How do you practice?

JeniReadsTarot

I'm trying to work out a good way to practice and I've tried the daily card draw but the only question I ever have is "what do I need to know today".

Rarely does this work out for me. Mostly I either forget about the card or I look for ways to make it apply which does not feel very authentic.

I would consider doing three card draws in order to get more depth but again.. there isn't anything I have this burning need to know (other than how to get more practice)

I'm curious what you do for practice other than reading for other people.

(oops.. I think I posted in the wrong forum! Mods - I'm very sorry if this needs to be moved!)
 

Redfaery

One thing I've picked up from Benebell Wen's *Holistic Tarot* is the use of the First Operation technique. She gives detailed instructions in her book, but for me it functions as a nicely low key way to do a general reading.
 

gregory

Read a single card at the END of the day and see how it fits how the day WAS. NOT easy to cheat :D
 

Charlie Brown

Maybe try a three card reading instead of one. My daily reading is 1: How should I direct my energies today 2: What challenge will I face today and 3: What lesson should I learn today. Every week or so, you can review your readings like a tableau and see if there are any particular themes that arise.
 

SaturnCeleste

I'm trying to work out a good way to practice and I've tried the daily card draw but the only question I ever have is "what do I need to know today".

Rarely does this work out for me. Mostly I either forget about the card or I look for ways to make it apply which does not feel very authentic.

I would consider doing three card draws in order to get more depth but again.. there isn't anything I have this burning need to know (other than how to get more practice)

I'm curious what you do for practice other than reading for other people.

(oops.. I think I posted in the wrong forum! Mods - I'm very sorry if this needs to be moved!)

I don't read for myself, I don't even listen to readings for Aquarius on YouTube. My tarot mentor told me to do Universal readings. When I shuffled, I would ask for a universal reading about money, love, careers, etc. It worked great. I had to laugh at a few of the readings because my cards sometimes showed a sense of humor. :)

I also did readings for anything I could think of like my house and my pets.
 

Disa

These one card readings never did anything for me.

I found the best way for me was do do a full on spread and look up each card as I went along and write it all down. I would look the card up in the book if i didn't know what it meant, get a general idea and then just keep writing everything that came to me. Once I had everything I could think of for one card written down, I would move on to the next card and write all that down, too. Everyone advises against using bigger spreads because it can be overwhelming, but it's the only thing that worked for me. I did 5 cards up through the Celtic Cross when I was learning. Now I hardly ever do a Celtic Cross.

I hardly ever have questions for myself, which is why I don't participate in the reading exchanges, etc. but I found it easy to ask questions about my pets, or situations, not specifically people.

Also, James Rickleff's books really helped.Tarot Tells the Tale and oh now I forgot the other one.

You just have to keep trying new things until you figure out what works best for you. Best of luck.
 

Citrin

I agree with Gregory, a reading at the end of the day can be much more beneficial.

I often feel that I don't have many specific questions for the cards, but I rather use them as a mirror, to have a conversation with my Soul/Higher Self, or to just get my thoughts going a bit. I also like to "check in" with myself, like how am I really doing? Why am I being moody today? What is on my mind or in my heart? Doing a reading checking on how my body, mind and spirit are doing is very helpful to balance myself better. The Mary-El guidebook shows an intersting spread you could try also: Within (the inner influences), without (outside influences), and advice (general advice on what you need to focus on).
 

Citrin

These one card readings never did anything for me.

I agree. To me one card feels a bit empty and hard to read in a context. I always pull at least two cards. That way if I get The Tower I'm not just like "Oh what is this about?!" but I have one more card to explain what The Tower is refering to, and I feel calmer and have more information.
 

toadwytch

I'm new enough that I can only speak of what works for me. I don't think any particular method is going to help you get more out of your practice - I had to experiment with different things until I found something that a) I enjoy enough to do often and b) makes me feel like I learn something about myself and the cards every time.

Daily draws don't do it for me because there are some days when I'm not in the right mindset to really focus on the reading. I agree with Citrin that my readings rarely give me 'answers' to specific questions, but they do help me understand myself better. Ask lots of questions, but don't look for an easy answer; let the cards help you explore why you do the things you do.

It's a vague answer, but when I first started I wasn't sure which spreads to use or which questions to ask. Once in a while, though, I'd have a reading that set me on fire and made me feel like there was something to tarot that I wanted to understand, and I would try to make that moment happen again. It takes time, but do lots of spreads! Some of them will click better than others. There' a forum here all about different spreads that people have invented that really speak to them. If you see one you like, try it and don't be afraid to bend it a little to your own needs. It's not about the individual positions so much as how well they all interlink in your mind.

I found that I like loose spreads between 3-5 cards, and I I like spreads that can be read in sections like the Celtic Cross. I also like to have a conversation with a deck, just speak aloud while I shuffle the cards. Once in a while a card will leap out of the deck, and it usually gives me a very fluid insight that helps me process what I said prior to it and point the conversation somewhere new. I keep talking, keep shuffling, and don't try too hard. Any card can mean something different or have a different emphasis each time you see it.

Just find what you enjoy when you do tarot, and keep doing it. Everyone reads differently.
 

Trogon

A lot of very good advice so far. I agree with charliebrown and others that drawing a single card at the beginning of the day has it's limitations. I do like Gregory's idea of the single card at the end of the day.

For me, once I discovered a) shorter spreads (other than the CC), and b) that I could create my own spreads - things really opened up. I now do a 3-card linear reading almost every day on a recurring issue; 1) Issue for the day, 2) Blockage and 3) To Contemplate. The 3rd card is interpreted as what I can keep/bring to mind as needed through the day.

I found that when I started doing linear spreads - 3 to 5 or more cards in a line, I started learning how to do the reading in a single narrative better. This was especially true with "past-present-future" readings. You can see a starting point, where that led, where the person is at now, where they're going and so on.

If you don't feel like there is much that you want to read about yourself, try doing readings for politicians (there are a LOT of good Tarot readings with our present political issues). Politicians ask us to put them in office so that they can take part in regulating our lives - I figure they're fair game for Tarot readings. Another thing that I've started doing lately, is doing readings for characters in some of my favorite web-comics. I've asked a couple of the authors and they've let me post them in the comments sections. They're fun exercises and can help hone those skills.

Best advice ... keep reading. Along with studying the cards, it is the best way to improve.