Reading Tarot for yourself can be really tricky. Some readers strongly feel against this practice, others read for themselves daily. I plead guilty too, I regularly read for myself. But I can definitely see the difference between such sessions and the ones I do for my clients. Spoiler alert, reading for someone else is much more effective.
READING TAROT FOR YOURSELF: GUIDANCE AND SELF HELP
Let’s start with the good news. Using Tarot as an every day guide for meditation, self-improvement and growth is wonderful. And it works. You can easily build a routine around Tarot for self help and motivation.
One simple way to do so is to read one card a day. I recommend making 5 to 10 minutes times for yourself every evening to read just one card. Depending on your mood – intense or light – you could decide to pick a card from the Major Cards only or use all 78.
If you have a particular topic on your mind, you may want to only use one court: Coins/Pentacles for money, Wands for work or social life, Cups for love, Swords for decisions and philosophical questionings. Follow your intuition and be sure to take this opportunity to connect with and get to know your deck better.
2 Cards readings are great for simple questions that can be answered in a general positive or negative way. Example: “should I continue putting effort into this?” or “can I expect anything good to come out of this relationship?”.
They won’t give you all the intel but they’ll give you a general direction, which can already ease your mind and help you see clearer.
READING TAROT FOR YOURSELF: PREDICTIONS
Here comes the more difficult part. Making predictions for yourself is probably a bad idea. Some people manage to do it and I do it for myself in some cases too. But I still often feel the urge to book a session with someone who is not involved when it comes to foreseeing an outcome.
Being too involved and having certain expectations when reading Tarot is always a bad thing. Because your energy is all that matters and it will influence the cards you draw as much as the way you will perceive them.
From my experience though, you’ll get best results when reading for yourself when asking very short term questions – often for the same day or tops, the same week. Or long term (a year or more). Why? Because everything in between is the hardest part to foresee. It is the part that fluctuates when it comes to the details and timing.
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STRUCTURED SPREADS VS. INTUITIVE READINGS
So we’ve covered the fact that reading Tarot for yourself is difficult. And often confusing. Yet if you’ve got your mind set on a session anyway, you will want to put all chances on your side to do it right.
The most obvious solution to try and make your reading a little easier is to rely on strict and structured layouts. The great thing about Tarot – vs other fortune telling and guidance tools – is that you can very much structure your reading and stick to the plan.
Find a layout that works well with the topic you’re looking into. 3 to 5 card spreads are ideal as they are dense enough to carry a lot of information without being overwhelming. You can easily find layouts online or in your favorite book but making your own and preparing your reading on a sheet of paper is also a solid option.
So whether you need a quick yes or no or general guidance, turn to your deck carefully. Tarot is a mighty ally in your every day life. But reading for yourself can be both a good and bad idea. It all depends on what is at stake.
Ask yourself before you start:
Will you be able to read clearly and accept the actual answer without corrupting the cards and your session?
If the answer is not the one you expected, will you still be able to see the positive in your spread?
If you really can answer yes to both, then grab your cards and get reading.
