Exercises – Lesson 10

The Open Reading

Exercise 10.1 – Doing an Open Reading

During the next few weeks, look for an opportunity to try an Open Reading. I recommend a fairly quiet day when you feel at peace with your life and attuned to the moment. It should be a day when you have the time and inclination to step back a little and look at the larger patterns that are influencing you at this time. If a birthday, anniversary or other special occasion happens to fall during this period, use it as the basis for your reading. Follow the procedure described in lesson 10.

LESSON 10

The Open Reading

An Open Reading is a request for guidance that is not tied to a particular problem. You don’t write a question. You simply give your Inner Guide an opportunity to communicate what you most need to know at a given moment.

For most occasions, the Question Reading is the best type because it zeroes in on the issue that is most important to you. Just as with the telephoto lens of a camera, a question lets you move in to focus more narrowly on a subject, but it also keeps you from seeing the bigger picture. An Open Reading has more scope. It covers your long-term growth and development. It offers a higher level of guidance that embraces the larger patterns that are shaping your everyday experiences.

Open Readings can be quite powerful. I try to use them sparingly to preserve their out-of-the-ordinary quality. Consider them for special occasions, such as: birthdays, anniversaries, ceremonial days, equinoxes and first days (new job, date, trip).

Open Readings are useful when you are standing on the threshold of a new phase, such as after the birth of a child or move to a new house. Open Readings can help you adjust to new or unpredictable situations ahead of time. Whenever an expanse of unknown is opening out before you, that is a perfect time for an Open Reading.

The procedure is basically the same as the one in lesson 8. The few differences are noted here.

 

1. Setting the Mood
   To prepare for an Open Reading, you want to avoid the analysis that goes into writing a question. Simply let your mind empty of all cares and concerns. There is nothing you have to do or arrange except a gentle quieting of the mind.
2. Making A Statement
   Instead of reading a question, say a more general message of intent such as:

   I welcome a message of wisdom and open myself to receive the guidance that I most need at this time.

   You can narrow the focus a little as long as you avoid specific people and events. If you’re interested in your health, you can add a phrase to that effect:

   I welcome a message of wisdom about my health and open myself to receive the guidance that I most need at this time.

3. Shuffling the Cards
   Keep your mind free and open while you shuffle. If a thought drifts by, let it gently pass without fixing on it. Ideally, you should feel like an empty house with all the windows open to every soft breeze.
4. Cutting the Cards
5. Laying Out the Cards
6. Responding to the Cards
7. Analyzing the Cards
   As a rule, when analyzing the cards, you want to step back from the details of your life and let the cards show you the larger themes. Concentrate on the patterns as revealed in the reading. View everything in a wider context. Open Readings are not about the everyday.
8. Creating the Story
9. Writing the Summary Statement
10. Finishing Up
11. Using What You Have Learned
    It is not necessary to commit to specific actions. Simply absorb the spirit of the message and allow it to guide you in a general way.

Exercises – Lesson 9

The Other Reading

Exercise 9.1 – Doing a Reading About a News Event

Go through today’s newspaper and choose a topic that interests you. Look for one that is intriguing and somewhat controversial. A short-term media event is a good choice because you will get feedback on the situation quickly. Read over the facts that are available, and write a question that covers one aspect of the situation. Do an Other Reading following the procedure described in lesson 9. Write down your interpretation and what you predict the outcome will be.Later, when the situation has resolved somewhat, go over your reading and relate it to what happened. If your interpretation doesn’t seem to fit, look at the cards again to see if you can find something new in them.

Exercise 9.2 – Am I Involved?

Think of a problem that is bothering a close friend, relative or colleague. Choose a person whose concerns are important to you. Write a question about the problem as if you were doing an Other Reading. Deliberately keep yourself out of the question. When you are done, ask yourself these three questions:

1. Do I feel strong emotions when I think about this person in this situation?
2. Do I have a vested interest in this situation?
3. Do I desire a particular outcome in this situation?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, rewrite your original question so that it is centered on you. The goal of this exercise is to help you learn to tell when a problem involves you directly and when it doesn’t.

