Observations of a Tarot Reader

From Reader to Psychic
Separating Yourself from the Querent:
Part 1: Making Judgments and Letting Them Go
Part 2: Clairvoyance and Clairaudience.
Asking for Help from "The Other Side"
The Uncertain Art of Predicting the Future

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You have chosen a favorite deck or decks, mastered a favorite tableau or two, and studied the meanings until you have memorized most, if not all, of them. You have determined a system for shuffling and handling the cards. You have read the cards for yourself and for people you know. This is an accomplishment that requires dedication and study and you should be congratulated for your level of mastery and determination. But, there is more!

When you begin reading for complete strangers (which you will only do for money, if you are wise), you will begin to cast off the weight of the technical aspects of reading that you have learned and truly begin to fly.

From Reader to Psychic

Learn to read the cards, then learn to trust yourself: In your early readings, you are bound by necessity to the use of your rational mind. You are still learning the meanings of the cards in their various positions; the technical aspects of conducting a reading; and beginning to develop a personal style. But, once you have mastered the technical aspect of tarot reading you have to let that knowledge go into your unconscious memory - retaining it on one level, but letting it go on another.

One way to begin letting go is to look carefully at the art work in the cards. Some decks are better for this purpose than others. The Thoth deck is possibly the most meaningfully illustrated of any that are available. It gives the corresponding astrological correspondences fore each card in the minor arcana, which can help to prompt the subconscious mind during a reading. The paths of the Kabalah are represented on each card of the major arcana. Let your attention be drawn to any of the details in the cards in the layout. Notice what attracts you the most - then listen to your subconscious and look within.

So, the next time you read for anyone, don't forget the meanings of the cards given in the books and do remember to look for other signs and symbolic meaning in the artwork of the cards. Focus on whatever attracts your attention most. Trust your senses. Confirm the messages you receive with the querent.

Separating Yourself from the Querent
When a reader first begins reading for others, it is often a challenge to find boundaries. Where do you end and where does the other person begin?

It is difficult to explain exactly how to distinguish yourself from the person you are reading for, but, this is how you will know when you've done it.

Part 1

It's natural to make judgments: We judge each other all the time. It's nothing to apologize for, really, because we do it without intention. Some people see someone with long hair and assume, based on their own experiences and personal stereotypes that the person is a hippie, a biker or a musician. They may assume that someone who wears glasses is really smart. Or they may be tempted to project their own desires or preferences on others. It occurs subconsciously, but you have to acknowledge it and be aware of it. Then when you sit down to read with someone, you lay it aside.

So, when you first see your client, be aware of these impressions. But once you have laid the cards, get in the habit of releasing that so that you can accept what the cards are telling you without personal judgment. When the cards begin to tell you things that are completely contrary to your first impressions of this person, you know that this information is coming from another source. Confirm the messages you are receiving with your querent. Doing so helps you gauge your ability.

Part  2

Clairvoyance and Clairaudience: As you read, balance your analysis of the cards with looking and listening inwardly. Psychics often describe seeing pictures in their minds as if they are being projected on a mental movie screen. This is clairvoyance. When you are seeing things that you do not recognize as your own memories or your own thoughts, it is probably related to your querent. Confirm this with with the person and, if you are correct then, you have found your boundary. Remember that feeling so that you will recognize it again when it happens.

Sometimes you may receive a message through a voice. This is clairaudience. When it is not your own internal monologue - that voice that you use in your own mind, the one that says things like, "Darn it! I forgot my keys!" - then you know that it is coming from somewhere else. Again, confirm your impressions with the querent, then remember what that feels like.

In my own personal experience these pictures and voices are not "in" my mind. I hear or see them as if they are projected out into near space. In my case, pictures are often projected to my upper left, somewhat as if it is being projected onto a screen, but the quality of the vision is more three-dimensional. I've learned that that is a cue that I'm having a psychic experience. I know this from confirming facts related to such visions with many clients.

I often have a sense that I am pulling pictures or sounds of the mind of my querent or from some other source.

Asking for Help from "The Other Side"

Invisible aide: Some people assume, without question, that there are spirits around us, whether the spirits of deceased family members or angelic beings. For others, this is more difficult to accept. When you have experiences of your own that help you to verify the existence of such things, it is easier for the rational mind to accept.  Whatever your beliefs may be, receiving help from "the other side" can improve the quality of your readings and expand your psychic abilities.

One simple and unobtrusive method you can use to improve your readings is simply to silently "ask" for help. Do not be limited by your belief or lack thereof. All too often, the world is not as we believe it to be. If this concept is strange for you, approach it as an experiment.

Before you lay the cards, silently ask for help from a deity, angels or any good spirits who take an interest in your querent's life. Find what you are comfortable with. These things are usually just a strong "sense" that you will have and you can try to verify your impressions with the client.

The Uncertain Art of Predicting the Future

Nothing is really solid: The future is mutable; it can change because others around us have their own measure of free will and their own desires. A forecaster can tell what will happen if all factors involved remain the same; if everyone involved stays on their present course, then, certain events or circumstances are likely to result. But, if others involved change something before the event comes the pass, the outcome can be different.

A tarot reader can be likened to a person observing an intersection from the top of a high building. The observer may be able to see that two cars are about to collide, if they continue on the same course. But, if one of the drivers changes his course at the last minute, the collision will not take place.

At a fundamental level, this world - the five-sense reality we share - can be described as particles of atoms and waves. Particles are somewhere between physical matter and pure energy. Upon observation, they become waves or vibrations. Waves are energy, but they can change back into particles. It is a vibrant, ever-changing energy that comprises the most seemingly solid objects. For this reason, nothing around us is entirely fixed. This fact makes the art of predicting the future a difficult one.