EmpyreanKnight Posted January 19, 2018 Posted January 19, 2018 Do you eat or drink anything in the middle of a reading. Why/why not? Do you think it's somehow disrespectful towards the cards or do you feel like a little sacrifice (of your hunger/thirst) might make your reading more potent? Does feeling full affect your concentration, like does it make you feel drowsy or uncentered? Or do you just dislike the crumbs that would mess up your workspace if you're finicky? Or do you think it doesn't really matter, so you'd eat or drink whenever necessary, even in the middle of a reading? Some do this only during breaks tho, and just clean their hands when they have to read again.
EmpyreanKnight Posted January 19, 2018 Author Posted January 19, 2018 As for me, I would only drink some water during a reading and that's it. I'd be loathe to shuffle or touch the cards if I just touched some food with my fingers. However, I think an exception might be made if I'm performing a particularly lengthy and comprehensive reading and I feel like my energy is quickly dissipating. I conducted a reading like this recently, and by the end of it I felt like I had to crawl for food. I'm a very energetic person and I can run a 10K without stopping, even tho I'm not particularly thrilled with cardios. This feeling of running on empty only happened like twice before in my entire life so during that time it felt sooo weird. Maybe I need to research more on effective grounding techniques.
Starlight Posted January 19, 2018 Posted January 19, 2018 From a purely practical point of view I wouldn't eat or drink during a reading. Like you, I wouldn't want anything to smudge onto the cards. Water is the exception. I don't tend to do long, intricate readings so I've never needed anything to keep me going, but a dry biscuit/piece of chocolate and an electrolyte drink might be the way to go if I did. The biscuit or choc for grounding and the drink to keep me hydrated. (Coconut water is good, or there's an easy homemade recipe here: https://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/blogs/a-simple-homemade-electrolyte-drink and I think this one is pretty good too - it's a Labourade but I think some of the ingredients would be useful for someone doing a detailed reading, too.)
faerybraids Posted January 19, 2018 Posted January 19, 2018 I tend not to do either, and I tend to prefer reading on a somewhat empty stomach as well. When I wake up is often a good bet (as long as my stomach's not growling at me and clawing for food, that is (◔◡◔✿)), as is between meals or around supper time. Eating and drinking is just too distracting and does feel a tad disrespectful especially during a super deep reading (kinda like in uni classes, I guess, where profs may not necessarily mind people eating, but will often ask that you not if the lesson's extremely important/difficult/etc. or you're talking one-on-one with them). Sometimes I do have to take a break to think on things or do something else, so I might extend the break to include eating or drinking a bit, but that's about it I think? The main exception I can think of is tea. Like, both the drink and the snack period. If I need it I'll sip some tea during a reading (though the cup does often get neglected xD ), and I'm okay most of the time if I'm just munching on simple snacks like Pocky or tea cakes, but they need to be light in my stomach and I still prefer doing without them when I can. I do tend to at least rub my hands of any oil or anything if I need to touch my cards (minor adjustments mostly, like to see a card clearer), though usually I'll just leave them until I've washed my hands. Supper's* the same for me I think because it's often just a light snack or some hot chocolate or something. *Meaning supper as in the small meal after dinner here, not supper as in dinner itself. I know different people use the word differently, so yeah. Just thought I'd be clear. (◠‿◠✿)
Flaxen Posted January 19, 2018 Posted January 19, 2018 I always pair reading for myself with a cup of tea. It forms part of the ritual for me. I lay out my cloth, put the kettle on and while I'm making the tea, I'll be thinking of what I want to ask the cards. By the time the tea has brewed, I'm ready to go. Once I've finished the reading, I'll drink the tea and eat something small just to ground myself again.
