What's your reading process?

[DanielJUK]

I am intrigued, what's your reading process? From getting ready, to shuffling, to working on the cards.

Do you have any rituals or methods you always do? Are there some parts that are personally important when you work on your readings?

[DanielJUK]

I do have some rituals in my reading process, even though I have issues about tarot superstitions from the past. I think some things improve my reading 🙂 

 

I do like quiet when doing my readings, I have tried having the TV on or relaxing music but I need silence to concentrate. I often have a candle lit as some sort of connection to the unconscious or wherever the reading information comes from. There are intuitive elements in my process, I usually pick a deck that I feel I want to use or calls to me. I shuffle until I intuitively feel it's ready and in the right order. I usually like to lay out the cards on a reading cloth.

 

When I work on the reading, I first look at the laid out cards, any patterns or things that interest me. Then I interpret the reading. Nearly 95% of my readings are written, I like typing them out, it's an auto-writing (auto-typing? 😆) process. My writing takes me away thinking about each card. When I have got some basic text down for each card, I then like to think about the reading. As I get older, my readings have got slower. Whilst I can do a reading quickly and turn it out, I like to spend time on them, get deeply into it. I like to take a day or two to just contemplate the cards and spread. Often things suddenly come to me that I write down and add. At the end, I edit it all together and that's the reading.

[Raggydoll]

I shuffle slowly and with focused intent, and I usually do it with my eyes closed. It is also common for me to leave the cards sitting out after pulling them. I like to quickly look at what is there and then go do something else. I let the cards stew in my mind, and then a while later I will return to interpret them. My method will obviously vary if I’m reading for someone else or if I have a busy day. 

[akiva]

For the most part I overhand shuffle fast. Also riffle shuffling mutliple times. All done with an empty mind. Then either lay the deck out in a fan/row and select cards or (if the backs are too noisy) I'll pull cards from the middle of the deck. Before selecting them is when I ask my question.

 

When it comes to working on the cards I tend to do it on or near my coffee table (sofa). Can't keep cards out because of naughty cats that like the chew things that aren't theirs! 😼 But I do take pictures of spreads that need pondering over. I'm not super fussy about the TV, noise levels, etc. Though I can't have someone directly talking to me when I'm shuffling or picking cards. 

 

A lot of the readings end up being super quick. But they're mostly piquet readings on things like "where is my parcel?" or "what are my cats thinking?". Subjects that don't demand much introspection 🤣

[Chariot]

Like @DanielJUK, I use a large reading cloth (white linen) on my dining room table, and when I'm doing a 'big' reading for myself, I also like peace and quiet and being alone.  Exception: My daily 3-card readings are done in the early morning, on a lap tray covered in a tea towel (!), and without any rituals.  I just get it done and get going with the day.

For a 'big' reading, though, I prefer nighttime, and especially prefer the dark. Occasionally I will put on some very quiet classical guitar or theorbo music, but that's mainly if there are background noises I can't filter out.  Otherwise silence.

 

I usually make a settling ritual for myself.  I turn off the electric lights in the room, burn at least one candle (sometimes as many as 5), set up my two salt lamps for ambience and for light, make a pot of nice tea in my special pure white china teapot, etc.  I also sometimes burn a bit of my favourite incense, which is balsam fir, and smells just like a lovely wood fire.  None of this ritual is for supernatural reasons, but just calming ones for me.  Helps me get in the mood.

I get out my tarot journal and write the date, the name of the deck I'm using, the question or issue I want to deal with.  I also journal a diagram of the layout I plan to use and what each card in the layout will be addressing.

Because I use reversals (with tarot, not with oracles or Lenormand) I always turn the deck face down on the cloth and smear the cards around for some time, also shifting some from the bottom to the top. I mix them well and get a lot of random reversals, while thinking about the issue I want to address.  Then I gather the cards together, decide which way is 'up' and keep them oriented that way.  Depending on the deck, I either riffle-shuffle (my preference) at LEAST 10 times, or if the cards are too big or too stiff to riffle, I just do hand to hand shuffing for a while ...although I have never felt this works as well for me as riffle shuffling does.

 

At no time do I pay any attention to any card that falls or jumps out of the deck.  I just put it back and keep going.  I feel if that card is important, it will appear in the reading.

When I'm all done shuffling, I put the deck face down and give it a minute or two to rest.  That's when I pour my tea and get settled.  Then I lay out the cards in the pattern I've chosen.

