Tarot Blog Hop 37
Adventures in Tarot Reading
It's that time again, the wheel turns and next thing you know, society has been forced to give pause, we're saving lives by staying in and amongst the chaos of this ever evolving new ways to be, its time for the Tarot Blog Hop....
It is perhaps one of the strangest turns of the wheel because, I am this months wrangler, and yes, you did read that one right, and yes I did wrangle last turn of the wheel as well, continuity is a good thing (well I'm telling myself that so I don't start rocking back and forth too soon).
Let's do some of the civil pleasantries; the Master List is like a directory page, if you get turned around or lost, that's your go to place in order to get your baring. It's the centred link at the top or bottom of the page. It's also the place to get the details of the theme, but let me give you a kind of cliff notes version here as well.
Staying with the Fables and Fortunes theme, let’s visit the lands of the Fae and Faeries. Beltane/Beltaine or Mid-Spring for some is the start of Summer, but it is also a time of potency...
Tarot, much like Life, endures... It has seen wars, crusades, dark ages and the odd age of aquarius as well. Now here in 2020, it see us through these interesting times; Beltane represents fertility, sexuality, the rebirth of maiden and many other Fae related attributes, but at the core is tradition and ritual.
I’d like you to explore one or all of these options:
- Whether you have a ritual for working with your deck(s)
- Are you superstitious when it comes to letting others touch your deck
- If you work with clients do you have a routine/ritual prior to a reading
- Do you read for yourself / the world, if not would you ever seek guidance from them
As is the way with the muses and the Fae generally, if you feel drawn or inspired to head off on your own journey, then please do go for it, as that is what makes these hops fun.
It is quite a strange way of life at the moment, so in many ways I find myself giving pause to reflect. Which, for this blog hop isn't a bad thing, as I was trying to decide on the topic, I hit upon staying with the theme of traditions, rituals, stories and legends surrounding the cards.
Through the last hop, I told or recounted the Story of the Tarot, it was fun to do, as I am not sure how many actually know that the story is a way of helping to remember the order of the cards and also partially a way of learning the meanings albeit loosely.
What is also interesting, is that the story changes as the knowledge and experience of Tarot grows, so you add in your own knowledge as well as what is already established, and in doing so teach a little or pass along a little bit of yourself as well.
Which, brings me into the direction that this entry for the Tarot Blog Hop is heading. Through recounting the Tale of the Tarot, it got me thinking about the first time I had to read for a group. Now I was maybe 18 possibly 20 at the time, so a real newbie, wet behind the ears and believing that my 2 going on 3 years of hard learning, and 6 possibly a bit more of 'playing' about if you could call it that meant I could handle anything...
Imagine if you will, a crowded but small room of about 30+ people, all strangers to me and my 'guide' for the night a seasoned pro to this kind of thing. She shows me to the room, points me to the front and says to me, "Just pop your card into the projector, it'll show up and then you just do what you do"
Okay, so let's recap; a room full of 30+ strangers, a projector, a set of rider waite and me...
It was around about this point, that I realised, I was completely and utterly out of my depth. Here were, 30+ strangers all waiting for me, little ol' end of his teenage and into his early adult years me, to pull some kind of magic, amaze-balls insights out of this rider waite deck of cards.I started simple, a one card spread using the major cards only. However, credit where it is/was due, that had been the suggestion and shoving in the deep end tutorial that my 'guide' for the evening had suggested as she walked / threw me down the central channel of chairs as folks were getting seated.
This actually just keeps getting better, and better by the way; as not only am I the newbie, wet behind the years rookie, finding that all this confidence is draining out of me faster than a dodgy curry the night before; but there is a guy in the audience, larger than life in the physical sense, with a diva attitude to rival the best drag and drama queen, already waiting to unleash his inner critic and diva, and how did I know this at the time, well I smelt the stink-eye before I heard it.
So for a moment, just use your imagination a little here, as I point out that I said something along the lines of "Why do you have a tendency to act out?" or something along those lines. Yeah, already we're dealing with a diva like personality, and I have just tossed a lit match into a room filled with hot air and gas.
At the time I didn't know that, so I kept trying to appease, make amends and fulfill the connection. Whereas, as I learnt later on, you're not going to be able to help or appease everyone, there is always going to be someone that won't be happy with what you tell them, and it's nothing to do with you, it is purely coming from them.
How To Do the Single Card Reading
Working with a Single Card Reading, is a brilliant beginners tool, but it is also ideal when you have a larger group. It can be used as a warm-up or as a way of gaining a bit of insight, typically I find that I use it more when cards fall out of the deck and catch my attention.
There are two methods that can be used with the single card reading. Let's take a look at them both just now.
Method 1: A Card That Has Fallen
The idea behind this method is that you're including the fallen card(s) in the reading. Usually when cards fall, they do so for a reason. Not everyone or every reader will take them into consideration during a personal (self) or 1-2-1 (client) reading, many will discard them.
However, something to consider; regardless if you follow the trans-personal psychology approach to Tarot or a more holistic spiritual approach, where in the first instance, it is coming from the psyche of the client/ourselves, and in the second instance, its divine guidance that is directing the personal or client (1-2-1) reading.
The consideration to make is that perhaps the fallen cards, contain additional or relevant information to the reading, that is being called into attention of you both.
Directions for Working with this Method
- Shuffle the deck as you would normally.
- Draw any fallen card(s) to the side.
- Once the client has picked their cards, set the spread you are going to use.
- Take the fallen card(s) and either read them before or after, depending on what feels right at the time.
It may seem like a very simple thing to do, but it will depend on what spread you are using for the main reading, it is a little different if you main reading is going to be the single card on its own, so let's take a look at that style and method just now.
Method 2: The Single Card Reading
This method is very simple, and straightforward to work with, it can produce some very accurate information, depending on your deck, knowledge base and time that you have allocated for the readings.
It can be a bit of a showman's reading, depending on the circumstances that you are working in. A prime example of the showman style is much like the tale I told you above, very flashy, if you have a charismatic persona or stage presence - (none of which I actually have btw).
The consideration to make with this one is, that it is perhaps best to use if you are pushed for time, the best example of this is a private party or large crowd demonstration. You can cover more people and not feel as if you are short changing anyone at the same time.
Directions for Working with this Method
- First split the cards into their major and minor decks.
- Discard the minor deck and focus on the major 22 cards.
- Now, give those cards a decent shuffle.
- Next, discard the first one as the fool, you can come back to it later if needs be.
- Ask your client to decide on a number between 1 & 21.
- Count out that number and turn the card over.
- Begin the reading, and if you need a bit of clarity, consult your discarded fool, as sometimes it reveals a secret or two.
Well I hope that you have enjoyed this jaunt from my blogger, you'll find another entry from me on my Sacred Healing Blog a little further down the chain, so I look forward to meeting you there, when you find it.
In the meantime, do give my neighbours a visit and if you are able do leave a comment, but please don't worry if it's not possible, I have a terrible time trying to do it on this platform.
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