Get To Know Your Tarot Reader - Tumblr Posts
I shall go through your pinned post then.
Iโve a few Qs, pls answer them at your leisure.
1) Do you see tarot as a predictive tool or one of self-help?
2) Astrology tells us that there are certain things that are bound to happen. Yes free-will exists, but there are SOME things once cannot escape. Do you feel tarot has such beliefs too?
3) Do you feel the future can be changed?
Sorry for bombarding you with Qs. ๐ But am always so curious to know what tarot readers say about stuff like this!
I love discussions so it's always a joy to receive questions like these. If you have more questions or just want to share something, feel free to let me know.
Before answering your Qs, I have to put a disclaimer beforehand that all of these are my personal thoughts and experiences and I don't seek to deny the validity of other opinions. And also my spiritual beliefs don't really align with any particular system.

1) Do you see tarot as a predictive tool or one of self-help?
I see Tarot and other divination mediums as a tool to help us connect with the collective and our own individual unconscious. As the term "unconscious" denotes, it's a part that we don't usually aware of in ourselves and how it connects to everything.
Through Tarot, we become more aware of that part, gain more knowledge from it. But what we do with that knowledge is our own choice. Let's imagine the unconscious as a raw database and Tarot is an open source data processing program with many tools for analysing, predicting trends based on existing data, combine data to make a whole new thing etc. The tools will keep being added, updated based on the user (us)'s needs and skills.
So yes, Tarot can be used as a predictive tool or one of self-help, it can also be used for many different purposes as long as the user can get reliable results from it. I've asked Tarot for big life decisions, predicting major events, but I've also asked Tarot for advice on simple things like the place to go, the food to buy (yes lol) just to see how life will unfold.

2) Astrology tells us that there are certain things that are bound to happen. Yes free-will exists, but there are SOME things once cannot escape. Do you feel tarot has such beliefs too?
I think the only things that we cannot escape are the parents whom we are born to and our physical death. One can also argue that our higher self chose our parents but I'm of the belief that there is an underlying system that ensures the balance of the universe and we are placed in the right time and place according to that system. But it's not a rigid system but a flexible one, constantly changing to adapt to new situations.
And where do those new situations come from? from us, by our conscious or unconscious choices. Things that are considered bound to happen, things that one cannot escape are actually the results of our choices. Sometimes we make those choice unconsciously so it looks like we are just some passive pawns moved by some higher hands. The more aware we are of ourselves, the less we feel that our life is governed by outside force. This explains why some people who are aware of themselves, aware of all their light and dark sides, their gray sides, rarely resonate with their astrology chart or Tarot readings. Because their life is not controlled by a seemingly outside unknown force anymore.
Astrology chart can be the blueprint for our journey, but how we build it, how we decorate it, how we renovate it later on is our own choices. Tarot predictions are also like that.

3) Do you feel the future can be changed?
The answer to this question can be seen from the previous questions. The future is a result that will likely happen if we follow the trends of our existing actions, an extrapolation. Anything that hasn't happened yet, can be changed.
These are really interesting topics. Feel free to send me questions. ๐ฆ
Get to know your tarot reader โข Ask Game
Some variation of this probably exists somewhere but I couldn't find anything I liked, so I decided to create my own tarot related ask game. There is a mix of practice-related questions, spiritual, and wider ones.
Feel free to send me questions, or simply share this and use for yourself.

๐โโฌ How did you first get into tarot? ๐ Whatโs your favorite tarot deck and why? ๐ Whatโs your favorite tarot card, and what does it mean to you? โ๏ธ Whatโs a quote that sums up your philosophy? ๐ Whatโs something youโve learned about yourself in the past year? ๐ญ Do you use reversed cards and how? ๐ฑ How do you prepare yourself before a reading? ๐ If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be? ๐ Whatโs a spiritual/magic related book that changed your perspective forever? ๐งญ Whatโs your view on the role of intuition in tarot readings? ๐ฆ What advice would you give to someone just starting to learn tarot? ๐ก How do you come up with pick a card readings ideas? ๐ฆ Do you suffer from imposter syndrome and how do you deal with it? ๐ฆโ๐ฅ Whatโs a belief you once held that you no longer do? ๐ How do you connect with the energy of a querent before a reading? ๐ธ Do you have any particular spreads you love to use? ๐ฆโโฌHow do you handle challenging or negative readings? ๐ช How do you incorporate other spiritual practices into your readings (like crystals, astrology, etc)? ๐ชถ What is the role of tarot in your spiritual journey? ๐ฆ How do you handle skepticism from others about your tarot practice? ๐ฅHave you ever experienced tarot or spiritual burnout, and how did you overcome it? ๐ซง How do you cleanse or recharge your tarot decks, if at all? ๐ฆ What does personal growth mean to you, and how do you pursue it? ๐ How does your spirituality influences your practice of tarot? โก๏ธHow do you honor your boundaries? ๐ฆDo you believe some people are gifted, and is that necessary to read tarot? ๐ช What's your favorite oracle deck, if you use them? ๐ฎ What's your view on using tarot to predict the future? โ๏ธ What is your personal view on how tarot works? ๐ Do you use any tool, substance or technique to enhance the accuracy of your readings? ๐ What do you wish to see more, and less of, in the tarot sphere?

