As a reader, what sparks your intuition?

[geoxena]

I've been thinking a lot about intuition and I'd like to know what works for you, whether you are naturally highly intuitive or struggle(d) to get there.

 

Basically I have three areas I'm curious about:

 

1.) What, if any, are the things you do (methods/rituals/set-ups, etc.) that help you access your intuition, or put you in the headspace to do so? 

 

2.) What have you found to help you trust your intuition?

 

3.) What kind of tarot decks or imagery do you feel you can more easily read intuitively?  And/or, conversely, what kind do you look at and say, "Nope, won't be able to read intuitively with this deck!"

 

Thanks in advance for your reply!!  I'll post my own responses to these questions a little later on.

 

 

Edited May 11, 2020 by geoxena

[katrinka]

5 minutes ago, geoxena said:

1.) What, if any, are the things you do that help you access your intuition, or put you in the headspace to do so? 

 

2.) Are there any methods/rituals/set-ups you've found that help you trust your intuition?

1. None, and 2., no.
I don't worry about it. If I know my deck well enough and I've kept it in rotation, intuition kicks in on its own. I don't approach it as something I have to do or make happen. It's a reflex, like ducking if something is coming at you.

5 minutes ago, geoxena said:

 

3.) What kind of tarot decks do you feel you can more easily read intuitively?  And/or, conversely, what kind do you look at and say, "Nope, won't be able to read intuitively with this deck!"

I always had issues with the term "read intuitively". What people call "intuition" is more properly spinning a tale about some detail on a card. Intuition, OTOH, is the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning. It's like driving: you don't consciously think "Now I am going to ease up on the gas, now I am stepping on the clutch, now the brakes, too..." You're used to driving, a lot of it has become instinctive. I don't see cards any differently.

[53rdspirit]

17 minutes ago, geoxena said:

1.) What, if any, are the things you do (methods/rituals/set-ups, etc.) that help you access your intuition, or put you in the headspace to do so? 

 

2.) What have you found to help you trust your intuition?

 

3.) What kind of tarot decks or imagery do you feel you can more easily read intuitively?  And/or, conversely, what kind do you look at and say, "Nope, won't be able to read intuitively with this deck!"

1.) What, if any, are the things you do (methods/rituals/set-ups, etc.) that help you access your intuition, or put you in the headspace to do so?  Silence, I require silence. I like my area dark with a single lit beeswax candle.

 

2.) What have you found to help you trust your intuition? Don't overthink it. 

 

3.) What kind of tarot decks or imagery do you feel you can more easily read intuitively? And/or, conversely, what kind do you look at and say, "Nope, won't be able to read intuitively with this deck." Keep it simple --the less going on in the card, the better for my intuition to take over.  My preferred cards are historical tarot and regular playing cards. Although, I love to look at busy, colorful cards, such as the Zigeuner Tarot (Wegmuller), I don't connect intuitively with them for a reading (I want to, but just don't). 

 

 

[gregory]

56 minutes ago, geoxena said:

1.) What, if any, are the things you do (methods/rituals/set-ups, etc.) that help you access your intuition, or put you in the headspace to do so? 

I get out the cards and look at them.

56 minutes ago, geoxena said:

2.) What have you found to help you trust your intuition?

My own mind. If the card doesn't say anything - there's nothing to be done. If it does - I trust what I get.

56 minutes ago, geoxena said:

3.) What kind of tarot decks or imagery do you feel you can more easily read intuitively?  And/or, conversely, what kind do you look at and say, "Nope, won't be able to read intuitively with this deck!"

At one point I thought some decks were impossible. I don't believe that any more.

39 minutes ago, katrinka said:

I don't worry about it. If I know my deck well enough and I've kept it in rotation, intuition kicks in on its own. I don't approach it as something I have to do or make happen. It's a reflex, like ducking if something is coming at you.

I always had issues with the term "read intuitively". What people call "intuition" is more properly spinning a tale about some detail on a card. Intuition, OTOH, is the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning. It's like driving: you don't consciously think "Now I am going to ease up on the gas, now I am stepping on the clutch, now the brakes, too..." You're used to driving, a lot of it has become instinctive. I don't see cards any differently.

This. I don't think about it. If I did, I think it wouldn't work if that makes sense. Except I don't actually agree about the bolded bit. As a general rule it's the card as a whole that does it, not one detail. If you (katrinka) are referring to some of the exercises I've set in ISG - that isn't the way I would normally read - they are for practice, to force people to think in other ways.

