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~Some Suggestions For Reading Tarot Cards~

Stick With The Original Question
Don't change questions mid-stream. Just because you see some good love cards, doesn't mean a new love is coming into your life, if you were asking about weather or not you should look for another car or job, etc. Stick to the question at hand. If you get curious about another question while you are reading, ask a new question after you are finished with the first.

Don't Ask Twice
Don't ask the same question twice in a day. If you don't like the answer, that is part of life. You will not always get the answer you are looking for, just as life does not always flow in the direction that we would wish. Remember that the answer is based on what energies are at work, at the moment, and anyone can change their future, by changing the energy they are puting out into the universe. Besides, you can always ask again, tomorrow, to see if anything has changed.

Do Ask Good Questions
Some of the best answers come from really good questions. Instead of asking a yes/no question, try phrasing it as "where is my relationship heading, presently" or "what will be my financial outcome if I take this new job?" You will learn so much more about the question and how it is afecting you and any other people involved in the question.

Yes/No Questions
IMHO, Yes/No or either/or questions are much better answered with a 2 card spread. These spreads are great for asking weather to buy a new washing machine or repair the old one, that sort of thing.

Having Trouble Concentrating? Design Your Own Tarot Ritual!
Try to set up reading the cards, so that you do it the same way, everytime you go to read. You can be as simple or as elaborate as you like, but if you consistently do it the same way, you will find it becomes much easier to attune to the cards and what they are trying to tell you.

As an example, this is my little ritual. You can take away or add to it, as you please, whatever feels right to you:

� I unwrap my cards from a piece of black velvet I keep them in, and spread the velvet where I intend to do the reading.

� I light a candle.* I say hello to the spirit of the candle.

� I light some incense that I feel puts me "in the mood". I welcome the spirit of the incense.

� I hold my cards over the incense smoke and spread the cards so that smoke gets to every card. This usually takes me just a minute or two. During this time, I am thinking about how the smoke is purifying my cards of the energies from the last reading.

� I decide on my question.

� I decide on what Tarot spread I am going to use.

� I sit down where I will read the cards and I take a few deep breaths with my eyes closed, to begin to calm myself and move into an almost trance like state. (I like to face East)

� I state my question and I begin to shuffle my cards.** I have oversize, very stiff cards, so I usually spread them out, face down, and shuffle them by turning the cards into each other using both hands, until I feel they are shuffled.

� I gather my cards into a deck and as I think about the question, I cut the deck into 3 sections and replace the last section on top.

� I lay out my Tarot Spread and begin to read. If I am having trouble understanding for myself, I ask myself what I would tell a friend who had drawn these cards.

� When I am through with the cards, I place the cards I have been reading, back into the deck randomly. Then, I shuffle again, and wrap them up and put them away.

Sometimes I just leave my candle burning, sometimes not.
The main thing I have found, for myself, is that I get much better readings when I keep to a "ritual" of doing it the same way everytime. I am not fanatic about it, it is just something I have noticed for myself. Perhaps, it could help you, too!

*I don't always use a candle. This is flexible for me. I do find I seem to get better readings when I am using it, though...and I don't get a kitty behind in my face, walking across the cards : )

** I do not think about what answer "I want". This is very important and was one of the hardest things for me to give up, when I first began to read. Try to keep your mind clear of emotion, as possible, as you are shuffling and laying out the cards. I believe, you will find your readings much more accurate this way.
AFTER the cards are set down, I always get feelings about different cards, and I think this is helpful and the way it should be. You just want to stay away from "influencing the reading" if it is possible.

This is just a sample of the many ways that one can set out to read Tarot cards. I know people that have to order their cards, by placing them in numerical order, everytime they are finished reading. They call this clearing the cards, much the same as my incense clearing.