My Tarot Reading Doesn't Make Sense! -

Hi, Tarot Bumblebees,

What do you do when you have laid your cards out for a Tarot reading and you are completely STUMPED. You look at what is in front of you and have NO idea what the cards mean or there are cards that just make no sense in the context of the reading. It happens to all of us at some time or another here is my guide to navigating this as both a Tarot Reader and someone who is getting a Tarot Reading.

Prevention Guide for Tarot Readers

Preventing this from happening is so much better than trying to course-correct during a reading. Here is a handy little checklist for you to go through to make sure you are setting yourself up for success when conducting a reading. This can also be helpful for those who are about to get a Tarot reading too.

• Check your energy – where was it when you started the reading? Did you connect and ground? Have you cleansed your space and your energy of your stressful day? Take some time to check-in and get into the energetic zone. Rituals can help with this. Smudging or cleansing the space with aura sprays. Some of my favourites are sage, palo santo and my Aura-Soma Archangeloi sprays. I love to light a candle, cleanse the area, my cards and myself and say my protection and guided prayer to start my readings. It sets the mood and gets me in the right space. Find what works for you and let your intuition guide you.
• Clarity – Try to keep your mind focused when you are with a Client. Train your mind to be still or completely tuned in to your Client when they are talking to you, when you shuffle your cards and while they shuffle your cards. So no checking Facebook on your phone while they are shuffling. (RUDE) and get rid of anything that can be distracting. By creating and holding space for yourself, the reading and your Client you are allowing for a much smoother reading to take place.
• Deck Energy Blocks – Even if you are not a Tarot reader who lets their Clients handle their cards or you read remotely energy can build up. If you are feeling like the cards are heavy or not giving you clear readings it’s time to cleanse and recharge them. My favourite way to do this is to leave them out under the full moon with the crystals they work with overnight. They feel all sparkly and new after this. We all love a little TLC and our spiritual tools are no different.

Confusion During a Tarot Reading

• Query – Crappy questions lead to crappy answers, unclear questions lead to unclear answers – Go back to the question that was asked. Was it a closed question? Was it vague? I am not the kind of Tarot Reader who likes to give a reading when I have no idea what is going on. I am not just a diviner my Tarot reading style is holistic. You will find what works best for you in time and through practice but I find that due to the depth of the Tarot and the levels that each card has context for me is very important. Check out two related blog posts that touch on questions you should be asking the Tarot and how to ask clarifying questions to get clear answers. I talk a bit more about questions in this blog post as it is an important part of the Tarot reading process and as a Tarot Reader, it’s a skill to take what your client gives you and help them form the best question for their reading.
• Action – What is actually going on in the card, what is the card showing us is physically happening. What stance are the figures in the card taking? What action are they playing out? How does that relate or what does that mean in your reading to to your Client?
• Feeling – Time to get all cozy with the feels. How does the card feel? How would you feel if you were in the situation? How does that match up with the question and your Client? If your client and their situation were represented in the card how would it feel?
• Impressions – What are you first drawn to in the card? What symbol jumps out at you or what is so predominant in the card for you? How does this relate, what revelations does this shine on to the reading? All of these things can help give you the connection that you need to get your reading back on track again.

One tip that my Tarot mentor gave to me was that silence and dead space can feel like it goes on forever so she recommended that you just start talking and allow it to get back into a place of flow. Pick one of the prompts here, action, feeling or impressions and start talking. It rarely means you will be dribbling out garbage; within a few seconds, you will get back in the zone.