Are you an intuitive reader?

[chongjasmine]

When reading the tarot, are you intuitive, or do you rely on traditional meanings?

I am a combination of both.

I am 30% intuitive, 70% rely on traditional meanings.

[~D~]

Hi! chongjasmine,

I would also say i do both...

[gregory]

If you only use generic meanings you may as well just hand your sitter the book. There has to be intuition as well, or readers are redundant.

[Bodhiseed]

I look at it like building a house. The framework comes from traditional meanings, but the rest of the building comes from intuition.  :D

[~D~]

I look at it like building a house. The framework comes from traditional meanings, but the rest of the building comes from intuition.  :D

 

I agree with you

[VGimlet]

Also both for me. 

 

I notice my readings greatly improved when I let the cards tell the story, and just said what came to my mind, without trying too hard. 

[greycats]

Only in respect to being able to integrate scattered bits of information.  I'm pretty good at that. 

[EmpyreanKnight]

I lean more towards book-learned traditional meanings when interpreting individual cards, tho if I strongly feel that an element or detail in one of them means something else, I have no problem overriding my arsenal of keywords. I of course use my intuition when I look at the visual story the cards are spinning and try to decipher the overall message of the spread. I know that with practice, I can hone my intuitive skills to perfectly complement my book smarts.

[Trogon]

I look at it like building a house. The framework comes from traditional meanings, but the rest of the building comes from intuition.  :D

 

Also both for me. 

 

I notice my readings greatly improved when I let the cards tell the story, and just said what came to my mind, without trying too hard. 

 

I would agree with both Bodhiseed and VGimlet. I especially liked the mental image of the traditional meanings being the framework of the house, then we cover it and fill it from our intuition.

 

I will admit that, for probably the first several years I was learning to do readings, I relied heavily on "book meanings" for much of my interpretation. I probably used intuition to help pick which aspect of a card was the correct meaning. And, while they were usually "accurate" (in that the reading actually addressed something in the querent's life), they didn't have much depth or substance. I now rely much more heavily on my intuition and that gives my readings more depth. I'm not sure just when I began to change though. However, I have an on-line friend who let me do a lot of readings for her years ago and getting the practice and honest feedback helped a lot. Nowadays, some of my interpretations vary quite a lot from traditional meanings.

[katrinka]

I think it's important to define how the word "intuition" is being used.

 

I've seen it refer to looking at the cards and making up a story about them, with no real prior study, but that's not what it is to me.

 

I knew a guy who was a crack mechanic. He loved cars, working on cars, he knew everything he was able to find out about them, he had a lot of experience. It was really a passion with him. And if something was wrong with your car, he'd tell you to start the motor and he'd listen for a few seconds, and tell you exactly what was wrong every time. And he would be correct. That's intuition.

 

I don't get intuitive flashes about cars. I never learned to repair them or build them, I don't like doing things under the hood because everything is dirty and greasy. So I can't listen to a motor running that sounds perfectly normal to most people and tell you what's wrong, because I'm not like that guy. I don't have the knowledge and experience.

 

It's not psychic. When you know something very, very well, your mind can piece everything together without you having to sit there and analyze it. BAM.

 

Intuition in reading, for me, is laying the cards on the table and getting the gestalt before you even think about it. If you've ever laid out a big spread with a deck you've used and studied for many years, and knew the answer to the question before you worked out the combinations, elemental dignities, whatever your things are - that's intuition.

 

I don't think you can have intuition without book meanings. Knowing the book meanings backwards and forwards is what causes intuition.  ;)

 

So, with that in mind, I do occasionally get a bit of intuition with the systems I know best, but I always verify it by actually reading the cards.

 

Shamelessly filched from Caitlin Matthew's facebook:

 

[Little Fang]

When I first started, I worked solely with all the original meanings.

As I developed my reading style, I started to find that I was using it as a crutch, and it was making it harder to pull out the intuitive meanings.

When I'm not in the best reading state of mind and haven't done my reading rituals, my mind falls back into the old way of OH, THIS CARD MEANS THIS! before I have to clear my head and then look at the image again and push the intuition to the forefront.

[katrinka]

If you only use generic meanings you may as well just hand your sitter the book. There has to be intuition as well, or readers are redundant.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by generic meanings? Reading like a computer script, yes, that's dumb.

But I would think putting the card meanings into context - the question, the placement, how they relate to the other cards - is an analytical exercise rather than intuition.

