Reading for Yourself when You Tend to Overthink

[ToadieOdie]

 

How do this when there is something you want to work through or tease out, and it's in regards to something going on in your life, but you want to make sure you have a clear head when you do a reading for yourself?

 

 

Or do you just simply ask someone else to do the reading for you?

 

[Elin by the Sea]

How do this when there is something you want to work through or tease out, and it's in regards to something going on in your life, but you want to make sure you have a clear head when you do a reading for yourself?

Or do you just simply ask someone else to do the reading for you?

 

Mind you, I haven't figured this out yet either, but here's what helps:

 

If I want to disconnect myself from whatever is happening as much as possible before doing a reading, meditation helps, along with waiting until I feel less engaged in the subject.  Distractions can help too to distance yourself before you read.  Especially important with anything emotionally charged.

 

It's really hard to be completely unbiased and objective with yourself, and yes, getting someone else's thoughts can help.

 

 

[ToadieOdie]

 

How do this when there is something you want to work through or tease out, and it's in regards to something going on in your life, but you want to make sure you have a clear head when you do a reading for yourself?

Or do you just simply ask someone else to do the reading for you?

 

Mind you, I haven't figured this out yet either, but here's what helps:

 

If I want to disconnect myself from whatever is happening as much as possible before doing a reading, meditation helps, along with waiting until I feel less engaged in the subject.  Distractions can help too to distance yourself before you read.  Especially important with anything emotionally charged.

 

It's really hard to be completely unbiased and objective with yourself, and yes, getting someone else's thoughts can help.

 

 

 

 

I found this video to be very informative for handling emotionally charged issues:

 

 

 

 

But I don't think what I'm in need of addressing at the moment falls into this category. I may try the meditation though.

[ToadieOdie]

 

Ooooh, I found this video that was really fascinating, thought provoking, and really interesting on this topic. I am really glad I came across it. I thought I'd share it here. Please, if you watch it too let me know your thoughts about it.

 

 

 

 

I really liked his views on just looking at a card and letting your thoughts roam over the image rather than always allowing fixed definitions tell you what the card means in context of your question.

[Guest Clotho]

 

How do this when there is something you want to work through or tease out, and it's in regards to something going on in your life, but you want to make sure you have a clear head when you do a reading for yourself?

 

 

Or do you just simply ask someone else to do the reading for you?

 

I don't read for myself when I'm in the middle of an emotional state, since the cards will just feed off that emotion. ( I don't know if that makes sense.) These are the times I get readings that are just like "No, we can't/won't talk about this now." LOL  I try to take some time and center myself  and have a clear visualization or question in my mind.

 

If I get a confusing card, one of the best questions i've learned to ask is "Where do I seen myself (or my situation) in this card?"

 

I'll give an example. During a time when I was unemployed and really struggling I would do readings and kept pulling the 6 of Pentacles.

 

http://www.learntarot.com/p6s.gif

 

Aside from the obvious having/not having a job, I thought which one of these people is me? I had to be honest and say I saw myself as the person who was begging. The person without the power, and that is what had to change.

 

 

 

[ToadieOdie]

 

The feeding off your emotions thing makes sense. I've seen that happen even if you're trying to do a reading for someone else.

 

 

If I get a confusing card, one of the best questions i've learned to ask is "Where do I seen myself (or my situation) in this card?"

 

 

This makes sense too. I'll keep this in mind.

[~D~]

when reading for yourself: "Tell me what i need to know, and not just what I want to hear"...I hope I said that correct...

[ToadieOdie]

when reading for yourself: "Tell me what i need to know, and not just what I want to hear"...I hope I said that correct...

 

 

 

This should work even for things that aren't emotionally charged. Thank you.  :)

[sandrang123]

This is a difficult one. I read for myself, but I tend to do it when I have nothing invested in outcome. So a daily reading is fine, but if something is going on that I have a huge stake in, I admit I usually schedule with my longtime (over 16 years together!) reader. The only thing I can think to say is ground yourself as much as possible, clear the noise in your head, frame the question, then lay the cards and ask for clarity of interpretation. Then take whatever answers you are given and don't ask again for a while. (My biggest thing is that I tend to ask again and again, if something is super important to me...)

 

I wish you best of luck! <3

 

Sandy

[ToadieOdie]

This is a difficult one. I read for myself, but I tend to do it when I have nothing invested in outcome. So a daily reading is fine, but if something is going on that I have a huge stake in, I admit I usually schedule with my longtime (over 16 years together!) reader. The only thing I can think to say is ground yourself as much as possible, clear the noise in your head, frame the question, then lay the cards and ask for clarity of interpretation. Then take whatever answers you are given and don't ask again for a while. (My biggest thing is that I tend to ask again and again, if something is super important to me...)

 

I wish you best of luck! <3

 

Sandy

 

 

 

Thank you, this is thoughtful. <3 I've been thinking about this awhile now and I think for me the biggest issue I have is coming up with a clearly defined question. Your thoughts on this aligns well with this.

 

 

It's one thing to ask someone else to do a general reading on the matter for you, but to do that for yourself I think is no good. You'd really need to be able to have a solid idea of what you're asking. I don't think I have that right now.

