5 Tips for Better Self-Tarot Readings
Does this sound like you?
You pull for yourself everyday, sometimes 1 card, sometimes lots of cards. You look at them and then put them away, only to forget about them later on. Or you find yourself pulling lots of different cards, trying to find the one that “fits”. You’d like to create a deeper relationship with your cards, but you’re not sure where to start.
Don’t worry, we’ve all been there!
Learning to read tarot can feel daunting with so many cards to learn. But I’m here to share 5 tips for self-tarot readings that will help you feel more connected to your cards.
1. Leave Your Cards Out For a Week
It’s so tempting to pull a spread for yourself, put those cards away, and then pull more cards on a different question. Especially when you’re just starting out and you want to ask all the questions!
The wisdom of tarot is slow.
When you pull a spread for yourself and put them away, you’re often missing the key pieces of information that will unfold during the week. Sometimes cards will only make sense once you’ve taken action or once certain events take place.
Leaving your cards out for the week allows you to see this magic in action, and to also notice the synchronicities between the cards and experiences in your life.
Simply create a space in your home where you can leave your cards undisturbed for the duration of the week, and where you can sit with them too.
2. Reflect on them Everyday
Reflecting on your cards everyday is a wonderful practice of immersing yourself in the lessons of tarot! It’s also a great practice to see the teachings of the cards come to life.
There’s also something grounding about bringing your attention back to the cards each day. The cards are showing you the direction that you’re meant to be going in, so aligning yourself each morning with their lessons is incredibly helpful. It continuously brings you back to your intuition and keeps yourself focused on the present moment.
Simply take 10 minutes out of your day each morning to sit with your cards, and journal about the cards. Take note of what has already started to materialise in your life and which card(s) that corresponds to. Reflect on which card has shown up for the most so far, as well as potential challenges. It’s also a great practice to see what the prominent thread is that ties all your cards together!
3. Carry the Wisdom with you Throughout the Day
Following on from the previous point, leaving your cards out gives you an opportunity to really connect to the wisdom of the cards. One of my favourite things about reading tarot is seeing the synchronicities happen in my life in real time! And realising that a situation that has occurred is teaching me the exact thing that showed up in my spread that week.
When you sit with your cards each morning and reflect on them, this is a great moment to see which card feels most prominent for that day. It could just be a twinge of curiosity or your attention keeps wandering to that card.
Sit with the card for a moment, and see which aspects of the card are piquing your intrigue. What does that imagery say about the lessons in the cards? And what does that intuitively say to you? Hold that wisdom with you as you move through your day, noticing where it shows up in your life.
3. Be Curious if You Feel Stuck
It’s normal to come across a card that you feel a bit uncertain about. Perhaps you understand the key words, but not how it relates to your situation. Or you don’t quite understand how it fits into your spread as a whole.
This is where fear may start to eat away and make you doubt your abilities. But take a deep breath! Remind yourself this is a fun and creative practice, and you’re here to learn. You’ve got this.
Take the card that you feel stuck on, and start describing what you see. Start with the scenery, the facial expressions and the imagery. You can either read out loud or write it down. As you do, this will help unstick you, and the deeper wisdom of the card will start to come through.
If you still feel stuck, I would encourage you to look up 1 interpretation (and 1 interpretation only!) and sit with what it says. Take what resonates and don’t be afraid to leave the rest.
5. Take Time at the End of the Week
Once you’ve reached the end of the week, this is where you get to see the outcome of the lessons and your actions! It’s also where the magic of a slower practice starts to materialise, and where you can really integrate the lessons you receive.
Look at any notes you’ve made at the beginning of the week and see what has come to fruition. Is it what you expected? Or has something else happened?
This is also a great time to see what the overarching theme has been in your week, as well as which card(s) has been the most prominent for you. If there’s a card that still feels out of place, perhaps this will show up for you again! When this happens, there’s often something deeper to integrate.
If you're interested in taking your practice a bit deeper, why not join my free email course? Over 5 days, I’ll guide you through a daily practice to help you connect deeper to your cards, so you can integrate their lessons into your life.
By the end of the week you will:
Feel more confident with the cards you’ve pulled
Gain more clarity on how your cards have played out in your week
Gain deeper insights into the cards, and the relationship they have with your life