Cold Reading.

[Sulis]

It's about trusting yourself too.

I've done loads of e-mail readings where something has just popped into my head but I've looked at the cards and thought - that doesn't fit with that card's meaning so I won't say it, it's just rubbish that's come from me. Then in the feedback - hey presto the querant mentions the exact thing I almost said.

I think when you do readings without the querant being present it's more difficult because you can't just ask them about things like this straight away - you have to go out on a limb more.

Practice and it will come - it just takes time

Love

Sulis xx

 

[Kahlie]

What about doing an "Inbetween" before staring total Intuition.
I have read by Intuition as soon as I had a Deck. I never got into book meanings untill much later.
But, when teaching two of my friends Tarot, I noticed that it's not that easy for them. So I proposed a little try before going totally on intuiton.

Take your Deck and make your own keywords. Just meditate or stare at the Card, and write down whatever pops into your mind. Also, just describing a card already gives you keywords as well. What is pictured on the Card? Etc. Etc.
This way, you will still be working with keywords, but, with those you made yourself. And as such, it might help to be less rigid with them.

Just a thought,

Kahlie

 

[Emeraldgirl]

Hi,

It gets easier. Intuative reading is something that is diferent for everyone. It takes practice and you will get it eventually. Think that the problem is as some people have mentioned that we tend to discount things for being too crazy and out there and therefore discount it. Pay attention to those little flashes of insight they usually are right.

 

[prudence]

I felt just like you, when I first came to AT (in Jan, this year!) and I have been using tarot since 1996!!! Then within a month or 2 of joining here, I GOT IT!! It all finally clicked!

The most helpful part for me, was not reading the advice or instructions of others about how to read intuitively. It was reading all of the other posts from folks who can read intuitively. I especially liked the posters who would read the cards "like a story" as someone mentioned earlier. It is also helpful, to see the images from the cards that the intuitve readers were using, to get a look at what they were seeing.

And also, I agree about using decks with strong imagery. The New Orleans Voodoo comes to mind as a deck whose imagery is so richly layered that one could read a lot into any of its cards. But there are many out there to choose from that are equally rich. (Kazanlar comes to mind)

It will happen for you soon, I just know it! Good luck!

 

[SunChariot]

Try as I might, I am so unable to do an intuitive reading to save my life. No matter what it comes down to all I can do is offer the meaning of the card and compare it to the cards around it. HUFF. I'm as empathic as a rock. When trying to add imput on other readings in the forum I sound like a text book, and when I go back and read what I've written to another person I'm embarassed at how stiff and cold my opinons are. Anyone offer any suggestions on improving ones reading to a level better than that of a robot?

To me I think the problem is you spent too much time learning the book meanings and they keep popping into your head. Obviously, if you did not know the book meanings of the cards of what the text book said, you would not be reading as you are now.

I never bothered to learn them at all, so I am free to see in the images what I see, which changes quite dramatically each time I see a card, from my mood and yes intuition.

My suggestion to you is get a new deck that is as drastically different from the one(s) you have as possible, and through away the book. The best might be an Oracle deck, as the meanings you have learnt in your head about Tarot would be useless to the Oracle deck.

What I do is just analyse the images as if they were poetry. What do I see here? Blue sky, triangles,.....Okay what does a blue sky feel like it means here. In relation to this question...What does the colour blue remind me of today, what does the sky make me think of....until you have seen and felt everyhing you can in it.

BTW, if you feel drawn to it, I find the Faeries' Oracle and excellent deck, but in that case you would be best I think to actually read the book with it and do the exercises, they are designed to improve intuition.

Hope this helps.

Bar

 

[Babylon_Jasmine]

Practice Practice Practice. And throw yourself into a situation where you have to read off the cuff. For me the situation that allowed me to stop quoting the book was a fund raising fair when I was in 8th grade. I HAD to just get what the cards had to say and I did and ever since I have been able to.

 

[Asenath]

I'm not actually sure if I read intuitively or not, I just figure what I read either makes sense or it doesn't. I've read the posts where people say that tarot gives advice and doesn't predict the future, which took a load off of my shoulders. So now, like with the advice of my friends, I can either listen or not listen, question what's said or not question it, share the advice or not share it.

As far as textbook meanings go, I read two books about the meanings and made notes about each card before I even bought my first deck. But what I've always done is check the LWB to guide me AFTER I've drawn my own conclusions (read: written down my own feelings) about each card in the spread.

Also, don't be afriad to disagree with the LWB. It's the only way to figure out how the system is supposed to work for YOU.

 

[calligirl]

Think of Tarot as an instrument.

Did you take musical lessons, piano maybe? Think of two kids.

One sits down at a piano and automatically knows where the fingers go. His fingers fly up and down the piano instinctively hitting the right keys. He's called a natural because it comes easily. He takes lessons to learn the notes but it's almost unnecessary. His song flows freely.

One sits down and learns the notes one by one. He plays looking at the music, making sure everything is right. His song is stilted and hesitant but he practices and practices and eventually he knows it enough he doesn't have to look at the music. His song begins to flow as he gets more comfortable until his music flows from him.

It's the same song, different people, different way of playing. Listen to your heart and practice. You too have it in you, just need a different way of getting it out.

 

[SFGMaster]

I would also suggest using this tool, these forums, as a means to grow. Perform a reading for yourself, and write down your thoughts on the cards in as much detail as possible. Post this reading, along with information about your deck and your spread, in the "Your readings" forum. No one here will judge you, there's no need to be embarrassed of your "wooden, stiff, cold" interpretations. Then read the comments posted by others on your cards... observe the nuances that are seen by others' eyes, that you missed. Determine if you agree or disagree, and contemplate to see if you can build onto those ideas with more of your own. Add all that information to your comprehension of the cards so that when you see this card again you will see more of these nuances.

I agree that intuition is an all-or-nothing sort of proposal, but that can be a good thing. You will hit a point where all the "book meanings" become secondary to the things that the cards are saying *right now*; and that moment will be dramatic for you. It will be like stepping back from a photocollage and realizing that all the small photos create a large picture-- a true "Oh!" moment. When you finally see that bigger picture that is made out of all the small ones, then you will *know* you got it. In the meantime, keep working toward understanding, and have faith that it is not out of your grasp.

--

 

[Umbrae]

I think for me, at least, part of the problem is overcomming the fear of getting it 'wrong', and this prevents me from straying from the textbook meanings.

one of the most wonderful things ever posted in these posts. Thousands and thousands of posts, and goddesscarlie nails it dead on. Fear prevents departure from textbook meanings.

So I suggest, toss the textbook and embrace the fear...

And journal - write your own textbook...