A gift?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 25 Oct 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

msknight	25 Oct 2004
Forgive me for asking what could seem to be an offensive question, but I feel it serious enough within myself to risk being flamed by asking it. I have heard people talk of readers that have "the gift." I would be interested to hear others oppinions on this. I do know that there is something going on that I don't understand. You know how you telephone someone and they say, "I was just thinking about you." and other such things ... they happen to me with anoying regularity that is far to regular to be chance. I also seem to attract people's energy and even strangers seem to bond with me quite quickly and trust me with things they wouldn't otherwise tell a soul. All my life has been like this To be honest, it scares me silly some times, and I think it is that which has kept me from investigating tarot and things of that ilk. Should I stay away from reading Tarot myself? What do people think? Michelle.

ferrous	25 Oct 2004
This is a pretty friendly place, msknight, so you'd have to do something rather serious, I think, to be flamed. :) It sounds like you'd be the perfect person to be involved with tarot. I think many readers here who don't have that 'gift' would be quite jealous. Embrace it & develop it, rather than be afraid of it! :)

Eco74	25 Oct 2004
It's really ultimately up to you, but I'll say this. If you have the potential, it would be a pity to ignore it and you should atleast explore it and find a way to use it that suits you and makes you feel comfortable. Maybe Tarot is not the particular path for you, but then there are countless other ways you can use this 'gift' or 'talent' that you have. Find a way that speaks true to you. There is no reason or need for you to feel guilty about it since "the gift" is a personal path and not one that absolutely has to be shared. So, you see, it's perfectly allright even if the choice you eventually make after trying out the options and delving into it a bit is that you don't feel ready for it, or don't feel comfortable using it to any greater extent. Just be true to yourself. That is where we all have to start after all.

msknight	25 Oct 2004
Thanks Ferrous, thanks Eco74. I've been reading some of the threads, particularly dealing with the relationship between the cards and the reader; charging the cards, etc. I'll admit to being a bit scared about it all, but when the book of Thoth and cards arive, I'll just take my time with the whole thing and see what happens. Perhaps start with the tree card readings (as I've been reading elsewhere) and take it slow. Michelle.

floracove	25 Oct 2004
Hello msknight, and Welcome! I can relate to the feeling of being everyone's confidaunte... And also, with the feeling of being a bit afraid of things that other's do not understand and help us to believe things about those things that I've found are not true. It's just that they aren't understood for what they are... I have found that there has been a growing effect within me from learning what those things are... I've had a curiousness about them, and have felt them calling me for years, before acting upon that feeling. Wish I had years, ago, but 'myself' wasn't ready for it then. So just take your time, there's nothing about it that's gonna 'hurt' you. *hugs* Later, i'll take a look at your posted reading from years ago as well. :)

Vilyariel	25 Oct 2004
hey msknight, welcome to the forums :D I would definately just try the tarot... if it doesn't work out, or the results are kinda scary, you can always put your deck away, and try it again when you feel ready. I don't have 'the gift', but i imagine that it would be a bit of a daunting responsibility; it was given to you for a reason. although i'm just a beginner, really not qualified to say this, i think tarot will probably be good for you, it will help you to learn how to 'channel' your energies and build focus, and also help you to figure out how to interpret situations. Maybe later you can move onto something else, like maybe channelling or something [now i sound stupid. the thing where you take a piece of jewellery and discern information from it]. i dont know if this is your thing, but maybe you could even think about doing a counselling course. obviously not using cards or anything, but with your intuition and the fact that people are drawn to you and will trust you, i think you could make an excellent counsellor.

TemperanceAngel	25 Oct 2004
Tarot is a really good place to focus if you have a 'gift', that way it can get trained, so to speak, as gifts need to be. I find the cards are great for keeping gifts anchored or grounded. If you find your gift is being too much, then just ask in a quiet moment that it be toned down. Tarot is not the path for everyone with a gift, but if you feel attracted to it probably a good place to begin ;)

WalesWoman	26 Oct 2004
Hi, things like this have happened to me more than you can imagine, and I don't know if I have "the gift" or just a flaming neon sign over my head that says, I won't walk off if they start talking...too curious to hear what they have to say maybe. LOL I think I'm more empathic than psychic, but mostly I'm just human. But I was nervous about Tarot in the beginning, I was raised in the midwest and had some strong religious tabu training, so I waffled a lot before I ever got around to asking someone to read for me, and then one thing led to another and a few years later I found myself learning to read. I'm glad I didn't let my initial reservations get in the way. It's been most rewarding, sometimes frustrating but always has given me the insights I've needed to know. Good luck in your quest, whatever you decide.