Exercise 9.3 – Imaginary Situations

You can create a troubling set of circumstances for an imaginary person, and then do an Other Reading about it. You can also borrow a situation from the advice columns in the newspapers. These are great resources for problems of all kinds.

LESSON 9

The Other Reading

You can do a tarot reading that is centered on another person or subject. I call this the Other Reading. An Other Reading is appropriate whenever you are simply curious about someone or something that doesn’t involve you directly. Other Readings are about someone, not for him or her. When a reading is for someone, that person writes the question and you simply help interpret the cards.

Other Readings are fun and informative. They are also a good way to learn the tarot. When you use the cards for yourself, you only get to look at a limited set of problems – your own! Other Readings let you explore much more.

Except for choosing the subject, the procedure for an Other Reading is basically the same as the one in lesson 8. The few differences are noted here.

2. Choosing the Subject
   Your first step is to decide on the subject of your reading. You can focus on just about anything – a person, animal, place, problem, or news event – as long as you identify the subject ahead of time. Usually it will be the central figure in a situation, but it doesn’t have to be.Your subject can be a group entity, such as a marriage, family, team or neighborhood. You can focus on a country or the Earth, but, for such large entities, the information will be very general.

   You may be tempted to do an Other Reading about someone who is close to you – a relative, friend or colleague. In lesson 7 I talk about the importance of focusing on yourself in readings that concern you. Here is a simple test you can take to decide whether an Other Reading is advisable. Ask yourself three questions:

   • Do I feel strong emotions when I think about this person in this situation?
   • Do I have a vested interest in this situation?
   • Do I desire a particular outcome in this situation?

   If your answer is yes to any of these questions, you should probably do a reading centered on yourself rather than an Other Reading.You now need to write a question. Follow the suggestions in lesson 7, but write the question about your subject. Focus on the aspect of your subject that interests you. If you are wondering about a politician who is running for president, your question might be:

   “What are the factors impacting Mr. or Ms. Candidate’s chances to become the next president?”

3. Setting the Mood
   You can place a picture of your subject nearby to help you focus during your reading. An object that reminds you of your subject works well too.
4. Asking Your Question
   Say something about the other person or why you are doing an Other Reading. Request guidance that is in the best interest of all concerned, and mention that you hold only good intentions toward your subject. (If you can’t say this truthfully, consider a reading for yourself instead!)
5. Shuffling the Cards
6. Cutting the Cards
7. Laying out the Cards
8. Responding to the Cards
   As you respond to the cards, remember that they refer to the other person, not you. However, don’t be surprised if you see in the cards some interesting correspondences with your own life!
9. Analyzing the Cards
   In an Other Reading, you are seeing the situation from your own point of view. What you see in the cards may or may not be related to what the subject actually experiences.
10. Creating the Story
11. Writing the Summary Statement
12. Finishing up.
13. Using What You Have Learned
    Even though an Other Reading focuses on someone else, there is still a lesson for you in the cards. Try to identify this lesson so you can apply it in your own life.

Exercise – Lesson 8

The Question Reading

Exercise 8.1 – Doing a Question Reading

You are going to do a Celtic Cross Question Reading from start to finish. Follow the procedure outlined in lesson 8. You will need a question to be answered. You can use the question you wrote in Exercise 7.1 or write a new one. Interpret the cards as best you can using your intuition and the Card and Celtic Cross Sections.You may feel a little at sea this first time – not sure whether or not you’re doing everything right. Remember there is no one correct interpretation. What you see in the cards is right for you by definition, and, no matter what, you will come away with something of value. In future lessons, you will learn some principles of interpretation that will help you feel more confident. At that point, we’ll revisit this reading to see what else you can learn from it.

LESSON 8

The Question Reading

In this lesson, you will finally learn how to do a full tarot reading for yourself. I describe a simple procedure you can use to explore a personal question. Having a procedure to follow is important in tarot work. When you follow the same steps over and over in a certain way, they help you center yourself in the moment. The details of the steps are not that important; in fact, you can change any of them if you wish. The goal is to maintain a spirit of mindfulness. Doing a reading with loving concentration will make your tarot practice very powerful.Here is the procedure for a Question Tarot Reading.