Before I do anything more, I journal the cards in their positions to refer to later, if need be.

Then I spend a lot of time just looking at the cards.  Sometimes the meaning jumps out at me immediately, in relation to the question or issue.  Other times it takes a while to assimilate the cards and see how they work together.  I have been known to occasionally walk away from the reading, as suggested by @Raggydoll while I think about it.  However, that can be hazardous for me because I can also become distracted and lose the thread and the mood!  So I usually try to stay put until the reading makes sense.

I also consult my book (which I've compiled myself over the years) to see if any particular phrase I've used for a card makes particular sense in the reading.  I then begin to journal what I think the reading is all about.  Sometimes strange insights will pop into my head as I write, and I ALWAYS go with these, even if they run counter to what I originally thought the cards were telling me.  There is something to be said for instant intuition, but also a lot to be said for making connections ...and sometimes that takes time and a few 'eureka' moments.

If there is a card in a large reading (like the Celtic Cross) that truly doesn't click for me, I don't hesitate to pull a clarification card from the top of the deck.   I would say 9 out of 10 times, the meaning suddenly becomes clear because the clarification card shows 'why' that puzzling card appeared.

After I've done all my thinking and writing, I usually turn the undealt part of the deck over and look at the bottom card.  More often than not, this card pinpoints what the reading was actually about.  This is something new for me, and I've found it adds a lot to the overall understanding of the reading. 

I almost never do a second reading the same night, as I've sunk so much energy into the first.  When I feel the interpretation I've done is accurate, I always re-order the cards before putting them away, so they are fresh for next time.  This is a de-coupling ritual for me, and lets me surface again.  I also usually thank the deck out loud for the help it's given me, and try to articulate out loud what I plan to do about what I've learned.  

It's funny how long these readings can take.  I am often surprised to discover I've been at it for 3 hours or so!   But I feel so incredibly relaxed and alert at the end of it.  It really is a mental/psychic workout that feels very healthy.

I haven't read for anybody else for a LONG time.  If I do that again, the 'ritual' will be much different.

 

Unlike in the past, I won't allow the querents to shuffle the cards any more.  Not because they ever ruined my cards, but because they almost NEVER did a thorough shuffle!  They usually seemed intimidated by the process, and just did a feeble wee shuffle that hardly disturbed the order of the cards. I hated telling them they were doing it 'wrong.'  So... I will just do all the shuffling myself from now on.

 

Reading for others was fun, and I'm a lot more adept now than I was back then.  So I'd love to read for others again.  Sadly, I don't have tarot friends who live nearby any more!  My tarot friends have all moved away, and we don't see each other very often these days—and when we do we are not in settings where tarot reading feels natural.  Bummer.... 

[Misterei]

Mine changes. I shuffle differently according to the deck, the spread, arthritis, etc. Reading for a client vs. for myself. In person or on Zoom.

 

I clean the house and burn incense prior to clients. I usually recite a short mantra at the beginning of the reading. But not always.

Most often, I read thus: Quick overhand shuffle concentrating on the question. After shuffle hold the cards to my 3rd eye and pray silently for guidance. Thumb through the deck making sure all cards are upright. Fan the deck. Pick cards for the spread.

 

This changes if I'm using Game of the Hand or French Cross spreads. Or LN GT.

 

If I pick cards from a fan, I'm not much concerned with shuffle technique, since the cards get randomized by picking from the fan. For spreads that don't lend themselves to a fan, I shuffle more thoroughly. For French Cross i either roll dice [self] or ask the client to pick numbers.

[RunningWild]

7 hours ago, DanielJUK said:

I am intrigued, what's your reading process? From getting ready, to shuffling, to working on the cards.

Do you have any rituals or methods you always do? Are there some parts that are personally important when you work on your readings?

 

This is an interesting question.  I was thinking about this very sort of thing yesterday while I was getting ready to do a reading for someone online.  It’s only the 2nd such reading I’ve done for others since moving over a year and a half ago.  

 

Ideally, I live alone and don’t have to worry about privacy.  Such is not the case at the moment so I had to figure out how I was going to do it in relative privacy which meant rearranging my parents’ deck furniture.  As soon as I was asked, I had a half dozen decks sort of float through my mind that I wouldn’t mind using.  When I have time to prepare, I shower/bathe just to figuratively wash the world’s muck off of me.  I continued to think about which decks to use.  Clean clothes.  Pick out the deck(s) and out to the deck I went to do the reading.