[katrinka]

38 minutes ago, gregory said:

This. I don't think about it. If I did, I think it wouldn't work if that makes sense. Except I don't actually agree about the bolded bit. As a general rule it's the card as a whole that does it, not one detail. If you (katrinka) are referring to some of the exercises I've set in ISG - that isn't the way I would normally read - they are for practice, to force people to think in other ways.

I didn't have you in mind at all when I wrote that, gregs. I was thinking in terms of people who make the RWS Star all about the "Ibis" or the 6 of Cups all about the guy walking away, to the extent that the card meaning isn't considered at all. The "Learn to Read Tarot in 1 Day - No Study Needed!" stuff.
That shoe doesn't fit, don't even try to get your foot in it. 😁

[gregory]

Oh right - but I don't see that as quite the same thing. Just if you'd looked at this month's ISG....   (I thought the 6 cups was all about child grooming, mind.... there was once a thread....)

[katrinka]

4 minutes ago, gregory said:

(I thought the 6 cups was all about child grooming, mind.... there was once a thread....)

In certain contexts, I'm sure it can be.
If the six of Coins can be about that...

 

[geoxena]

2 hours ago, katrinka said:

If I know my deck well enough and I've kept it in rotation, intuition kicks in on its own. I don't approach it as something I have to do or make happen.

So, are you saying that when you use a new deck that you haven't "gotten to know well" that your intuition suffers and doesn't happen?

 

Quote

I always had issues with the term "read intuitively". What people call "intuition" is more properly spinning a tale about some detail on a card. Intuition, OTOH, is the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.

I don't think understanding is always the basis of intuition.  I've intuited plenty of things without understanding what it meant or why that intuitive flash came to me.  In those instances, it could be much later that I realize what it was about, or even that my intuition had come into play.  

 

1 hour ago, 53rdspirit said:

Don't overthink it.

Yes, indeed!

 

Quote

Keep it simple --the less going on in the card, the better for my intuition to take over.  My preferred cards are historical tarot and regular playing cards. Although, I love to look at busy, colorful cards, such as the Zigeuner Tarot (Wegmuller), I don't connect intuitively with them for a reading (I want to, but just don't). 

I am the opposite.  The more bare and simple a deck, the less it stimulates my ability to  intuit what the card means in that reading for this person.  I "need" scenes, like a small stage play, on a card in order to stimulate my intuitive senses.  I am very visually-oriented.

 

1 hour ago, gregory said:

I get out the cards and look at them.

My own mind. If the card doesn't say anything - there's nothing to be done.

I have also learned that, sometimes when reading for someone other than myself, if nothing comes up, that person could be unconsciously blocking me because they don't really want to know (for whatever reason, but usually apprehension or fear).  If someone puts up a defensive wall, it's hard to get through.  Our human brains can read so much about people!  So, I test it by asking, "You don't really want me to see [the situation/issue, etc.], do you?

 

Quote

At one point I thought some decks were impossible. I don't believe that any more.

I'm finding that, too, occasionally.  Some decks that I thought gave me nothing or very little to go on have prompted me very well lately.

 

Quote

As a general rule it's the card as a whole that does it, not one detail. 

While it is the whole card for me, too, it is often one element that triggers an intuitive flash, and then I take it from there.

 

48 minutes ago, katrinka said:

I was thinking in terms of people who make the RWS Star all about the "Ibis" or the 6 of Cups all about the guy walking away, to the extent that the card meaning isn't considered at all.

Actually, I don't see anything wrong with disregarding the "traditional" card meanings IF the story the reader is telling is pouring forth from an intuitive connection with the querent.  I see tarot as a tool for reading the person, really, not just reading the cards.  And in that sense it is the same to me as reading a lock of their hair or a pebble, whatever.  I just prefer to play with the tarot's structure and pictures rather than a rock.  😄 

 

 

Edited May 11, 2020 by geoxena

[katrinka]

6 minutes ago, geoxena said:

So, are you saying that when you use a new deck that you haven't "gotten to know well" that your intuition suffers and doesn't happen?

Not if it's a system I'm well versed in and the images are instantly recognizable. A functioning Lenormand Rider is what it is, it doesn't matter if it's a white horse or a bay.
Tarots can have a lot of variation. An unfamiliar TdM is easy. But theme Tarots can sometimes take some getting used to. The Hanged Man might not even have a man on it, that kind of thing. So there's the added "What is this?" task.

