How do you know if a reading you've done is right?

I've only started reading recently and I've found that there are times when I do a reading, it feels "right" and some days, it feels "off", like I can't get the card to connect at all.

My problem is, when I get a negative reading, the feeling I get is very similar to when the reading is "off", and I find it hard to tell if the negative reading was a result of my failure to connect, or if it was truly a negative reading.

I also find that I often can't do a second reading for confirmation, because my cards will somehow pick up that I wanted a positive reading and give me what I want instead of what is true.

There are also times when I thought a reading was bad and it turned out that I read the cards wrong and it was really a good one, and vice versa (e.g. getting the sun in a relationship reading and thinking that someone is happy with you when in fact he is blazingly angry).

How do you readers out there tell when you're wrong vs when the reading is genuinely telling a bad outcome?

If you are reading for yourself, you will feel it. If you are reading for others, you can't really tell until they come back and say how good the reading was.

Don't worry about doing it "right." Let go of control of the cards just read them. It will make you more receptive to what is Out There for you to find.

barb

Ace said:

If you are reading for yourself, you will feel it. If you are reading for others, you can't really tell until they come back and say how good the reading was.

Don't worry about doing it "right." Let go of control of the cards just read them. It will make you more receptive to what is Out There for you to find.

barb

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Thanks barb! I generally don't mind getting bad readings for myself. What I mind is giving a bad reading for others, because like, what if they come asking for, say, a relationship reading and I get a bad reading and that they end up not pursuing the relationship because of me when in fact, they could have been perfectly happy together?

Since most of my recent reading experience has been face-to-face for others in a professional setting, if the client expresses satisfaction after perhaps asking a question or two, I feel that the reading was "right enough." Most of my readings provide insights on potential situations, often with some psychological overtones, so it's less about being absolutely correct than it is about providing enlightenment, inspiration and empowerment (more than one client has called it "food for thought"), which usually aren't quantitatively measurable. We might call it "soft" confirmation as opposed to "hard."

When I do (email) readings, sometimes I really feel like I hit a wall with certain cards. Sometimes they suddenly feel like they have nothing to say and often I literally only have the clients name to go off of, someones just an online handle.

What I do is read without paying too much attention to the actual 'meanings' of the cards. Sometimes I feel that a card is saying something completely unlike it's proper meaning. So if the three of swords is telling me that I'm going to get money incoming, that's how I read it! It sounds daft I guess, but I've learned to rely on my intuition and simply use the cards as tools to spark it.

With my readings, I ask for feedback on the reading, and that if they need any clarification on anything they are welcome to have it. Sometimes I do get an overall 'negative' feel from a reading, when that happens I try to think of ways in which the negativity can be prevented or stopped, rather than actually describing what it is... If that makes sense, probably not!

All in all, I want people to go away from my readings with a positive feel, so I do my best to create a positive message, no matter the reading.

Try doing a past, present and future with the cards. You may only want to know about the future but if you get cards that are right on for the past and/or present, then you can be pretty sure you're going to read the future right, too.

You can use just three cards, or you can add another layer by using two cards per spot or, if you're really ambitious, use three cards for each section. Ask your overall question and then do a past, present and future for your answer.

Barleywine said:

Most of my readings provide insights on potential situations, often with some psychological overtones, so it's less about being absolutely correct than it is about providing enlightenment, inspiration and empowerment (more than one client has called it "food for thought"), which usually aren't quantitatively measurable.

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I love this philosophy. I find that my cards generally respond better if I ask a question seeking for advice rather than outcome. It's mostly the yes/no questions that throws me off. Thank you for the advice

FoxofInari said:

What I do is read without paying too much attention to the actual 'meanings' of the cards. Sometimes I feel that a card is saying something completely unlike it's proper meaning.

All in all, I want people to go away from my readings with a positive feel, so I do my best to create a positive message, no matter the reading.

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There are times when the cards seem to be telling me something different as well but I usually assume it's my brain deciding to go all whacky on me unless it's a really strong feeling. Thanks for letting me know that I'm not the only one! I guess this is where practice and experience becomes essential? To tell when I'm being whacky and when it's a genuine intuition.

Grizabella said:

Try doing a past, present and future with the cards.

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Good idea! I think I'll try this next time. Thank you!

You could make a note of your readings and wait for them to play out then compare your reading to actuality, I've found that the best way to learn.

headincloud said:

You could make a note of your readings and wait for them to play out then compare your reading to actuality, I've found that the best way to learn.

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This is a good idea. Keep a written account of your questions and the answers and then compare notes later on when the results are clear. Make notes of the results, too.

soot said:

I've only started reading recently and I've found that there are times when I do a reading, it feels "right" and some days, it feels "off", like I can't get the card to connect at all.

My problem is, when I get a negative reading, the feeling I get is very similar to when the reading is "off", and I find it hard to tell if the negative reading was a result of my failure to connect, or if it was truly a negative reading.

I also find that I often can't do a second reading for confirmation, because my cards will somehow pick up that I wanted a positive reading and give me what I want instead of what is true.

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You're aware that your wishes are influencing your interpretation, and it sounds like you can tell when it's happening, so you're doing great so far!

Even more striking, you can feel that it's "right" or is "off" and that's really, really good going while you're still quite a beginner.

when I get a negative reading, the feeling I get is very similar to when the reading is "off", and I find it hard to tell

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Very similar but not identical. Hard to tell, but not impossible. Pay close attention every time, and you'll get more and more of a feel for which it is. Relate these subtle feelings to what's going on in the world and you will learn the language of your own personal gut feelings. After a bit you can start taking risks based on this (which is your intuition), little risks where the stakes are low, and saying or doing things with no "reason", and that's when you start learning really fast.

soot said:

There are also times when I thought a reading was bad and it turned out that I read the cards wrong and it was really a good one, and vice versa (e.g. getting the sun in a relationship reading and thinking that someone is happy with you when in fact he is blazingly angry).

How do you readers out there tell when you're wrong vs when the reading is genuinely telling a bad outcome?

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You will always misread some. No one gets 100% accuracy. I believe it tends to happen when the reader strays from her/his own way of reading - for me, that's when I think more than I listen to my intuition. Or sometimes I use a numbers-based method and then I need to stick to my rules for that.

Occasionally you just shouldn't be doing that particular reading and the cards simply won't tell you anything.

And if yes/no or any kind of question doesn't suit you, you can always state that you don't take that kind of question. The reader must set the rules and the boundaries.