Running before you can crawl...

Hi greatdane

Thanks for putting your viewpoint in as a 'newbie'

It was well explained and well reasoned

Davina

franniee said:

Take the reading under advisement and use it to expand your knowledge of the situation and get you on better footing but don't live and die by the cards. NEVER. This is a HUGE thing for me! Of course people can do as they will but I believe they should trust their own instincts. Tarot is a tool not a prophet.

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Very well said! This is very much my view on tarot. I'm may be new to tarot, but there's no way I'm ready to give any sort of professional reading. I have many many miles to go before I even approach that level.

A couple of friends and co-workers know of my interest in tarot and have asked for readings, but I tell them flat out that I'm no tarot expert and any readings would be strictly for fun only, with a "for entertainment purposes only" disclaimer. I wouldn't feel right giving a reading otherwise, and I certainly wouldn't even consider reading for anyone right now, friends & co-workers included, who seemed depressed or emotionally fragile just because you never know if they're going to take the reading as gospel. That scares me for sure.

Thank you, Davina!

Well, since this is a thread about newbies, it's one I definitely felt I could readily voice an opinion! There are many topics (and I've started some threads) that I want answers and perspective about because I don't know enough to have formed an opinion. Reading for others at this point in my journey! THAT I know about !

Good for you. What you say makes loads of sense, too.

I so get what you're saying, Lela

I'm still hesitant, no what disclaimer I would give them, but that's because I'M just not ready yet and we have to start when we feel we can really offer something to a reading, I'm not there.

People tend NOT to pay attention to the warning about something, look at alcohol and cigarettes (and no, dear AE forum readers, I am not saying tarot should be viewed like them!), people are warned first, but don't pay any attention.

I think anyone who wants a reading WILL, consciously or unconsciously, consider it afterward. If they made a wrong choice based upon what I told them, even though warned before hand, I would feel terrible because I had given a reading before I felt ready or able to really offer any thing of value.

I feel an obligation to take readings to others very seriously. I plan on practicing for myself only right now, see how I feel I am connecting and see if MY readings make sense to me, because if I don't feel I am getting accurate or logical readings for myself, then feel obligated to NOT try to read for anyone else. Again, just me and where I'm at at this point in my journey.

Kimberlee said:

But a bit of devil's advocate, if you will: There are a good portion of spreads that have an "advice" position. Even if they don't, many readers give suggestions of steps to take based on the cards presented. While I don't advocate making drastic life changes based on the cards, I wonder what purpose these advice cards are meant to serve?

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I've always looked at them as a suggestion for consideration. Like a friend saying, 'You might try xxx.' What do you do when a friend makes a suggestion. Do you just say, 'Okay!' and go off and do it? Or do you enter into a dialogue of the pros and cons, continue thinking and come up with alternates? That's how I look at them...

We all have our own beginning, Carla

Like I said, if one feels comfortable doing a reading, I saw fine, go for it. I'm just not there. You mentioned getting advice from a friend, well, if a friend asked my advice, I wouldn't base that advice on what little I know about tarot right now, because I know SO little. I especially wouldn't want a friend to take away anything from a reading I feel capable of doing right now. You could be further along your journey, so I definitely get what you're saying, Carla. Reading for others is something so personal, and we each know when we feel ready. I was just speaking for myself when I said, I know I'm not there. But I sure hope to be in not too long!

Blessings and I hope you're enjoying your journey, as much as I am now, even though I've just "barely pulled out of the driveway"!

GD

If it helps at all - not counting the Now Famous Dreadful Event, I didn't read for over 35 years after I got my first deck.... This place got me doing it. The support was brilliant.

Gregory!

This site definitely inspires me to keep moving forward. Now, if I could just stay off this site long enough to practice more lol! I so love this forum because I'm learning so much. I do need to devote more time to my first deck though. I just don't want to miss anything here! It seems so much happens so quickly with so many threads, I wish I could clone myself, one half for the rest of my life, the other to keep checking threads here )

In all honesty, I don't even go into the Readings part anymore. It's always a vague question with no placements and the poster is wondering why they're all confused. I just can't deal with it.