Setting the Mood

Your first step is to create a conducive mood. Lesson 6 offers some suggestions on how to set up a pleasing environment. You can try these ideas, if you like. Focus on what will make you feel comfortable and secure.When you are ready, sit down on the floor or at a table leaving some empty space in front of you. You should have your tarot cards and your question written on a piece of paper. (See lesson 7 for how to write a question.) At first, a full reading will probably take at least thirty to forty minutes. Try to arrange your affairs so you won’t be interrupted. With experience, you will be able to shorten this time, if you wish, but it is always better to feel unhurried.

Begin to relax and still your mind. Put aside your worries and concerns for now. (You can always get them back later!) Settle fully into the present moment. Take a few deep breaths, relax all your muscles and feel the quiet as you turn away from the outside world. Take as much time as you need for this calming process.

Asking Your Question

When you feel centered, take your cards out of their container. Hold them cupped in one hand while you place the other hand on top. Close your eyes and bring the cards into the circle of your energy.Now, make an opening statement, if you wish. Some possibilities are:

• a prayer
• an affirmation
• a description of how you are feeling
• a simple hello to your Inner Guide

You can write a phrase to say every time, or you can speak spontaneously. It is more important to speak from your heart than to mouth an empty formula. Say your statement out loud, as sound adds energy and conviction.Next, ask your question, either from memory or by reading it. Be sure to say your question exactly as you wrote it. One of the mysteries of the unconscious is that it is very literal; the cards you choose will often reflect the precise wording of your question.

Shuffling the Cards

Open your eyes and begin shuffling. It is important to shuffle the cards because this is how you sort through all the forms your reading could take and arrange at a subtle level the one you will receive.There are a number of ways to shuffle the cards. Each method has its pros and cons. Choose one that is most comfortable for you. Certain methods mix the cards so some are right side up (upright) and some, upside-down (reversed). If this is your first reading, do not worry about reversed cards. I will explain these in lesson 17.

Concentrate on your question while you shuffle. Focus on the overall intent rather than the details. Don’t strain to stay fixed, but do keep the question in mind as much as you can.

Cutting the Cards

When you feel you have shuffled long enough, stop and place the cards face down in front of you with the short edge closest to you. Cut the deck as follows:

1. Grab some number of cards from the pile.
2. Drop this smaller pile to the left.
3. Grab some part of this second pile and drop it further to the left.
4. Regroup the cards into one pile in any fashion.

It’s best to regroup the cards in one quick motion. Don’t try to figure out which pile should go where. Just let your hand move where it will. The cut is an important finishing step that marks the end of the card-arranging stage. Once you have regrouped the cards, the pattern of the reading is fixed, and all that remains is to lay out the cards and see what they reveal.

Laying Out the Cards

Follow the steps for the spread you have chosen. If this is your first reading, use the Celtic Cross. (Before actually laying out the cards, read the next step, “Responding to the Cards.”)

1. Pick up the deck and hold it in one hand with the short edge closest to you.
2. With your other hand, turn over the first card as you would the page of a book.
3. Place this card in Position 1.
   (The position number corresponds to the placement order.)
4. Turn over the second card, and place it in Position 2.
5. Continue in this way until you have placed all the cards.
6. Turn any reversed cards around if you are not using them.

Responding to the Cards

Pay attention to your reactions to each card as you lay it out. At first, you will not know or remember the usual meaning of a card. Your thoughts and feelings will be based mainly on the images. As you practice, your reactions will become more informed, but also more predictable. Try to keep some of your original openness as much as possible. Pay attention to any responses that seem unusual or out-of-place.When all the cards are laid out, take a moment to respond to them as a whole. Do you get an overall impression? Do you have any new reactions? Jot down some of your thoughts, if you wish. Don’t worry if you can’t remember all of them. Just as with dreams, you will recall the most important. Try not to get too involved in your notes as that can break the flow of the reading. You simply want to capture a few ideas quickly.

