Should I start reading for myself?

[FallenAngel]

Hi all, I'm working through my RWS deck - taking one card and day and journaling about it. I'm really enjoying this as I feel I'm connecting with each card differently, and I hope it will enable me to remember some of the main themes of the cards to assist in readings.

 

However, I'm kind of itching to do a reading for myself, and I'm not sure if that's me or the cards telling me to get going 😆

 

Should I wait until I've worked through all the cards with my journaling before starting some basic readings for myself? Or would it be a good idea to do readings alongside the journaling, to help build a relationship with my deck?

 

Thanks

Edited August 2, 2021 by FallenAngel
spelling mistake

[DanielJUK]

Why not give it a go? what do you have to lose?

Try to read for yourself and see what works best for you. Looking at the cards? reading from books? You can look up meanings on google or various websites and / or use books. Use them as the base of your ideas and then try to make the cards fit your question or reading. Is there a story?

 

You can do both things. The more you use the cards, the more experience you are getting in a practical way 🙂

[Tarotmick8]

Hi All.

Yes go for it i been reading the card,s from the age of 4 the more readings😉=experience.

[Ambassador]

I started reading for myself in the beginning of july and stopped now. I got too overhelmed by it and kept asking same question every single day. Not good idea, i know. I decided that once I would be able keep emotions apart, I'll try again.

[FallenAngel]

Thanks for your replies, they're really helpful 🙂

 

I feel excited about doing some readings for myself, but I don't think I'll do this every day as I'd like time to journal and reflect on the readings. At this rate I'll have multiple journals going at the same time 😆

 

[TheLoracular]

I would definitely start reading for yourself because you feel inspired to, @FallenAngel    What you could do is simple 3 card reading- Biddy has a great list of basic three card spreads  to pick from.   What @Ambassador just said above about being sure not to ask yourself the same question over and over is a really good idea.  You can combine the reading and the journaling even.   I'm advocating starting with three cards and not bigger more elaborate spreads really strongly 🙂

[FallenAngel]

1 hour ago, TheLoracular said:

I would definitely start reading for yourself because you feel inspired to, @FallenAngel    What you could do is simple 3 card reading- Biddy has a great list of basic three card spreads  to pick from.   What @Ambassador just said above about being sure not to ask yourself the same question over and over is a really good idea.  You can combine the reading and the journaling even.   I'm advocating starting with three cards and not bigger more elaborate spreads really strongly 🙂

 

Oh yes, I was definitely not thinking of a big spread, but more a three card spread 🙂

 

Thank you so much for the link which I've book marked.

 

In terms of asking questions of the cards, how does one do this? So, for example, one of the spreads Biddy lists is "Current Situation/Obstacle/Advice" - how would I phrase this into a question? Sorry if I'm sounding silly, I might be having a brain block!

 

Thanks

[AlbaTross]

That accounts for probably a good 99% of the readings I do when I'm not doing my reading exchange, in which case I'm usually reading for my partner.  So, you can say I read for myself quite often and I haven't noticed any problems with it.  There is one particular deck I have where I seem to get better readings if I'm reading for a friend, or reading about matters between friends (which may or may not include myself).  Other than that, I can't say it has made a difference for me, but if there's one thing I've learned about Tarot it's that experiences may vary.  

Edited August 3, 2021 by AlbaTross

[FallenAngel]

4 hours ago, AlbaTross said:

That accounts for probably a good 99% of the readings I do when I'm not doing my reading exchange, in which case I'm usually reading for my partner.  So, you can say I read for myself quite often and I haven't noticed any problems with it.  There is one particular deck I have where I seem to get better readings if I'm reading for a friend, or reading about matters between friends (which may or may not include myself).  Other than that, I can't say it has made a difference for me, but if there's one thing I've learned about Tarot is that experiences may vary.  

 

Thanks @AlbaTross I agree, I think it's good to be mindful that people's experiences with Tarot may be different, otherwise we might get hooked into thinking that certain things "should" happen otherwise we're doing something wrong.

[AlbaTross]

2 hours ago, FallenAngel said:

 

Thanks @AlbaTross I agree, I think it's good to be mindful that people's experiences with Tarot may be different, otherwise we might get hooked into thinking that certain things "should" happen otherwise we're doing something wrong.

Indeed.  Not only am I not one to presume to speak in absolutes in general, but Tarot especially is something where experiences can differ wildly in any number of ways.  So, I can only really say that reading for myself has worked just fine. 

 

That said, I do recommend giving reading for yourself a try.  It's the only way to know for sure whether it will work well for you, as either it will or it won't, and you're not going to spontaneously combust in the latter case.  The worst that can possibly happen is you don't get the best reading, and even then I'd recommend trying more than one reading and maybe giving another deck a try to see if that makes a difference.  Maybe it will turn out that self-readings aren't your thing, in which case you will know to just stick to reading for other people.  But, you may find they work fine for you too, and you will have opened yourself up to another helpful tool.  Not only are self-readings useful in seeking answers for yourself; they are great for practice for when you read for other people.  

