Reading tarot cards or Tarot Reading?

For Tarot discussions and general questions.

Moderators: eye_of_tiger, shalimar123, TarotModerator

Post Reply
User avatar
Talia
Posts: 505
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2015 2:36 pm
Location: Wonderland

Reading tarot cards or Tarot Reading?

Post by Talia » Tue Jun 21, 2016 12:15 pm

A few weeks ago I came a cross a friend who just bought their first tarot deck. I got very excited. They pulled the deck out and shuffled and did the typical beginner 3 card past present, future spread.
Then they looked at the cards and said whatever came into their head, completely ignoring the arcana, the suits, the numbers, the elements etc. They could have been reading anything, beer mats or photographs, anything.  They weren't giving a tarot reading at all. They were giving a reading but something else? Now they are apparently an 'experienced tarot reader'.
Does anyone understand what I mean by this? Am I wrong to say to them learn how to read tarot?

User avatar
cedars
Tarot reader
Posts: 3420
Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2007 6:42 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Post by cedars » Wed Jun 22, 2016 6:54 am

Of course you are not wrong to say to them "learn how to read tarot".

I challenged a friend of mine who has been learning tarot and is quite conversant with the decks, but they have been reading with the same old, same old spread - yes, you guessed it: the Celtic Cross but by placing three cards for each placement. This is how the tutor has taught him. I won't take away his skills of interpreting the cards and the placements and their interrelation with each other, but I challenged him the other day:

I asked him to create his own spread  by giving him a hint of my question. He accepted the challenge and took some time to make his own, brand new spread. It had nothing to do with the Celtic Cross and he had total freedom to pick as many cards as his new, original spread required.

As a result, his whole reading style changed and he felt 'free' to fly with the reading rather than be stuck with one regimented spread, in this case the Celtic Cross. I felt he was now 'reading' rather than giving me the textbook meaning of the cards. It resonated with me more than the other readings I have had through the other spread with which I am not friendly at all.

User avatar
Talia
Posts: 505
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2015 2:36 pm
Location: Wonderland

Post by Talia » Wed Jun 22, 2016 10:34 am

Thanks Cedars,

I don't use the CC unless I am reading in person and there is a large table between us lol.  its hard to type up if there has to be a keyboard in the way.

You did well with changing the way your friend read, usually it is the other way round, getting people to take the time to learn tarot rather than just read the pictures lol?

User avatar
cedars
Tarot reader
Posts: 3420
Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2007 6:42 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Post by cedars » Wed Jun 22, 2016 10:40 am

Talia

If you are reading for someone who is a tarot reader or at least knows the cards, would you make the cards for his reading blatantly visible to him/her?

I do show the seeker the cards and then we talk about it after the reading and only then I ask for their question in detail.

But..... to another reader, perhaps it would be best for them not to see the cards being laid out? The jury is out on this as far as I am concerned.

Reason being, I do not wish the tarot-familiar seeker to start reading the cards in their own interpretation thus probably not even listening to me?

User avatar
Talia
Posts: 505
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2015 2:36 pm
Location: Wonderland

Post by Talia » Wed Jun 22, 2016 1:55 pm

cedars wrote:Talia

If you are reading for someone who is a tarot reader or at least knows the cards, would you make the cards for his reading blatantly visible to him/her?
I had to read your post a few times to get the real point of this as my initial answer was, "how can you hide the cards lol". Then I realsied where you were going.  Often the querent does not let on they are a tarot reader lol till after? I know I don't. How would you hide them? In person of course they are facing me andso would appear reversed to them, perhaps this is why the tarot de Marseille has no pics on the minors?
I do show the seeker the cards and then we talk about it after the reading and only then I ask for their question in detail.
Questions, well if they are paying the querent usually does not want a general reading they want an answer,and they make clear what they want to know, there is more trust with a paying client too. Of course the shows are a bt different when people just want to have a go?
But..... to another reader, perhaps it would be best for them not to see the cards being laid out? The jury is out on this as far as I am concerned.
Reason being, I do not wish the tarot-familiar seeker to start reading the cards in their own interpretation thus probably not even listening to me?
 And I think you are right, that has happened to me on one occasion, quite recently too and I also got a really nasty hurtful comment. But how to do that, read under the table, hold a cloth up, or use cards tht only we know the meanings of, oh there we are the tarot is re-born lol.

User avatar
cedars
Tarot reader
Posts: 3420
Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2007 6:42 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Post by cedars » Wed Jun 22, 2016 2:41 pm

Not quite:
They might be facing me and would see the cards upside down:  or sideways and they would see the cards sideways; or next to me in which case they would see the cards in their full glory.
So far, I have always asked them to sit next to me so that they can have a full vew of the cards - I am talking with paying clients in this thread.

However, whenever I  have been given readings, I have tried to avert my eyes from the point of placing on the table or wherever. I feel if I dont see the cards, I will stop interpreting it myself before the reader puts his/her own intuition into the reading.

Voila?

User avatar
Talia
Posts: 505
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2015 2:36 pm
Location: Wonderland

Post by Talia » Wed Jun 22, 2016 3:02 pm

Then what about in an email reading or a forum reading - if the cards etc are given do we immediately jump to our interpretation of the cards? Should we not put which cards and which deck and so on explaining the links and the spread and the pictures? Then would'nt we end up with a purely psychic or intuitive reading rather than tarot?  

I notice that here we put the deck, I am always asking the deck so I can understand a reading lol, the cards I can usually guess even if I am not told what they are.

Roundabouts roundabouts omg where is my Lenormand, lol, but even then the same would happen if a querent was a Lenor reader?

Some days I don't even need a deck to know what the cards will be and usually I'm right, so did I cause the cards to be them or did I just psychically know. I suppose it is hard as I also give spirit and psychic readings, no cards.

User avatar
cedars
Tarot reader
Posts: 3420
Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2007 6:42 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Post by cedars » Wed Jun 22, 2016 3:10 pm

I do like giving written readings - email or forums like this.  In these forums I always feel the need to say which deck I am using as some of our members here are tarot users but not necessarily readers; the same would apply if I was just perusing someone else's reading to another member, I would still like to know what deck they used.
Or, better still, when members do their own reading and get stuck with their reading as such. I WOULD NEED to know what deck they used, otherwise, my interpretation will be based on my own deck and not the one the seeker has dealt with.

You mentioned Tarot de Marseilles -Not for me, please. It does nothing to me.

User avatar
Talia
Posts: 505
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2015 2:36 pm
Location: Wonderland

Post by Talia » Thu Jun 23, 2016 11:37 am

I don't regularly use the Tarot de Marseille either but can you understand what I meant by the minors not showing an obvious meaning unless to a tarot reader that uses them?

Post Reply

Return to “Tarot”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot] and 6 guests