Reading without intent

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 03 Oct 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Pipistrelle	03 Oct 2004
Hello (peeking out from behind big Just Lurking sign)... This is my first post, though I've been reading most of yours with great interest for a while now. I have a very pitiful question :| I'm currently trying to improve my knowledge of the cards by doing single card "readings" every day. I'd also like to expand on this by doing some simple spreads (i.e. 3-5 cards) but the stupid thing is, I don't really feel I have anything to ask. This obviously means I lead a very boring life :rolleyes: It seems silly to me to have to ask this, but can anyone suggest any general questions that I could do regular spreads for that would allow me to get more practice? Do any of you do regular spreads for yourself that are just kind of general and if so, how do you put them in context? I've done a couple of CC spreads over the last year but these take me AGES, so I usually need to set aside a good few hours and that's something I don't have at the moment! Thank you in advance Lynda

floracove	03 Oct 2004
Well, as for me, reading for myself, a lot of times, I just say, "Tell me what you will." I understand what they're telling me... I feel my way of doing this doesn't limit the cards as to what they may be having for my enlightenment. Then, usually I pull more cards to see more things. One reason, I think that when doing my own personal readings, that the Majors & Trumps come to me, in the majority...

Pipistrelle	03 Oct 2004
Thank you floracove for answering so quickly! I'm kind of glad you said that - I like the idea of just saying "whatever you want to tell me is fine". I just wasn't sure that I'd be able to work out what the reading meant if I didn't have a particular question to relate it back to. I assume then that you just use the positions in the spread to provide the context?

lunakasha	03 Oct 2004
Hi Pipistrelle! Glad to see you posting....:) I think a good way to start is with a daily, one-card reading....as floracove mentioned, you really don't need to have a specific question in mind, just look at the card as a thought for the day, something to focus on. The meaning of the card may not be immediately obvious to you, but it may increase your awareness of things that you might otherwise overlook. I also find that studying one card a day from a particular deck is a great way to get more familiar with and connect with its unique imagery; there are Daily Card threads here for the Thoth, Osho Zen, Rider-Waite, Gothic, Gilded and a few others.... As far as using more complex spreads, I agree with you that the Celtic Cross can be intimidating when first starting out, at least it was for me. Using three to six cards is usually enough to give you what you need...and if you don't have a particular question in mind, you might want to limit these "general" readings to once or twice a week. Meanwhile, you can spend many hours interacting with the cards, journaling about them and of course posting here!!! Nice meeting you.....enjoy the forums!!! :) Luna

floracove	03 Oct 2004
That's another of my quirks. Sometimes, for myself. (one last night for a friend, and one for her company) *first time not using a certain spread for other's* I just pull and lay cards. I don't always use a certain spread. I guess it's just another limited rebellion, quirk I have... *shrugs* I think when you use a certain spread, that you want to know certain things pertaining to the question asked, so when I do these un-questions, un-spreads, I'm just opening up for knowledge or understanding of what the cards are willing to show me. *does that make any sense to anyone but me*

lunakasha	03 Oct 2004
Quote: Originally posted by floracove I think when you use a certain spread, that you want to know certain things pertaining to the question asked, so when I do these un-questions, un-spreads, I'm just opening up for knowledge or understanding of what the cards are willing to show me. *does that make any sense to anyone but me* Yes....makes perfect sense to me! ;) I have just recently started reading with "un-spreads" and I find them very liberating....again, it depends on the situation and question (or non-question) at hand....but whether I am using a spread or just laying out cards, I find that they give me the information I need. :) Luna

Pipistrelle	03 Oct 2004
I rushed off to do a quick "intentless" three card spread asking "Tell me what you will"! Very interesting indeed...of course, now I realise why I don't do these regularly. I now have three more cards (on top of the one daily draw card I got this morning) to interpret and explore :eek: If you need me, I'll be buried beneath that big pile of books in the corner.... Lynda (P.S. I enjoy it really - three whole new cards to get to know!)

floracove	03 Oct 2004
Another thing, I'm more than likely apt to do is just sit and shuffle the cards, and let them jump from the deck, rather than cut, and lay out. Not that I don't ever cut, and lay out, I just like the idea of letting them jump out the way they want.