Analyzing the Cards

In the beginning, use the section about individual cards for help. Later, you can examine the cards on your own, but you may still find this section useful. (I use it myself from time to time!)Begin your review with Position 1 and proceed in position order. Here are the suggested steps:

1. Look up the card in the Card Section.
2. Read through all the keywords and actions.
3. Look for actions that make you say “Yes, that one really fits!” I experience a kind of jolt of recognition when I see one. Don’t shy away from actions that seem less pleasant. Trust your reactions, and reserve judgment until you’ve seen all the cards. Note any stray thoughts or “irrelevant” feelings that come to mind.

When you’ve considered each card, look for relationships between them. Apply the principles of interpretation.

You could ponder a reading for hours without running out of insights, but, of course, this isn’t practical or desirable. Do try to spend some time, however. Your reward will be equal to your effort.

Creating the Story

At some point, you need to pull everything together. I call this creating the story. Your story will help you understand your situation and give you guidance for the future – what you have been seeking all along.I recommend that you create your story spontaneously. Once you have finished your card review, let that analytical approach go. It’s no longer appropriate. Your story will be more authentic if it arises freely from within. When you feel ready, simply begin speaking your story, saying whatever comes to mind. Use any notes you have to help, but don’t focus on them too much.

I encourage you to tell your story out loud. Writing is too slow, and just thinking your ideas is too vague. Your story will gather strength and power as it is spoken. If you begin to ramble or lose your train of thought, don’t be concerned. Simply pause, regroup and start again. As you practice, you will get better at speaking on the fly. You may want to tape your story. When you play back the tape, you will be amazed at what you hear. You will truly feel you are your own best tarot reader.

Writing the Summary Statement

Your story is done when your words slow down and stop naturally. Your next step is to distill the main theme of your story. What is the essence of your guidance? Ask yourself these questions:

• What is the problem or conflict?
• What is my role?
• What does my Inner Guide want me to understand?
• What is the projected outcome?
• How do you feel about that?
• Do I sense any recommendations for action?

What you are doing is forming the answer to your question. Before the reading, you posed a question that had meaning for you. Your Inner Guide has responded, and now you want to capture that wisdom in a form you can remember. Try to summarize your story in one or two sentences. Concentrate on the message in the cards and not the mechanics of your interpretation.

Finishing Up

The main event is over, but, as with any ceremony, there are a few final steps to take to end your reading and leave your cards ready for next time.If you have not already done so, write down the cards you selected and their positions. It is easy to forget them. Then, clear the deck to remove all traces of the energy patterns of this reading. I clear a deck by scrambling the cards together gently. It reminds me of erasing letters in the sand with a sweep of my hand. You may enjoy this technique as well, but any shuffling method will do. Take a few moments now to clear your deck. Make sure the cards are face down or turned away from you. Stop when you feel you’ve shuffled long enough, and gather the cards together. Your deck is now ready for your next reading.

Before putting the cards away, hold them again for just a moment. Place your deck in one hand with the other hand on top, and close your eyes. Say what you feel you have learned from this reading. Express your gratitude to your Inner Guide for helping you via the tarot cards. Gratitude is a wonderful sentiment. It provides the ideal frame of mind in which to end your reading.

When you began, you initiated a cycle. You created meaning in the form of a reading, and now you have completed that cycle by returning the cards to their resting state.

Using What You Have Learned

The reading proper is over, but the inner work is just beginning. Your goal is to integrate what you have learned into your life in some way. If you don’t, your tarot practice will remain a beautiful pastime with no power to help you.Decide on one or more actions you can take to put your guidance to work. You can reinforce what you’re doing now or make some changes, either radical or minor. Specific actions are usually more helpful than vague plans.

If you are keeping a journal, write down what you intend to do. Commit only to what you know you will actually carry out. I know how easy it is to lay out some cards, look at them briefly and then never think about that reading again, especially when your reaction is less than positive!