 

In my own place, probably the only thing that would change would be the rearranging of the furniture.  And sometimes I light a candle and/or sage the area.  I don’t care for background noise, so no tv or music.

 

As for the cards, I usually give it a scan to see if anything jumps out at me.  Too much of one suit or another or the absence of a suit entirely.  Recently I’ve started looking at the images to see how they interact…loads of moons?  In what phases?  Which way are the characters facing?  What surrounds them in a sort of Lenormand way.  

 

Yesterday I decided that I’m going to have to make myself participate in the ISG soon.  Until now, I’ve hesitated because of my own insecurities.

Edited September 13, 2024 by RunningWild
Because I didn’t answer the whole question.

[DanielJUK]

@RunningWild the circles aren't meant to be a difficult challenge or professional reading, just some fun and it's reading practice. You should join in one when you feel you want to. It's practising reading in a supportive environment, it doesn't really matter what happens, just that you learn from the practice with other members 🙂 , It's great for practising your routine for reading for people online 😉 

[Morwenna]

I do envy those of you who put so much effort into providing yourselves a proper calming atmosphere for the mindset. I don't, but I often feel that it would benefit me if I did. As it is, I tend to read wherever; before half my bed got covered with Stuff, I used to read there. I never had background sounds, though if they were present (as when hubby was watching TV in the next room), I would tune it out. When I was reading for renfaires, I would simply have a card table with a large tablecloth and a smaller cloth on top; other accoutrements were very few and usually positioned so as to keep the smaller cloth from blowing away--or sometimes to keep the cards from doing the same!

 

I shuffle the dickens out of the cards, punctuating the overhand shuffling with occasional riffles; if I'm reading for someone else, they get to do the final shuffle so even if they don't shuffle very thoroughly I already will have. The riffling will have helped mix in reversals. I sometimes journal readings I do for myself, but often I forget to. Right now I'm not even sure where the last notebook I journaled in is! It's been a crazy few years. I do read jumpers, though after noting them I do put them back in the deck. I deal off the top; sometimes I'll think to look at the bottom card in the deck after I've read everything else. There's only one spread I use that I fan the cards for, and that's not for Tarot but for standard playing cards. 

 

I've often thought about having background music; but when I've tried to in the past, I would be interrupted when the music ended and I would either have to get up and change it, or readjust my mind to suddenly being without it. In today's technological age, I could probably find a way to set some style of music and keep it going, but it almost feels like too much trouble. Without hubby, I've gotten used to the quiet; when I want music for anything now, it's a conscious decision, and nowhere near as frequent as it used to be (sadly). But I don't even know anymore what kind of music I would want for readings. 

[EMarieHasADHD]

First, I cleanse my space with smudge spray and lay down my altar cloth on which to place the cards. Then I say aloud something along the lines of “Universe, please show me the cards I’m meant to see for this reading and let me trust my intuition”. I then shuffle the cards with my eyes closed while thinking of my question or topic then stop when I feel it’s right and draw the cards. 

[Rose Lalonde]

I find a quiet time alone. For some reason, I always want to read on the floor. I usually draw 3 to 5 cards in a line, no  spread. I don't read jumpers or reversals.

 

Like @Raggydoll, I like to leave the cards sitting on a table afterward. I read with esoteric correspondences, and letting those symbols percolate gives me a deeper feel for the reading than finishing right away does. Picturing them when I've just woken up or I'm in the shower helps. It often brings unexpected thoughts or emotions up. I do the same wait before writing up a reading for others in the exchange circles here.  Putting the advice I receive from a reading into practice is a lot more of a challenge than the reading itself, so having the draw on the table where I see it helps with that intention too.

 

But once in a while, I'll have a flash with no more to it.  (Like the night my previous dog died. We were going to take her in to be euthanized in the morning due to her decline with a terminal illness. Mary-el tarot gave me a couple with an infant and Death. I stopped drawing and put it away, and she died in the night while sleeping between us.)

 

 

 

I don't usually go in for ritual, but if I read with the Spirit Keepers first ed., then I'm more ritualistic, in keeping with the living spirits concept of that deck. 

Edited October 3, 2024 by Rose Lalonde

[DanielJUK]

@Morwenna your post made me smile because I have tried reading with meditation type music albums which is supposed to be specially made to be at a slow speed and chilled notes. However it distracted me so much, it didn't aid my process at all 🤣

[flora]

Hmh, I realize that my readings could be called Miss Quick and Dirty. I've grown out of the habit of doing large spreads. I do them maybe like twice or three times a year for meditative insights. Then I ritualize it quite a bit and possibly use one of my fancier decks.