Imagemaker	03 Oct 2004
Hi, Pipestrelle--cool name! Try not overthinking what you see in the cards. If you shuffle and deal 3 with the intent of "tell me something, tarot" and then go through the day (or look back on the day) just holding those 3 cards in your awareness, you'll begin to see how they relate to your activities, thoughts, and/or encounters. Take your time, it's a fun exploration. I find deeper levels of meaning emerge from what I thought were just routine chores. These daily images sort of open up subconscious elements that make a boring day much more interesting!

Mesara	03 Oct 2004
Pulling a card a day is the best approach, but maybe also try to do a 7 day "horoscope" for yourself at the beginning of each week. Just pull 1 card for each day of the week and lay them out in a straight line. This isn't a spread, so you don't have to worry about interpreting certain positons, etc.. but I think it is good practice. Also maybe try designing your own spread, which you can make as simple or difficult as you feel fit, and since it is of your own design it will be easier for you to work with and to begin reading cards in a spread format.

xviiirkna	04 Oct 2004
Hi Lynda, I don't always have a particular question when I feel like working with the cards. One of the things that I think is fun as well as enlightening is to keep a running list of short phrases or word combinations that are a common reference, but that you wouldn't necessarily relate to Tarot (like the classic 'Past, Present, Future' or 'Mind, Body, Soul' 3 card spreads). Many times the interpretation of the card's placement might end up being similar to other 'standard' spread positions...but sometimes I'll think of a combo that's quirky enough that I have no clue how to associate it with a specific intent until the cards are revealed. The possibilities are endless. I tend to stick with the 3 combo, but go with whatever strikes your fancy. Here's a few examples: too hot, too cold, just right stop, look and listen kick, ball, change signed, sealed, delivered hook, line and sinker lock, stock and barrel going, going, gone It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Superman! (and a whimsical favorite...) Bippity Boppity Boo ~~~~~~~~~~ Blessings, Sally Anne

magpie9	04 Oct 2004
Now looks like fun!! What a good way to Jazz up a 3 card reading! :D

Pipistrelle	04 Oct 2004
Thanks xviiirkna - what a fantastic idea - it sounds like great fun and I bet you get some interesting readings! I'm going to try that next time :)

Imagemaker	04 Oct 2004
I love those! *madly scribbling* Got to try the bippity one--definitely the Sakki Sakki deck for that!

punchinella	05 Oct 2004
Now, Pipistrelle: I simply don't believe that you live in a state of perfect equilibrium, all of the time. How can you not have questions? --Nobody in this world lacks for questions! I can believe that you may not have BIG questions (now) . . . but there's not a doubt in my mind that you wonder, at times, such things as "Should I go to the market now, or wait an hour until ____ gets home so s/he can go with me?" Or, "Do I want to drive to my sister's house tonight, or take public transportation?" Or, "How many miles should I bike this morning?" Or, "Do I want to serve rice tonight, or potatoes?" . . . EVERYONE has questions. And, tarot is simply great at helping you to answer them :D

Dragonpearl	05 Oct 2004
You aren't alone in the boring life bit. LOL. I have the same problem. I've been doing daily spreads and just writing them down and looking at them later in the day to see how on the mark they are. Some of them have been interesting. But yeah, do the daily card and just let the cards tell you what you want to know.

lunakasha	05 Oct 2004
Quote: Originally posted by xviiirkna too hot, too cold, just right stop, look and listen kick, ball, change signed, sealed, delivered hook, line and sinker lock, stock and barrel going, going, gone It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Superman! (and a whimsical favorite...) Bippity Boppity Boo ~~~~~~~~~~ Blessings, Sally Anne Very interesting.....I gotta try these sometime!!! :D Just curious: what does the Bippity Boppity Boo usually tell you??? ;) :) Luna

Imagemaker	05 Oct 2004
How about: rock, paper, scissors and bell, book, candle (Don't have a clue what the positions could mean!)