So there's a smear of cards fresh on the table. And that reflexive relief/revulsion/fear/joy/whatever, and anything that goes with it - that's the intuition. You feel it before you consciously break anything down. But everything has to be recognizable or your instincts have nothing to work with. Same if you were driving a car with the brakes on the steering column - you'd have to stay conscious of that, you couldn't do it intuitively.

 

27 minutes ago, geoxena said:

I don't think understanding is always the basis of intuition.  I've intuited plenty of things without understanding what it meant or why that intuitive flash came to me.  In those instances, it could be much later that I realize what it was about, or even that my intuition had come into play.

But your mind understood the things it compiled to GIVE you an intuitive flash. Otherwise, it wouldn't have happened.
 

 

29 minutes ago, geoxena said:

Actually, I don't see anything wrong with disregarding the "traditional" card meanings IF the story the reader is telling is pouring forth from an intuitive connection with the querent.  I see tarot as a tool for reading the person, really, not just reading the cards.  And in that sense it is the same to me as reading a lock of their hair or a pebble, whatever.  I just prefer to play with the tarot's structure and pictures rather than a rock.  😄 

Well, then, you're doing something else. I'm talking about reading cards.
That's probably why were talking past each other. 😉

 

[geoxena]

Well, I do read the cards, but as a tool, a conduit to the person, issue, etc.  I know we see it differently.  The meanings that other people ascribed to the cards generations ago are not as important to me as being able to tune into the person I'm reading for.

 

Anyway, I started the thread not to debate what intuition is or how it works, but to specifically ask those readers who have a technique or ritual or something that helps them access their intuition to share what it is.  Intuitive hits come frequently and easily to me, usually in the form of images or words that appear in my mind, but I know that a lot of people feel they are not very intuitive.  I believe that's probably mostly due to not knowing how to recognize the information one is getting from their intuition.  So, I wanted to find out what helps them get there.  And also to see whether anyone feels a certain kind of deck helps them read intuitively and, if so, share that.  If those questions don't apply to how a person reads or accesses their intuition, then there's really nothing to be said.

[TheFeeLion]

5 hours ago, geoxena said:

 

1.) What, if any, are the things you do (methods/rituals/set-ups, etc.) that help you access your intuition, or put you in the headspace to do so?

Intuition is something I've had to practice with. I know I've always been relatively intuitive but more on and unconscious level. I've had to work on on being consciously intuitive, which I've found a lot more difficult. 

 

When I was getting started with working on my intuition I got crystals that help increase or tap into intuition. I don't need them so much now but when I'm not particularly feeling on form I'll pull them out while I do a reading. 

 

Making sure I'm grounded has also been a big one, so I usually try and take a few moments beforehand to ensure I'm grounded and open. 

5 hours ago, geoxena said:

 

2.) What have you found to help you trust your intuition?

I think this is the hardest part of developing intuition. That trust in yourself that you've got it right. Ugh! 

I decided early on I needed some easy wins so started playing little games with myself. One in particular I do on the way home from work. There's a fountain in the square that I pass on my way home, at night it's lit up with lights that cycle through the rainbow of colours. Just before I turn the corner and it comes into my line of sight I'll say what colour I think it'll be when I see it. When I first started I would have a colour pop into my head then would immediately have another. I learnt pretty quick that my first incling was more often than not correct. 

 

Another thing that's helped me has been talking to other people about how they experience their intuition. It's made me realise (even though intellectually I already knew) that we all experience it differently and that I'm not just imagining things. 

 

6 hours ago, geoxena said:

3.) What kind of tarot decks or imagery do you feel you can more easily read intuitively?  And/or, conversely, what kind do you look at and say, "Nope, won't be able to read intuitively with this deck!"

I'm a bit like you, I'm quite a visual person so that definitely plays a big part. I like rich images with some kind of depth to them. As a result I find it difficult to work with the traditional RWS, it's visual language is different to mine so I sometimes feel like I'm learning a completely new language. It wasn't until I met the True Black Tarot (definitely speaks my language!) that I realised that's what had been the problem all along. 

 

I'm also an avid reader so I like text. If a deck's artwork doesn't quite click with me but the book does, it makes it a lot easier for me to work with that deck and I can grow to into the artwork. It means I can use the book as a kind of translater and as a form of bibliomancy (is that the right word?) I'll take the card as a starting point and then skim through that section of the book to see what jumps out at me. Sometimes the right text will even seem bigger than all the other words around it. 

