detalied readings?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 04 Jun 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

SilentBreeze	04 Jun 2005
How do you make readings more detailed? when i read for someone it comes out so general. maybe i have to develope my intuition better but i don't know.does it just come with experience?

HearthCricket	04 Jun 2005
SilentBreeze-I think there are many aspects to making a more detailed reading. Yes, experience has a lot to do with it. First know the deck you are using, very familiarly. Spend a lot of time looking at each card, the colours, the faces, expressions, symoblism, what is going on, what does it mean, what does it remind you of? Many people keep journals to help them with this. Jot down your own thoughts for each card. Many join one of the study groups on another thread, which also allows them to see how others view the same card. Understand that the cards are telling you a story, that they are interconnected. It is a lot like making up a bedtime story on a moment's notice. Each card does not stand alone, but relates to its neighbours, its position, and the querant, themselves. Think of it as this way. If you had a piece of music in front of you, and only played the first stanza, it would really mean a whole lot. But when you play the entire song, the depth of meaning comes forth and the piece becomes whole.

closrapexa	04 Jun 2005
I have found that for each person, the cards speak in different patterns, and these patterns tend to repeat themselves to the person that is using them. Remembering these patterns helps you make for a more detailed reading, but that come with experience as well. If for example you see that a certain some one's partner is cheating on them with a certain card or combination of cards, chances are that your cards speak to you in a way that is specific to you. This combination may not work for other people the same way that it works for you. And of course, don't be afraid of being wrong. If you say to some one that you see that they have just started a serious relationship, and they tell you that they have not, remember that, and you will leran that in the future, that combination of cards does not mean that it is a relationship, but something else.

Ace	04 Jun 2005
Force yourself to look into the card, look at details rather than the whole card. This card usually means.... is a starting point, but if something in the card stands out, mention it. It probably means more than the whole reading does. Ace

HudsonGray	04 Jun 2005
It helps to ask yourself, too, 'why THIS card and not another' in this position. And go with your instincts.

Sulis	04 Jun 2005
To add more depth to your readings try taking the numerology and use of colour into account too, that way you've got a bit more to go on than just the picture. Look for details of the picture that jump out at you and if something does then mention it. As Closrapexa says, don't worry about being wrong or asking the querant their take on something. This is why I'm starting to realise that reading for someone face to face is often easier than by e-mail or post. When doing an e-mail reading you have to go with what you think with no immediate feedback from the querant so if you're wrong you're wrong and you can't correct it. Much easier if the reading actually involves the querant rather than just you talking at them. Detail comes when the cards are discussed during a reading, that's when I find really interesting little details can come up. Love Sulis xx

The detalied readings? thread was originally posted on 04 Jun 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.