xviiirkna	06 Oct 2004
Quote: Originally posted by lunakasha Just curious: what does the Bippity Boppity Boo usually tell you??? ;) Hi Luna, "It's the thingamabob that does the job..." ...and magical words which unlock great power of transformation! I went ahead and pulled three cards for myself here - I happened to have my Thoth deck near the computer, which otherwise I probably would never have considered to use for a BBB reading. Bippity - The Empress Boppity - Fortune Boo - 10 of Swords Ack! Well, I will say one thing - having a borderless Thoth deck really allows me to appreciate the play of visual energies between the cards - as I put the cards all in a row, the geometry really flows together. The currents of movement created by the wheel draw in the foliage surrounding the Empress and spill out like tails of a comet connected to the shattering stars on the 10 of Swords. The Empress and the Sphynx are facing each other, nearly eye to eye which give me a real sense of shared balance and form an alliance of sorts between the 'bippity and the boppity'. And at the lower end of the wheel is the dude holding the Ankh (whose name is eluding me...) and the hook that he uses to grab away souls. His hook is reaching toward the 10 of Swords, so I guess he preys on those who are weak and broken by failure. Perhaps the 'boo' is what scares me about this transformation? So to "put them together and what have I got?", I'd say that by nurturing my inherent ideals of love and happiness while looking fate straight in the eyes will leave any fear of failure in the wake of good fortune. How's that for positive 'spin'? ;) Care to give one a try? Blessings, Sally Anne

xviiirkna	06 Oct 2004
Hey Imagemaker - discovering the 'clue' is part of the fun of these readings (for me anyway). It's like you have a concept of what they mean because of a different association - but they kind of expand and grow as you bring the cards into play. I really like your idea of 'rock, paper, scissors'....which is about competition where each of the three have a chance to win depending on random selection of their opponent. oooh....you could draw 3 cards - one for Rock, one for Paper and one for Scissors - maybe write down which card is which thing so you don't forget (like I probably would!) then swoosh them around so you don't know which is which...and turn over two of the cards. Which is the winner? Which is the loser? How does the strength overtake the weakness? Then to put all three into play here, maybe the card you didn't turn over could be the hidden weakness of the winning card. There's great potential with this one, don't you think? I'm definitely going to give it a try - but not tonight, as it's getting late and I'm all Bippity, Boppity, Booed-out right now! ;) Blessings, Sally Anne

Pipistrelle	06 Oct 2004
Quote: Originally posted by punchinella "Do I want to serve rice tonight, or potatoes?" . . . EVERYONE has questions. And, tarot is simply great at helping you to answer them :D Rice or potatoes...?! The tarot knows about that too?! Everyday I learn something new. For my next reading, I will be asking, "deep pan or thin crust?" :D Thanks, Punchinella - I wasn't aware tarot cards would deign to answer such every day questions!

Pipistrelle	09 Oct 2004
I just wanted to say that I tried out xviiirkna's bippity boppity boo spread - and it worked! First I thought - well, that was stupid, now I haven't got the faintest idea what the cards are trying to say. So I left it a while and I realised that the "boo" card was the key to what the spread was about. I got Queen of Pents (again!), 6 of Wands and 2 of Wands as "boo". So I'm thinking it's about the choice I need to make between these two areas where I'm kind of splitting my energies at the moment, going back and forth and not really making headway in either. I won't go into the details here but it did make absolute sense after I'd realised "boo" was the "clue". Excellent spread :)

SFGMaster	09 Oct 2004
Hey, these are great! My main query I use for daily spreads is "What do I most need to know for tomorrow(today)?" (my daily routine is such that I tend to do these in the evenings, hence "tomorrow"), with the three positions being Self, Situations, Challenges like on Tarot.com's readings. Sometimes I use four so I can cross the Self as in CC, in which case the two Self positions are strengths crossed by weaknesses. I will definitely try some of the suggestions here for an interesting variation, though, for when that becomes a bit routine. Hot/Cold/Just Right--Things you need to let go of / Things you need to start focusing on / Things which you need to leave the way they are. Signed/Sealed/Delivered--Decisions you will be faced with / Challenges you must deal with / Unexpected surprises? Bird/Plane/Superman--What you want to do / What you know you ought to do / What you *really* wish you could do if you were Superman? Rock/Paper/Scissors seems good for exploring those circular dependencies in our lives... you know, like: Your spouse has influence over you, you have influence over your kids, and your kids have influence over your spouse. ;) --:TKNC

