Guidance

[Serpentarius]

So, I have a feeling I've been doing something 'wrong'. I have been asking about the same situation almost everyday and I feel as if that's a symptom of obsession clouding my intuition. Part of me feels part of the problem is that reading for yourself can be difficult, as its much harder to be objective if you're attached to a certain outcome or answer. My other 'intuition' is that unless asking for clarity for certain cards, it probably isn't a good idea to ask 'what's the future of this relationship (over the next few weeks)?' just to ask a very similar question the next day. I haven't even given my inquiry time to play out.

Another part of this is trying to reconcile the divination aspect of Tarot, as I don't ascribe to fatalism, yet believe we all have a path of highest purpose. However, an explanation about divination explained it functioning as 'our subconscious has a different relationship to time and space' so we can have a sense of 'knowing' an outcome subconsciously, even if consciously we don't.

Anyways, I don't want to get into too much theory, just looking for some guidance. If I ask a question, how long should I wait before asking again? Is the Tarot clearer with answers to questions of a certain nature than others? What sort of inquiries do you make? How do you read the cards to divine the future? And/or how do you utilize the Tarot to navigate life?

 

[jolie_amethyst]

I'm going to partially quote myself here, because I'm too sick to type it all out again today. But reading over and over on the same topic has been discussed numerous times on this board. A search (beyond the thread I paste here) may turn up other insights that are helpful.

From this thread: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=234062 Other replies within the thread may also be useful to you.

If the situation hasn't changed and it's been less than a few weeks, don't bother reading again on that subject until significant time has passed.

If you asked for advice via the cards and you haven't followed it, don't bother reading again until you have. If you have, make sure enough time has passed for your actions to have made a difference.

If you don't understand what you're seeing, you're too close to the situation. Put the cards away.

If you know you're liable to get emotionally worked up by a reading, put the cards away.

Many, many people do not have the detachment to read for themselves. Others cannot read for themselves on certain subjects (I'm in this category.) You can either get ONE reading from someone else--don't fall into the trap of getting more than one from different readers hoping for a different outcome!--or you can leave the cards out of the equation entirely until the situation is resolved.

One of the worst things you can do for your mental & emotional health is keep reading for yourself on a specific topic that you KNOW is triggering for you. I get stressed about travel, convinced that the plane will fall out of the sky. As a result, I've found I can't read on that topic for myself--period, end of statement, EVER. Any readings I do around it will be both stressful and blown out of proportion. The same wretched cards will turn up every time--things like the Tower and 10/Swords. So I simply do not involve Tarot in any travel plans I have, and that helps keep me from winding myself into a full blown panic attack.

If you think you're obsessing, you are. I've found the only effective solution to that is to stop reading altogether for a time (for me, about a week), walk away from all things Tarot including this forum so you're less tempted to read, and go do something productive that has zero to do with any sort of divination. Continuously reading on the same subjects won't give you more useful information, and it won't change the outcome to something you like better. Only your actions can change what's happening in your life, not a deck of cards.

Note too, this seems to happen far more often to those looking for predictive answers. Start reading instead for proactive change that's needed in your life in order to reach the best possible outcome--and actually follow through on the advice the cards provide--and you may find that you're not as likely to fall into the obsessive reading trap. That's how I use Tarot, for the most part, and I rarely find myself doing the "same subject readings over and over" anymore.

 

[Serpentarius]

I'm going to partially quote myself here, because I'm too sick to type it all out again today. But reading over and over on the same topic has been discussed numerous times on this board. A search (beyond the thread I paste here) may turn up other insights that are helpful.

From this thread: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=234062 Other replies within the thread may also be useful to you.



If you think you're obsessing, you are. I've found the only effective solution to that is to stop reading altogether for a time (for me, about a week), walk away from all things Tarot including this forum so you're less tempted to read, and go do something productive that has zero to do with any sort of divination. Continuously reading on the same subjects won't give you more useful information, and it won't change the outcome to something you like better. Only your actions can change what's happening in your life, not a deck of cards.

Note too, this seems to happen far more often to those looking for predictive answers. Start reading instead for proactive change that's needed in your life in order to reach the best possible outcome--and actually follow through on the advice the cards provide--and you may find that you're not as likely to fall into the obsessive reading trap. That's how I use Tarot, for the most part, and I rarely find myself doing the "same subject readings over and over" anymore.

Wow, thanks for sharing!! I appreciate it

 

[danieljuk]

I think one of the big things I have learnt in tarot is to trust the readings and have faith in it. I have gone from asking over and over again about important things in my life, to using it minimally! Do a reading on the subject important to you and see how it turns out. That is using jolie_amethyst's excellent advice there. The more you ask about something over and over, the more confused you will get, but also the tarot starts throwing up weird answers (some people find it starts to get really sarcastic in some cases).

Tarot can give us advice and also guidance but also we have to step back sometimes, we also often have to take some sort of action. Tarot cannot make decisions for us or actually take action, that is left to us. If nothing has changed since the last reading, have faith in what has come up in it, but often we have to change something or act on it

 

[RiverRunsDeep]

Hi Serpentarius,

You have received some excellent advice here already!

You want to know how long you should wait before asking the same question again. Actually, there is no use in repeating the same question over and over. With Tarot, the answer is the answer! The only reason the outcome would change is if you know for a fact that you or someone else has done something to influence the situation.

I do sometimes use the cards in a divinatory way. Here is a concrete example: I am getting ready to host an "open house" at my place of business, and I'd like to know how successful it will be. IMHO, I don't believe Tarot answers yes/no questions very well, so I will not ask something like, "Will my open house be successful?"

My favorite way of asking the cards about something is to pose a "What kind of energies?" question. As in: "What kind of energies will surround my open house event?". I am always amazed at how focused and specific a response the cards can deliver from such a general question!

Based on the answer, if I would like to see a certain outcome, my next questions will fall into the categories of "What should I do?" and "What shouldn't I do?".
So I will probably ask, "What can I do to make sure my event is successful?", and
then, "What should I avoid so my event will not be a negative experience?".

Although, as others have posted, the outcome is really up to you, not the cards.


Good luck with your readings, and I hope I've been helpful!