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The Pitfalls of Reading for Yourself
If we are honest most of us took up tarot because we wanted to be able to read for ourselves. I know I started reading tarot for that reason and most readers I know started the same way.
Some of us went on to read for others, but primarily many wanted to get insight into our own lives. There is nothing wrong with that, but experience has shown that you must be mindful when doing so. There are pitfalls that the unwary can fall into.
Reading tarot for yourself is okay but be cautious. Although touched upon in a previous article (Common Tarot Mistakes) I will talk at more length here.
Staying Neutral
It is critical to understand that you must be incredibly careful to be neutral in your interpretation. The more important the question the more important it is that you do so.
It is human nature to want the answer to a question to be what we want it to be. When interpreting a spread, it is easy to play up the positive aspects and to play down the negative aspects. In other words, you are keeping your thumb on the scales of neutrality.
Repeating the Reading Time and Again
Another thing I have known beginners do, is to redo the reading time and again. This is because the first interpretation did not give the desired outcome. Yes, I will plead guilty to having done this too – a long time ago but still guilty. I think this is particularly common when the question is about relationships.
The Ramifications of Reading Tarot Incorrectly
For relatively unimportant questions the ramifications of not interpreting neutrally are usually not serious. Additionally, repeating the reading until you get the answer you’re looking for will not be too damaging. However, if the question was important what then? What if the question was something like “Is he/she the one?”
If your interpretation was “yes” because you really wanted it to be this person, when at best the reading showed a “maybe” you could head down a dangerous path. I don’t mean that you’ll get physically hurt but emotional hurt is a real possibility.
If you start to make decisions or say or do things based on a flawed reading, then if it doesn’t work out it may be painful.
It doesn’t have to be that sort of a question of course. The fact is, however, that relationship questions are the most common readings that beginners do.
Remaining Neutral and Balanced
When reading tarot for yourself, neutrality and balance are key. Try interpreting twice! Once you have decided what the overall answer is (let’s say it was positive) reinterpret it. This time play up the negative cards though. Is the reading still positive? If it is, then OK, your overall interpretation is probably correct.
If not, then your overall interpretation may be wrong. The answer in this case is somewhere between the two. In other words, it’s a “maybe.”
That “maybe” doesn’t mean it won’t go the way you would like eventually. It does mean you should be cautious with any decisions you make.
Readers Go to Readers for Readings
As an aside, we have a lot of readers come to us for a reading. Not because they can’t read for themselves, but because they are aware of the difficulties of being truly neutral.
Most will have read for themselves in the past but because of the serious nature of the question they come to us for a reading. Not being impacted by any interpretation of their situation means it is easier for us to be neutral. Being neutral means they get a more accurate reading.
Overall Reading for Yourself Is Fine
There is absolutely nothing wrong with reading for yourself. Just be careful when it’s something really important and make sure you don’t fall into the pitfalls that lay in wait for unsuspecting readers.
There are many tarot spreads available at Tarot Time. Some are tarot Time originals; some have come from Psychic Revelation (with permission) and some are simply in general usage. There are plenty to choose from and with care you can read for yourself and get the “right” answer.