But for my everyday practise I have a smaller travel size deck which has grown on me. It usually sits next to my bed or close to my desk or wherever close to me. Its never out of reach and its got a dented tin box if "we" go on vacation. Most times I ask a very clear straightforward question. Then shuffle, maybe flip a few cards, shuffle. Focus and then draw 1 to 3 cards about the situation or topic in my mind and I look at the bottom for a further clue. If this this does't answer it, I dig in deeper with questions and more shuffling. Its like being in a conversation with my deck. Reversals and jumpers are important in this. If I'm circling to much around a topic my deck even tells me of.

I don't know if this makes any sense to others. There is no whoohoo, no sage, no fancy tablecloth, no ceremony. Its just me and my deck in quiet.

Sometimes I don't even shuffle if in a hurry. I touch it and that can be enough. It works for me fine.

If I read for others I usually do a 3,4 or 5 card spread and take better care and usually clear it if not taking a different deck.

 

I guess my general reading style developed out of the habit of drawing a daily card. This did help immensely with learning the meanings. And nowadays I sit there and get entire sentences at times if drawing 1 to 4 cards in no particular order but just focusing on one single question.

Maybe I'm just nuts. Who knows.

[Morwenna]

For a while I was doing daily draws with oracle decks, but I got away from it when life got crazy. Seems funny, doesn't it, that when life gets crazy is when I stop reading? One would think that was when I would want advice. But when my back is to the wall my usual reaction is just to roll up my sleeves and get on with it. It's almost as if divination is a luxury. In those cases I interact with people, not with divination techniques. 

[Misterei]

2 hours ago, Morwenna said:

For a while I was doing daily draws with oracle decks, but I got away from it when life got crazy. Seems funny, doesn't it, that when life gets crazy is when I stop reading? One would think that was when I would want advice. But when my back is to the wall my usual reaction is just to roll up my sleeves and get on with it. It's almost as if divination is a luxury. In those cases I interact with people, not with divination techniques. 

Interesting take. To me, the luxury part is in having time and peace to do self-reflective readings or study readings. Daily draws are a study practice for me as it's when I take notes on cards.

 

When life gets busy with projects -- no time for self-reflection or study. But sometimes I do practical spreads. If I have choices to make and want to add intuition into the mix to help make a good decision.

Edited September 30, 2024 by Misterei

[flora]

If life is too stressful I barely do proper readings. But then I do my Quick'nDirty style with single qustions like: What do I need to know about the situation? What should I be aware of? What am I neglecting? What could help me with this? etc.

These single card readings on the go without any fuzz keep me in a practise loop and are great for learning too. If don't get the answer there is usually no time for looking things up. Then you will just see how the cards pan out. Plus it takes the scare out of bad cards. Like Tower and 10 of swords, had it for stomach bugs and the like a few times over the years.

Sometimes I somewhat cheat. At times I do online readings. Those single cards readings on the free section of good old Aeclectic Tarot have worked surprisingly well for me in the past.

[gregory]

I feel a bit bad here.

 

I get out a deck, shuffle it and lay out the cards on whatever surface is nearest (making sure |I did NOT leave a drink there ready to spill...) - desk, lap, coffee table, very large (depending on card size and number) book. mostly I use 1-2 cards, so no huge space issue.

[flora]

35 minutes ago, gregory said:

I feel a bit bad here.

 

I get out a deck, shuffle it and lay out the cards on whatever surface is nearest (making sure |I did NOT leave a drink there ready to spill...) - desk, lap, coffee table, very large (depending on card size and number) book. mostly I use 1-2 cards, so no huge space issue.

But you make me feeling much better. Seeing I'm not the only one.<3

[gregory]

I truly cannot see a need for rituals, music, aromas. I do see a need to wash my hands - I should have said.  The cards do the work - they do't care where I lay them. But if it's in a puddle of coffee they get pissed. Luckily I take mine black.

 

That said - for people who find ritual etc helpful - go for it. Whatever helps YOU to read.

