Why Can't I Read for Myself?

Ok,

I've officially given up on reading for myself with tarot. I've done an experiment with some reading exchanges here on the board. I will read for myself just like I would any other member on the board in an exchange and I jot my cards and answers down in my journal. Usually, it's a short term issue or something that I can easily see/figure out in the near future. I then go to the exchanges forum and ask a few people the same question. I've noticed that my readings have nothing to do with the readings I get from others. When I wait the situation out, everyone else's readings are very accurate and mine...not so much. I'm going to continue the experiment to see if I have any kinks in my readings. I will pay close attention to what cards are pulled instead of the interpretation of the reading itself. I guess if I pull a card on a situation and another person does as well, then I might be off. Who knows...

Why is it that people cannot read for themselves? Is it just the fact that interpreting the cards may be difficult when yourself is involved, or do you think it has something to do with having all of the answers in front of you? Any thoughts on the subject would be wonderful. Experiences would be even better...

Learning to Read For Yourself

I'm sort of stymied. I haven't ever heard of anyone trying to compare a reading of their own against readings of others. Maybe I'm too cocky...it never occurred to me that anyone would try to get the same results in a side by side test like that.

If I understand you correctly, and maybe I don't, you are trying to read for yourself and seem to feel that you can't get what you want.

For some reason, lately, I've been seeing similiar posts around here lately and all are related to how difficult it is to read for ourselves.

I find that to be the easiest thing in the world. Not the most interesting thing in the world...because I can "cheat" by reading for me.

I already know everything about me. (Well, at least I like to pretend that I do.)

I think maybe there are some others here who can help you better than I can. Hope you get some good suggestions!

I think it has to do with the fact that you color your readings with your own hopes, fears, and knowledge of the situation. In a way, you out-think your intuition... or listen with biased ears.

It's my belief that reading for yourself improves when you're seeking insight, as opposed to some answer you want to hear. It takes practice and being honest with yourself and your personal truth.

I've been reading for a long time and the things I consult the cards about have changed over the years. I'm not looking for "answers" anymore. I'm looking for insight. And I generally don't ask for insight into things I feel desperate to know the answers to. There's a subtle difference between insight and answers, but in that difference is the answer to your question, I think.

Anyway, I don't know if that helps, but that has been my experience.

Yeah, I'm right there with you. I put a reading up here a while back and someone called me on reading the Star negatively, which I absolutely did.

When I read for others I can see their bad situation but then show them the way out. For myself it's all destruction and anarchy. I don't know what's wrong with me either.

I also find it more difficult to read for myself than for others.

The part of me that sees my tarot deck as having its own personality says that this is because my deck wants to make me work for its wisdom. It's like the answers are there, but presented in such a way that makes them more difficult to decipher. He just wants to make sure I'm taking him seriously!

However, the psychologist in me says that this phenomenon is caused by our desire to read only what we want from the tarot, coupled with the fact that it is much harder to read intuitively for oneself.

Most every tarot reader will admit that there have been time when they read a card or two more positively/negatively than they should have when reading for themselves, but another aspect of this dillemma is that when we read for ourselves we already know so much about the situation. Compare this to the bare bones explanations we get from other querents. When we have just the facts, we are able to start with a much more general idea and intuitively narrow it down. When we already have all that info (and the emotional predispositions that go with it), we tend to try to fit every card into the situation perfectly, while taking into account our own feelings about how it should be, without allowing room for our intutition to guide us.

Imagine a tarot reading as painting a picture. You take the question and its background and put it on your pallet. This is the paint that forms the base of the picture. But from there the cards tell their own story, and you interpret that onto the canvas. When you're done you've got a beautiful painting inspired by the querent's life, and guided by your intuition.
Now when you read for yourself it's completely different. You already have that picture in your mind, but it's rigid. It's like a jigsaw puzzle with a few pieces missing. You try and fit the tarot into the blank spaces, but it doesn't really fit. You don't want to change the picture too much, so you'll cut a few corners, effectively carving out just the answer you want. This defeats the purpose of the tarot entirely.

So it is that those who are able to read for themselves are those who are able to detach themselves from preconceptions. I've found a good way to do this is to meditate, or otherwise distract you from your current situation. Once you are relaxed and detached, then you can read. This is actually a good practice before any reading, as trying to interpret the tarot while stressed or emotionally charged often leads to mistakes.

At least, that's my take on the matter.

-Acatalepsy

Can I Detach Myself From My Preconceptions??

Acatlepsy said:

Imagine a tarot reading as painting a picture. You take the question and its background and put it on your pallet. This is the paint that forms the base of the picture. But from there the cards tell their own story, and you interpret that onto the canvas. When you're done you've got a beautiful painting inspired by the querent's life, and guided by your intuition.
Now when you read for yourself it's completely different. You already have that picture in your mind, but it's rigid. It's like a jigsaw puzzle with a few pieces missing. You try and fit the tarot into the blank spaces, but it doesn't really fit. You don't want to change the picture too much, so you'll cut a few corners, effectively carving out just the answer you want. This defeats the purpose of the tarot entirely.

So it is that those who are able to read for themselves are those who are able to detach themselves from preconceptions.

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Now THAT is food for thought.

Yup, reading for oneself is difficult simply because we are SO invested in the outcome.

i find that while i'm able to read intuitively for others - words just tumbling out of my mouth! - i'm practically mute when it comes to myself. i've tried reading aloud for myself but just felt like a dork...instead, what works for me is laying out the spread, looking/thinking about positions and relationships and then reading along with highlights out of a book.

this helps my mental block and lets me consider ALL of the good and bad facets of a situation. i find that sometimes i'm at a disadvantage if i know too much, you know? like it's easier to ferret out the secrets of friends and strangers than it is to pinpoint my own real fears. but that's why i love tarot...it does help me consider things that i'm thinking/should be thinking/am actively trying not to be thinking...

i also do a card-a-day exercise. i choose one in the morning, write it down and forget about it. come evening, i revisit my notebook and go over the events of the day. it turns out for me, the cards are often VERY literal. this only helps me understand their relationship with me. i'm just as inclined now to view the TOWER (oooooooo!) as a really bad storm as i am gloom and doom...

with both methods, i can see/hear the insight that the cards offer. buried under my own hangups and fears and worries...there's some darn good sense sometimes.

Ah, so I'm not the only one! I definitely think from what I've read that there's too much riding on the readings for me to predict accurately for myself. If I ask for a reading on my past, it all makes sense. Present and future not so much...

shotthebreeze said:

Ah, so I'm not the only one!

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i know! isn't it great? i've always thought i was alone on this one...yay! company!