About the Ask game:3๐ชผ
I would love to know
๐โโฌHow did you first get into tarot?
๐ Whatโs your favorite tarot deck and why?
๐ Whatโs your favorite tarot card, and what does it mean to you?
๐ชWhat's your favorite oracle deck, if you use them?
Hi,Belladonna, thank you for the questions๐ฆ๐ชผ
๐โโฌHow did you first get into tarot?
I actually don't really remember ๐ฆง.
At the start of university, I began to take interest in the occult so I did some researching and naturally stumbled upon Tarot. I had my first paid Tarot reading at our school fair, it was the only paid reading I ever have actually ๐
The story is nothing remarkable, really.
๐ Whatโs your favorite tarot deck and why?
My favourite deck is The Victorian Fairy Tarot. It was my first ever Tarot deck and I have been with it for about 12 years already ๐. The energy of the deck feels like a warm and kind old lady with the style of old children books.
Take a look at these gorgeous illustrations. (The deck is so old that the card's corners have begun to wear away)

๐ Whatโs your favorite tarot card, and what does it mean to you?
My favourite card is the 8 of pentacles because it reminds me of Saturnian energy. Whenever I felt doubts or began to lose faith in the things I do, I always got the 8 of pentacles, it felt oddly comforting, you just need to keep going, commit and work hard, keep on perfecting whatever you do. I guess patience is my biggest lesson in this life.
I also like the Moon card for its mystical depiction in every deck. It's a little creepy and haunting, like the world of dreams.
๐ชWhat's your favorite oracle deck, if you use them?
I have only one oracle deck, it's The wild unknow animal spirit deck. So that's my favourite.
Hope you have a nice dream whenever you sleep ๐ชผ๐๐
Get to know your tarot reader - ask game
If you're comfortable with it, can you possibly answer all/some of these for your Ask Game? ๐ฆโ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ ๐ฆ โก๏ธ๐ฆ (NGL, some of these are things I can relate to, for better and worse! ๐)
Hi, Hope you're doing well ๐ผ
Thank you for the questions. I would love to hear your take on these too.
๐ Whatโs something youโve learned about yourself in the past year?
That's I'm weak and some wounds might never go away completely, but I'm okay with it. The human heart is a resilient thing ๐ซ
Another one is that I have the capability to let go of something that previously I thought I would never be able to do so myself, unless some outside events forced me to do it.
๐ If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
I'd say keep on going, the future is always better. One piece of advice I really wanted to tell my younger self is don't seek approval from people, even those close to you. They might not really want to hinder or restrict you, but everyone is different. Some can't see or accept a different point of view. Their rejection doesn't mean you're doing something wrong.
๐ฆ Do you suffer from imposter syndrome and how do you deal with it?
I do, all the time ๐ซ . I have had self-confidence issues since I was a child. External validations couldn't elevate it because I'm the one being hard on myself. I figured out that this issue goes hand in hand with a feeling of self-importance, an expectation, that I should be someone doing something important, that I should always be able to keep up the "good position" that I'm in, but the fact is I'm just a normal, average person. It's fine to be an ordinary person.
The way I deal with it is to be confident in knowing that whatever I do, no matter how good I am at it, I would still feel that imposter syndrome, so I just do it anyway, in the best way I can, no matter how I feel about it inside. A part of myself can just sit in the corner and worry while another part just does whatever it wants ๐. The result always turns out better than I thought. And if someday people do find out that I'm disappointing just like I dreaded then I just have to do better then.
๐ฆโ๐ฅ Whatโs a belief you once held that you no longer do?
That's friendships can last forever, once you're friends, you stay friends forever. When I was a teen, I really believed that. But this belief created laziness, I didn't realise how much effort was needed to maintain a connection. And people change, drift apart, and finally fade from each other's lives.
๐ฆ What does personal growth mean to you, and how do you pursue it?
For me, personal growth means the increase of self-awareness. The assumption that I know myself completely is a false one. The best way to know myself is to observe myself in different situations and environments. And journaling, lots of journaling.
I find the names of The Southern Reach Trilogy's 3 novels by Jeff VanderMeer are really fitting for the journey of self-awareness. (Brilliant novels btw, the writing is phenomenal)
Annihilation, Authority, Acceptance
Those three states, annihilation of the old and false self, authority over the self, acceptance of the self.
โก๏ธHow do you honor your boundaries?
I state them clearly, seriously. If they are violated, I will remove myself from the situation or the people who caused it. Or at least avoid them as much as possible. Having a calm and serious attitude is usually enough for people around me to respect my boundaries. Basically this is my face ๐. The more triggered you act, the more likely they want to advance further into your boundaries.
๐ชท
Get to know your Tarot readet - ask game
Hello! If you're comfortable with answering ANY of these (๐ฑ ๐ฆโโฌ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ ๐ก) in your Ask Game, I would love to know your unique take! Don't feel obligated to answer them all though. ๐ I just LOVE and admire the aesthetic, comforting vibe, organization, & advice of your overall blog! ๐ฅฐ
Hi, how you're doing?
Thank you for your message ๐ฅฐ
Feel free to share your thoughts on these questions too ๐
๐ฑ How do you prepare yourself before a reading?
I usually do a reading right after I wake up from sleep. It's when I'm feel the most refreshed. Before and after each reading, I drink a large gulp of water, stretch myself, move around, look out the window to relax my eyes and spaced out to empty my mind lol. In short, I make myself feel physically comfortable and active enough.
Basically this:

