Q: How do you feel when you do readings?
It’s a combination thing. It’s important that when I’m shuffling that I get my mind out of the way, breathe deeply, connect with those quantum fluctuations and the querent’s situation, not my own stuff. I try to focus on the querent’s name and a mental picture of the whole Earth, with a sense of sinking into the energy field (hard to explain, but it’s a feeling of relaxing, in a way). I believe that this approach allows the Tarot to choose the most appropriate cards for the situation when I make the draw.
The other part of the combination is a meld of intuitive feeling based on the question and an intellectual assessment of the symbolism and traditional meanings of the cards based on the deck’s philosophy. I listen to both what “feels” right as I look at the symbols and process them in my brain, and also what the traditional meanings say to me (sort of the linguistic perspective, but it’s about decoding the language of the picture) within the context of the question.
I have found that it’s really important for me to edit my final email readings, especially to make sure I’ve been faithful to the context of the question, since the cards can have variations in meaning facet depending on the question (health, relationship, career, etc.). It’s important that I speak to the querent’s particular concern. When I do face-to-face readings, the intuitive part is more evident as I interact with the querent directly, and we actually create the reading story together. It’s more dynamic, and I can feel the emotional energies of the querent more directly in person.
So, by applying both the symbolic power of the intuitive High Priestess and the insight of the Queen of Swords, I can come up with a balanced reading, and feel good about the result. 🙂
I found the questions for this series at a Tumblr account that no longer exists. A lovely person named Rhee started the thing. These are great prompts for telling stories about one’s journey through the world of Tarot, so I’ve started the series again on a weekly basis so you all can get to know me better, and also share your own answers to the questions in comments or links to your own posts. I’d love to hear from you!
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