 

Either way, becoming familiar with a deck is important for me. I can't just pick up any old deck and throw some cards down I almost feel like that would be like me going up to someone I've never met and yelling "tell me all your secrets!" If I'm lucky I might get a humorous response, but I'd be more likely to get some odd facial expressions instead!

[Barleywine]

I'm with katrinka. Intuition comes on its own without me seeking it, and if it deserts me momentarily I fall back on my knowledge base until it comes back. But it's not my "gold standard" and I don't like the word much, preferring inspiration, imagination and ingenuity. As a story-teller I'm not all that mystical about how tarot reading works. Most of my intuitive "reaching" involves coming up with shared cultural, social, literary or historical metaphors and analogies that illuminate the subject in unique ways.

[Grace]

1.) What, if any, are the things you do (methods/rituals/set-ups, etc.) that help you access your intuition, or put you in the headspace to do so? 

While I don't NEED anything to get into that headspace anymore, I find it comes in quicker and stronger if I've been consistently good to myself; meditate regularly, stay clear of sloppy thinking, do things that clear and calm my mind, and stay healthy. I cut myself off from my intuition at a young age due to things that were going on in my family at that time - and I've found after a lot of struggle that I don't want to live that way anymore. For me, intuition is a sign from 'up there' - and something we all have, but often loose touch with and forget how to use. For me it's a lifestyle thing that goes beyond tarot reading. For the purposes of respecting the querent, at the very least I like to create an internal environment that is open to receiving information - which just takes a moment of easy focus. If I have the time and inclination I create a relaxing environment (candles, incense, vedic chants), but it's more for the joy of it than from necessity - and if I'm in a good mood that isn't a bad thing! 

2.) What have you found to help you trust your intuition?

I think it was just time. I had to relearn to trust my gut instincts more generally. Meditative practice was really important to me personally, which was very difficult at first as I was a person that 'couldn't meditate'. But I hung in there, and then came to rely on it before I learnt to feel my way through to that sweet spot whenever I wanted to. I had quite a few experiences that came out of meditation that helped prove that I was on the right track and could 'trust' what was coming through. The rest was built from there over time as I got acquainted with that feeling again.

3.) What kind of tarot decks or imagery do you feel you can more easily read intuitively?  And/or, conversely, what kind do you look at and say, "Nope, won't be able to read intuitively with this deck!"
My greater beliefs colour some of these answers. I believe that tarot is a tool, that is it. I do not rely on it to intuit, because my intuition comes from elsewhere. It is not my 'permission slip', it is just another lovely way to play with the universe. I think of it more as a language that is presented to me to translate. Some languages are easier for me to pick up than others - but that has little to do with intuition. I believe that the messages received can come all on their own (which happens all day long), or spirit/source/god whatever can use the things around us that hold meaning to point us in a particular direction (such as tarot cards). Because my intuition comes in the form of a feeling, emotion, and sometimes little packets of information (not really sounds, colours or images), I personally haven't experienced the feeling of not 'connecting' to a deck. But I am human, and I have personal aesthetic preferences - so I would potentially enjoy using one over another. That being said, I'm in the middle of learning a 'new language' in the form of the Hermetic Deck. As much as I enjoy the images more than the RWS for example - I'm not as fluent so it takes more efforting on the brain. It is a harder language for me at the moment. But I still feel a good flow, because I haven't pinched myself off from my intuition. 

[Raggydoll]

Great idea for a thread! I would like to give a 'quick' definition of what I mean by intuition and how I differentiate intuitive from psychic, I hope you don't mind me doing so @geoxena. It is just so that my tips will be seen in the right context. 

 

So for me, 'intuition' means that when a person looks at a set of cards they instinctively have a sense of knowing as to which interpretations and which symbols apply in this particular instance. They might experience it as if a part of the image - perhaps one they have not paid much attention to in the past - suddenly stands out, and it might also trigger thoughts or memories that prove to be relevant. It is the continual verification of the information as being highly relevant (and correct) that is the key to knowing that it is an intuitive process and not just a creative exercise of the mind. 

