[This thread was inspired by the "what's on your table" thread.]
Hi all!
If you didn't read it, I'm returning to the scene after being away for years and I'm super excited to be back! Right now I only have one deck (Radiant Rider-Waite Smith) but two more are coming in the mail by Amazon soon (Whimsical and Gay).
My tarot space is just my kitchen table right now, but I'm going to buy myself a nice table to do my readings on. So basically I have a blank space to start building from. So starting with the table...
What type of table should a beginner buy? How big? What type of wood? What color? What do you all recommend?
also...
What decorations are must-haves for you for a Beginner's Divining Tarot table? What are no-no's?
I look forward to hearing what you all have to say! Thanks for being so welcoming back and thanks in advance for your advice.
Namaste.
Hi Pargatho,
I think you already have everything you need, that is : a tarot deck, and space on your kitchen table. The rest is not necessary, but I agree that it can be fun to have adds-on !
I have listed here all that I like to use, by order of most important to less important. Bearing in mind that none of it is compulsory exept number one.
1 - a flat surface
Only three weeks ago did I aquire a small low table that has become my reading space. But that might not last : we got that table second hand from a friend who was getting rid of his late parents furniture ; my husband wanted this table to be for family use, and he has a point, so I might have to surrender the table soon
But, apart from that, I do my readings everywhere : mostly on my bed, but also on the sofa, on the kitchen table.... even on the floor, anywhere can do.
For a professional reader, though, I guess it would be cool to have a specific place dedicated to this activity. Maybe near the computer, if you plan to do online readings ? Or, if face to face readings are more your type, in a calm space, with comfortable sitting accomodation ? It's up to you to decide. Mind the comfort for yourself if you are going to spend a significant amount of time : heigh of the table for the comfort of your back, lighting for the comfort of your eyes.....
2 - a reading cloth.
When I read on my bed or directly on the sofa (which is where a lot of my readings take place) I do not need a reading cloth, but anywhere else I will use a cloth, for protecting the cards.
I come from a place where we have always played with cards, and especially the tarot as a game, and believe me, I have seen my share of battered, dirty, beer stained, sticky to the point of being disgusting, playing card decks. When playing cards, I am known amongst this crowd as the "picky" one who is always annoying everybody by insisting that everybody washes their hands before touching the cards, and that we use some sort of cloth to spread on the table, and that, please do not put your wet drink where the cards lay, please keep your cigarette from droping its ash on the cards, please wipe your fingers between eating greasy chips and holding the cards...
I have not been able to "save" most of those playing cards decks, but for my tarot collection that is another story, and I have turned into a control freak. My tarot decks are kept pristine, they are ! And I do not like people to mess with them, or even touch them too much.
So, that is why, when tarot is concerned, clean hands and a reading cloth are required for me.
The reading cloth doesn't have to be fancy, I have many times used a clean tea-towel for that purpose, but I admit that having a special purpose cloth, hand made, is a treat. I have hand made several reading cloth, and I came to the conclusions that the best are monochrome and a sufficient size for at least a celtic cross. A monochrome cloth will make the cards pop out more, and will look better if you photograph your spread.
Also, I prefer cotton, because it is cheap and easy to come by, easy to sew, easy to wash, and its absorbant qualities makes it the best material to protect the cards from humidity or anything dirty.
---------We are now entering the realm of things that I like to use, but that I do not use all the time (only when I have time, space, everything at my disposal.... so that is not all the time !) Most of the times, it is just me and the deck and nothing else--------
3 - hand cleaning spray
For the same reasons as above.
I do not really like people to touch my cards too much, but I also think it is a good thing (most of the times) if the sitter shuffle themselves, to have an active part in the process.
If I can I will just ask people to wash their hands before shuffling, as I mostly read for my friends it is usually not a problem. But, in the event where asking someone to wash their hands is tricky, I have found the solution :
I spray my own hands with my homemade hand cleaning spray, and I offer the sitter to do the same. If needed, that can be presented as a cleansing service ; for me the first purpose is cleaning more than cleansing, but if it cleanse also, all the better.
I mostly use a mix of Cologne and Florida water with crystal chips, sometimes just Cologne and a few drops of EO, but there are hundreds of solutions and recipes. A plain vial of hand sanitizer might not look very esoteric, but it will do the work all the same.
4 - something to record the reading (optionnal !)
Writing material or smartphone or epad
I seldom record readings.
I am always telling myself that I will journal more, starting tomorow... but.... journaling is sometimes a pain, and I do not want to refrain from reading just because I will have to journal afterwards.
I am always given the advice to " do journal ! record ! write !" but really, it sounds like homework to me. I work in a field where I write all the time (essays, reports, plans of actions..) so when I come home I dont feel like writing anymore.
But, I also admit that there is some virtue in journaling and recording readings, so I use a notebook and a pen, and either journal my head off, or just draw the cards and their position, with the question of the reading, for future reference. At the very least, if nothing else I try to take a picture of the spread.
5 - decoration (optionnal !)
This is where anything you like will work for you. You do you !
And reallly, there aren't any "no-nos". Anything you like will be good, anything you do not like will have to go.
Personnaly I like to have some sort of protective object, that is very personal, and it is not always the same, it changes depending on circumstances.
When I can, when I have engouh time and space, I also like to have a representation of the four elements ; usually I have crystals for earth, lit candle for fire, incense for air, and either a shell or a small clay mermaid for water.
For someone else, it could as well be herbs, a wand, a feather, and a cup of water, or nothing at all ! Possibilities are endless.
I hope you have fun setting up your reading space ! Good luck, and please come back to tell us what you did ?