How Do YOU Read?

I have always had a strong pull to the cards. I have had a deck come back to me three times. I have felt pushed away from another. I recently, after 12 years, felt the pull again but not to the deck I had. I ordered a new one, the mystic dreamer, and feel very connected (and it just came 2 hours ago!!). I have this vision in my head of sitting at a table with a cloth, crystal and candle while reading. I feel the need to go shopping now!

What are some ritualistic things you do while reading or to prepare for a reading or even after a reading that you feel you have to do?

Blessed Be!

Welcome back to your Tarot journey!

Around here, you'll find we run the gamut from very ritualized to no rituals at all. Actually, the most helpful thing I personally learned from this place early on was that I could drop the rituals and mystic superstitions around Tarot, and it would still work. For me, all that sort of thing got in the way of both learning and ongoing practice, while adding nothing to my ability to read. It was very freeing for me to let those things go. A simple deep breath to narrow my focus to just the cards is all that I need to make myself ready to read, anywhere and anytime. After I finish, I put my cards back into their bag and replace the bag in my deck basket--that's not so much a ritual as merely following the old "put it away when you're done with it" rule we all heard in childhood.

All that matters is how you feel about it. Do what works best for you--if that means getting a fabulous reading cloth, etc., have fun with finding just the right pieces for your reading space!

It depends and it varies.

For my personal daily draws, I don't do anything more than ground, centre, and shuffle. If I'm doing a longer, deeper reading, I might have a little more ceremony - maybe a candle or more likely a glass of water (which is a conduit to the spirit world in my spiritual tradition). And shuffle shuffle shuffle.

The one thing I always like to have is a nice reading cloth.

I don't have any specific rituals. More often than not, I just reach for the deck beside my comfy chair (currently the Legacy of the Divine, though I sometimes alternate), shuffle a few times while concentrating, and then lay the cards out on my lap or on the side table.

I have a tarot room where I sometimes read; that's where I read for friends, usually. For friends, I'll use a reading cloth and maybe light a candle or two, but for myself, I don't need the "props" to set the mood.

...Actions

I pull the cards from their bag, by this time I'm beginning to get the calm focus that I need to read.

I begin to shuffle and get a little deeper.

The shuffling continues until...it's time...then I pull the cards from the deck.


...Items

Clean table or reading cloth, I prefer solid black. I don't want to distract myself from the images of the cards by a pattern on the cloth.

Optional, but I like a candle or two and a crystal ball, crystal skull, or an arrangement of points.

I tend to read sitting on the floor. As much of me in contact with the ground. That's about it. Just the sound of shuffling centers me. Reading cloth, moonstones, candles... if I'm reading for a client. All that stuff is just sort of frosting on the cake, if I'm just reading for me.

I do it much like Annabelle, I use my lap. No spread cloth, no candles. I am slightly more "ritualized" when I read for others though. But it's just a simple moment of eyes closed, asking for insights/answers for the person sitting.

Crystals and candles

What are the best crystals and color of candles for those of you who use them? I have a strong connection with the color purple. I did order a cloth with my new deck and have some crystals but I would prefer to start anew with those and candles. I keep envisioning one candle and one small crystal for some reason. I can't put my finger on it!

I'm a chaos magician, and therefore view devices such as candles and other things that 'set the mood' as more tools to bypass the psychic censor. For me, belief is the primary tool - belief in yourself, your abilities, and in your cards having a connection with your psyche. Often I find I don't have space to lay out a reading, so I simply draw cards and write where they would be placed in a reading, were I able to do so. Different things work for different people - such is the nature of belief.

Ackces1 said:

What are some ritualistic things you do while reading or to prepare for a reading or even after a reading that you feel you have to do?

Blessed Be!

Click to expand...

I LOVE ritual! And I'm Wiccan with some chaos magick leanings - so ritual is THE THING.


When reading for someone else - I always do 2 things:

1) Set the reading space.
I put down a reading cloth. I have a selection - depends on the mood.
Presently I'm using the back of a favourite cushion cover - which is black. The front is a "Dia de los Muertos"/"Day of the Dead" skulls and roses design.
I place a brightly coloured felt disk next to it and sit my turquoise statuette of Hotei - patron of fortune tellers (see thread 'Hotei - Patron of fortune tellers') on it. It's an old favourite - I've had it for over 20 years.
And on the reading cloth I place a clear quartz disk faceted sort-of like a Merkabah (6 pointed star in 3D). This represents the querent. Clear quartz, because this is reputed to be the best channeller/amplifier in the crystal kingdom, and a hugely versatile stone.
It's an adaptogen in my mind - facilitating all sorts of uses.

2) Recite in my head, my Tarot Invokation. A short 7 line 'prayer' (longest line has 7 words) which for me encompasses: grounding, aligning, empowering, purifying, protecting and invoking appropriate other - all-in-one.

These things are done automatically and very quickly.
If I have a long leisurely day with nothing else to do - the rituals may be longer and more inclusive (Yay!).
I don't use candles because I don't like the smell of evaporated wax and my partner is paranoid about lit candles in our home (past experience of nearly burning his bedroom to the ground accidentally. ).
I mostly don't use ritual when reading for myself.
I do have specific decks that I keep aside for spellwork - so they are part of/are the ritual in this case.

After the reading - I shuffle the deck with a "clear and order" mindset, and pack it away, followed by the rest of the rigmarole.