Raggydoll Posted January 19, 2018 Posted January 19, 2018 Food -no, beverages - sometime! I actually did my New Year reading at midnight paired with a glass of bollinger 8)
sandrang123 Posted January 20, 2018 Posted January 20, 2018 If I'm reading someone and it's planned, then I only drink water. But I'd be lying if I said I haven't read under the influence of red wine. Mostly this happens because friends are over and we get to talking and they hit me up for a reading that wasn't planned. When I was home in PA recently, I did two readings with wine. (I know, I know...I'm a wino.) ;)
Lantana Posted January 20, 2018 Posted January 20, 2018 I’ve actually done quite a few readings for friends in coffee houses and wine bars... Obviously I would not take a rare or expensive deck with me on these occasions, as it can get messy. There’s actually a coffee stain on my Wild Unknown booklet from a reading, thankfully none got on the cards! I’ve actually thought about getting the waterproof Golden Thread Tarot for instances like this, but right now just having my cheaper decks in a bag with me is fine.
sandrang123 Posted January 20, 2018 Posted January 20, 2018 PS I can't really say wine hurt things. If anything it loosened me up more. I suppose there is a line not to cross there, though... ;)
rushingriver Posted January 21, 2018 Posted January 21, 2018 I've always found my senses are sharpest when I'm starting to get hungry. I do quality control in the coffee industry and I tend to taste the most detail around 10:00a, when breakfast is a distant memory. I'm still very new to formally trying to develop my intuition through tarot, but I'm working on the assumption that my flashes of insight will be sharper when I have an appetite worked up. However, I almost always have a mug of hot water or tea nearby, whatever I happen to be doing. Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
Page of Ghosts Posted January 21, 2018 Posted January 21, 2018 I fall into the tarot slob-category so I don't have any big rituals or a fancy space where I read cards. Still I don't put my cards on top of crumbs and at most I drink tea when I shuffle and lay out the cards. I might snack while interpreting them as I'm usually a bit slow to do that and some time can pass between when I do my reading and when I put my reflections into words.
katrinka Posted January 21, 2018 Posted January 21, 2018 I tend to do the most readings on my nights off, so its not unusual to have a shot or two of Absolut or Bombay Sapphire in me. It helps rather than hurts = I'm discussing personal business with strangers, am I not? :D
Esk Posted January 21, 2018 Posted January 21, 2018 I very often drink tea while I read. Drinking tea soothe me so I guess it helps me for my practice. I've eaten once or twice but usually I avoid because I'm scared of damaging my cards. If I'm hungry I try to eat before reading (not after because I can't concentrate when I'm hungry)
sandrang123 Posted January 21, 2018 Posted January 21, 2018 I tend to do the most readings on my nights off, so its not unusual to have a shot or two of Absolut or Bombay Sapphire in me. It helps rather than hurts = I'm discussing personal business with strangers, am I not? :D Lol!!! I love this. :)
EmpyreanKnight Posted January 21, 2018 Author Posted January 21, 2018 I've always found my senses are sharpest when I'm starting to get hungry. I do quality control in the coffee industry and I tend to taste the most detail around 10:00a, when breakfast is a distant memory. I'm still very new to formally trying to develop my intuition through tarot, but I'm working on the assumption that my flashes of insight will be sharper when I have an appetite worked up. I'm quite the opposite. Whenever I get hungry I find it harder to focus. I can still perform well on an empty stomach, but I find that I'm not as sharp as I normally am. What you wrote makes much sense tho.