 

Then, to define 'psychic'.. To me, that is an input that may in some occasions be triggered by tools such as tarot cards, but that for me, almost always is triggered by an energetic connection to a person or an object. It will take on different forms depending on what type of psychic gifts the person has (the 'clairs'). My visions can come spontaneously or they can be actively triggered. So just the way that intuition can be enhanced, psychic gifts can also be enhanced and directed (but I am not entirely sure that every person will be able to develop a strong psychic gift. And I also believe that if you are naturally inclined to hear sounds or sense smells instead of seeing visual imagery then that is something that most often tends to be fixed. But the gift could in some people start to rapidly unfold and expand to such a degree that it starts to express itself in more ways.) Anyways. Those visions are not like stepping into the card or seeing a detail come to live, not to me. It is something else entirely. I often start to see a memory or a scene from the present/near future. And it is not something that is implied by cards (at this point in the session, I usually have not even taken out the cards). 

 

Now, to get back on topic. Yes I believe you can work on those things and that there are tips that can help. 

 

1.) What, if any, are the things you do (methods/rituals/set-ups, etc.) that help you access your intuition, or put you in the headspace to do so? 

As for intuition, it has not required much prep work. It is pretty instinctual and I have found it to not need that much discipline or direction. It is like the 'gut feeling' that is just there. The psychic bit is the one I have had to work harder at. Not to develop but to direct and control. I wanted to be able to explore certain things in my visions or to have the visions come during sessions. So for that, I found that there were things that definitely helped. It is a bit how like a lot of people use drums to journey. I have never had to use drums to journey or to provoke visions. My mind and my body is highly susceptible. I have even tested this by using a blood pressure monitor. So I can induce an altered state of mind by using visual imagery. By just picturing myself being dropped in high speed down a dark tunnel will get my pulse beating very hard and I will start to see imagery flashing before my eyes. That is not something I would use for regular readings though, so I have a method that is more pleasant but yet very effective. For me, consistency was really important, and also to pick a 'trigger'. What I mean by that is that I actually selected something that I trained my mind to respond to. And for every time I utilized that trigger, the process was stronger and quicker. For me, this works to enhance my mindset and even though I use it for psychic readings, I bet some people would find it beneficial for their intuition too and so that is why I mention it here. I recommend you start each session (reading) with a consistent stimuli. Some might pick a scent; like the burning of smoke, or a sound (chiming of bells) etc. Drums are likely not as useful for everyday readings. My choice fell on the unscented Woodwick candles (scents bother and distract me). They crackle and that crackling sound became my cue. I made a point at lighting the candle and sitting down to listen to the sound and to allow my mind to become blank. Then I started the session (I usually do these type of sessions without cards/tools but they surely would work for cards as well. 

 

2.) What have you found to help you trust your intuition?

To practice and to make sure I evaluate my accuracy. This is usually done through feedback and through reflections. And then by keeping in mind the way how these things tend to be highly relevant, I made the decision to just say it out loud. To not doubt and to not hesitate. And the more I said it out loud, the more my confidence grew. I think it is very important to actually see how your 'intuitive hits' proved to be relevant. And when that is seen time and time again, there is really no room for doubt anymore. 

 

3.) What kind of tarot decks or imagery do you feel you can more easily read intuitively?  And/or, conversely, what kind do you look at and say, "Nope, won't be able to read intuitively with this deck!"

I can read with most decks but I find some to be more 'talkative' than others. And for very intuitive readings I prefer collage decks (like the Stretch tarot, the inner compass oracle etc - two of my very favorite decks!). They are scattered in a way that allows my brain to flow in many directions at once. And it is that rush of brain-energy that seem to trigger the most powerful readings for me. 

[stephanelli]

14 hours ago, geoxena said:

I haven't read all the replies above so sorry if I repeat things other people have said...

 

First, I think that intuition is the ability to know things without a logical explanation for why you know it.  In a tarot reading this is simple knowing which meanings apply in that particular reading and which symbols are important, it's also how I know whether I need to read a card "reversed" as such.  I don't read with reversed cards but I will take all possible meanings into account.

14 hours ago, geoxena said:

1.) What, if any, are the things you do (methods/rituals/set-ups, etc.) that help you access your intuition, or put you in the headspace to do so? 

No, I do nothing.  I have to be in the right headspace to do a tarot reading in the first place and that is probably enough for my intuition.  I like peace when reading and no distractions.

14 hours ago, geoxena said:

2.) What have you found to help you trust your intuition?

To not overthink it and to not analyze why I know that that is the right thing.

