Reading For Yourself

[Midnight_Waking]

I have a deck of tarot cards, and with no money to pay someone else to do it, I often do readings for myself. I find that at times I do let my own emotions or involvements hinder my take on what the cards are telling me, and I often realize it later when something happens to remind me... but I don't think reading for yourself is bad. What do you guys think about it?

 

[Pollux]

Well, I read A LOT for myself, actually I ONLY read for myself !!!
Sometimes I have the same feeling as you. But lately this has faded somehow, I manage to realize better - that's maybe a problem of tools, I mean, your relationship with the deck, or something related to reading itself...
I used to have to same, to sum up, but now it seems to be over.

Lately I've recieved two new decks, so I'm starting to give readings with GILL. To sort out the money problem, I decided I could read for money (little, of course, maybe at querent's will; and I've always read "for free" so far). The money I gain I won't uild a Villa, of course, but I'll use to buy books about Taorts, Astrology, wicca and everything that could broaden my esoteric horisonts... I don't even feel guilty this way!
It is a whole-harted suggestion, yous see.

 

[Scorpion]

Quote:Midnight_Waking (10 Feb, 2002 16:51):
... but I don't think reading for yourself is bad. What do you guys think about it?

Hi, Midnight Waking!

I don't think reading for yourself is a bad thing at all! However, I'm not quite sure what you mean by "bad" - unless you're thinking along the lines of it's something you're not supposed to do for yourself? I think that's a bit of a hangover from the days when it was regarded as unacceptable to want to know your own future, but somehow OK to do it for everybody else.

That said, I don't read for myself very often, but plenty of people do. It is certainly easy to let your readings be influenced by your own feeling/moods etc and to me that's where the Tarot comes in useful: it's like having an overview where you can mentally detach yourself and view it all as if you were someone else. It's very useful for promoting meditation on problems and showing different aspects of a situation.

I suspect that you'll find most people here have read for themselves at some point, maybe for the same reasons as you. I eventually got bored of reading for myself and then pretending to be other people, until I thought why not try it on the people themselves? It's quite a thrill to get someone else's reaction - and Pollux is right: if people want your skills and are prepared to pay for it, it can (and does) provide a little extra money for some luxuries! Maybe if you were to go that route, you'd decide that you didn't actually need to pay anybody else for a reading anyway!

 

[Thirteen]

Quote:Midnight_Waking (10 Feb, 2002 16:51):
I find that at times I do let my own emotions or involvements hinder my take on what the cards are telling me, and I often realize it later when something happens to remind me... but I don't think reading for yourself is bad. What do you guys think about it?

This question gets asked a lot. As I think I mentioned in another post, we all read for ourselves. We almost have to in order to learn how to read the cards at all. The problem, as you so rightly surmise, is that it's often difficult to be "objective" or even intuitive with ourselves. Like, if you'd really fallen for someone, and you laid out the cards asking, "Are they as interested in me as I am in them?" You might well interpet the cards toward what you want to hear, not what they're really trying to tell you.

Frankly, I trust someone else to read for me a whole lot more than I trust reading for myself at this point. Another reader can be focused, objective and intuitive. I, on the other hand, know *too* much about myself and tarot card interpetations; so when a card comes up I can see all things it *might* be. Hard to cull through all that. Easy to over-think the cards and their meanings, to not be able to see the forest for the trees.

That said, no, it's not bad to read for yourself. But it's perhaps not the best reading you'll get if a reading is what you want (as compared to just learning, or refreshing your knowledge of the cards).

But hey, you're on a forum filled with readers. It's not like you have to read for yourself all the time. I think we ought to have a "do a reading for me" section where people can exchange readings for readings.

Just a thought.

 

[jade]

i read for myself all the time. i find that my readings for myself are much more accurate than when someone else attempts to read me.

i feel that if i can remove the prejudice and 'wanting to read only good' for myself then in turn, i give my clients a way better reading.

in light,
jade

ps reading for ourselves isn't right or wrong............it's just that some people like to or can and some people don't like to or can't!

 

[divinerguy]

I generally don't do readings for myself, and I don't want people to read for me.

I like to let life come at me without warning.

GAry

 

[silvereye]

I often do readings for others but I seldom do readings for myself.

 

[Ramses]

I think reading for yourself is Ok, but you have to be carefull...
As many people say, as long as you don?t make a habit out of that...it?s alright...
People just cannot depend on tarot to live, to make choices...we?ve to live ourlives...and use tarot in case of necessity, or for self-knowledge...
It?s alright...but too much of anything is not that good...

LOVE, PEACE AND HARMONY TO YOU ALL !!!!!!!!!

 

[Lilliana]

Every now and again I will do a reading for myself. I don't read for myself very often because I would rather live my life without speculating on every little outcome of every little thing I do.
I don't think there is anything *wrong* with reading for yourself, as long as you don't rely on the tarot or use it as an emotional crutch.

I don't have a big problem with being objective with myself, but I have a habit of skimming over my own readings. I usually spend about 40 mins on someone else's reading, but tend to only spend 15 mins or so on my own.

Lilli

 

[Pollux]

Well, of course when you get dependent on something, we may well talk of PATHOLOGY!!!
I don't think anyone can get addicted to self-reading.

I love reading for myself - I mean A LOT because I'm intense when I do, but actually have a reading every week, and never about practical problems. I love reading for meditation, to understand myself, where I'm going, if I may do something better, you see...
I really like it. I manage to gain precious insights.
And I never had problems with objectivity - my Saturn in Libra exalted at birth is something!!! I'm objective as a blade
I think it is also very helpful to get a contact with the cards.
As if they were a sort of friend. Someone to talk to.

P.S. I hardly ever sounded more naive and idiotic than this. Please forgive me.