๐ฆโโฌHow do you handle challenging or negative readings?
Like how I handle a challenging or negative person, I guess? I listen and try not to judge.
One kind of challenge in a reading is when I don't feel or get anything. I feel stuck and empty. The thing is, when I actually voice it out or write it down, the fog will get clearer, like a shift in perspective. If it's still difficult to read, I will leave the reading for a while and come back later. Like when your friend is sulking and silent, you give them space and time.
๐ฅHave you ever experienced tarot or spiritual burnout, and how did you overcome it?
I have a period of 6 or 7 years of Tarot burnout. I barely touched it. But as my spiritual beliefs evolved and changed, I came back to Tarot and found a new inspiration and purpose for it. Nowadays, I mostly use Tarot to ask questions about the general mysteries of life instead of external, practical situations in my life. I just find Tarot works better that way for me.
I believe that burnout of any kind is a sign that shows constriction (a definition of the word constrict: make narrower, especially by encircling pressure). So the action to relieve that feeling of constriction is to widen, to expand, be it your world view, your knowledge, your interests etc.
๐ก How do you come up with pick a card readings ideas?
I make a checklist of steps in a journey, each PAC topic is a step in that checklist ๐. Ideally, that's how I wanted to do it. But I'm impulsive so if I come across some interesting topics that I want to do right away, I will do the reading first and then try to slot it in the checklist. Like a series, each episode contributes to the overall plot but there will be some filler episodes.
๐ฆ How do you handle skepticism from others about your tarot practice?
I don't mention the subject to them anymore ๐. If the scepticism is about my ability, when I feel energetic and persuasive, I will tell them some of the predictions that have come true. I invite them to try for themselves or accept the fact that we are not for each other.
Oddly enough, I haven't really encountered much scepticism or criticism about my occult practice. People's reactions range from surprised, mildly amused, enthusiastic to becoming converted. Pretty encouraging, actually. I even read Tarot for my boss at work lol.
But I do notice some people want to practise Tarot but their environment and community aren't exactly supportive. It's difficult to try to convince or argue in this kind of situation so keeping it a secret is a way to protect it. I hope that they continue to do what they love and will find a supportive community for them.
๐ What do you wish to see more, and less of, in the tarot sphere?
I want to see less drama in the community. Everyone has a story behind. It's interesting to hear people's different points of view but when it turns into criticism or judgement, it feels suffocating.
I do wish to see more observation posts about Tarot tho, like those of astrology observations. I think that would be a great opportunity to learn and discuss.
I hope you are always well rested and full of energy ๐
๐ชท
Get to know your Tarot readet - ask game
Hello! For the ask game too :D ๐ญ, ๐ช, ๐ฅ
Hello, thanks for the questions ๐ฆ
Let me hear your opinions on these too.
๐ญ Do you use reversed cards and how?
I don't read reversed cards because of how my brain works. The reversed images make my brain freeze, I can't seem to get messages out of them๐ซ . So whether the cards have upright or reversed meanings is based entirely on my intuition
Also, partly because I don't shuffle the cards until one pops out. After I feel that I have shuffled enough, I take the cards directly and randomly (or intuitively?) from the deck so the possibility of them turning up as reversed is near zero. Of course, some cards will jump out during the shuffling process (my hands are small) but I take them as up right.
๐ช How do you incorporate other spiritual practices into your readings (like crystals, astrology, etc)?
Ehhh, right now, I can't think of any other spiritual practices I incorporate into a Tarot reading. Though when I read crystals, I sometimes also pull Tarot to get extra messages, or sometimes the messages of the crystals remind me of a certain Tarot card. With crystal reading, it's basically an astrology chart reading so I don't know whether to say I incorporate crystals into astrology or vice versa ๐
When I read Tarot, I don't really think about the astrological associations of the cards unless it's about describing traits of a person. I probably need to learn them more seriously ๐. Which is why your post about the astrological association of each card is a godsend ๐
๐ฅHave you ever experienced tarot or spiritual burnout, and how did you overcome it?
This question has been answered in the previous ask, here
๐ชท
Hope you will have nice dreams ๐
Get to know your Tarot readet - ask game
