A question about questions

nisaba

Specifically about dreams, I have a technique that seems to work better than doing a conventional reading.

Thumb through your deck quickly, face-up. Go through it methodically so that you see every single card-image, but so fast that you can't form thoughts about them. Do that holding the memory of the dream in your mind, and put aside any cards that seem "louder" or get a response from you before you've had a chance to think about the card.

You should end up with a pile of cards that could be anywhere from one card to fifteen cards. Lay them on a table face-up, and move them around, thinking about how they fit into the dream. Some might represent characters or objects or places in the dream. Others might represent emotions or conversations. Others might represent smells or textures in the dream.

You'll learn a lot about the dream and your responses to it this way.
 

Farzon

Most of the times nightmares show us something we are avoiding to face.
In my experience it can be useful to remember the dreams, maybe keep a journal. As soon as you wake up, think about your dream intensely, try to go through it once or twice - then write it down.

The problem I see with Tarot and dreams is, you will try to explain a set of symbols with another set of symbols. However the cards are most of the times more easily understood than the dream. I would thus suggest a question like: what am I hiding from myself? What am I trying to avoid? What do I have to face in life right now?

Or do a spread which is already designed for self-reflection with positions for subconscious messages and conscious expectations.
 

tigerlilybug

Ruby Jewel said:
I know of a couple of important books on dream psychology. The first one that comes to mind is "Memories, Dreams, Reflections" by C.G. Jung, which is about your Unconscious archetypes and dreams. Another, more current book is by the Buddhist, Alan Wallace: "Dreaming Yourself Awake", which is about training yourself to become aware that you are dreaming while you are dreaming.

Dreams, or nightmares, are messages being presented to you from your Unconscious. For example, when I was a child I used to wake up under the bed with all the hair on my arms and legs in knots. I had the same nightmare over and over that I was falling inside a tunnel with no bottom. Years later when I began researching into an obvious full-blown neurosis, I discovered that the tunnel nightmare was my Unconscious portrayal of my actual descent into a neurosis.

Any dream at any age is not something to brush off and ignore because your Unconscious is actually telling you something you need to know. Once you understand the message, the nightmares will cease.

I think what is important, is to find out what your unconscious is telling you in this nightmare?"....and not how to get rid of the nightmare. So, I would suggest that you ask the tarot to answer the question, "what is the message being given to me from my unconscious by way of this nightmare?"
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I'll have to check out those books! Thanks for the recommendation. And wow what an amazing connection with your dream! I think mine is just from negative thinking although I still have yet to do a reading on it haha I really want to check out the C.G. Jung book though see what kind of info I can get :)
 

tigerlilybug

nisaba said:
Specifically about dreams, I have a technique that seems to work better than doing a conventional reading.

Thumb through your deck quickly, face-up. Go through it methodically so that you see every single card-image, but so fast that you can't form thoughts about them. Do that holding the memory of the dream in your mind, and put aside any cards that seem "louder" or get a response from you before you've had a chance to think about the card.

You should end up with a pile of cards that could be anywhere from one card to fifteen cards. Lay them on a table face-up, and move them around, thinking about how they fit into the dream. Some might represent characters or objects or places in the dream. Others might represent emotions or conversations. Others might represent smells or textures in the dream.

You'll learn a lot about the dream and your responses to it this way.
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Thanks for the advice Nisaba I think I will try this technique I like the lack of spread and spontaneity of it. Plus I have done something similar to this before and I felt a strong connection to certain cards although I didn't have an issue in mind at the time I was just playing with the cards but I was drawn to keep looking at specific ones!
 

tigerlilybug

Farzon said:
Most of the times nightmares show us something we are avoiding to face.
In my experience it can be useful to remember the dreams, maybe keep a journal. As soon as you wake up, think about your dream intensely, try to go through it once or twice - then write it down.

The problem I see with Tarot and dreams is, you will try to explain a set of symbols with another set of symbols. However the cards are most of the times more easily understood than the dream. I would thus suggest a question like: what am I hiding from myself? What am I trying to avoid? What do I have to face in life right now?

Or do a spread which is already designed for self-reflection with positions for subconscious messages and conscious expectations.
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For me I don't think it is something I'm avoiding the characteristics of the dream are a mash up of negative things that I think of in my waking hours there is not much symbolism in the nightmare it's just detailed images of events that I fear could happen in real life I guess what should try to figure out is why I carry these thoughts over to my dreams and if it means anything that I do so! Thanks for your input gives me something to think about :)
 

Farzon

tigerlilybug said:
For me I don't think it is something I'm avoiding the characteristics of the dream are a mash up of negative things that I think of in my waking hours there is not much symbolism in the nightmare it's just detailed images of events that I fear could happen in real life I guess what should try to figure out is why I carry these thoughts over to my dreams and if it means anything that I do so! Thanks for your input gives me something to think about :)
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I see. So you would need to clarify why you have these fears. Still, conscious fears can also point at subconscious or preconscious themes. Think about having a little tick: you need to control some electronic devices before leaving home. You control them over and over and are nearly unable to leave home in the end.

The fear, that there might be something wrong with, say your oven (not switched off properly or something like that) is conscious and even realistic. But every time this tick shows up, you have to go somewhere you don't want to go.
This is a real example. A bit exaggerated, but I do control my oven thrice before leaving - it's simply a pseudo-rational reason for staying at home a bit longer than I should....

It also can be there is an experience from the past that triggered these fears. In regard to dreams as well as in regard to fears I think self reflection would be one of the best ways to cope with them.
 

Inana

Sar said:
I use: Show me how/why/who/what/when.

Then the card tells me the story.
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I like this way to formulate questions. Thanks for sharing it.
 

Atem

Practical Reply

tigerlilybug said:
The truth is I would like to know why but more importantly what I can do to make the nightmares stop. Thanks :)
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Well, this isn't related to tarot, but whenever I have had a reoccurring nightmare, it has either been a result of having someone bad in my life that I should just cut out (specifically nightmares about spiders only when I am talking to my family...bummer), or when I am completing the processing of karmic energy of some dynamic or relationship.

It is easy to tell which for me, one I feel terrified when I wake up; the other I feel at peace and completed.

Maybe this applies to you, too. Anyone around you that is a no-win kind of situation?
 

danieljuk

Don't be too hard on yourself about questions Tiger, we all choose bad one's at times! just try if you can to make sure they don't end in yes or no because your spread will be limited by that answer!

one of my fave threads in all of AT is this list of questions I have it bookmarked :) refer to that quite often!

I asked a horrible question recently in my own life, I asked "what is ending in the eclipse in my life?" for a personal spread during the recent eclipse. It is a terribly leading question and the tarot decided to throw me reversed cards and it all became a nightmare to work out the positive / negative. I should have gone for a far more open question like "what will the eclipse bring?"

I quite like to do tarot spreads and readings with just a topic or general thing to look at, rather than question. See what comes up and keep it very open!

found you a possibly spread to try about your nightmares right here. hope you can get them to stop :(
 

Sulis

If I'm having trouble formatting a question I just say 'Tell me about xxxx'.. That usually covers most options and allows the cards to tell a story.
 
first time posting, need help. Education with Tarot necessary?