[EmpyreanKnight]

Hmmmm just a question. Because I mostly rely on traditional/book meanings and just weave the story the sequence of cards wants to tell. And I very often hit the mark in my readings. But does relying more on one's intuition make one's readings even more accurate?

 

That's a real question btw, I'm not trying to set up a debate or what.

[isawhale]

Hmmmm just a question. Because I mostly rely on traditional/book meanings and just weave the story the sequence of cards wants to tell. And I very often hit the mark in my readings. But does relying more on one's intuition make one's readings even more accurate?

 

That's a real question btw, I'm not trying to set up a debate or what.

 

Yes! I've found it has. I record my readings at times and that has helped alot in trusting and using intuition more. The cards have various meanings; intuition is accurate in my experience, especially when used alongside traditional meanings..I use intuition to decide whether to use the traditional meaning or another. For example. I was reading yes or no answers to compare to a pendulum (pendulum does not work for me btw) For two different yes/no questions for the tarot I receieved the high priestess. I asked if I'd have a booking on this certain day; the high priestess popped up and I focused on the feelings read it as contemplative and withdrawn so I read it as no. I asked if it was going to rain on a certain day; hp popped up again. I focused on the sight and I looked at the card for clues and saw sparkles in the card and a grey coolness and gave a detailed and what turned to be accurate description of the weather. Both answers were correct even though in one instanct the hp was a yes and another a no. I'd read prior that hp is a no card...but the really rigid rules of yes no readings never worked for me. I think tying traditional meanings with intuition is the way to go. One time on a new deck I pulled three fire cards (angel tarot). All very exciting and energetic cards; these cards had written out meanings below them but I really focused on the fact that they were three fire cards and put them away. It was a firey day indeed. A couple hours later a friends car caught on fire and exploded and I passed 2 field fires on drive. I wouldn't classify any of these examples as purely intuitive, but more to lead me to the direction to read. It's best to really understand all of the factors and meanings in any one card but they won't always be the most common traditional meanings or way to read the card. One card has so many elements involved and so many ways to read a card that you can use your intuition to come to the particular energy of the card in regard to that situation. Step back from a reading and don't focus on details first, look and listen for anything you can pick up, then come back for details. Usually first instinct is correct.

[Trogon]

Hmmmm just a question. Because I mostly rely on traditional/book meanings and just weave the story the sequence of cards wants to tell. And I very often hit the mark in my readings. But does relying more on one's intuition make one's readings even more accurate?

 

That's a real question btw, I'm not trying to set up a debate or what.

 

I don't know if I would say that getting your intuition flowing more would make your readings more accurate ... but it will add more depth and meaning I think.

 

When I was in the Navy, one of the things I learned about were gauges, thermometers and other measuring instruments. To someone who calibrates these instruments (one of my jobs), "accuracy" means it points to the right number. So, for example, if you have a pressure gauge that reads from 0 to 500 psi in 50 psi increments, and you set your testing equipment to 200 psi, the gauge will read 200 if it is "accurate". But that 0 to 500 gauge will only be "sensitive" to larger pressure changes, you can say with some certainty that it is spot on at 0, 50, 100, 150, etc. You can estimate pressures in between those, but not very well. If your gauge reads in, and is calibrated to 0.5 psi increments, it will be both very sensitive to small pressure changes, as well as being accurate.

 

In much the same way a Tarot reading can be accurate, but lack detail. So, lets say a querent asks about why they're be doing poorly at work, having trouble concentrating, and one of the cards is The Tower. You might say something like; "oh, you had an upheaval of some kind" and be completely correct. But, if you see The Tower along with The Chariot reversed, and maybe the 10 of Pentacles, your intuition might lead you to say; "oh! I see there was a car crash and someone in your family, maybe an older member of the family was injured." Then that might be followed by The Star and you might say; "but, I see that they are getting better, but it's probably going to be a long recovery." You can probably add; "your concerns over this situation, with your family member going through this rough time, and the financial and family issues surround it are distracting you at work and keeping you from being at your best."

 

To me, that is the difference between an "accurate" reading and a really intuitive reading. Really opening up to and learning to trust your intuition can add a lot of detail and meaning to an accurate but flat reading. When your intuition is really flowing you'll be able to pick out details in a reading that you might not see otherwise. [Note; I just made all that up, it's not from a real reading - just an example.]

