Blessing/Prayer before a reading

[nisaba]

Do any of you say a blessing or prayer before a reading?

No.

I couldn't find one, so I made one up:

"Dear Spirit Guide, I promise to be open and to use the cards before me to gain insight and wisdom of thyself".

Does anyone have a blessing or prayer they would like to share? Anything better?

I just close my eyes for a moment and draw a deep breath. That readies me. If the prayer you have copied above helps you ready yourself, then don't change it.






Certainly don't go to this ridiculous extreme:- http://www.tarotforum.net/showpost.php?p=4183075&postcount=78

 

[yannie]

I don't say any prayer, but I do ask my spirit guides to speak to me through the cards.

 

[karlwb]

I figured I had to say something and always liked coming up with stuff of my own making:
I am a mere student of the Tarot
I have much to learn
I have the deepest respect for the cards, the power they possess, and the forces that administer them
I know not of your name as those know not the name of God
Of my ignorance, I beg your pardon
Be patient of my apprenticeship
Three years into my "apprenticeship", I feel there is always much to learn perhaps as a musician, artist, or writer learn to their dying days.
Would I change things as I become more expert? Probably not.

 

[RobinRayfield]

I'm a Christian, and most Christians say grace before eating. I say grace before a lot of things. Tarot reading is one of those things. I say a slightly modified version of a common Episcopal Church dinner prayer.

The original, I think is:
Blessed or Lord is this food to our use and bless us in thy loving service. Keep us ever mindful in the needs of others for Christ's sake. Amen.

There have been modifications others have made to that prayer, so before a Tarot reading (along with a lot of other things), I frequently say:
Blessed dear God is this gift to my use and bless me in thy loving service. Keep me ever mindful in the needs of others, the work I have, and help me do something about it. Amen.

I sometimes substitute "this gift" with something more specific to what I'm about to do or receive. Recently, I've started doing more spontaneous prayers. I saw a prayer in the Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer that I thought would possibly work. There's also a prayer in the Nag Hammadi texts, a collection of scriptures from an early group of Christians that were deemed heretics by the proto-orthodox church. This prayer is attributed to Paul of Tarsus although it is uncertain whether he wrote it or not. Another prayer I've thought of using is an alternate translation of the Lord's Prayer (taken from an Aramaic text which is not accepted in scholarly circles, but it is a beautiful prayer), which I'll share here, as I think many non-Christians might enjoy it, as it doesn't use any of the traditional terminology for that which we call God.

This prayer goes as follows (please note that the copy I first read has the term on the third line, "light and sound" written as "light/sound" and had "Sealed in trust and faith" in parenthesis after "Amen"):
O Thou from whom comes the breath of life
Which is present in all realms of vibration and light
Let thy light and sound be experienced in my own holy of holies
Let your ideals and council rule
Let your desire be, as in the Universe, so in all forms
Give us understanding and support for our needs from day to day
Loose the cords of mistakes binding us as we release the strands we hold of others' mistakes
Do not let surface things delude us
But free us from what holds us back from our true purpose
To you belongs the ruling will, the life and power to do
The song which beautifies all
From age to age it renews
Amen

 

[Tanga]

I'm a Christian, and most Christians say grace before eating. I say grace before a lot of things. Tarot reading is one of those things. I say a slightly modified version of a common Episcopal Church dinner prayer.

The original, I think is:
Blessed or Lord is this food to our use and bless us in thy loving service. Keep us ever mindful in the needs of others for Christ's sake. Amen.

"Blessed be this food.
Blessed be the earth that nurtured it, the sun that powered it,
and the hands... seen and unseen, that have brought it to our table.
Blessed be this food" (a pagan equivalent).

This prayer goes as follows (please note that the copy I first read has the term on the third line, "light and sound" written as "light/sound" and had "Sealed in trust and faith" in parenthesis after "Amen"):
O Thou from whom comes the breath of life
Which is present in all realms of vibration and light
Let thy light and sound be experienced in my own holy of holies
Let your ideals and council rule
Let your desire be, as in the Universe, so in all forms...