[DanielJUK]

Why not pretend as if you were doing the reading for someone else? When we read for someone else (especially if you know nothing about them or have no personal connection to them) we are neutral and impartial, it doesn't affect us. Pretend that reading is for someone online that you know nothing about, what would you say then? It's a good trick to not overthink it or be impartial. I believe though that some people cannot read for themselves, it's just too hard for them to be impartial. Also I know with me with some issues or emotional problems, I cannot read impartially for myself, it's just too hard!

 

Second suggestion, get a second opinion. Ask a tarot friend to look at it or post it in Tarot for Yourself section. If I find a reading too hard to work out, I post it to get other opinions. Some readings are just too hard for us to work out alone, nothing wrong with getting another view on it :)

[ToadieOdie]

Why not pretend as if you were doing the reading for someone else? When we read for someone else (especially if you know nothing about them or have no personal connection to them) we are neutral and impartial, it doesn't affect us. Pretend that reading is for someone online that you know nothing about, what would you say then? It's a good trick to not overthink it or be impartial. I believe though that some people cannot read for themselves, it's just too hard for them to be impartial. Also I know with me with some issues or emotional problems, I cannot read impartially for myself, it's just too hard!

 

Second suggestion, get a second opinion. Ask a tarot friend to look at it or post it in Tarot for Yourself section. If I find a reading too hard to work out, I post it to get other opinions. Some readings are just too hard for us to work out alone, nothing wrong with getting another view on it :)

 

 

 

That's an excellent point. I do this with my wellness readings for myself. I hadn't considered this for my other thing - no idea why. And you're right, getting a second opinion on here is always an option. Thank you! I did end up asking someone here in an exchange thread, but I will be keeping this in mind for the future.

[Flaxen]

I think reading on something which is emotionally charged for you is tricky. Sometimes we really want the cards to reflect what it is we want rather than what actually is.

 

Some years ago, I was concerned with a particular situation in my life. Things were not working out the way I wanted/hoped. I vacillated between wanting to ask the same question over and over and not wanting to pick the cards up because I was afraid of what they would tell me.

 

In the event, I’ve found that I have particular decks which I can read with in those situations. I can pull an objective answer from them when needed. I don’t know why those decks work best - perhaps the symbolism doesn’t trigger my emotional response?

 

If I still have concerns, I’ll ask another reader I know to see what they get.

[sandrang123]

That's a really good point, Flaxen. I find that Thoth and The Cat People are always brutally honest and pretty bare-boned when it comes to answers. I still remember asking my Thoth deck about a professional relationship as it started out. Things were going fantastically well, but the cards said otherwise...ending with cruelty, division. I was perplexed and didn't believe them--didn't even think it possible. Two years later, things ended very badly, and I've often thought I should have heeded the early wisdom of the deck.

 

I think reading on something which is emotionally charged for you is tricky. Sometimes we really want the cards to reflect what it is we want rather than what actually is.

 

Some years ago, I was concerned with a particular situation in my life. Things were not working out the way I wanted/hoped. I vacillated between wanting to ask the same question over and over and not wanting to pick the cards up because I was afraid of what they would tell me.

 

In the event, I’ve found that I have particular decks which I can read with in those situations. I can pull an objective answer from them when needed. I don’t know why those decks work best - perhaps the symbolism doesn’t trigger my emotional response?

 

If I still have concerns, I’ll ask another reader I know to see what they get.

[Flaxen]

How funny, Sandrang - the Thoth was one of the decks I had in mind when I wrote my response. [emoji3]

 

It doesn’t beat around the bush that’s for sure.

[BlueDragonfly]

 

Ooooh, I found this video that was really fascinating, thought provoking, and really interesting on this topic. I am really glad I came across it. I thought I'd share it here. Please, if you watch it too let me know your thoughts about it.

 

 

 

 

I really liked his views on just looking at a card and letting your thoughts roam over the image rather than always allowing fixed definitions tell you what the card means in context of your question.

I enjoyed this video and his thoughts on looking at the card's details rather than the fixed definition of a card.  When I first learned to read more intuitively, someone gave me the advice to "say what you see".  His explanation of the armor is a good example of that, if a bit more in-depth.  When reading for yourself, you have the gift of time to dig into the scene and what it may represent to your situation.  I remember an oracle reading once where a card depicted a farm home with cultivated fields that was separated from a field of wildflowers and natural growth by a simple rail fence.  That fence was the focal point of the interpretation.  The division between choices. 

I like to sit and note my first impressions and break down the scene from there, keywords, colors, elements represented.  I usually only read for myself, sometimes a short interpretation, sometimes it ends up being rather lengthy.  I can draw a card frequently and get a different interpretation each time.

[ToadieOdie]

BlueDragonfly[/member] I use this method when I do my meditation type of readings or if I'm just brainstorming for a piece of creative writing. I find it's a great way to gain some really deep insights into a card. Not to mention it helps to get you thinking outside of the box.

[EmpyreanKnight]

Tbh it is really hard to be totally objective especially if you are so emotionally or personally invested in the outcome of a reading. However, I just keep in mind that the cards are there to primarily give me truthful answers so that I may prepare for the future, and not really to comfort me. I'd prefer to be apprised of an impending storm so that I can plot my course beforehand rather than be assured of gentle waters until my ship gets slammed by a tempest unawares. This is my professional mindset too - I prefer knowing the real score at work so if necessary I can apply this ruthlessness to my readings. Admittedly, I still slip sometimes.