[FallenAngel]

2 hours ago, AlbaTross said:

Indeed.  Not only am I not one to presume to speak in absolutes in general, but Tarot especially is something where experiences can differ wildly in any number of ways.  So, I can only really say that reading for myself has worked just fine. 

 

That said, I do recommend giving reading for yourself a try.  It's the only way to know for sure whether it will work well for you, as either it will or it won't, and you're not going to spontaneously combust in the latter case.  The worst that can possibly happen is you don't get the best reading, and even then I'd recommend trying more than one reading and maybe giving another deck a try to see if that makes a difference.  Maybe it will turn out that self-readings aren't your thing, in which case you will know to just stick to reading for other people.  But, you may find they work fine for you too, and you will have opened yourself up to another helpful tool.  Not only are self-readings useful in seeking answers for yourself; they are great for practice for when you read for other people.  

 

Thank you. I'm going to do a reading for myself later today, so will see how that goes 🙂

[DanielJUK]

Have a go at experimenting with reading for yourself, what works best? what doesn't? I recommend not doing readings which end in yes / no because the tarot doesn't give the best answers with such a forced binary outcome. Try to make sure the question begins with a what question or a how question, to allow the answer to be open ended and neutral. You can just read on your day / week or month or do any spread you want. I do readings with 3 cards with no positions a lot, the outcome or answer is the 3 cards together. A spread with proper positions like the Biddy one above is better for a structured reading where you want to find out different areas. I would ask, what do I need to know about my current situation? (you can replace current situation with something happening in your life).

 

There is no pressure here, just try out readings in different ways. It will get easier and you will get better at it 🙂

[FallenAngel]

1 hour ago, DanielJUK said:

Have a go at experimenting with reading for yourself, what works best? what doesn't? I recommend not doing readings which end in yes / no because the tarot doesn't give the best answers with such a forced binary outcome. Try to make sure the question begins with a what question or a how question, to allow the answer to be open ended and neutral. You can just read on your day / week or month or do any spread you want. I do readings with 3 cards with no positions a lot, the outcome or answer is the 3 cards together. A spread with proper positions like the Biddy one above is better for a structured reading where you want to find out different areas. I would ask, what do I need to know about my current situation? (you can replace current situation with something happening in your life).

 

There is no pressure here, just try out readings in different ways. It will get easier and you will get better at it 🙂

 

Thank you! That makes it clearer in terms of the questions and spreads. I'll formulate a question and just pick three cards to see what they tell me 🙂

[TheLoracular]

On 8/2/2021 at 9:02 AM, FallenAngel said:

In terms of asking questions of the cards, how does one do this? So, for example, one of the spreads Biddy lists is "Current Situation/Obstacle/Advice" - how would I phrase this into a question? Sorry if I'm sounding silly, I might be having a brain block!

 You don't sound silly at all.

"Current situation" means "What is going on right now" and you just fill that general topic with what is going on.  For example, my current situation this morning was that I abruptly had 20 minutes where I was standing up before needing to leave the house but I didn't want to re-settle at my computer- the obstacle was that just standing is really physically hard on me (I'm disabled).  My solution was I groomed my dog, sitting down on bed with her and that kept me from being bored but wasn't so distracting me that I lost track of time.  

I didn't use tarot cards to figure this out but I might have if my current situation had been something more serious like  "I'm attracted to these two people"  or "I need an extra $100" and I was having a brain block of my own, needed to think outside my own box.  So I'd use this kind of tarot reading to help me figure something out. 

[FallenAngel]

37 minutes ago, TheLoracular said:

 You don't sound silly at all.

"Current situation" means "What is going on right now" and you just fill that general topic with what is going on.  For example, my current situation this morning was that I abruptly had 20 minutes where I was standing up before needing to leave the house but I didn't want to re-settle at my computer- the obstacle was that just standing is really physically hard on me (I'm disabled).  My solution was I groomed my dog, sitting down on bed with her and that kept me from being bored but wasn't so distracting me that I lost track of time.  

I didn't use tarot cards to figure this out but I might have if my current situation had been something more serious like  "I'm attracted to these two people"  or "I need an extra $100" and I was having a brain block of my own, needed to think outside my own box.  So I'd use this kind of tarot reading to help me figure something out. 

 

Ah okay, that makes it much clearer, thank you 🙂

[AlbaTross]

4 hours ago, DanielJUK said:

I recommend not doing readings which end in yes / no because the tarot doesn't give the best answers with such a forced binary outcome. Try to make sure the question begins with a what question or a how question, to allow the answer to be open ended and neutral.

Ah, yeah I once felt the same way about yes/no questions, and am still not the biggest fan of them.  I did find the answers I was getting to such questions weren’t great, so I just stopped doing questions like that.  

 

But, others challenged me to be open to yes/no questions again, and I am now.  Part of it is other people I read for, most of whom have zero understanding of Tarot, tend to come to me with such questions.  After reflecting on it, I realize why I wasn’t getting the best readings, and part of it was my expectations.  

 

With yes/no questions, I wanted a straight, flat answer from the cards.  Sure, there are some cards that give overwhelmingly positive or negative vibes, which I can take to mean yes or no in a roundabout way, but the cards are much more nuanced by their very nature.  In short, I can ask yes/no questions, but I should expect the answer to be more complex than that.  

