Answers to Common Tarot Card questions, Part 2

Introduction:
There are different ways of approaching the Tarot. Some traditions are very concerned with telling the future, or with trying to prove the Tarot works by predicting things that are going to happen. The tradition I choose to follow is that the Tarot is a tool that helps us to understand ourselves better. I choose to deal mainly with the present time, and our place in that time. When we understand ourselves better, we can understand better why things are the way they are. Understanding helps dispel fear, which is often one of the main factors that stops us from changing and moving forward in our lives.

What follows below represents one view point. It is solidly based, as it is based on experience and my own learning. The main thing that I would like to point out is that nothing can take the place of your own experience. But until the time as you begin to develop your own philosophy on Tarot these ideas may help your learning.

Many of the questions are based on real questions that I am commonly asked. The questions are in no particular order so can be read on an individual basis.

How do I best learn the Tarot? How do I improve my reading skills?
My best advice here would be to find a Tarot development group to work with. If there isn’t one near you form a group of friends (or just two of you) and share your experiences and exchange readings. Create a time each week, fortnight or month when you will meet for a set time period – this will increase your focus.

When you read for others after every reading you should reflect on what you have said and remember to write down what you learnt about a certain card and note down the key piece of advice you were giving them because that piece of advice will also be for you! The writing down of information is not necessarily for reference, it is more for grounding what you have learnt. I have found from experience that if you perform the physical act of writing information down then it helps that information become a part of you rather than floating off into space.

Picking a card for a certain day or week can help bring valuable insights about the card and your life. Or pick just one card for a certain situation. Then afterwards relate the situation back to the card.

The Tarot is a skill that grows as you grow. If you have a problem with a certain card in that you just cannot understand it or you just hate it then remember that is a reflection of you. Your understanding of that card will increase as you grow. And then one day you will probably love that card! Really!

How do I pick a Tarot reader?
If you are going to pay someone to read the Tarot for you then you should choose the person with care. Ideally a recommendation is good, but if you don't know anyone and are finding someone yourself, it is a good idea to meet the reader first before committing to a Tarot reading. Ask yourself if you think this is a trustworthy person. What are your feelings? Is your overall feeling a "yes" or a "no"? You may want to ask the person whether they are more concerned with the present or the future. If they mainly deal with predictions could you cope with a prediction that is not a positive one? Why do you want to know your future anyway? Are you looking for proof of something greater? If their prediction comes true will you believe any more or will you simply say, "Isn’t that amazing that he/she got it right!"

To my mind the Tarot is at its most useful as an information giver. Tarot should empower us in giving us more information on which to base our decisions rather than taking the decision making away from us.

In the same way a Tarot reader should empower us rather than tell us what to do. If you go to a reading wanting to be told what to do it leaves you open to being abused.

Why is it always so difficult to read for yourself?
It is difficult to read for ourselves because we have such an investment in the outcome. However much we try to be objective it is very tempting to just want to see the best. You look towards the future and see the Sun card and you just think, "Ah, everything is going to be great!" But in reality there is probably a lot more going on within that card.

It is also difficult because we are in a sense an exact match for the spread (as a spread is simply a mirror for ourselves) so some things can be hard to notice. If we read for someone else we are much more able to be objective and see differences.

I have tried various methods of reading for myself and below I have written the way that works best for me.

I look at my spread and work through the cards writing down bullet points of the feelings and impressions that come to me when I see each card. For example I put:

King of pentacles – looks weighed down, richness, lots of potential, having trouble standing up, a bit overweight, brown, ripe, ready for the picking, needs cheering up, needs company, very regal, ruler, powerful man.

Then if I have nine cards in the spread I will then have nine cards with descriptions written down for each.

It is only afterwards that I think how these descriptions relate to me or take into account how they relate to each card position. This way enables me to remain objective for as long as possible. And once I am relating it to myself the evidence is already in place and there is no arguing!

Should I use the reverse meanings of the cards?
Some books and readers like to do readings in a way where the cards can either be placed upright or upside down. They then take the upright card to be the positive meaning for the card and for the upside down card to be the negative meaning.

My point of view about this is that this way of reading can sometimes take you away from the feelings of the cards. If you see an upside down card you will immediately be in a "box" of thinking that it is simply a negative card. But it may be more complex than that.

Personally I turn all cards upright in a spread regardless of which way they are draw. This way I am drawn straight into what a card feels like instead of thinking about its orientation.

If I draw the Death card does there mean there is going to be a death?
If the death card appears it does relate to a death, but not in the sense that someone is going to "drop dead". Death is a process of decay. It is a point of destruction where things that are outdated and hold someone back are banished forever. And as the dust clears this leaves space for something wondrous and new. But you need to let the old thing die to bring in the new thing.

So when the death card comes up don’t worry. Just think that there is the opportunity for something new. No cards are just bad or good. All cards are balanced. The death card does get a bad press! In the Connolly deck she calls it "Transformation" which is a less imposing way of looking at it.

