When you are stuck in a reading

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 11 Jul 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

ros	11 Jul 2004
What is your easiest way to get your thoughts moving when there is a blank in your reading? I usually think about the card before and after the one I'm drawing a blank on. Also I start layering the card. Sometimes I find the reading is fine and then out of no where there is a blank??? Any other ideas?

blackroseivy	11 Jul 2004
Sometimes there is one card that you just can't get to make sense. Quite often, with me it's the court cards that **** me up! I sometimes just shuffle again, but that's cheating! Actually, I have gotten better at seeing some quality suggested by the card to pull itinto the reading. I look a lot at teh LWB's, but I don't depend on them - it's often just to get my bearings, even for the utterly familiar Majors. I confess I do need more help with the Minors. Also, there are the shades of meaning & differences that happen with different decks (what the artist's intention was is a big key for me). Hoping to help, but maybe just blathering... ;D

magpie9	11 Jul 2004
I think this happens to everybody sometimes. What I do is say, "I'll get back to this card later" and go on with the rest of the reading. usually it will come clear that way, and if not I pull a card to explain the card I 'm not getting. Also, there's this dandy little layout for solid stuck-ness: 1-the card 2-this card does not mean this 3 - the card means this 4- and this I've found it really helpfull.

aneski	11 Jul 2004
I also pull another card, but if that doesn't work I continue with the reading, hoping it will make sense in the whole of the reading. I try not to get upset or anxious, so I won't lose my focus.

tao51	11 Jul 2004
the information you are divining is difficult to interpret. There are several reasons for this to happen. The entire conditions of the question are unknown. The complete message may not be ready to reveal. It may help to record the cards and study the cards. I have allowed the cards to explain a particular card. I place the card in the middle and pull four cards to help me understand the card. This has helped me. (This is an excellent question for a thread.)--Tao

Umbrae	11 Jul 2004
I love it when 'stuckness' occurs. I call it, "The Blank Spot"

September Pixie	11 Jul 2004
what I will do is offer the occasional card from the bottom of the deck, it will help tie things together and if all else fails, ask the questor what his/her takes are on the card you are dumbfounded by. I use the actual blank pip (extra) cards in nearly all of my readings.. i usually will say "this is an area you arent ment to know at this time..." and proceed with the rest of the reading.

celeste	12 Jul 2004
When this happens my tarot teacher has advised to just describe what is happening in the card out loud(and to the client if need be). For example if the Star showed up in a position and you suddenly drew a blank as to what it meant or what its relevance to the spread was you say (for example) "This a picture of a woman with one foot on land and one in the water. She is pouring water from two jugs -one on land and one in the water. She is naked. She is surrrounded by a beautiful starry sky. She is unafraid and intent on her task.In some sense you are that woman. You are pouring water onto the land and into that lake. The water can represent the unconsoius mind, also it can represent emotions. In what way do you see yourself contributing in some way to the situation around you? In what way are you confident that you are up to the task at hand? What is emotionally important to you right now-so important that you are taking action in life and also very committed to?" The client will usually have the answer. In this way you can talk through any blank spots were you get anxious that you don't have all the answers. And you don't. But the client does and can usually fill in the blank spaces. It's also helpful to be on the lookout for any cards that are in the clients tarot constellation or soul path that show up in reading. When this happens it signifys that the client is handling that particular situation in a way that is habitual or unique to thier soulpath. So if the client's soulpath is Strength and the Star shows up and it is the hidden factor or the Personility card you know that this is an important issue for the client and is triggering a very basic response in them. It works for me and I've seen it work on me as well when i've had my cards read by someone else. I hope that helps.

MystiqueMoonlight	12 Jul 2004
I think many of us get "blank spots" as Umbrae so aptly puts it. I equate it to two things personally:- 1. The recipient is unconsciously blocking the reading. This may be because he/she is still pondering the previous card(s) you have just spoken about or is reviewing the following card. To deal with this I follow where my intuition tells me, ie I go to which ever card (previous or following) and read from there. This will usually lead me back to the card I might be "stuck" on (usually offering a more inciteful reading as well). 2. The "stuck" card wants to reveal far more than what I initially might be ready to interpret. I pull either another card or a Rune in this instance.

The When you are stuck in a reading thread was originally posted on 11 Jul 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.