Jewel Posted January 22, 2018 Posted January 22, 2018 I am naturally a thirsty person so I always have a beverage of some sort with me, and I will take a sip here are there when I read the cards, but do try to keep my beverage at a safe distance from my cards. I also do a lot of my tarot work during my lunch hours so sometimes I do eat while working with the cards so long as it is not finger foods as I do not want to ruin my cards. I see my cards as tools, so though I do protect and love them I do not feel as if I am disrespecting them in any way when I eat or drink. I just don't get into a lot of fanfare of rituals in general, I am pretty casual. I also find that enjoying a glass of wine, rum or beer to loosen me up so I occasionally enjoy a nice libation while working with the cards at home ;D
katrinka Posted February 1, 2018 Posted February 1, 2018 Do you eat or drink anything in the middle of a reading. Why/why not? Do you think it's somehow disrespectful towards the cards or do you feel like a little sacrifice (of your hunger/thirst) might make your reading more potent? Does feeling full affect your concentration, like does it make you feel drowsy or uncentered? Or do you just dislike the crumbs that would mess up your workspace if you're finicky? Or do you think it doesn't really matter, so you'd eat or drink whenever necessary, even in the middle of a reading? Some do this only during breaks tho, and just clean their hands when they have to read again. I don't think sacrifice makes the reading more potent, I just don't want food and oily stains getting on my cards. I do keep a drink handy. Water, tea, or sometimes a cocktail (but not to excess. A little bit makes things flow, though.)
Saturn Celeste Posted February 24, 2018 Posted February 24, 2018 Do you eat or drink anything in the middle of a reading. Why/why not? Do you think it's somehow disrespectful towards the cards or do you feel like a little sacrifice (of your hunger/thirst) might make your reading more potent? Does feeling full affect your concentration, like does it make you feel drowsy or uncentered? Or do you just dislike the crumbs that would mess up your workspace if you're finicky? Or do you think it doesn't really matter, so you'd eat or drink whenever necessary, even in the middle of a reading? Some do this only during breaks tho, and just clean their hands when they have to read again. COFFEE!! I often do a few readings at a time and it can take several hours so lots of coffee. If it's dinner time, I often have my dinner as well. But I almost always have coffee.
Carojulie Posted February 25, 2018 Posted February 25, 2018 Hi friends ! I dont think that eating or drinking would be disrespectful as I dont personaly treat my readings as sacred ; but I am a freak at treating my cards with care and I would NEVER touch my cards with filthy hands. I always wash my hands first, and lay my cards on a clean cloth to protect them. But I love to drink something, and most of the times, I start by serving myself a drink and lighting some incense to parfume the room. Most of the time I brew myself a hot tea, sometimes coffee, but also sometimes alcohol depending on the situation - I like an iced beer on a warm evening, and I remember a super cool reading I did last summer for a friend of mine, where many glasses of white wine were drunk by all parties involved. When possible, I always try to settle my drink away from the surface where the cards are laid, though. Sometimes, a deep reading makes me ravenous for food. Most of the time, a little sugar in my tea suffices to give me the energy I need, but it has happened that I had to interrupt a reading and go fix myself a snack for I was so hungry. I would NEVER let any crumb fall on the reading cloth and cards though ! :o and I would ALWAYS re-wash my hands before touching the cards again. That is weird because at the office, when I concentrate on something, I can completely forget to eat, and end up skipping a meal. But my concentration with reading cards seem to work differently, and make me hungry, on the contrary.
Aliki Posted November 24, 2022 Posted November 24, 2022 On 1/19/2018 at 5:28 AM, EmpyreanKnight said: Do you eat or drink anything in the middle of a reading. Why/why not? Do you think it's somehow disrespectful towards the cards or do you feel like a little sacrifice (of your hunger/thirst) might make your reading more potent? Does feeling full affect your concentration, like does it make you feel drowsy or uncentered? Or do you just dislike the crumbs that would mess up your workspace if you're finicky? Or do you think it doesn't really matter, so you'd eat or drink whenever necessary, even in the middle of a reading? Some do this only during breaks tho, and just clean their hands when they have to read again. I'm very restricted when it comes to this i like doing some readings with some hot coffee thought instead of just water especially when i just wanna chill with my tarot or during a time I'm practicing but i always keep them far away from my deck like next to me while my cards are in the front and at a decent distance I never eat thought i just recently added some music during these types of readings thought cause it can help me on my readings to chill and vibe with them when I'm tensed it really depends on the type of readings I'm doing i guess cause when i read on others i need a quiet space