14 hours ago, geoxena said:

3.) What kind of tarot decks or imagery do you feel you can more easily read intuitively?  And/or, conversely, what kind do you look at and say, "Nope, won't be able to read intuitively with this deck!"

Anything that has plenty of symbolism.  For example from my own decks, RWS, Herbal Tarot, Triple Goddess Tarot.  It doesn't have to be traditional symbols, anything will work so long as I can learn it easily and not forget it.  If it doesn't have plenty of symbolism then I rely more heavily on the creators meanings and have to use more logic to piece together the reading.

[geoxena]

Through the years, I have come across decks on various sites that are described as having been created to stimulate one's intuition, or to help one develop their psychic ability.  So, I realize that what I really want to know is this: If a tarot deck is described in that way, what would you expect (or hope) to see?  What sort of deck would go into that category?

[SparklePuffy]

1. Incense!

 

2. Doing lots of readings, especially for others. (Some do readings for TV characters.) I think there's no substitute. Talent helps in the beginning. But ultimately, I think it's practice and dedication that win out.

 

I've known really naturally talented readers who didn't practice, and never got great. And people who started out not so talented, learned very slowly, and practiced their way to greatness.

 

[Grizabella]

On 5/11/2020 at 9:54 AM, katrinka said:

1. None, and 2., no.
I don't worry about it. If I know my deck well enough and I've kept it in rotation, intuition kicks in on its own. I don't approach it as something I have to do or make happen. It's a reflex, like ducking if something is coming at you.

I always had issues with the term "read intuitively". What people call "intuition" is more properly spinning a tale about some detail on a card. Intuition, OTOH, is the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning. It's like driving: you don't consciously think "Now I am going to ease up on the gas, now I am stepping on the clutch, now the brakes, too..." You're used to driving, a lot of it has become instinctive. I don't see cards any differently.

This.  

 

My sitter's question and the cards I draw in response are all it takes. I don't need to have or do anything else.  It isn't anything from outside a reader that causes the reading to happen. If a reader thinks they need extraneous stuff in order for it "to work", then it really doesn't "work" at all. I know that might not make sense because for quite a long time, it didn't make sense to me either. But the more the reader relaxes and trusts the process, the more natural it becomes and the better it works. The more the reader strives for "making it work" or inducing a mood or whatever, the more likely it is that the reading will be contrived, even if only slightly, and won't be all it can be.  It's only in relaxing into it, trusting the process, and just going with it that our reading ability flourishes.

[geoxena]

13 hours ago, Grizabella said:

My sitter's question and the cards I draw in response are all it takes. I don't need to have or do anything else.  It isn't anything from outside a reader that causes the reading to happen. If a reader thinks they need extraneous stuff in order for it "to work", then it really doesn't "work" at all. I know that might not make sense because for quite a long time, it didn't make sense to me either. But the more the reader relaxes and trusts the process, the more natural it becomes and the better it works. The more the reader strives for "making it work" or inducing a mood or whatever, the more likely it is that the reading will be contrived, even if only slightly, and won't be all it can be.  It's only in relaxing into it, trusting the process, and just going with it that our reading ability flourishes.

 

But I am still wondering this:  If a tarot deck is described by its maker as having been created to stimulate one's intuition, or to help one develop their psychic ability, what would you expect (or hope) to see?  What sort of deck do you think would go into that category?

 

 

[Grizabella]

It really depends on the reader. No one deck is going to do it all for every person. You just learn to recognize which decks will work best for you over time and with experience. What works for one won't automatically work for everyone. The intention of the creator of the deck may be that it will do these things for others, but that doesn't mean it really will. And I think sometimes it's also used as a good marketing tool to say that the deck will stimulate intuition and help readers develop their psychic abilities.

 

Development of psychic abilities isn't dependent on outside influences. It's a matter of one just putting the energy and effort into developing those abilities through other means. People all have those abilities, but they're like muscles. Without use, they become atrophied and largely not useful. Psychic ability doesn't come from outside of us. It's built in. Once we develop the skill (if we choose to) then it's sparked by just about everything around us at different times.  Tarot is a tool but there's no magic in it any more than there is in a spoon or fork or other tool so it's hard for me to choose elements in a deck that might actually do what you're asking.  

