Tarot's long-term positive influence

[lanterne_rouee]

I was thinking earlier about how learning to frame questions for tarot readings positively influences a person in general. It goes hand in hand with the increased trust in your own intuition and increased self-confidence in general (i.e., wisdom), but I thought it still might be worth throwing it out here for discussion. :)

I'm referring to things like

-not asking questions to which you already know the answer,

-not asking the cards something about another when you really should (and could) just ask the person directly,

-the common situation of a querent wanting to know if a lover can be trusted and the reader suggesting in turn that the querent consider why they do not trust their lover (or why they continue on with a lover whom they clearly already do not trust).

Etc. & things like that.

Taking an extra few minutes to think about what you're considering asking and why is very beneficial to a person in the long-term. (Even though no one's perfect and I'm sure most of ask a lot of emotionally wrought questions when we're in the thick of something distressing.) Overall, it helps you have the confidence to know what you already know without the need for 'divination' or outside opinion at all in a lot of situations.

What say you? Either about this or other ways years of tarot reading have benefitted you.

Comments

[lindevi]

I don't have a good theory as to how tarot works on a metaphysical level, but explanation notwithstanding, they still serve as a great tool for those needing to see a situation from another angle: sometimes that's the key one needs to find their own solution. The puzzle-solving aspect makes you think about things critically, creating associations you hadn't seen before. Cards that don't immediately fit into a reading are often the most beneficial. In doing the mental backbends that are required to get to situation A to tarot card B, one can have some of the greatest epiphanies.

[lanterne_rouee]

Oh, good one! I agree. It is absolutely amazing what you can get out of the 'nonsensical' cards if you just sit with them a while.

[lassarina]

One of the things I do when I read for myself is take notes, every time. I note the date, the question, the cards I drew/layout I used, and what my interpretations of those things are, listing the keywords etc. (This reminds me, I should be asking for general guidance this weekend.) I'll usually go back to the reading in three months, six months, and a year (if questions remain unanswered) and review everything from a more distant perspective; this helps expand my understanding of my own blind spots and also gives me deeper understanding of the cards and their relationships.

[princessofgeeks]

i do this too -- over time I come to see that a particular card is acquiring a custom meaning for me (like the 9 of Swords is a particular flavor of codependency) or certain people come us as a certain card over and over. i love seeing the patterns.

[lanterne_rouee]

I'm also a huge fan of tarot journaling (and journaling in general). Though I've found the last few years, I have to take breaks from it sometimes - every few months or couple years or whatever - or I'll be doing it all day, every day. lol Sometimes, I just want to pull-cards-and-go without getting too bogged down in it.

It's eye-opening to look back with perspective and the hindsight of how things actually turned out, plus I also like to note the trends in the cards drawn (not only specific ones, but suits, etc.)

I also think sometimes that journaling readings is a good way to get into journaling, in general, if you're (feeling) resistant to it, because with readings the personal is always inevitably entwined. I'm biased, but I think writing is invaluably helpful to anyone.

[princessofgeeks]

I have really found this to be true. Framing the question is so important; also remembering to put it in terms of YOURSELF and not in terms of the other person involved in the situation, if there's another person involved.

Over and over I've seen the cards nudge someone in the direction of the real question. I've also seen the cards give a very literal and limited answer in cases where I had a feeling the person asking was in deep denial and actually did not want to know the answer.

It's been very useful to me to remember to ask big wide questions, not just yes/no questions. General and not too limiting or specific. But of course sometimes what you want is a definite answer like, "Should I take this job offer?". So it does vary.

But yes. Framing the question is key.

[lanterne_rouee]

Yes. :) I think there is so much value in the process of reading tarot even before you've gotten a card out of the deck and onto the table. You grow and learn in ways you really wouldn't expect when you're first getting started.