I have a Catholic upbringing and reading this brings back a favourite hymn.
"Let there be peace on earth"...
Just saying.
Thankyou for sharing.



A meditation prayer that I like is as follows:
(by Maria Power - adapted from a meditation of a Catholic Capuchin monk).

Sit, join your hands and focus your mind on The Source/God/Deity/et al.
Draw your left hand away to the left - pushing back the past as say:

"Everything I've ever had, everything I've ever been.
I push it back, I make a space, I start the canvas clean"

Draw your right hand away to the right - pushing away the future and say:

"Everything that is to come, everything still left to see,
I push it back, I make a space, a space for you in me"

Now you have created a space for the Source in the now. BE with the Source and allow your heart to be full and your mind to clear. Then continue with specific meditation, or close.


AND - pardon me - I'm off topic-ish. But just responding to goodies presented.

 

[karlwb]

I offer a prayer at least once in a day before any readings. I feel the best are those one creates themselves. Here's mine:

I am a mere student of the Tarot. I have much to learn.
I have the deepest respect for the cards, the power
they possess, and the forces that administer them.
I know not of your name as those who know not
the name of God.
Of my ignorance I beg your pardon.
Be patient of my apprenticeship.

 

[Grizabella]

I don't say anything, to myself or out loud.

I think any spirit guides I had are probably all retired or in a spirit guide recovery center, having gotten too tired and bedraggled from intervening for me for 70 years to do anything else.

Hotei watches over and guides me now, but he's always laughing so that gets us both through the rough times.

 

[Tanga]

...I think any spirit guides I had are probably all retired or in a spirit guide recovery center, having gotten too tired and bedraggled from intervening for me for 70 years to do anything else.

Hotei watches over and guides me now, but he's always laughing so that gets us both through the rough times.

Here's my Hotei... he's tiny though, just over an inch in height.

 

[Farzon]

I don't use prayers as part of my readings... I did once and prayed for only good to guide the reading. But this, paradoxically, nurtured my fear of evil. I dumped every spiritual practice that deals with demons and evil and returned to my naive mixture of Christianity, Paganism and Zen.

I like to do a short meditation before reading, eventually visualizing my spirit guides. The last mostly for "important" readings.

"Sun, Moon, Stars, Infinity
I am that of which I Seek

Lord, Lady, Sacred Androgyne
I am all that which I meet

Powered by the Seven Spheres
I grow in strength unseared

Spirits speak!
Lux Veritas Pax (OR) - Luce Verita Pace

(*"Luce, Verita e Pace", if I'm in more of an Italian mood. This last line in Latin has recently been edited since an ATer gave a useful comment about the use of Latin )


Explanation:
1) "Sun moon..." Modified from a Sanskrit mantra "Ra Ma Da Sa, Sa, Se, So, Hung" - meaning "I am Infinity, I belong to and contain it". I find this mantra grounding.

2) "I am that..." From the Sanskrit mantra "Tattwam Asi" meaning "I am that which I seek:I become in practice all that I am in potential". This is empowerment and self blessing or purification.

3) "Lord, Lady,... I am all..."
Invoking my Deities.

4) "Powered by the Seven Spheres, I grow..."
This is an echo of my 7 directional construction of a magickal circle of protection (North, East, South, West, Above, Below and Within).

5) "Spirits Speak! Lux..."
Denoting the purpose of the magick - For light, truth and peace to be conveyed in a useful way to the querent via my higher self. (Using some Latin).

SO:
Ground, Empower, Purify, Invoke, Protect, and Work.
This is a pagan pattern of construction for a space to work magic (personally modified and shortened ofcourse - I'm Wiccan).

This came as inspiration to me after I had asked the same question you have just asked, and ruminated on the replies I recieved.


n.b. "Traditionally" - 'Protect' should come before 'Invoke' - however in my little chant here this order just sounds better and easier to remember.

Oh I love that one! Your sense for magic is inspiring as usual [emoji4] !

 

[headincloud]

I see the reading as the prayer though I sometimes specify 'beings of pure light only' if in unfamiliar surroundings or I feel the need but more so for healing than straight guidance.