Tanga
Ah yes - so isn't that a "general reading" style thingy. No question.
So you're always offering a "general reading".
Practices to Stop Projecting
Ah yes - so isn't that a "general reading" style thingy. No question.
So you're always offering a "general reading".
IndigoWaves
Some may call it entering a meditative state, but whatever it is... While shuffling, I do try to clear my mind of any potentially distracting thoughts, feelings, etc., and focus only on the words of the reading's question. If emotions/mental clutter happen to barge in, I visualize an "erasing" zigzag or finger-wipe motion over the top card of the deck and start over again until it seems OK to deal. When I stick to this process, it does seem to help. Interpreting cards that others have pulled is trickier, though... It seems that the initial impression(s) received prove accurate for me most often, based upon feedback, but I still sometimes rationalize or think myself out of posting it/them, for various reasons... Sometimes, I'm apparently "in the zone" while other times: nope; it can be hard not to second-guess. As with astrology, the human variable is always in the mix (i.e. the reader, the sitter, and anyone else involved), so I don't consider Tarot card reading an exact science.
This makes it sound like you don't allow for the possibility of mistakes/misreading on your part, even if the sitter's mind must be "shifted" accordingly (a notion that makes me uncomfortable, frankly). All due respect to your experience and obvious knowledge, but do you really always trust your impressions, 100%?
Barleywine
Nothing is ever 100% and every reading is a dialogue with the sitter. I don't read in a vacuum, and always adjust to the sitter's observations and feedback. I consider each reading to be a "mutual voyage of discovery" in which we both learn something, so there is never a question of "mistake, just "cut-to-fit" of the narrative to the emerging background story, but always based on the cards. To answer your question, I generally trust first impressions but don't take them as gospel. A good example is court cards: since many people relate most readily to the involvement of another person (even if it's just someone to pin the blame on), I usually start there. If that draws a blank from the sitter, I talk about personal qualities and characteristics. Failing there, I drop back to the type of forces at work in the matter. Somewhere along the line I usually connect.
Barleywine
No, I give them three options to focus on as they shuffle: specific topic, broader life area (romance, work, family, finances, etc.) or wide-open general look at the future. If they ask which I recommend, I tell them that a general reading will frequently bring a variety of specific issues to the surface depending on the cards that come up, and we can explore where they take us. A good example is a reading I recently did for a local man who settled on a general reading. He had three Tens in the 7-card spread with Judgement and the 10 of Swords as the last two cards. I talked about endings and new beginnings. At the close of the reading he told me he had just gone through a difficult divorce and the reading exactly matched his present circumstances. He really latched onto the idea of a new day dawning over the "scorched earth" scene in the 10 of Swords and "planting a new seed" when the Ten rolls over into the next Ace. He went away satisfied and with a lot to think about.
don710
How do you guys differentiate between projecting and being shown a memory by spirit to gain insight?
I get that using experience to provide guidance is exactly what projection is, but isn't it also plausible that the cards could show you a memory from your own life that has relevance to your sitter's reading?
I get that using experience to provide guidance is exactly what projection is, but isn't it also plausible that the cards could show you a memory from your own life that has relevance to your sitter's reading?
Barleywine
This has me thinking in areas where I don't usually go, and that's a good thing!
Almost everything I put into a reading beyond pure flashes of intuition arising from the card images and their combination is "memory-based," coming from my experience (both life and tarot), my tarot knowledge base and my philosophical, historical and cultural storehouse of ideas that I draw on for metaphorical expressions. It's how I bring inspiration, imagination and ingenuity together to tell a story from the cards.
don710
This has me thinking in areas where I don't usually go, and that's a good thing!
Almost everything I put into a reading beyond pure flashes of intuition arising from the card images and their combination is "memory-based," coming from my experience (both life and tarot), my tarot knowledge base and my philosophical, historical and cultural storehouse of ideas that I draw on for metaphorical expressions. It's how I bring inspiration, imagination and ingenuity together to tell a story from the cards.
I think a lot of people do. I've read a few different tarot books that suggest associating card meanings with people you know or experiences that remind you of the card.
I'm interpreting projection here as using personal experience to help inform your interpretation, rather than going on gut intuition. I can understand why generally this is something to be avoided, but its actually a very integral part of how I've been taught to read and I feel you can use your experiences to interpret without replacing the sitter's situation with your own.
For example, when the Queen of Wands shows up in a reading, I immediately think of my aunt Susan, and how she was the kind of person who would let me and my sister have ice cream for breakfast or pick out a toy we wanted at Target. She was very laid back and very accommodating. That energy can be relevant to my sitter's question. It may come up in his environment position. So I could interpret that environment around my sitter as similar to Aunt Susan in that the authority figures in his life allow him to have a lot of freedom and indulge him in some ways.
The way I keep my emotions from coloring the reading is by remembering that even though I like Aunt Susan's energy, my sitter might not. They may need someone who can give them discipline and enforce boundaries. As long as I'm aware of that, I feel I'm still being in service to the sitter, as opposed to just reading myself, which I think is most people's fear when projecting.
Tanga
Oh OK - so you are giving them a question.
I would say "projecting" is when you assume that your experience is exactly what the sitters current experience is, and manoeuvre them with an interpretation that is yours - rather than for them... you may then only see the interpretation that fits you or what you believe rather than alternatives that may fit the sitter better..
It's impossible not to look at something through the lense of one's own experience imo - the difference is having the awareness that IT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE and may not necessarily be the sitters, and so whilst you talk - you are "listening" for that, and responding appropriately (hopefully)...
Barleywine
Oh OK - so you are giving them a question.
Nope, I'm giving them an approach. They formulate their own question or topic area and concentrate on it while shuffling. I just try to blank my mind.
Barleywine
I would say "projecting" is when you assume that your experience is exactly what the sitters current experience is, and manoeuvre them with an interpretation that is yours - rather than for them... you may then only see the interpretation that fits you or what you believe rather than alternatives that may fit the sitter better..
It's impossible not to look at something through the lense of one's own experience imo - the difference is having the awareness that IT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE and may not necessarily be the sitters, and so whilst you talk - you are listening for that, and responding appropriately (hopefully)...
I think when we cross the line from "just reading the cards" to making attempts at counseling or advising (unless we're qualified to do so), we can overreach in this way. As Padma said, it's all about listening with all your senses before opening your mouth.
