This is a simplified procedure for readings using small spreads, such as the daily reading.
Shuffle the deck once or twice.
Hold the deck facedown in one hand and cover it with your other hand.
Pause a moment to become calm and centered.
Ask your Inner Guide to give you the guidance you need.
Place the deck facedown in front of you.
Cut the deck to the left and restack it.
Turn over the first card and place it in front of you.
Continue placing cards if your spread contains more than one position.
Make a note of your reading, if you want.
Return card(s) to the deck, and shuffle once or twice.
This is a full procedure for doing a tarot reading for yourself. It's based on the procedure described in Chapter Two, page 15.
Step 1—Choose and label the main subject of your reading
Step 2—Assemble all desired materials in the reading space
Step 3—Set the mood
Step 4—Opening Statement
Step 5—Shuffle the cards
Step 6—Cut the cards
Step 7—Lay out the cards
Step 8—Respond to the cards
Step 9—Analyze the reading
Step 10—Create the story
Step 11—Create the summary statement
Step 12—Finish up
Step 13—Use what you have learned
Here is a procedure to help you uncover the meaning of a single card in a reading (see page 22).
Step 1—What is the card's energy?
Step 2—What is the context for this card's energy?
Step 3—How strong does this card's energy feel to me?
Step 4—Does this card form a pair with another card?
Step 5—Is the card in a group, and, if so, how does this impact its interpretation?
Step 6—What is the energy phase of the card, if reversed?
Step 7—Does my feeling about the card's energy from step 3 match its orientation?
Step 8—Is this a repeating energy?
Step 9—If the card is in a group (step 5), does its orientation affect the card's meaning within the group?
Step 10—What do I want to do about this energy?
You can choose to write a question as the subject of a reading.
First, review your situation thoroughly. Think about all the people involved, directly or indirectly. Let your mind wander freely. You want to look at your problem without judging or censoring any part. Keep the following guidelines in mind:
Accept Responsibility
Example: What do I need to know to find the best living arrangements for my father?
Keep Your Options Open
Example: How might I encourage my mother-in-law to consider her health?
Find the Best Level of Detail
Example: How can I improve the flow of work within our office?
Focus on Yourself
Example: What role do I play in Arthur's drinking problem?
Stay Neutral
Example: How can I foster a spirit of cooperation concerning chores?
Example: Can you help me understand how to push on to victory in a tournament?
Useful ways to begin a question:
Can you give me insight into . . .
What do I need to understand about . . .
What is the meaning of . . .
What is the lesson or purpose of . . .
What are the circumstances underlying . . .
How can I improve my chances of. . .
How might I . . .
Questions to avoid:
Those to be answered “Yes” or “No”
Those beginning with “Should . . .”
Those beginning with “When will . . .
The Card Player's Method is often used to shuffle playing cards. Hold about half the cards facedown in each hand and intermingle them as they drop to the surface of the table. This technique mixes the cards thoroughly, but it can be awkward with tarot cards because they are bigger than normal. This method can also be hard on your cards; they tend to form a bend in the middle. The Card Player's Method is effective, but somewhat mechanical in spirit.
Hold about half the deck in each hand, and insert one half in a scattered fashion down through the other half. You can hold the cards on their long or short side. This method is fast and efficient with a lot of hand-to-card contact. Be careful with the edges as they can fray.
I discovered this style in a book by Norma Cowie.10 Her technique thoroughly mixes the cards with maximum hand contact and little or no damage. Hold the deck facedown in your dominant hand. Push some cards from the top with your thumb into your other hand. Then, push again, but this time to the bottom of the new pile. Continue alternating a push to the top, then one to the bottom until all the cards have been transferred. At this point, put the entire deck back into your dominant hand and start over. This method can be difficult at first. You may push too many at a time or drop some, but your technique will improve with practice.
The Scrambling Method is about as basic as you can get. Spread all the cards face down on the floor or table, and start scrambling. You do need room to shuffle in this way. The technique creates a good mix with few ill effects on the cards, but it does create reversed cards—a disadvantage if you are not using them. This shuffle also has a rather ill-composed feel which some find objectionable.
Start with your cards all facing the same direction. Every time you divide the deck before shuffling, make sure the two piles stay facing the same way.
Every time you divide the deck before shuffling, rotate one of the piles 180 degrees.
|
Career Job Vocation Community Neighborhood Creative Expression Talent Family Life Finances |
Investments Money Friendships Health Body Physical Condition Diet Exercise Hobby or Pastime |
Marriage or Partnership Relationship Romance Sexuality Spirituality or Religion Sports Volunteer Work |
Each of the four suits has its own special quality or energy. The lists on pages 334–335 will help give you a feel for these energies. Each list has words that show different facets of a suit's character.
There is a positive and negative list for each suit. This split is not ideal because it implies good and bad. We tend to judge qualities based on their impact on us. Our language reflects these judgments. The tarot is more neutral. The cards show energies as they are in their essence, not as we might judge them.
How we view a quality also depends on our circumstances and personality. Is being aggressive positive or negative? It all depends.