 

There was a mention earlier about a Tarot reader not necessarily being "psychic". And I do agree, you do not have to be psychic to do accurate and intuitive readings. However, don't close yourself off to the idea of psychic input. I personally believe that most of us have some psychic ability, but most people close themselves off to the possibility - either through denial/rationalization of things sensed - or rabid skepticism. I am not at a point where I can always be able to sense things for people, however, I have, on occasion, gotten messages or seen or heard things which I couldn't have gotten otherwise. Being open to these "psychic flashes" can allow you to communicate very important things to a querent sometimes.

 

I did one reading a little while back which was both intuitive and psychic in nature. Intuitive because the results were not what were planned, and psychic because of the way that I got some of the information. If you're interested, you can read about it here; https://www.thetarotforum.com/tarot-readings/past-life-reading-(that-wasn't-meant-to-be)-sakki-sakki-tarot/

[EmpyreanKnight]

Thanks, isawhale and Trogon. I guess I should really work on my intuitive skills so that I can provide more nuance and depth to my readings beyond what I can achieve by integrative analysis and pattern recognition. Tho to be honest, I have sometimes interpreted cards a certain way too, in a manner that doesn't jive with its established host of possible meanings, but which turned out to be correct. I'm glad I joined the Intuitive Study Group this month, and I hope I learn a lot from it.

[katrinka]

I think it's vital to this discussion to define terms like "intuition", "psychic", and "book meanings". Because a lot of what Trogon said re: the Tower, Chariot ®, etc. sounds like book meanings to me. Otherwise, the whole discussion could derail into semantics - been there, done that, got the t shirt, wore it well, wore it out, got another, etc.

[Trogon]

Let me start by kind of apologizing for the length of the upcoming wall of text. But this is a fascinating discussion and I am very much enjoying it!

 

Thanks, isawhale and Trogon. I guess I should really work on my intuitive skills so that I can provide more nuance and depth to my readings beyond what I can achieve by integrative analysis and pattern recognition. Tho to be honest, I have sometimes interpreted cards a certain way too, in a manner that doesn't jive with its established host of possible meanings, but which turned out to be correct. I'm glad I joined the Intuitive Study Group this month, and I hope I learn a lot from it.

 

When your reading leads you into an interpretation which doesn't seem to fit with the accepted by-the-book meanings, then I would say that you are using your intuition. Frequently the hard part is overriding your logical mind that is saying "no, the book says the card means this!", but your intuition is saying "nope ... don't care ... this time, it means this other thing".

 

I think it's vital to this discussion to define terms like "intuition", "psychic", and "book meanings". Because a lot of what Trogon said re: the Tower, Chariot ®, etc. sounds like book meanings to me. Otherwise, the whole discussion could derail into semantics - been there, done that, got the t shirt, wore it well, wore it out, got another, etc.

 

Well, the "book meanings" part is pretty easy. It is the "accepted" and (more or less) standardized meanings such as usually appear in the LWB and other sources. They are the meanings I started out learning kind of by rote, in much the same way I learned math in school.

 

However, for me, "intuition" and "psychic" are kind of like blurred spots on a varying spectrum. "Science" tends to deny the existence of these abilities, chalking up people's experiences by calling them coincidence, or guess work, or (in the case of things like Tarot or other psychic or medium's readings) "cold readings". I have had far too many personal experiences over the years to be able to deny the ability in myself or in others. Intuition and psychic ability both kind of deal with receiving input from outside of yourself. For me, it is usually letting my thoughts be led by my Spirit Guides - receiving pictures, smells, tastes, feelings, sometimes words or phrases that represent some aspect of a card. These things guide me through the reading. Occasionally, it is as little as getting a good understanding of how one card influences the next in a reading. Sometimes I get that two cards are important, but don't influence one another when they normally would.

 

However, when I do a reading and I get very specific messages from someone's grandmother who just passed. Or, in the case of the past-life reading, I get pictures of actual events in the past, see actual people and see what they're doing. To me, that moves up the scale towards "psychic". Now, I do not claim to be psychic ... however, I do get "psychic input" (for want of a better term) from time to time.

 

In the case of the example I had made up, I was trying to show the difference between seeing The Tower in simple terms of an upheaval and loss, and the very real-world specifics of what had happened. Where even the most rank tyro who just got their deck yesterday can read "upheaval" in the LWB, intuition can lead you to connect the other cards around it to the specifics. Seeing the "old person" in the 10 of Pentacles, in a card that is in a different position and may still carry another meaning within the context of the reading, can still point to the old person being involved in The Tower incident. Intuition will lead you to that.