Misterei Posted November 24, 2022 Posted November 24, 2022 On 1/18/2018 at 7:28 PM, EmpyreanKnight said: Do you eat or drink anything in the middle of a reading. Why/why not? On 1/19/2018 at 2:07 AM, Flaxen said: I always pair reading for myself with a cup of tea. It forms part of the ritual for me. I I always have tea while reading for clients. I need something to soothe my throat from so much talking! Before Covid when i had more face to face clients ... making tea for myself and the client was part of the ritual. I have silver metal teapots and little silver rimmed Persian tea glasses and a silver tray ... very civilized and old school. Covid changed everything. Now I just sip my tea from a mug whilst on Zoom or facetime. *sigh* Meditation, Yoga asana, and pranayam are not done while eating or immediately after ... I feel the same about Tarot. It's a meditative practice. I'm getting my head into an altered state of consciousness ... that seems incompatible with eating. I'm a great breaker of "rules" but in this case the rules make sense. Eating brings me into my body and sensuality. With Tarot I'm going into Higher Mind. I don't want to split my attention. With friends we have Tarot & Tea. We'll have snacks at the dining table ... then move to the card table. It's a rule: NO FOOD on the CARD table. Some of our decks are expensive and/or personally precious. NO ONE wants grease or crumbs on them };>
Aliki Posted November 24, 2022 Posted November 24, 2022 15 minutes ago, Misterei said: I always have tea while reading for clients. I need something to soothe my throat from so much talking! Before Covid when i had more face to face clients ... making tea for myself and the client was part of the ritual. I have silver metal teapots and little silver rimmed Persian tea glasses and a silver tray ... very civilized and old school. Covid changed everything. Now I just sip my tea from a mug whilst on Zoom or facetime. *sigh* Meditation, Yoga asana, and pranayam are not done while eating or immediately after ... I feel the same about Tarot. It's a meditative practice. I'm getting my head into an altered state of consciousness ... that seems incompatible with eating. I'm a great breaker of "rules" but in this case the rules make sense. Eating brings me into my body and sensuality. With Tarot I'm going into Higher Mind. I don't want to split my attention. With friends we have Tarot & Tea. We'll have snacks at the dining table ... then move to the card table. It's a rule: NO FOOD on the CARD table. Some of our decks are expensive and/or personally precious. NO ONE wants grease or crumbs on them };> Exactly i strongly agree on that it's a ritual
Raggydoll Posted November 24, 2022 Posted November 24, 2022 Yes, tea or other beverages (cacao, coffee..) can definitely be part of a ritual before a reading. I love how these old threads are brought back to life and it is funny to look back at what everyone said in the past. I had forgotten about the new years eve when I drank champagne with my reading 😄 I don't really drink champagne anymore because of histamine sensitivities, but I will have other beverages instead. This also reminds me of one of my favorite cards in the Herbcrafters deck!
MichaelH Posted November 24, 2022 Posted November 24, 2022 I will sometimes drink tea during a reading but agree that eating anything runs a risk of getting crumbs or stains onto the cards and I wouldn't want to risk that. I mostly read for myself anyway but the same would apply for when I read for anyone else. The name of the forum is 'Tarot, Tea and Me' so obviously someone thinks that tea is an important part of the experience 🙂 Less so nowadays, but everything in Ireland used to run on tea. And not delicate fragrant green teas but strong and dark with milk and sugar. Nowadays more and more people seem to drink coffee but I might only have two or three cups of coffee in a year. Tea, on the other hand, I consume by the bucket-full.... But I do now drink lighter teas, often green tea in the afternoons.
KiMo Posted November 24, 2022 Posted November 24, 2022 Water or a cup of tea during a reading is the limit for me, but I do need to have something to eat prior if I'm feeling hungry as I find it too distracting. I always wash my hands before handling the cards and will lay down a clean cloth to read on. We live in a small house with a young child so finding a surface that is free of crumbs is not always easy 😅 @MichaelH, my partner is Irish and Ireland has become my adopted / adoptive home in spirit, I do love a strong cup of Barry's with lots of milk 😊
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