Reading While Drinking
Shade
In Vino Veritas!
By all means yes drink while reading Tarot. One great technique is to bring a deck to a bar and do readings in exchange for drinks. I have had a lot of success (and a lot of Manhattans) that way.
Alcohol did not, in my experience, help with intuition but boy does it clear up that Throat Chakra. You can be very honest and open after you have a few in you. Water of course is your friend throughout this process.
I will say that yes absinthe does create a completely different experience and I do think there is something to being more lucid when you drink it but it is not going to turn you into Toulouse Lautrec. He was a brilliant artist before he sipped not after. The Green Fairy is an excellent Tarot companion; I think The Baroque Bohemian Gothic tarot would be an ideal deck to use when imbibing it.
By all means yes drink while reading Tarot. One great technique is to bring a deck to a bar and do readings in exchange for drinks. I have had a lot of success (and a lot of Manhattans) that way.
Alcohol did not, in my experience, help with intuition but boy does it clear up that Throat Chakra. You can be very honest and open after you have a few in you. Water of course is your friend throughout this process.
I will say that yes absinthe does create a completely different experience and I do think there is something to being more lucid when you drink it but it is not going to turn you into Toulouse Lautrec. He was a brilliant artist before he sipped not after. The Green Fairy is an excellent Tarot companion; I think The Baroque Bohemian Gothic tarot would be an ideal deck to use when imbibing it.
Moonbow
A person's energy changes when they have been drinking alcohol, I'm sure we all agree with that, Tarot cards or not. The cards don't change so if you are reading as a hobby or for yourself its not as important as reading for someone who is paying you. That's not to say the insight will be less meaningful because any altered state can bring new experiences, but I would advise to be of clear mind when reading for other people.
Sar
Maskelyne
I often read with a glass of wine or a dram of whisky. A little alcohol lubricates the mind, though a little more begins to dull it.
Cannabis is another matter. On the one hand, it makes the symbolism appear more vivid, and stimulates the imagination. On the other hand, it can stimulate the imagination to the point that the reading veers off into fantasy, or get me so intrigued by the imagery of a card that I quite forget the subject of the reading.
However, tarot reading for me is for entertainment purposes only. I would expect someone taking money for a reading should be reasonably close to straight and sober while doing it.
Cannabis is another matter. On the one hand, it makes the symbolism appear more vivid, and stimulates the imagination. On the other hand, it can stimulate the imagination to the point that the reading veers off into fantasy, or get me so intrigued by the imagery of a card that I quite forget the subject of the reading.
However, tarot reading for me is for entertainment purposes only. I would expect someone taking money for a reading should be reasonably close to straight and sober while doing it.
Padma
well...I give the very best "spirit readings" - just using whatever I pick up from a person - after a drink or two. But not 4 drinks, just one or two - and then I get the most awesome, accurate reads....
Not with Tarot however - Tarot seems to need me clean, sober and light in stomach, as someone else here mentioned...when doing party reads, I never would eat till the end of the evening - you (I) get sharper with hunger/abstinence.
Tarotbear, that is interesting about Absinthe - I have certainly read about it, but not sure if I would try it. Let me know if you ever do lol!
Not with Tarot however - Tarot seems to need me clean, sober and light in stomach, as someone else here mentioned...when doing party reads, I never would eat till the end of the evening - you (I) get sharper with hunger/abstinence.
Tarotbear, that is interesting about Absinthe - I have certainly read about it, but not sure if I would try it. Let me know if you ever do lol!
Richard
Good absinthe can be as expensive as a fine single malt whisky. Drinking it is not in the same category as swigging a beer. It is a ritual best enjoyed alone or in the company of other absinthe drinkers. The Green Fairy yields her maximum bounty to those who approach her with single-minded devotion. Tarot could be a distraction from the proper enjoyment of her delights. Beer or vin ordinaire would be a more appropriate accompainment to Tarot activities. 
Cassandra022
i think it also depends a bit on the purpose of the reading. if you are reading with the intention of serious study of the deck/cards, or to do a serious, 'life coach/counseling/etc' type reading for someone, being under the influence of more than one or two alcoholic beverages sounds rather inappropriate/counter productive.
on the other hand, if you are reading casually at a party or similar venue, where the intent is quite clearly 'entertainment purposes only' and everyone sees it as such, having the reader and/or querent a bit tipsy/drunk probably not such a big deal all around.
on the other hand, if you are reading casually at a party or similar venue, where the intent is quite clearly 'entertainment purposes only' and everyone sees it as such, having the reader and/or querent a bit tipsy/drunk probably not such a big deal all around.
Lokismile
I enjoy the same exchange. I have a trimmed THOTH, small and compact which I will read anywhere. I pulled it out when conversation went dull at a gathering recently and the introduction to Tarot went quite well.
Without the social lubricant one young lady admitted the next day she may not have tried it, and she's indeed glad she did.
Seconded with Jagermeister -- a buzz similar to opiates in feel and form. I've read casually under the influence of small amounts, and found others receptive too.
A nice glass of wine seems to invoke a different approach from sitters, yet relaxed and equally enjoyable.
For my paying clients, not a drop for either person. That is a professional not casual experience.
Morwenna
I know someone who sells absinthe spoons... But that stuff tastes like licorice/anise though, doesn't it? Eewww...
I have actually never tried working with the cards while under the influence. Someday soon I ought to try it for myself, not drunk, just buzzed a bit on one little liqueur (yes, nowadays I do get buzzed on a couple ounces) and see what happens. And I'll try one of my most familiar decks for it too.
I would still never ever do it for pay, or for a serious reading.
But that stuff tastes like licorice/anise though, doesn't it? Eewww...I have actually never tried working with the cards while under the influence. Someday soon I ought to try it for myself, not drunk, just buzzed a bit on one little liqueur (yes, nowadays I do get buzzed on a couple ounces) and see what happens. And I'll try one of my most familiar decks for it too.
I would still never ever do it for pay, or for a serious reading.
