusing in general an opportunity to step away is always good for the soul (go camping - back to nature etc) and STOP thinking about stuff and just DO stuff! (Does that make sense?)

Astraea	07 Feb 2004
There have been several periods like that in my experience, and in each case it has been a signal that a plateau has been reached and with it, a time to integrate and assimilate what I have learned thus far -- which prepares the way for further steps on the journey. This seems to be a stage, a "wilderness experience" of a sort, which readies the heart and mind for greater understanding. I have found it useful to do as my inner inclination prompts, which usually means not even looking at the cards, sometimes for long periods. Do whatever appeals to you -- as others have said, it might be listening to music, reading poetry, studying a new field, reading with a new deck, or anything else that calls to your heart. At some point, the cards will call again -- and you will be able to bring to them a deeper understanding because you have been enriched.

Aerten	07 Feb 2004
Thanks for all the useful advice, guys. Very very very sincerely. :) I suppose I do just need a break-- you're all probably right about that. Also the idea of reading for others seems like it would get out all those muddled intellectual ideas I have and give me practice with getting to the root energy of a card, and not all the little details and analytical interpretations! I was very encouraged that some of you have had a similar experience. I suppose I will take a short hiatus from tarot, then, and rearrange my thoughts a little. Thanks again everyone!

Ruby7	07 Feb 2004
Taking a break, maybe doing something a little different or approaching the cards in a different way could help. I thought I had lost my love for music, I couldn't feel it anymore. I have been playing violin (folk music) for 12 years and lately had no interest or joy in playing. So I put my fiddle aside and started on something new, learning classical guitar. I am seeing music from a different perspective, more wholistically, and now I am excited to play my violin or guitar and feel the music in a completely different way. I think it is a lot to do with reaching learning plateaus and becoming stuck there. If you stay in the same place too long you get bored and stagnate. Do you meditate? I've found that exploring different ways of meditating helps. Best wishes through this crisis, Ruby7

augursWell	07 Feb 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Aerten And you think back and wonder, When was the last time I really learned something important from these fluffy little pictures? I think this is normal for many people. The way I like to travel, for car road trips especially, is to have only a destination and a time and date when I have to be there. I make adequate preparations of course (money, food, letting people know, etc.) but then I set off, taking whatever direction will get me to my destination, but basically just enjoying the trip itself. When I get hungry I stop and eat. When I get tired I stop and sleep(hotel, whatever). When I see something along the road that interests me I stop and take a look. No timeline, no schedule, no clocks, just being a nomad. With me I sometimes get tired of the idea that Tarot will answer my questions for me, that my journey is all planned out somehow. I want to take the chance myself and see what life brings. Sometimes I will do a daily spread for the day ahead. Sometimes I just want the surprise of seeing what the day will bring. You're telling yourself that there are some important questions there that only you can answer. When you come back to the Tarot the cards will now reflect those new understandings. That is part of the beauty of Tarot. You're on your own now (which is sometimes a good thing)...

Imagemaker	07 Feb 2004
Quote: I sometimes get tired of the idea that Tarot will answer my questions for me, that my journey is all planned out somehow. I want to take the chance myself and see what life brings. I SO agree! Living in some sort of anxiety or frequently checking for what's coming can turn my tarot experience into a total drag. I actually ask very few personal questions lately. I read for others, play with stories from the cards, explore the creativity of the various decks and enjoy the companionship of AT. The tarot doesn't bore me, but my "issues" can bore me :) I embrace change more than ever, testing my ability to cope.

