reading for yourself

A common perception among new, and even some experienced readers is that you can't read cards for yourself. This thinking has always seemed strange to me. If you don’t read for yourself, aren’t you missing out on a tremendous learning tool – your own experience.

I pull three cards each morning - one for body, one for mind and one for spirit. It gives me a chance to feel how each card plays out in my day-to-day life. Reading for others is wonderful and it can teach you new aspects of the cards each time you do it, but it can never give you the actual experience of a particular card. If you don’t live it and feel it yourself, how do you ever become confidant enough about what it means to describe it to someone else?

I think it’s very important for new readers to practice on themselves. I’m not talking about spending hours asking the same questions over and over again about your various trials and joys, but rather spending regular time asking the cards what they mean. Maybe three daily cards are too much for brand new readers, but certainly a card a day is doable. Or even a card a week. Just pull one and have it sit out all day or week. Look at it when it catches your eye and think about how it’s manifesting.

It’s also useful to keep a record of your cards of the day or week. I’ve been keeping records for a few years now. It’s fascinating to see how the patterns flow over time. It also gives you a chance to see which cards or elements are coming up in your life most often. How do they feel? What, for instance, actually happens when you pull the Empress 8 times in two months? And what cards aren’t you pulling? How does it feel not to have them in your life?

Reading cards for yourself is a powerful way to really get to know them. Don’t be scared off from doing so because of some old superstition or fear of facing your own patterns. You’re your best teacher. Don’t sell yourself short.