SunChariot	01 Nov 2004
Michelle, I agree I would try to learn Tarot if I were you. Personally I don't think these are things to be frightened by. I think that is beautiful when you know someone is one the phone before you answer. First of all, we all have that sometimes. ANd also it means you a deep connection to that persona and likely to the world. For me I am always trying to feel as connected as I can to everyone and the world. But the important thing is that if it frightens you the Tarot is the ideal place to study those fears and to come to terms with them. As in everything else, when you are doing Tarot readings, your spirirual quest is your own. You are the one who writes the questions you will ask. You are the only one in charge of what you learn in Tarot and what you don't. You can ask and find out why it scares you and find reasons why you should not be scared of it. You can tailor your questions to meet what you need to know to feel better about it. I think this is a wonderful opportunity for you to come to terms with these feelings. Tarot is a wonderful tool to do just that. And BTW, that is not at all an offensive question and if somethign is bothering you and you need to talk about it we are here for you and that is what these boards are for, for members to help each other, Am I right guys??? Bar

earthlady	02 Nov 2004
Hi M, I believe we all have gifts of many kinds. My mother wins door prizes. My sister can talk to the dead. I'm pretty lucky with traffic and parking :D While it is scary, how are we going to experience what we are here for if we don't open our arms to the universe and accept what we are given? I don't know how I would react if I had my sister's gift. All I know is that she is scared, and she tends to shy away from contacts with those that have passed. I hope someday she can relax and learn to accept her gifts--I try to be supportive. So that is what we are here for. If you chose to explore your gift, or merely relax into it and learn to love it we, as part of the universe, will support you. Earthlady

Nevada	02 Nov 2004
I prefer not to use the term "gift" to refer to intuitive or psychic ability, because that seems to imply there are people who cannot read. While we find some people have a special knack, almost from birth, for this sort of sense, I believe everyone is psychic, and that one's ability depends on several things: 1. Whether you believe intuition and psychic ability are real. 2. Whether you pay attention when your ability reveals itself. 3. The environment you live in--are such things discouraged as wacky or "out there" or crazy? This can lead us to tune out these senses in order to gain acceptance. 4. Whether you work at enhancing the ability, such as through practice, increased awareness, meditation, and so forth. 5. Degree of natural ability (for instance some of us have better eyesight, hearing or sense of smell than others). This is a tricky area. I think sometimes we believe we have less natural ability, when actually we need to work on awareness and fine tuning. It's mostly up to you. It sounds to me as if you have an awareness of this sense already. What you do with it is your choice. :) Nevada

Umbrae	03 Nov 2004
Embrace it. Imagine if the Great Mother made you with the gift…and you never used it… Sure it’s scary. Sure some folks will turn their backs on you. Sure some may even call you wacko. But you’ll have good company. Grab a cup of tea and join us by the fire… ...might find these interesting...

Ace	06 Nov 2004
How do you define a "gift"? I define it as a talent or skill that one person has more of than another. Such as a "gift" for music, a talent to sing well. I for one can't carry a tune in a handbasket, but I can sing a song. (until people ask me to stop ;) ) If I wanted to, I could probably learn to sing a bit better, but I choose not to cultivate it. I think EVERYONE is psychic. Some can are just intuitive, others really see the patterns of reality beyond what we see with our eyes without any effort at all. You can cultivate that talent or ignore it, but it doesn't go away. And it doesn't make you a freak, anymore than perfect pitch or a really good singing voice does. AND (unlike others I have met who think this way about gifts) I don't think it ever GOES AWAY. But you can decide to ignore it or tramatically block it out, a bit like a writers block. IMHO.

The A gift? thread was originally posted on 25 Oct 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.