Numerica
I am new to reading tarot, and just starting to establish what works for me and what doesn't, so I wanted to ask people about what they do when they read the cards... I'm not necessarily talking about 'ritual' in the sense of a magical or spiritual sense, but more about habitual repetition, in the same way 'ritual' is used when somebody talks about their 'morning ritual'.
A lot of the literature I've found online and in books talks about finding what works best for you, and I while I understand and agree with that, I'd like to learn more about what other people do so I can see if there is something that I might want to try incorporating into what I do.
One of the issues I have regards having a dedicated or special space to read in. I would like to do this, but I live with my elderly parents, who don't object to my reading tarot, but who aren't exactly comfortable watching me do it, either. I sometimes discuss readings with my Mom, and she is fine with that, even sometimes having insight into a cards meaning that I hadn't thought of, but she doesn't feel comfortable watching me do a reading. What that means is that I don't feel comfortable setting up a space for readings in shared space, and since my 'room' in the basement is not separated from the rest of the basement by walls, that includes my personal space in the house as well. I usually do my readings in the morning, before they get up, and often use the kitchen table, living room floor, or my bed. I've considered getting a cloth to put down to do readings, but am not sure what size, shape, or material would work best... I am not in a financial position where I can afford to buy and try multiple options.
At any rate, when I read the cards, I make an effort to clear the area I am doing the reading in of extraneous clutter and debris, then get my cards, journal, and books. I put the books and journal to one side, out of the way, and take the cards out of their bag. (The bag isn't that special, I knitted it myself out of acrylic yarn). Holding the deck with one hand , I tap them three times to clear any energy from past readings or that they might have absorbed since I last used them. I try to clear my mind, and sweep my free hand over the cards three times, the first time imagining I am pushing away any remaining energy from past readings, the second pushing away any negative energy, and the third anything that is not divinely inspired. Then, holding the deck in both hands, I try to meditate, not thinking about the question or focus of the reading yet, but focusing on clearing my mind and letting my energy enter the cards. When I feel ready, I pray, asking for insight on the question and guidance on interpreting the cards.
Then I shuffle the deck. I've found that I'm much more comfortable shuffling the deck like I shuffle playing cards, which I think is what people mean when they say a riffle shuffle, because it feels familiar to me and makes me less anxious and more confident in what I'm doing. I play cards with my family fairly frequently, and I've always enjoyed the feeling of shuffling the cards, and the sound they make as the fall into place. I sometimes feel guilty about this because I know its not necessarily good for the cards, but when I shuffle other ways, I find that the feeling of 'wrongness' distracts me from being able to focus on the reading. While I'm shuffling, I think about the question or focus of the reading and the spread I intend to use.
When I feel ready, I take the top card of the deck and put it in the first position in the spread face down. The next card down goes in the second position, and so on and so forth until the spread is complete. Then I turn over the first card laid down, trying to interpret it from memory and visual first, then reading the information in the manual, and also from "Tarot For Beginners" by Barbara Moore. Then I go to the next card, and do the same thing. Once each card has been looked at and interpreted individually in terms of its position, I try to look at the entire spread, how the cards interact with each other.
What do other people do?
A lot of the literature I've found online and in books talks about finding what works best for you, and I while I understand and agree with that, I'd like to learn more about what other people do so I can see if there is something that I might want to try incorporating into what I do.
One of the issues I have regards having a dedicated or special space to read in. I would like to do this, but I live with my elderly parents, who don't object to my reading tarot, but who aren't exactly comfortable watching me do it, either. I sometimes discuss readings with my Mom, and she is fine with that, even sometimes having insight into a cards meaning that I hadn't thought of, but she doesn't feel comfortable watching me do a reading. What that means is that I don't feel comfortable setting up a space for readings in shared space, and since my 'room' in the basement is not separated from the rest of the basement by walls, that includes my personal space in the house as well. I usually do my readings in the morning, before they get up, and often use the kitchen table, living room floor, or my bed. I've considered getting a cloth to put down to do readings, but am not sure what size, shape, or material would work best... I am not in a financial position where I can afford to buy and try multiple options.
At any rate, when I read the cards, I make an effort to clear the area I am doing the reading in of extraneous clutter and debris, then get my cards, journal, and books. I put the books and journal to one side, out of the way, and take the cards out of their bag. (The bag isn't that special, I knitted it myself out of acrylic yarn). Holding the deck with one hand , I tap them three times to clear any energy from past readings or that they might have absorbed since I last used them. I try to clear my mind, and sweep my free hand over the cards three times, the first time imagining I am pushing away any remaining energy from past readings, the second pushing away any negative energy, and the third anything that is not divinely inspired. Then, holding the deck in both hands, I try to meditate, not thinking about the question or focus of the reading yet, but focusing on clearing my mind and letting my energy enter the cards. When I feel ready, I pray, asking for insight on the question and guidance on interpreting the cards.
Then I shuffle the deck. I've found that I'm much more comfortable shuffling the deck like I shuffle playing cards, which I think is what people mean when they say a riffle shuffle, because it feels familiar to me and makes me less anxious and more confident in what I'm doing. I play cards with my family fairly frequently, and I've always enjoyed the feeling of shuffling the cards, and the sound they make as the fall into place. I sometimes feel guilty about this because I know its not necessarily good for the cards, but when I shuffle other ways, I find that the feeling of 'wrongness' distracts me from being able to focus on the reading. While I'm shuffling, I think about the question or focus of the reading and the spread I intend to use.
When I feel ready, I take the top card of the deck and put it in the first position in the spread face down. The next card down goes in the second position, and so on and so forth until the spread is complete. Then I turn over the first card laid down, trying to interpret it from memory and visual first, then reading the information in the manual, and also from "Tarot For Beginners" by Barbara Moore. Then I go to the next card, and do the same thing. Once each card has been looked at and interpreted individually in terms of its position, I try to look at the entire spread, how the cards interact with each other.
What do other people do?