 

What I can suggest is that if a deck appeals to you, give it a try. No guarantee it will work for you as the creator says it will, but it will be a part of your own journey and as long as you stay on the journey and keep wanting to improve your abilities, you will. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen over time.  Patience, dedication, and practice--practice---practice are the keys. 🙂

 

Coming back to add this one thing----I think it's a very important element of becoming a successful reader.  Ponder the question "why do I want to read cards and develop psychic ability?"  

 

 

 

 

Edited May 26, 2020 by Grizabella

[gregory]

1 hour ago, Grizabella said:

Coming back to add this one thing----I think it's a very important element of becoming a successful reader.  Ponder the question "why do I want to read cards and develop psychic ability?"  

I want to read the cards because - as much as anything - I enjoy it. I am not trying to "develop my psychic ability." Just putting that out there.

[geoxena]

2 hours ago, Grizabella said:

Tarot is a tool but there's no magic in it any more than there is in a spoon or fork or other tool . . .

Yes. That's how I see it, too.

 

Quote

. . . it's hard for me to choose elements in a deck that might actually do what you're asking.  

 

What I can suggest is that if a deck appeals to you, give it a try. No guarantee it will work for you as the creator says it will, but it will be a part of your own journey and as long as you stay on the journey and keep wanting to improve your abilities, you will. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen over time.  Patience, dedication, and practice--practice---practice are the keys.

Oh, I'm not asking as someone who wants a deck that does this.  I'm pretty in tune with my intuition and reading tarot intuitively.  I get little "psychic hits" fairly often.  I was asking as someone wanting to create a deck and looking around at what others are doing/have done with theirs.  I've looked at deck images from decks supposedly created to help one become more intuitive and thought, "Meh, this does nothing for me."  So I wonder what people look for in a deck promoted in that way.  It's part of my trying to formulate why I want to create a deck and how to approach it.

 

Quote

Ponder the question "why do I want to read cards and develop psychic ability?"  

Like gregory, I don't read cards to develop psychic ability.  It's in all of us and only requires that we recognize how and when it shows up.  I read cards because I like reading cards.  I think I probably see tarot card reading as a far less serious subject than an awful lot of other readers do.

 

 

Edited May 26, 2020 by geoxena

[Barleywine]

In thinking more about what katrinka said earlier, I believe what we call "intuition" is mainly an outgrowth of visual free-association from an image that already carries some inherent meaning, whether it's a scenic vignette (think RWS) or an accumulation of traditional lore (like the TdM). Having thoroughly internalized that understanding from constant practice that builds upon our own experience, we summon the awareness without really thinking about it and may enjoy an epiphany that bridges to something beyond what we've already accepted about a given card. It doesn't really spring from nothing, it's more about forging an inspired link between the "known" and the "unknown." Add in the context of the reading to direct the sudden insight toward the goal, and we come up with an interpretation that may seem unprecedented but is really a natural, if often imaginative, extension of the theme of the card. I don't get all mystical about the role of intuition; if it happens, great; if it doesn't, I stick with the tried-and-true. With Lenormand I hardly use it at all, except perhaps when synthesizing card combinations. While some liken intuition to an untethered "omniscient eye" that unerringly delivers the goods, I see it more as just another tool.

Edited June 24, 2020 by Barleywine

[LittleMissMalachite]

On 5/11/2020 at 12:37 PM, geoxena said:

1.) What, if any, are the things you do (methods/rituals/set-ups, etc.) that help you access your intuition, or put you in the headspace to do so? 

 

2.) What have you found to help you trust your intuition?

 

3.) What kind of tarot decks or imagery do you feel you can more easily read intuitively?  And/or, conversely, what kind do you look at and say, "Nope, won't be able to read intuitively with this deck!"

1) I close my eyes, take a few deep breaths, I like to keep my feet flat on the floor (not sure why but that's part of my process i suppose), and then i begin. Sometimes I'll light a candle or two, but not with any purpose other than I like candles.

2) The proof is in the pudding- I find the more I trust myself, my intuition, the more often my odd feelings, or good feelings, whatever they may be, are right. Over time, you just learn to trust yourself.

3) Has to have captivating art, whether it's a striking black and white deck, or bright and bold colorful deck. That just goes along with preference though. Such as, I am not a fan of watercolor paintings, so decks with water color art don't do it for me.

[Cleopadera]

I'm a very visual person, and it's like the cards speak to me through the graphics and colors. But the same cards speaks two different things in two different readings. Over the years, I've developed "usual" meanings for cards in the different categories of readings and that helps a lot, but it takes time to get to this point. It's a great feeling.