AVOIDING FIXATIONS WHEN READING TAROT CARDS: PART TWO

Cassy — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:24:06 +0000

Nowadays, tarot authors tend to steer clear of the tougher subjects, such as death and illness, but the tarot was designed to encompass all the psychological, philosophical, and physicalities of life. We may try to help beginners wade into the kiddy pool, but when beginners are on their own, the possibility is there for a big dive into the deep end, which can result in confusion. In my opinion, these subjects should not be sugar-coated. Instead, we should strive to educate as much as possible so beginners can relax and enjoy the oracular experience offered. Let’s bear in mind that any divination tool is a key to unlocking your own intuition. The divination tool is not an entity with a mind of its own. Remember that we are working with energies: our own energy, the energy of the seeker, and the energy of the universe.

We all want to offer the lighter side of the tarot, the excitement, the fun, the wonder. “Will I find love? Will he or she be my perfect mate? Will I get a good job?” But life does have its setbacks, its hard times, its tragedy, and these subjects cannot ever really be avoided. This is part of our walk with Spirit. When we seek, really SEEK to find, we must embrace the ALL, not just the SOME. This is the burden of a psychic. We are not just given the good. Besides which, some tragic events can be avoided if the oracle is properly interpreted. But we want the beginner to fully understand. You must walk before you run. Don’t rush the cards, don’t rush the learning. Spirit opens up to you as you can handle it.

If you become panicked or you are a beginner, and you are concerned about any “grief” cards appearing too often in your throws, I suggest that you remove the offending cards for a brief time, perhaps even a few months, until the feelings of dread dissipate and you’ve gained some more knowledge of the cards and spreads. Doing this resets your pattern of thinking. Once you understand how to maintain the cards and meanings in context, and your confidence is well established, these cards will no longer cause panic, fear, or dread. You will understand their importance in the deck, and you will have learned to accept their message in context.

For a reading, or to purchase Cassy’s Oracle Coins, visit www.cassystarot.com

Tarot Readings

Avoiding Fixations When Reading Tarot Cards: Part One

Cassy — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:22:13 +0000

One of the reasons why seasoned tarot readers don’t recommend that beginners read for themselves is because of the pitfall of becoming fixated on certain cards. For example, if you own a copy of my book Tarot Cassy’s Way, which is just the beginning in a series of teaching tools, you may read that some tarot readers view the combination of “Death” and the “Ten of Swords” as a portent that someone close to the seeker may undergo a physical death. What can then happen is that every time the beginner comes across these two cards in a spread, they will fixate on the worst-case-scenario meaning, fear will set in, and they will become panicked about this card combination. They may even begin to employ subconscious behaviors during a shuffle to avoid those cards altogether.

In future projects, I will be offering suggestions that will outline these concepts more thoroughly, but for now, let’s take a look at some simple concepts. First, let me start by saying that the Death/Ten of Swords combination does not always mean death. And there are many guidelines to consider before deciding that the above-mentioned combination may in fact mean death. First, the question is the key. If the seeker poses a career question, and the reader chooses a spread in which the Death card appears in the “Upcoming Event” position, and the Ten of Swords appears in the “Obstacle” position, this may mean that the seeker may be experiencing some drastic changes at their current job that will force them to move on into a new career opportunity. Bear in mind that Death is a card of transitions and permanent change. The number Ten is the number of completion, the end of a cycle, which always means that the beginning of a new cycle is imminent. The Ten of Swords, or “the stabbed in the back” card, may also imply that the seeker has events ongoing at their current job that is not in their best interest, anyway. Co-workers may be undermining their position. If the “throw” is what I call a cold reading, with no question posed, the Death/Ten of Swords combination may have an altogether different meaning.

Secondly, consider the type of spread, or the arrangement/layout of the cards. The bigger the spread, the more you must consider the positioning of the cards and the surrounding cards before you leap into the abyss of assuming death is on the horizon. Where do these two cards fall in the spread? What is the proximity of the two cards? You may also want to lay out some clarifying cards, alongside the Death card or the Ten of Swords. This can help alleviate any worries or concerns. But, mainly, keep the interpretation of the spread pertinent to the question posed. This will go a long way in helping you read the spread accurately. The meanings in books are there as a guideline only. The key is listening to your own intuition and keeping the meanings in context with the question asked. This is why there are so many variations of meanings in tarot card books. Because the meaning is governed by the question posed and the spread used.

I will continue this discussion in Part Two of Avoiding Fixations When Reading Tarot Cards.

For a reading, or to purchase Cassy’s Oracle Coins, visit www.cassystarot.com

Cassy's Tarot Blog » Reading Tarot Cards

AVOIDING FIXATIONS WHEN READING TAROT CARDS: PART TWO

Avoiding Fixations When Reading Tarot Cards: Part One