Having Difficulty Reading for Others

Mrow.

So I've been reading for YEARS now (I'm 25 now-started when I was 16). I'm not going to pretend I'm anywhere near being amazing, but I can hold my own. Or at least I USED to be able to hold my own.

I started out with the RW, but the Thoth has always interested me, so I picked that deck up years ago, but never really USED it since I was so much better with my RW (fell into a comfortability rut)

I've just come out of a 2-3 year spiritual drought due to my Thoth deck screaming for attention. I've been spending alot of time with it, devoting alot of energy towards research, etc. Er I guess I should say I've always been an Intuitive reader, as opposed to a Divinatory Meanings reader..but with this deck, I want to be better equipt-afterall, it feels much more complicated and involved than my RW.

Anyhow (sorry for the long lead up!), I've done some readings for myself which feel accurate, but the few readings I've attempted to do for others have not gone as well as I KNOW I have the ability to do..I've also noticed that I don't want anyone touching this deck-which is opposite from how I did things with my RW (I had the querent shuffle, etc).

I'm coming to the conclusion that this deck may prefer being my personal use deck..but I was wondering if maybe others had a similar issue and overcame it (for use with others). I realize that in not having the querent shuffle (or otherwise directly put their energy into the cards) I am forcing myself to HAVE to be more receptive of their energy, or in the very least, to redirect the energy flow in a way that I can read just as clearly, but I'm growing impatient/losing confidence!

So, yeah..any tips you can give as far as getting your deck to open up a bit more? I've done a few "new deck interview" readings..I've read for those I know, those I don't know..I sleep with it, I take it with me to work, I shuffle it, love it, pet it, squeeze it, hold it, kiss it, hug it, whisper sweet nothings to it, smell it, breath on it..haha..It's part of me but it doesnt wanna share me!!!!

I wonder if it knows my secret intentions of getting the Liber-T deck to do readings for others...hmmmm..

It may not be the answer you want but I believe you should try doing these things:
First, stop pampering your deck. Each deck has it´s own "personality" and like to be treated accordingly. One of my favorite decks, the Voyager, is a "brute". Even when I shuffle or ask questions, I do it in amore "masculine" way. Mind you, I don´t damage the cards but the energy I use is much more forceful. I own the Thoth but, unlike many people, I don´t particularly like it. Having said that, I believe it´s not a very soft and feminine deck. It needs a male "treatment".
Second, if you are an intuitive reader as you said, you may be devlvng too much into studies. Studying is great but it can come in the way of your Psychic flashes or inuitive a-ha moments. Why not try and look at some cards and get their messages regardless of what they should mean. Forget the symbols, forget the pre-set meanings and "talk" to your deck. Or better, let it talk to you.
Last, don´t worry if you feel your approach to it is different than the one with the RW. I myself NEVER let people shuffle my deck nor cut the cards. I do it all. Why? Don´t know. I have always done it that way. I also prefer to read cards without having the querent with me. Often, their anxiety disturbs the reading, there´s too much pressure for quick answers and it REALLY cuts the concentration.

I hope these tips help you somehow and that you manage to connect with your beloved Thoth. Good luck and don´t forget to enjoy the ride!

This might not be what you want to hear or even the best advice, but.... I usually find it's best not to force these things. I too, find that the Thoth deck in particular has a very strong energy around it, almost as though it has a will of it's own. I could go on with this explanation, but I'm sure you know what I mean!

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that you and your deck have a "relationship". And I find that this deck in particular kind of gets to call the shots as to how the relationship works. Given that you and your deck seem to have a good working relationship, I submit that the readings may be lost in translation. Meaning, it's not that the cards aren't willing to help others, buy that the querent isn't grasping the concepts of what you are trying to tell them. This has happened to me in the past with respect to the Thoth, I think because it is rather complicated. I'll be trying to explain the reading in terms that I understand, but I'm not translating it into something the seeker can easily comprehend. I have to try and simplify the meaning and then get them to further explain their situation so that I can zero in on what the cards are trying to say.

Does that make any sense? As usual, I know what I"m trying to say, but have trouble explaining it. Hope that helps some!

Ana Luisa: I think thats a great perspective..One I think I'll be applying to test out my decks personality.

mooiedragon said:

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that you and your deck have a "relationship". And I find that this deck in particular kind of gets to call the shots as to how the relationship works. Given that you and your deck seem to have a good working relationship, I submit that the readings may be lost in translation. Meaning, it's not that the cards aren't willing to help others, buy that the querent isn't grasping the concepts of what you are trying to tell them. This has happened to me in the past with respect to the Thoth, I think because it is rather complicated. I'll be trying to explain the reading in terms that I understand, but I'm not translating it into something the seeker can easily comprehend. I have to try and simplify the meaning and then get them to further explain their situation so that I can zero in on what the cards are trying to say.

Does that make any sense? As usual, I know what I"m trying to say, but have trouble explaining it. Hope that helps some!

Click to expand...

Yeah Mooiedragon, that makes alot of sense, and in thinking about it, I think it may be on the right path, which is disheartening since THAT is normally my strength: my ability to translate something into terms another can understand. But then again, maybe they arn't supposed to understand it THEN-only after careful thought and arrival on their own terms? Either way it makes me feel like I don't know what I'm doing when I clearly get "that feeling" that what I'm saying is ON.

Maybe it would make sense to do a followup reading later on when alone. I just don't want this to get in the way of getting back to where I've been before in terms of accuracy!! Argh!!

I started with R. W. for public readings and kept Thoth for myself. Then when I encountered suitible clients, I'd use Thoth. Eventually I changed to only Thoth.

Give Thoth time. You'll learn to like each other.

So, just as an update, things ended up working out for me and my deck.

I ended up allowing others to touch it, which seemed to help wonders.

So Yay!

ana luisa said:

It may not be the answer you want but I believe you should try doing these things:
First, stop pampering your deck. Each deck has it´s own "personality" and like to be treated accordingly. One of my favorite decks, the Voyager, is a "brute". Even when I shuffle or ask questions, I do it in amore "masculine" way. Mind you, I don´t damage the cards but the energy I use is much more forceful. I own the Thoth but, unlike many people, I don´t particularly like it. Having said that, I believe it´s not a very soft and feminine deck. It needs a male "treatment".

Click to expand...

that is SO my experience analuisa! the voyager is "brute" in its energy, very 'masculine', cut to the chase, no fluff. and the thoth does have that "mind" of its own for sure. i think that may be why i stopped using it. it wanted to be on its own and i couldn't handle it. i am now retaking it. although i must say that i didn't "study" much for the thoth. I have read, but really do not wnat to be oversaturated with "study" of a deck, author, meaning, etc, when the cards can tell me all they want to tell me. a base knowledge is good, but not the whole study thing. at least for me.