Reading for yourself?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 30 Apr 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

DarkAngel_Claudia	30 Apr 2005
Is it true that you have to have somebody reading for you? I heard somewhere that its not possible to read your cards and obtain a clear message.

The Dreamer	30 Apr 2005
I read for myself all the time, and in fact I read only for myself. I get very clear, useful readings. So yes, it is possible.

persephone1	30 Apr 2005
I think at times that saying relates to the fact that you may not be objective about yourself for a successful reading. I read for myself and my partner quite successfully, and yes, I find it quite soothing to do so as it is part of my personal belief system so to speak. If you are able to pull a card and nod as they tell you, you are being silly, egotistical, emotional or wonderful and compassionate, then you are receiving the message you are meant to receive. I feel a lot of it would rely on how you feel with your deck and as I said above, just remaining subjective and open to self.

DoctorArcanus	30 Apr 2005
I only read for myself. I think this practice can be very useful. I am not reading much actually, since I am a newbie and I feel I must understand more of the cards before I can use tham in the best way. But I am not sure that not using the cards and reading books is the best way to learn....maybe I should read more for myself, so I could gain some experience. From a newbie point of view, one of the interesting aspects of reading for yourself is that it is easier to define meanings for the cards. Your reading is personal: it is you reading about yourself. So also the menaning you will come up with will be personal. I haven't had anybody read for myself from many years. Of course, that is also an interesting experience. Of course, you have to trust the reading person, who must have first of all the onest purpose of being helpful....I think this is more important than being a tarot expert :) I have read a good book on this topic: "Tarot for Your Self" By Mary K. Greer There in a review on AT: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/books/tarot-for-your-self/ In the forum you can find many different points of view about this book..... Marco

little_redfox	30 Apr 2005
I read for myself too, its the only way ill learn what all the cards mean lol, otherwise its just my mum i read for ( i dont have the confidence to read for anyone else). I do a daily card then every so often a 3 card spread of my current situation, which gets me thinking. As a newbie to tarot cards im finding there seem to be no absolutely wrong way of doing things, it seems to be such a personal thing. I was reading a thread recently about decks and how some favour the lovely more traditional style ones and others like the wonderful more comtemporary ones that seem to have new visions, just seems up to everyones preference, non-discriminating - which is one of the things im loving about tarot. LRF x

Rogan	30 Apr 2005
I always found - That if I did a reading for myself in the morning - Id give myself a bias reading - Because of what I "Wanted" the cards to say for me... So what I do now: I draw three cards in the morning, and read them at night before I go to bed - And I relate the meanings back to my day (so essentially, Im not being biased on the meanings) And Ive found it's helped me a lot more... Personally, I dont really like reading for my future or for the answers to questions - Because I find it hard not to look at the cards and think "No... That can't be right..." and ignore what they're trying to tell me... As a beginner/newbie - Why dont you try a three card spread in the morning, and read them at night? It's worked an absolute treat for me... Rogan.

cybercat	30 Apr 2005
I agree with Rogan. Reading for one self can be misleading. If you ask a question that you means alot to you then you will tend to negate the not so postive answers. In other words if you are asking about your job and it shows you that someone is out to backstab you and the card brings your friend to mind then you might not pay attention. One has to be careful for we tend to put rose colored glasses on for ourselves. Now for daily reading that is not so bad for it make us aware of what to look out for that good benifit us or warn us. Daily card are good reading practice and a good way to learn the cards. Cat

mingbop	30 Apr 2005
i have never been able to read for myself. husband and family yes ...i even took a photo of me and looked at it and said "ok, tell me about this woman" ...being sneaky !--and I still got no sense !

bladeraven	30 Apr 2005
I think you can balance it out..plus it goes back to the old...if you don't who will...if I'm not on AT, I need to be able to practice and reading for a 2 year old is well....let's just say I'm tired of telling him that Cookie Monster is in his future....

Enchanted	30 Apr 2005
cybercat wrote: If you ask a question that you means alot to you then you will tend to negate the not so postive answers. I actually find the opposite problem, I tend to be too hard on myself and actually be a bit more negative than I should. But I have found that the hardest thing in reading for yourself is to have that 'subjectivity' regardless of whether you are too negative or positive. I have found it to be useful with larger spreads if I try to write my interpretation in the third person it seems to help me to step back a bit.

Sulis	30 Apr 2005
I read for myself all the time. I think that if the readings you do for yourself is to gain more insight into aspects of your own life then it helps to have 'insider knowledge' so to speak. The tarot has helped me get through some difficult times - inner struggles that only I know about and another reader wouldn't necessarily have picked up on. Sulis xx

persephone1	30 Apr 2005
I agree Sulis....I feel comforted with my self reads...I accept the good, the bad and the ugly it is in a sense my own answer to myself, nothing more and nothing less it helps me a great deal as well

mingbop	30 Apr 2005
I'd like to, but I never get sense !

mike gorth	30 Apr 2005
At times it is good to have others read for you especially if you have thoughts about it already or your feelings are standing in the way. If you do it for yourself then, the tarot will read your emotions rather than your question. I always read for myself. When I went to Hawaii, I got one but that was before I was really into it. Mike Gorth

Nina*	30 Apr 2005
mingbop wrote: I'd like to, but I never get sense ! Yes... you said that; but that doesn't mean that others don't... :) I read for myself all the time and as Sulis (and others) mentions, I find that it is a wonderful way of getting to know myself in every way. It takes time, but it helps. xxx Nina

elysgrl	30 Apr 2005
I read for myself all the time. It's an incredible tool for self-knowledge, but you have to be willing to acknowledge the not-so-nice parts of yourself. I love to think of myself as the Queen of Cups, but my cards repeatedly point out that my nature is more swordy than anything else. Thankfully, one of the great advantages of doing self-readings is the gentle but insistent nudging to work on ourselves, and break out of our destructive knee-jerk patterns. It's like having a very honest friend who truly wants what's best for you. Blessings, Denise

firemaiden	30 Apr 2005
When I do read for others in person, live, I often let the cards serve as a conversation board between me and them, so in a way, it is like they are reading for themself too. Those I have read for, have often had a very immediate reaction to the cards. --- as when my ex boyfriend (who had never seen a tarot deck before in his life) took one look at the Six of Swords (RWS) and said, "Oh! a return!". (A new job in his native country appeared for him out of the blue a few days after our reading, he returned home, and we separated) I like how Umbrae says in the first Process thread, he "lets the cards speak" to the querant. He knows - without the cards, but he lets the cards speak. So I think when we read for ourselves, it can be just the same - we just have to 'let the cards speak' -- I figure whatever comes clearly to mind is relevant. If a negative card comes up, I would usually chose to see this as the expression of a fear, or a warning about something that needs to be tended to, rather than a prediction of doom and gloom, and then take the necessary action. Otherwise, I might quickly allow myself to become paranoid, LOL.

full deck	01 May 2005
It is possible and good to read for ones self. As others have mentioned, it requires a "don't care what cards I pull" attitude since one is looking and not hoping for a "good" reading. Being honestly aware of how one thinks is very important because if one can master themselves, then what is there that they can not do? I would only recommend adapting some exercises for improving ones mental focus and skills at directed meditation. Not some meditation that has one mindlessly chanting "om" but something that requires direction in ones mental focus. There are plenty of sources for this sort of thing all over. Just look and consider what you are really trying to do with yourself.

The Reading for yourself? thread was originally posted on 30 Apr 2005 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.