 

Wikipedia (undoubtedly the forerunner to the actual Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) states;

 

Intuition is the ability to acquire knowledge without proof, evidence, or conscious reasoning, or without understanding how the knowledge was acquired.[2][3] Different writers give the word "intuition" a great variety of different meanings, ranging from direct access to unconscious knowledge, unconscious cognition, inner sensing, inner insight to unconscious pattern-recognition and the ability to understand something instinctively, without the need for conscious reasoning.

 

Under "psychic" we find;

 

A psychic is a person who claims to use extrasensory perception (ESP) to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws. Many people believe in psychic abilities, but there is no scientific consensus as to the actual existence of such powers. The word "psychic" is also used as an adjective to describe such abilities.

 

I'm not an expert in etymology, nor in the study of psychic abilities. But to me, these things seem to be related. Maybe I'm wrong, it wouldn't be the first time! ;) But I do feel that one's intuition often taps into understandings, senses and connections beyond the logical, analytical parts of our minds. Do we use those meanings we learned from all of those books we buy and read? In my case, yes ... I have that logical basis that I gained from a long and ongoing study of the Tarot and the books about it. But my intuition allows me to fill in details during a reading that go far beyond what I read in Eden Gray's book way back when.

[EmpyreanKnight]

This month's Intuitive Study Group taught me that I still have some ways to go regarding working with my intuition. But I shall get better! :)

[DevonCarter]

I'm so new, that I'm not sure I even count as a reader at all yet! But I think where I am now is studying the "book" meanings, so that those are firm in my head and I can then be more intuitive around them, if that makes sense. Like I tend to look at the cards and see what feeling I'm getting from the card first, then double-check what the traditional meaning is and see which seems to fit best, or if they corroborate each other.

 

I kind of think that at least some part of "intuition" is maybe just observation that we're not necessarily consciously aware of. Like sometimes I know exactly what my printer at work needs, just before it starts beeping at me. I think maybe part of that is "intuition", but it's informed by the fact that I know what it's supposed to sound like, how long it's been since I last put toner in, whether it typically has difficulty with the paper it's currently running, etc. I'm not necessarily conscious of knowing those things, but at least some of the time they are cluing me in so I can get up in the nick of time and clear the booklet tray before it jams the whole machine, or whatever.

 

Once I was camping with my family, at a campground with a large group of our friends, many of them much older (it's like having a whole bunch of unofficial grandparents), and as we were all sitting around the fire talking a golf cart pulled up from the campground office. I immediately knew that one of my grandparents (one in a nursing home, one in assisted living) had passed away. Pretty much everyone there had some elderly family members that could have been having difficulty, but I knew it was one of my grandparents and I was right. I think it was intuition, but also informed by the fact my grandfather had just recently gotten out of the hospital and gone into assisted living, and wasn't terribly happy to be there. He'd been stable, and doing much better - making some friends and such, so we were able to go camping for the first time in a long time, just for the weekend. He passed suddenly that Saturday morning.

[Trogon]

Yes DevonCarter, you are a Tarot Reader. I don't doubt it one bit. You may lack some experience, but if you are studying the cards and are able to do the readings for yourself or others, then you are. I feel that the study of the books gave me the right start as it provided a beginning point for each of the cards for my intuition to build upon during a reading. I have known of some folks who have jumped in without that study and done well, or at least have said that's how they "learned" Tarot, but I reckon most of us learn from the books to start with. And many of us have continued to learn from that early start.

 

I think you're right with those other instances too. The printer thing is almost certainly intuitive (at least to my way of thinking). You're putting 2 and 2 together and getting 7. You're taking experience and putting it with current circumstance and predicting an outcome that might not occur to someone else.

 

The thing with your grandfather ... that might have been a combination of intuition and a psychic occurrence. Don't rule out that your grandfather's spirit arrived well before the message and let you know what had happened. Being able to hear the spirits that come to you (such as, and especially your Spirit Guides) is a tool which can give a client a great deal of information you may not otherwise have.

[Mystic Tarot]

The first reading I ever did was 100% intuitive.  A friend of mine was reading for everyone at a party and I felt sorry that no one was reading for her so jokingly I did it.  Knowing nothing about the cards I made up stories.  Afterwards she told me that my reading was very accurate and that I should look into it more.  THEN I started reading, researching and learning. 

 

These days my readings very from 40% to 80% intuitive.

[Saturn Celeste]

I look at it like building a house. The framework comes from traditional meanings, but the rest of the building comes from intuition.  :D

Oh that is a lovely way to put it!  I totally agree with you!