Aerten	07 Feb 2004
Quote: Originally posted by augursWell You're telling yourself that there are some important questions there that only you can answer. When you come back to the Tarot the cards will now reflect those new understandings. Yes! That's exactly how I feel lately; even though I don't really have much faith in tarot for divination, sometimes I subconsciously feel like it's directing/limiting my life. Ugh. Also Ruby7, I love meditating on cards. I think I will do that for a while, and not read with them. And also get more involved in life outside in general, at the suggestion of all of you! In these winter months I've become a bit of a recluse. :P

WalesWoman	11 Feb 2004
This is really great! Yester day I did a spread for myself, using one I had done for someone else but with basically the same question and the spread was totally surprizing and I found myself losing confidence in something that seemed to be the direction I needed to go in. It basically said I missed an opportunity that would never return and was sort just dreaming, my imagination was stronger than reality. I was having a lot of frustration with my art at the time, stuck and my brain just not functioning. So today as I was lamenting this to a friend it struck me that I had been whining about needing a full figured female model and had had the opportunity when a friend was over visiting and it never even crossed my mind to ask and the 7 of Cups was the mental state I was in, not focusing on reality, feeling really spacey. I was looking at the spread as something far reaching and realized it was addressing ONE day. But what bothered me what the emotional effect that my interpretation had on me, I was deflated and succombing to self defeatist attitudes just by the cards I drew, funny thing is 9 of Swords was what it created and it was one of the cards in the spread. That is not good that I let it control my attitude and emotion and judgement that way.

de stijl	13 Feb 2004
It seems normal to get burned out on any sort of activity, even one you really love. I love painting and do it almost every day but there are times when I need a break because things just stop making sense. At these times I like to go to art museums, read art history, look at other people's approach to art so that I can have a new perspective, maybe you could do the same thing with tarot. Read more about the history and even go get a reading done by someone else, sometimes others see the things we can't see on our own but when they do it all seems to make perfect sense. Same with reading for others. In answering another person's questions I often answer questions for myself I didn't even know I had.

Aerten	14 Feb 2004
WalesWoman and De Stijl.. you both make excellent points. I'm so glad I found Aeclectic; nowhere else could I get this plethora of advice! I've stopped reading the cards for a while, and things are better :) I still like reading about them, though. WalesWoman - I know what you mean. Even though I try not to put faith in the cards, I can't help but feel rather pessimistic if I draw the ten of swords for an upcoming event.

jmd	14 Feb 2004
Given that the post I have only just made is serendipitously on this very card (Ten Swords), I just thought I'd link it here...

eastarot	31 Mar 2004
A very informative thread:) Thanks. I was beginning to feel like I was the only Tarot reader who got bugged with her cards. Yes there are days when I scowl back at their images. And I know it's time for me to take a break from spreads and books. I call a friend, meditate, or go to the bookstore, or just cook myself a nice high calorie lunch heh I keep reminding myself that as much as I love my decks, they are only tools of guidance, and are not here to control my state of mind or destiny. And as I tell many of the people (especially the skeptics with folded arms) who come and ask me questions, "you have the right to ignore this reading" I tell myself the same thing if I find my reading to be senseless or utterly despairing. Ultimately, the best answers come from within.

Dark Inquisitor	31 Mar 2004
The fault is not in our cards, but in ourselves. It is not the cards you have lost touch with, but the mysterious thread of consciousness that connects us to them and to symbolism. I would suggest you meditate . Not on the cards, but just generally . Practice the art of relaxing and opening up. Tarotphelia

Free	01 Apr 2004
I think you can get fed up with anything if you do it too much. I play instruments and with piano i was playing every day and feeling i had to play. It got so bad that i just stopped playing, and i didnt touch my piano for at least 3-4 months. But then i began to feel that it was something I really enjoyed and I went back to it with a new frame of mind, and since then i love it. I recently started to feel the same way about tarot, trying to learn meanings, interpret cards, figure out how to apply what i had learned to my life...it all started to get a bit much so i put my cards away and forgo about all things tarot related for a few weeks, and just went with the flow of life. Now i am back and reading seems a lot less confusing for me now! So take a deep breath, sometimes its just nice to have a change.

The !@#$!! Skepticism crisis! thread was originally posted on 06 Feb 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.