When reading for other people I sometimes get stuck and feel awkward. How do I overcome that?
Here is some advice for if you get stuck:

I was told something horrible by a Tarot reader and now I am really worried. Will it come true?
I’m afraid this is a common experience with Tarot reading and many forms of divination such as palm reading or clairvoyance. What you have been told almost certainly relates to your future because if it was in your past or present you already know about it!

The thing to bear in mind is that you were meant to see that reader. Your higher self won’t have let you down. On some level that reader is telling you something, even though the delivery method was unpleasant. You need to draw off the positives.

The first thing to remember is that you control your life. The future is not set. If a Tarot reader tells you that you are going to get run over by a bus in two days time then if you stay at home for three days then it is not going to happen is it? Sometimes predictions are like warnings. They are like saying, "If you continue as you are then this will happen". If a reader tells you that you are destined for divorce, then maybe you need to wake up to your partner. Maybe you are ignoring them, or won’t commit fully, or have a fear of marriage. So the reader is correct really. If you carry on like this you are destined for divorce. But if you deal with you fears and make a decision to work with your partner and to change yourself then you can essentially change your future.

The problem with predictions of this nature is normally in how they are delivered. No reader can say with absolute certainty that something is going to happen. A responsible reader would have said for the above situation, "You need to give more time to your current relationship otherwise it may not have a future." Well, it doesn’t take a genius to work that out! The Tarot reader used their skill to interpret all was not well with your current relationship. The part where damage could be caused is in the delivery. Tarot doesn’t deal in absolutes, it deals with feelings, and "whispers on the wind".

If someone tells you something you don’t like then you need to get it out of your head. So:

I’ve come to the conclusion I cannot read Tarot because I am not sensitive enough. I am right to give it up?
Do you feel emotion? Do you cry? Do you have compassion? These are the qualities that you need to read Tarot. You need to be sensitive to pick up on the energy of the cards. If you don’t feel emotions very well, then possibly you could work on your emotions a bit more. Give it time and things will become clearer. You wouldn’t expect to be able to paint wondrous watercolour paintings without some years of practice.

When you are reading the tarot, you are essentially interpreting energy. The spread in front of you carries a certain energy, and the task of a tarot reader, I believe, is to interpret this energy - like a translator. A good tarot reader will be able to translate this energetic picture into words, stories, images that someone you are reading for can understand. This skill, as with any skill, takes time.

It is quite difficult to read for yourself sometimes, because we can sometimes only see what we want to see. So try reading for other people more. People you know and trust and who will appreciate you are learning. And remember the golden rule, when you are reading for others, you are also reading for yourself too. There will be some core bit of advice in that spread that you need to take notice of.

Just learn a little about a card each day and be happy you are making progress. Why not try a different approach? Try picking a card in the morning to reflect your day. Then at the end of the day try spotting what that card meant. In this way you are building up your reference material you draw on when you read as well as giving yourself valuable insights into your life.

Is it unlucky to buy your own tarot cards?
This is something that people love to say - that it is unlucky to buy your own tarot cards. But can the person who told you it was unlucky tell you why it is unlucky I wonder? It is a piece of information that people love to pass on without knowing why they are telling people this. So the simple answer is that no, it is not unlucky. If you think it might be nice to receive them as a gift then that is another matter.

You need to use your own judgement here. When I first got my tarot cards, my wife bought them for me, because it is said that tarot cards need to be a gift. But I was with her in the shop and picked them out! For me, I had to wait until Christmas morning to open them, so the wait did kind of increase the importance of the event, which may have been good. But now, having been reading for seven years or so, if I wanted another deck now I would just buy it without hesitation.

If you have someone willing to part with their cash for you, you might like the cards as a present! But if the time isn't convenient then buy them for yourself. Reading the tarot cards is about you, not the cards themselves. Once you start reading your relationship with the cards will grow. I think the gift thing might be to do with history, when a pack of cards might have been given by a master to an apprentice when they were ready. At that time there were no modern printing methods. So a pack of cards would not have been something you bought from the corner shop! This sort of activity was very hidden.

So, as ever, with spiritual development, you cannot do any wrong, no matter what people tell you. It is a matter of your choice. What do you feel would be best for you? Bad luck does not enter into it.

Is the Tarot bad or somehow inherently evil?
A Tarot deck is made in a factory using printing methods, colour inks and glossy card. They come out of the factory, are put into boxes and then arrive with retailers who sell them to the public. At no stage do the cards pass through the "Mystical Wizard Section" where people put curses on them or likewise bless them with love. Tarot cards themselves are a product.

When we read the Tarot this tool has images that are describing true and natural energies that exist. It is the translation and description of these energies that can cause harm. If the person doing the reading is evil or is unaware of powerful personal issues that may affect their interpretation, then there is a chance that the reading may cause harm.

A telephone can a dangerous tool if the person using it is making nuisance or threatening calls or it can be great to call up your friends and family. A Tarot deck can be dangerous only if the person using them is using them in an irresponsible manner. To safeguard yourself and others here are a few tips: