To do readings for yourself

[Jackie79]

I know it is not recommended to do readings for yourself, however I have received a fue but none has really made sense, nor become reality. I don´t know if it is because I simply can´t be read or something, However, I notcied when I did readings for other people, it was accurate and things actually happened so i was going to try to do one for myself.

I just want to know how do i avoid to affect the reading? I know how to stay neutral, not get butterflies in my belly ect, I know if I think oh i want this badly then it will reflect on the cards, so I stay clear in my head, take a deep breath and then ask.

I did an experiment yesterday with a yes/no question and they said no, which also was true.

I simply want some tips on how to not affect the cards.

[Mab]

Part of the problem with having readings done on very personal issues that you are very close to (and, really, when else do we ask for a reading?) is that you usually are looking for a specific answer. When you don't get that answer, you get confused & think "that doesn't make sense". Been there - LOTS! LOL I've also done lots of readings for myself, but I learned over the years & from trying to do really specific readings that the best thing to do (for me anyway) is to ask my cards for guidance but not frame it in the details of the situation. I quit asking "Will (my boyfriend) & I be together forever & have kids & be happy". I started asking "Show me what I need to know about my relationship with my boyfriend" or "Show me this new job opportunity".

I also learned that what doesn't make sense today may make sense tomorrow, or in a week, or in a month. I write down my readings for myself & go back to revisit them. Lots of times I'll look at a situation today & remember a reading I did weeks ago.

I don't know what your relationship with your cards is, but if you haven't already, I would suggest spending lots of time doing single card daily draws for yourself. Build a relationship with your cards. I have a deck that I ONLY use for myself, b/c I bonded very strongly with them in the very beginning. They are old friends to me, not just cards. They have never steared me wrong, but they also refused to give me just what I was looking for b/c it was what I wanted to see. Even when I tried to force them to. (Stubborn little things! LOL).

I've done a number of readings for others over the years, and have been told they were very accurate. I've also done readings for myself (tons & TONS of them), and they turned out to be very accurate as well - even when they didn't make sense at first.

My advice: breathe. Be patient. Keep record of your readings. And I wouldn't get hung up on rules like "don't do readings for yourself". Yes, it's harder to be objective when you're doing your own readings, but it's also a great way to get guidance for the day & build a relationship with your cards.

Best of luck, hon.

BB

[Jackie79]

Thank you! You are an angel! Now I understand, thanks I will try to be as objective as I can.

Thanks!

Edit: I just took a huge decision so I hope this will help me because I just understood why the readings haven´t made sense. It´s because I don´t really know what/who I want, so I am gonna take this month and figure it out. Hopefully this will help!

Wish me luck guys, a month without tarot, none at all, will be hard.

[Vinternatt]

I agree with Mab that a lot of times it can be harder to do readings for yourself because you may be looking for something specific or sometimes even try to discredit unfavorable results.

Personally, I've done quite a few readings for myself, and a lot of them have been accurate. It's especially clear for a 12 card spread that I do with past, present and suggested/possible future (3 cards and an outcome for each). For example, the last time I did that spread, among other cards I got the 10 of cups reversed (family troubles/tension) in the future set and this was the day before I got to have the "I'm not a Christian" talk with my parents. The cards next to it were all very positive though, which was reassuring, and fittingly, the situation calmed down pretty quickly and went over better than one might expect originally.

However, I can't seem to do a Celtic Cross spread for myself to save my life. :/

I think a main trick is to not ask too much of the cards for personal readings, and to also be open-minded to your results.

[Charmbolt]

I struggle when reading for myself,....but something that has helped is before I start I ask for an honest reading with clear unbiased guidance. I often write down the results... and keep them if i ever want i can then look back to them.

[antiquitas]

I do three-card readings for myself all the time. However, mainly I do them for others, by myself. Pretty much all times, I get correct answers (that is, the prove themselves correct in the future). I've never had a "wtf? this makes no sense" reading.
I choose the cards after spreading them out in an arc and 'feel' for the right ones.

I've never been let down by my cards, but often their answers are "just wait, you'll see I was right". (Coincidence or otherwise...)

[aranarose]

I read for myself all the time. I keep a journal of the readings I do for myself, with notes on my initial interpretation, and space for future notes as things come to light.

The issues with reading for yourself stem from lack of objectivity. It can be hard not to make excuses for the cards, to come up with meanings other than what is actually there. So you just have to work a bit harder. And if you can successfully read for yourself, then you should have no problem reading for others, so I insist that all my students get very proficient at reading for themselves.

[Vinternatt]

I read for myself all the time. I keep a journal of the readings I do for myself, with notes on my initial interpretation, and space for future notes as things come to light.

The issues with reading for yourself stem from lack of objectivity. It can be hard not to make excuses for the cards, to come up with meanings other than what is actually there. So you just have to work a bit harder. And if you can successfully read for yourself, then you should have no problem reading for others, so I insist that all my students get very proficient at reading for themselves.

I couldn't agree more with you. Lack of objectivity is one of the hardest things to overcome when you start doing personal readings, and sometimes in readings for others. It's common that you don't want to piss off the person you're doing the reading for, so it's tempting to try to work around a card the presents a hard truth or something of the sort.

For personal readings it can almost be tempting to discredit a bad reading altogether. When I started I basically forced myself to accept that what I was being shown was a true possibility and that I shouldn't get mad just because it wasn't a "best day ever" reading.

As far as journals go, those are always a good idea, both for keeping track of personal readings as they may progress, and especially for getting well connected with each card's meaning.

[aranarose]

I couldn't agree more with you. Lack of objectivity is one of the hardest things to overcome when you start doing personal readings, and sometimes in readings for others. It's common that you don't want to piss off the person you're doing the reading for, so it's tempting to try to work around a card the presents a hard truth or something of the sort.

For personal readings it can almost be tempting to discredit a bad reading altogether. When I started I basically forced myself to accept that what I was being shown was a true possibility and that I shouldn't get mad just because it wasn't a "best day ever" reading.

As far as journals go, those are always a good idea, both for keeping track of personal readings as they may progress, and especially for getting well connected with each card's meaning.

I haven't had a good reading for myself in ages... the cards like to smack me upside the head on a regular basis. Mostly that's because I've been fighting my path though...

And yes, you can easily fall into the sugar-coating trap when reading for others, either because they're friends and you don't want to hurt your friendship, or because they're paid clients and you want them to keep giving you money. But ultimately, neither of those is a good reason to make a bad reading all mooshy-gooshy, because that doesn't help anyone. The truth might hurt, but it's the truth for a reason. And any friend that would be upset with you for what the cards say is probably not the best friend to have!

[EavanStar]

Im semi-supersititious about reading for myself. I will only ask simple questions and then pull one card for me. For others though, I really enjoy doing nicer spreads for them. :D