 

Now, I’ve also graduated to doing options spreads instead if the question is “should I do ____?”  That way, what’s presented isn’t so much a flat yes/no, but what might happen if I or the querent were to do something, what might happen if not, and what advice to keep in mind.  

 

If I get a “will ____ happen?” type question, it’s not as simple to redirect, so I instead tell the person I’m reading for that the cards will give a nuanced answer that may not be as direct as they’re assuming.  Also, that’s into the territory of future predictions, which many assume will speak into events that are set in stone, but I sure don’t approach such readings that way.

 

Anyways, TL:DR I’m more open to yes/no readings than I used to be.  I’ll still try to approach such questions in alternate ways if possible, but if not, I just go into them expecting a nuanced and indirect answer.  

[FallenAngel]

Thanks for your perspective @AlbaTross. I think I'll start with some opened-ended questions while I build my confidence, and it's good to know there's more options available 🙂

[DanielJUK]

@AlbaTross if people want to read with yes / no questions later on or experiment with them, I have no issue about that at all 🙂 I said that because yes / no questions for a spread, especially the first time you are doing a spread are highly confusing. People always ask something like "will I have a good day / month / year?" yes / no and then the tarot gives such a complicated confusing answer and then the newbie to tarot feels it's too difficult. Also when I was starting out I got in quite an unhealthy mindset with asking yes / no and really it was out of fear. You get a much easier reading when you are letting the cards give you an answer and advice rather than trying to squeeze it into a yes or no.

[Vale]

I find reading one card each day and doing a small spread for myself has been really helpful when it comes to learning. I would suggest starting with three card spreads for yourself. Doing simple past/present/future spreads with myself has helped expand my knowledge of the cards quite a bit! I just wouldn't read yourself daily as it can become tiring. I find doing a spread for myself when it "feels right" is the best way to go.

[AlbaTross]

13 hours ago, DanielJUK said:

@AlbaTross You get a much easier reading when you are letting the cards give you an answer and advice rather than trying to squeeze it into a yes or no.

Agreed.  Even when I ask yes/no questions, I don't really expect it to come up with a simple yes/no, but it's true that that such readings can be confusing to newbies.  

[Nisaba]

On 8/2/2021 at 8:44 PM, FallenAngel said:

Hi all, I'm working through my RWS deck - taking one card and day and journaling about it. I'm really enjoying this as I feel I'm connecting with each card differently, and I hope it will enable me to remember some of the main themes of the cards to assist in readings.

 

However, I'm kind of itching to do a reading for myself, and I'm not sure if that's me or the cards telling me to get going 😆

 

Should I wait until I've worked through all the cards with my journaling before starting some basic readings for myself? Or would it be a good idea to do readings alongside the journaling, to help build a relationship with my deck?

 

Thanks

Make some basic one-card pulls a part of your journalling!

[FallenAngel]

Thanks @nisba should that be in addition to the card a day I'm doing at the moment or instead of? You mean like a daily one-card reading?

[katrinka]

On 8/3/2021 at 1:04 PM, AlbaTross said:

Ah, yeah I once felt the same way about yes/no questions, and am still not the biggest fan of them.  I did find the answers I was getting to such questions weren’t great, so I just stopped doing questions like that.  

 

But, others challenged me to be open to yes/no questions again, and I am now.  Part of it is other people I read for, most of whom have zero understanding of Tarot, tend to come to me with such questions.  After reflecting on it, I realize why I wasn’t getting the best readings, and part of it was my expectations. 

Whoa. Stop right there.
Why even bother with cards if they can't answer a simple yes or no question?
I started reading in the early 70's. While I don't consider myself some kind of god queen, I wouldn't say I have "zero understanding of Tarot", either.
If a client asks you anything - literally anything - it's our job to answer,
I'm glad you've opened yourself to actually reading cards. As for those who don't do yes or no, it sounds like some study and practice may be in order.

[AlbaTross]

11 hours ago, katrinka said:

Whoa. Stop right there.
Why even bother with cards if they can't answer a simple yes or no question?
I started reading in the early 70's. While I don't consider myself some kind of god queen, I wouldn't say I have "zero understanding of Tarot", either.
If a client asks you anything - literally anything - it's our job to answer,
I'm glad you've opened yourself to actually reading cards. As for those who don't do yes or no, it sounds like some study and practice may be in order.

If I recall correctly you may have been one of the people who encouraged me to open up to those kinds of readings again, and yeah I'll find ways to roll with whatever question someone asks.  I still don't approach cards as so much saying "yes" or "no", but something more along the lines of "it will work out really well if you do this thing" or "this path won't lead to anything good", and a lot of in between.  If the message is overwhelmingly positive then that's as close to a yes as it gets, and I suppose that's likely all a client would care about.  I do tend to lean towards the alternative of the option A, option B and what you need to know spread and simply plug in yes and no for the options, as that will shed more light on what to expect should the querent choose yes, should they choose no, and what to keep in mind, but if I were to be asked specifically to stick to the format of "yes or no?", I could do it.  

[pinkrain]

I think you can start to do basic 3 cards spread at the meantime.