OMG, I love reading your detailed reaponses to the Tarot Ask Game! Lots of good and thought-provoking stuff. ๐คฉ If it's not done already or uncomfortable, can you give is your take on any of these? ๐ Thank you so much! ๐ฅฐ โ๏ธ๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ซง
Hi, how are you? Hope you're well ๐
Thank you for the questions and messages. ๐ฅฐ
โ๏ธ Whatโs a quote that sums up your philosophy?
โItโs a small world. It keeps recrossing itself. He who would do battle with the many-headed hydra of human nature must pay a world of pain & his family must pay it along with him! & only as you gasp your dying breath shall you understand, your life amounted to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean!โ Yet what is any ocean but a multitude of drops? Cloud atlas - David Mitchell
There's a quote that talks about how the world, our lives, will repeat itself over and over again through many lifetimes in the same novel but it mentions su*cide so I will just quote a part of it here: "We do not stay dead long,[omitted], my birth, next time around, will be upon me in a heartbeat." It reflects my philosophy about the continuity of life and past lives.
Many things worked out as I planned them to, but that did not always prove of benefit to me. But almost everything developed naturally and by destiny. Memories, dreams, reflections - C.G Jung
This closely reflects the observation I have about life in general.
๐ฆ What advice would you give to someone just starting to learn tarot?
The short advice is to take it easy ๐
Learn the fundamentals and try to listen to your own intuition at the same time.
It will be different for each one of us, but in my case, books, fancy accessories, and numerous decks in your possession only served to distract me from really diving into Tarot. I find learning through direct experiences of reading, especially for other people, the most effective way. Also, watching how other readers do readings is also very educational.
Thinking about all the interpretations of each card can be intimidating, but if you group them by themes, I think it will be easier. The fool's journey, the meaning of each suit, the general meaning of each number, try to find the undercurrent similarities.
Like everything else, if you do it often enough, you will get used to it and get better at it.๐ธ
๐ How do you connect with the energy of a querent before a reading?
I usually ask for their name (not initials) and their favourite colours, a scene they find beautiful so that I can build a mental image of them in my head. I'm a visual thinker so I can't think about something if I can't see it in my head. Then I will pick an object, usually a crystal to represent the querent and look at that object throughout the reading, imagine myself sitting across the querent. That's how I connect with a querent.
I have to admit that I don't feel sensations in my body like how some readers when they channel the energy of a querent and the reading. If I would describe my reading process in details, it would sound very mechanical, detached and lack the mystical or fantastical elements usually associated with divination ๐
๐ซง How do you cleanse or recharge your tarot decks, if at all?
I sometimes put a Selenite crystal bar on top of the deck in good faith that the deck will be cleansed. But a part of me is quite sceptical about it. I keep my decks in separated pouches in my drawer to keep them out of light and heat and occasionally spread them on my bed to let them breathe some air.
I don't usually feel the need to cleanse my decks. Unless it was touched by someone else, then I would let it sit in a dark, open space, alone, just like how I myself would like to be when I need to recharge. An open space, cool air and darkness are good energy cleansing agents for me.
๐ฆDo you believe some people are gifted, and is that necessary to read tarot?
I think Tarot is like the art field or any other fields, some people will have an easier time grasping the system, do it faster, more distinctively. Some people are naturally more sensitive to energies, understand images intuitively, have the ability to articulate words in a way that flows. But that doesn't mean other people who don't have that natural disposition cannot do the same or better.
It boiled down to the mindset and how much interest you have for the subject. A curious and open mindset will make an accepting attitude towards many things, which will free the mind and the heart and let things flow more naturally, outward expression of this can be considered as natural talent. Giftedness may give you an initial boost but interest will give you fuel in the long run.
So no, I don't think you need to be gifted to read Tarot. You just need to be open to the idea of Tarot.
๐ Do you use any tool, substance or technique to enhance the accuracy of your readings?
My tools and techniques are good sleep, well rested body, neutral state of mind and heart, good lighting and drinking lots of water.
My favourite motto when doing a reading: "first thought, best thought"
๐ชท
Get to know your Tarot reader - ask game