Beginner discouraged by "wrong" answers!

This is really an interesting question! You write that you asked a question and then had a card you did not expect. A card that, you find, looks unpleasant and stroppy (thank you for teaching me a new word!).

Well, I think this Queen gave you a great answer to your question. How can you cultivate peace in 2017? Not the way you thought to do it. It will be different from what you imagined, more difficult, definitely a challenge. Is there an unpleasant and stroppy person in your life with whom you find it difficult to keep the peace? Or is there a part within you that is like this queen who is more bent on confrontation than peace? Now isn't it possible to have both - first a confrontation, then peace? Are there things you hide in your belly in order to keep the peace?

If you have a reading where the cards are totally unexpeted, rejoice. That's your opportunity to enter a real dialogue with the card. A card that makes us feel uncomfortable is always the card we need.

I alway say that tarot is like the Queen of England who has the rights to be consulted, to encourage and to warn. And that's what the cards do. Of course, they can also do a lot of other things, but in readings, they will give their opinion, encourage and warn.

Does this queen of wands encourage you to be more unpleasant and stroppy and be less peaceful? Or is she pointing to the reason why peace is such a priority for you?

Just let this card talk to you. She will tell you more than a sedate and lovely card may have told you.

There really aren't any such things as good/bad/positive/negative cards. I don't know how any card couldn't "fit" in a reading. What that idea tells me is that you have pre-conceived ideas and expectations about the kinds of answers you want. Let that go - you can't pull a wrong card.

What you can do is look closely at every element in the artwork and see what feelings come up. Examine facial expressions, the folds in clothing, hand positions, carvings in furniture, colors, animals, shapes, anything that stands out to you. As yourself what feelings and thoughts those elements evoke? And then interpret that and how it relates or connects to the person you're reading for, the question, or situation. I think letting go of the meanings you've memorized by rote and letting the imagery stimulate your imagination will be of great benefit to you.

Thank you so much for all your thoughtful answers, they have been very useful and encouraging! I think as some of you have said my main problems are a) too many preconceived notions about cards being "good"/"bad" and b) reading for myself on matters where my judgments are especially likely to be clouded by what I want to hear. I am going to try and do daily draws and avoid asking questions where I have strong emotions about the outcome for a while, and focus on doing readings which I don't feel so much pressure to get "right".

Hopefully overtime I will develop more confidence in reading all the different aspects of the cards, until then I will focus on practicing and studying, and try to see the times I struggle as good learning experiences.

Nemia, I am definitely going to take to heart your suggestion that an unexpected card is actually a better opportunity than a more comfortable card. Thank you!

On the tarot mucha... it's a mixed bag for me as there are cards I absolutely love and cards I dislike quite a bit... this means I can be a bit annoyed when the cards I find a bit ugly come up instead of the pretty ones. However I have accumulated quite a lot of decks over the years and I have the same problem with all of them! I must just be very picky.... tarot mucha is one of my favourites at the moment though despite its faults so I'm going to keep working with it for now

auberose said:

Thank you so much for all your thoughtful answers, they have been very useful and encouraging! I think as some of you have said my main problems are a) too many preconceived notions about cards being "good"/"bad" and b) reading for myself on matters where my judgments are especially likely to be clouded by what I want to hear. I am going to try and do daily draws and avoid asking questions where I have strong emotions about the outcome for a while, and focus on doing readings which I don't feel so much pressure to get "right".

Hopefully overtime I will develop more confidence in reading all the different aspects of the cards, until then I will focus on practicing and studying, and try to see the times I struggle as good learning experiences.

Nemia, I am definitely going to take to heart your suggestion that an unexpected card is actually a better opportunity than a more comfortable card. Thank you!

On the tarot mucha... it's a mixed bag for me as there are cards I absolutely love and cards I dislike quite a bit... this means I can be a bit annoyed when the cards I find a bit ugly come up instead of the pretty ones. However I have accumulated quite a lot of decks over the years and I have the same problem with all of them! I must just be very picky.... tarot mucha is one of my favourites at the moment though despite its faults so I'm going to keep working with it for now

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BTW, very few readers can read for themselves on issues they are really emotional about. I'm not sure any reader can. It takes objectivity to read, and you just can't maintain thaht if you are emotionally involved or really want one answer over another. If you do, you might start looking for it and see it there when it was not meant to be the answer at all. You have to come to it with a clear mind.

I don't even try to read for myself on that kind of issue, That is when I have a friend read for me or do an AT reading exchange.

If you keep practising as a reader you will develop more confidence. It takes time, it's not an overnight thing. The better you get and the more and more often you succeed, the more faith you have in what youre doing and in your skills.

Babs

Nemia said:

If you have a reading where the cards are totally unexpeted, rejoice. That's your opportunity to enter a real dialogue with the card. A card that makes us feel uncomfortable is always the card we need.

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This quote just went in my tarot journal......