Reading for yourself

Thoughtful

l have no hesitation in reading for myself as l find it very helpful. At the beginning of my tarot journey I found it a good way to know the cards and to become familiar with them. As time went on the readings proved valuable for me so l learnt to trust the cards and my own interpretations.
It's not for everyone though, my friend cannot read her own cards, but then she has me :joke:
 

CrystalSeas

Another thing I've realized that I do is lay out a reading when things are overwhelming, but only do a superficial assessment of what it means.

I just ran across a reading in my journal that I did about 6 months ago when I was upset about something. Question, spread, cards, and a short paragraph about what I thought they were saying.

Today I was able to revisit that reading and really see what the cards were saying in that situation. Very revealing and very useful for future self-readings.
 

DecemberBliss

I've always read for myself, although they usually tend to be one card readings when I'm feeling stuck or lacking in focus. That one card, often one that falls or 'jumps' while I'm shuffling, helps to guide me in making sense of my thoughts and looking for suggestions and answers from external sources as well as from within.
 

kittydorkdork

I always prefer reading for myself I think mainly because of my beliefs. I have only been read for three times before. 2 of the times the readings just didn't make sense at all. The other time was actually not too bad but not very helpful. When I do readings for myself they are profound, thought provoking, and just really helpful. I may not always like what they say but they're always right.
 

JadePixie

I mostly read for myself and so far my self readings have been completely spot on. My readings for others are the ones I'm unsure of.
 

Rhinemaiden

I read ONLY for myself - never for or about others - a three card draw (past/present/future) each morning. I keep a record of my daily draws in a computer spreadsheet.
 

Morwenna

I do read for myself, but not predictively. I do analytical readings, which focus on the present rather than on the future. And yes, they are accurate, sometimes embarrassingly so. I really need to listen to my cards more often!
 

bonebeach

I can read for myself perfectly fine, even when emotional...EXCEPT on one specific situation, on which I can hardly read for myself at all. Even though I can do it; I just have to calm myself down and be very sure about the...guidelines...for what I'm doing. For example, usually whether I read reversals or not is decision I make just as the cards come up. I go with whatever feels right, and easy peasy, seems to work. But if I'm trying to read about my blind spot and I do that...it's a mess. If I declare beforehand whether or not I'm using reversals, much better.

I like the suggestion upthread of using the LWB. I think that if you usually don't use the LWB, and you're having trouble reading for yourself, it might help to go back to something rote. On the other hand, sometimes I focus up by doing something completely different and using a deck that feels foreign to me, something I don't use, something with unusual imagery.

Frankly, though, if I didn't think a person could read for themselves at all, I'm not sure I would do tarot anything. I'm a very private person, and sometimes very detail oriented, and I don't wanna go to someone else each time my neurotic self is doing some deep soul searching, you know? I mostly have other people read for me if the question I have is something very definite and external.
 

CharlotteK

I mostly read for myself as I'm not confident enough yet to offer readings to anything other than very close friends, and it's also not something I feel comfortable broadcasting that I'm into yet, as I have had funny reactions from some people. Even from limited experience though, it's definitely easier reading for other people. For myself I tend stick to questions designed to probe what I may be hiding from myself about my motivations, concerns, fears etc. I see reading for myself almost as holding up a mirror or light that shines into some of the murkier recesses that I'm reluctant to look too hard at. So it's a very useful tool for that. I don't ask about the future. And I do refer to the LWB.
 

danieljuk

I like reading for myself for both guidance and prediction but I don't do it as much anymore because I am more selective on the things I read or ask about. It's great though for practising your skills if you have no one else to read for! But reading for other people is much easier in my opinion, in fact I like to know as little about the other person as possible. The difficulties of having knowledge about the person or reading for yourself is remaining neutral and impartial! It takes more self discipline to read for yourself.

If you feel you are too biased, you can do the reading and then look at it as if you are reading for someone else. It can make you more impartial. Also you can send it to a friend or post here in your readings for a second opinion! I think nearly everyone has needed a second opinion at least once with their own readings, sometimes they are difficult to work out! But I think some people cannot self read, they just don't seem to be able to do it as a character or personality.