 

 

Edited October 2, 2024 by gregory

[Esclarmonde]

First I wash my hands - I don't want any grease on the cards. I do use a reading cloth and I like to light a candle, though I don't do it every time I read. Then I concentrate on the question I want answered, and I keep the question in mind, trying not to let wishful thinking etc. interfere. I shuffle the cards, then lay out seven cards in a fan, then put one card on top of each of the seven until the entire deck is laid out as seven stacks of cards. Then I gather the stacks together, reversing some of the seven as I do read with reversals (but only tarot, not oracles). I shuffle some more, then I fan out the deck and select the cards. I usually choose a spread beforehand (which can sometimes take a while, as I try to use a spread that will suit the question/issue I want insights on). I usually read on my dining table, and I have the radio on in the background, but turned down so that it doesn't distract me. 

[Chariot]

On 9/29/2024 at 12:25 AM, Morwenna said:

 

I shuffle the dickens out of the cards, punctuating the overhand shuffling with occasional riffles; if I'm reading for someone else, they get to do the final shuffle so even if they don't shuffle very thoroughly I already will have.

That's a great idea.  I'll try it, next time I read for somebody else.

[Teemu]

My ritual is not doing any ritual. I want to be as free and as free of limitations as I can. Of course I want the surface where I spread the cards nice and clean, And of course I need some peace and quiet. Perhaps that needs some preparation, but certainly not a fixed ritual. Everything is centered on the specific reading.

Edited October 2, 2024 by Teemu

[JoyousGirl]

In my private space I go through a bit of a ritual. I start off with choosing the deck, and putting it on the cloth, then burning some essential oil. After that I leave the room for 5 minutes or so, to let the oils fragrance the air. When I'm ready, I sit down, switch on my selenite lamp and I'll play the singing bowl to connect and open the session. I shuffle the cards asking my question and explain why I'm asking it and how I'll be placing the cards. This is all aloud. Often the answer comes to me as I'm shuffling, but I still do the layout. 

ETA

For me ritual is important because I am connecting to spirit, not just reading the cards. I want to welcome my friends and family from the spirit world and make it nice for them, too.  Sort of like putting a nice table setting out for when you have friends over for dinner.  I also say thank-you at the end of the reading.

 

When reading for others, I don't get them to shuffle, rather, I'll ask them to knock on the deck I'm holding in my left hand. I consider this to be them knocking on the door and asking someone to answer it. I used to get people to shuffle, but now I prefer the knocking.

Edited October 3, 2024 by JoyousGirl

[FindYourSovereignty]

Without actually creating a ritual, I think I have a routine that has become a ritual. I do make sure my hands and space are clean. That’s a habit for all of my activities. I also make an effort to decompress. Could be breath work, a short meditation, just closing my eyes and pausing for a minute or two. This all seems very important to be still. Then I pull out my cards and while holding them in my hand, I call in my Guides and my support team requesting clarity. Depending on the size of the deck I am using, I’ll riffle shuffle or overhand, repeating the question out loud or in my head. With my left hand I cut the cards into three stacks from right to left or I overhand shuffle until a card falls out. I thank my team once the reading is over. I also find that I knock on the back

of the cards if something feels off to clear the energy. 

[Chariot]

On 9/30/2024 at 2:14 AM, Morwenna said:

For a while I was doing daily draws with oracle decks, but I got away from it when life got crazy. Seems funny, doesn't it, that when life gets crazy is when I stop reading? One would think that was when I would want advice. But when my back is to the wall my usual reaction is just to roll up my sleeves and get on with it. It's almost as if divination is a luxury. In those cases I interact with people, not with divination techniques. 

Actually that's not a bad way of doing things.  I think if you get too dependent on cards to keep you 'right' in all instances, you can end up sliding down into a very deep dependency rabbit hole.  You might end up having difficulty making decisions or taking any actions at all, unless the cards tell you to.  That can become an addiction which is as damaging as any other.

That being said, I do often do readings when I am stuck in limbo—waiting for something specific to happen, waiting for somebody to contact me about something, waiting for a message to arrive, etc.  This situation comes at a point where I have no control over events, but have to sit tight, awaiting somebody else's actions. A daily reading—3 cards with specific purposes, plus an advice card—often keeps me from being on edge while I wait.

I don't do limbo well at all.  I'm a 'get it done ASAP' kind of person, and find limbo VERY frustrating.  So knowing that yes, I am going to hear from 'them' today so I can move on, or no ...not yet.  Or I'll be getting good news. Or bad news?  (This is where the advice card is particularly useful.)  Or the matter will finally be over?  That kind of information can certainly help to keep me settled. I find my cards are very reliable for this kind of thing.

Edited December 1, 2024 by Chariot