skytwig	09 Oct 2004
Pipistrelle, welcome to the forum! Your questions stirred up a great thread! wuhoooo! :) Tarot inspires much Creativity, as that is the dance of our Spirits! Tarot, being intensely creative, we can pretty much follow our inner 'lead'..... there really is no 'wrong way'. In fact, we can miss some important leadings if we approach Tarot rigidly..... I too 'just toss the cards down' as they come.... I will also place them as they tell me to place them.... the cards will say, put me in that row or put me next to that card or place me above the whole lot..... I lay them very intuitively, not allowing myself to think about what I am doing. When the cards are 'done', when I no longer feel the urge to pull anymore cards, then I will sit back and look at what has been created..... I really think this is an olde 'Gypsy/Witchie' way of reading.... it harkens from my past somewhere..... Each reader 'reads' individually.... No two of us are alike. so, the way YOU read is the Way you read... It is your unique perception and it is an important perception. That is why we all enjoy this forum so much.... we get a chance to see other perspectives and that enhances our own 'Vision'. We are so glad you are here, Pipistrelle! :)

Pipistrelle	09 Oct 2004
Quote: Originally posted by skytwig We are so glad you are here, Pipistrelle! :) Glad to be here :) Who knew Tarot would be so much fun!

Imagemaker	09 Oct 2004
Quote: Rock/Paper/Scissors seems good for exploring those circular dependencies in our lives Good point! This 3-card spread would be perfect for any situation where luck and circumstances seem to pop up one winner THIS time. Useful for work projects and co-workers (like, among 3 competing salesmen, who will do best this week?). Or how about for one's own qualities: Say thinking of rock as stability, paper as communication, scissors as anger, when asking "which of these is likely to come out when I confront X?" Ditto to all cheers for learning how others think and use the cards. What a joy AT is!

skytwig	09 Oct 2004
How about Rock/Paper/Scissors being a spread to help make a decision.... which thought or idea that I have is the one I with the greatest potential/importance? What is the ruling idea? Which is the best decision? :)

RedMaple	10 Oct 2004
How about Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll? :) edited to add: 1. What are the life-affirming, fertile, creative aspects? 2. What is distorting my perspective for good or ill? 3. What is the dynamic? What is making this move? See, I'm not really crazy :)

Proserpina	11 Oct 2004
I like to do a quick reading for myself every day too... I usually just ask, "What guidance can you give me today?" I usually use a 5-card spread like this: First Card= The Situation to be Addressed Second Card= Past Influences on the Situation Third Card= My Current Role in the Situation Fourth Card= Environmental Influences on the Situation Fifth Card= The Outcome if I Continue on this Path Kinda gives me an idea of what I'm up against for the day. Or, sometimes I'll just pull one card for something more concise. :) ~Proserpina

lunar_rabbit	11 Oct 2004
Great ideas! This is not nearly as much fun as "bippity-boppity-boo!", but here a couple other suggestions for practicing for the sake of getting to understand readings, spreads, and your decks. 1) another twist on the days of the week would be similar to a weather forecast. Pick three cards for today, tomorrow and the next day. Then 2-3 for the extended forecast. It would be interesting to see your intepretations of the cards as you pull them vs. how your day actually went. 2) do readings for celebrities or world events - "How's it going with Madonna?" , "What is important to know about the presidential candidate?" It might give you a different perspective than reading for yourself. You could pretend Martha Stewart is sitting in front of you, asking for a reading. LOL!

Imagemaker	11 Oct 2004
3 card idea: animal, vegetable, mineral Again, I throw this out there without any particular ideas about what each position would mean. Bippity, boppity, boo makes me think of 2 alternative choices, and the hidden surprise.

WalesWoman	11 Oct 2004
This is really interesting because I've been doing a lot more of lay the cards, keep going until I've totally flumoxed myself or crack up because I'm waiting for something really "good" (what I want to hear) to come up. Sometimes it reads like a story and I can see the progression of situations and gives me ideas I'd never thought of in association with what's happening. My memory sucks so bad that if I really want to make sense of what I'm reading, I'd better write down the positions and meanings, the question and reason for each card before I start or by the time I finish laying out even 3 or 5, I can't remember what it was about at all and then it makes my head hurt. I'm liking 5 and 7 card spreads more and more. Not that 3 cards aren't enough, I want more detail or something.

ferrous	16 Oct 2004
Hehehehehe. This thread rocks! I've written down all those suggestions for alternative three card spreads. I just love 'em!! :D

RedMaple	17 Oct 2004
Just thought this one might be interesting --- What will the Maiden/Mother/Crone bring, have to confront, or how will she be manifested today?

The Reading without intent thread was originally posted on 03 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.