As the days go by, think about your reading and how it meshes with your life. Ask yourself these questions:

• How meaningful was my story?
• How well did the guidance fit?
• Did I miss any clues?
• Did I carry out an action, and, if so, what happened?
• Did something unexpected occur?
• Do my Daily Readings add anything?

You may be tempted to do another reading, but it’s probably best to wait until there are important changes in your situation. Assume that your first reading covers all you need to know. If you are puzzled about certain elements, mine your first reading for more insights. By going deeper, you will get closer to the heart of the matter.Using what you have learned in a reading is probably the most important step – and the most difficult. It involves moving beyond playing with the cards. When you actually commit to integrating your tarot insights into your life, you have realized the true and lasting benefit to be gained from the cards.

This is my ideal tarot session, but, to be truthful, I don’t always follow it. Sometimes I linger over these steps, sometimes I neglect quite a few of them. I encourage you to adopt whatever procedure suits your interests and needs. If you don’t enjoy the cards, they’ll just gather dust on the shelf. The details aren’t that important; it’s the intention that counts!

You are going to write a question for your first tarot reading. Think about your life for a moment, and choose an area in which you are having some difficulty. (We all have one of these!) Avoid general concerns such as finding a life partner. Pick a specific everyday problem that is troubling you right now in your home or workplace. Choose something that involves you directly and that you care about personally. Follow the recommendations in lesson 7 for writing an effective question. Take notes as you go. We will be using these notes and your question in the next lesson.

Life will offer you many opportunities to practice writing questions. Any time you face a problem, take a moment to create a question about it. Work on it while you’re doing routine activities, such as riding in a car or doing housework.

Most of the time you will want to consult the tarot because you are facing a problem or challenge. Something about your life is troubling you, and you want to understand why it is happening and what you can do about it. The best kind of tarot reading for this situation is the Question Reading. You write a question about your problem, and you receive your answer by interpreting the cards. The question helps you relate the guidance you receive to your situation in a way that makes sense. In this lesson, I describe how to create a question for a reading you do for yourself.

Write your tarot question to show that you accept responsibility for your situation. Consider these two questions:

Write your question to show that you are keeping your options open. Consider these:

Seek the fine line between wording that is too vague and too detailed. Here are three questions on the same topic:

When you do a reading for yourself, you are always the central character. Your question should focus on you. There are times when questions about others are fine, but not when you are concentrating on your own concerns.

You want to stay as neutral as possible when writing your questions. It is easy to begin a reading convinced that your position is the right one, but if you truly want to receive guidance, you need to be open to other points of view. Consider these sets of questions:

Be positive when writing your questions. Consider these:

LESSON 5

The Daily Reading

You are now ready to begin putting your tarot knowledge to work. Lesson 5 describes the Daily Reading. In this reading, you select a single card that becomes your theme for the day. The purpose is to heighten your awareness of one approach to life for a single twenty-four-hour period. It also helps you learn the tarot without strain or tedium.

Let’s say you have drawn the Two of Cups for a daily reading. As you go through the day, you will watch for signs of this card’s special energy. The keywords for the Two of Cups card are connection, truce and attraction. In the morning, you notice that a colleague, who has been rather hostile, comes to your office to talk. You sense a truce, and you take advantage of it. In the afternoon, while working on a problem, you look for the connection between two approaches and find your solution. Later, at a party, you talk to someone who attracts you. On each occasion, you access the energy of the Two of Cups and allow it to guide your decisions.

At first, you may want to choose your daily card deliberately so you can avoid repeat selections and learn the deck more quickly. (See exercise 5.1.) If you prefer, you can choose your card without conscious intervention. (See exercise 5.2.) Here is the procedure:

1. Shuffle the deck once or twice.
2. Hold the deck face down in one hand and cover it with your other hand.
3. Pause a moment to become calm and centered.
4. Ask your Inner Guide to give you the guidance you need for the day.
5. Place the deck face down in front of you.
6. Cut the deck to the left and restack it.
7. Turn over the top card as your card of the day.
8. Return this card to the deck, and shuffle once or twice.

This procedure is easy to do on a daily basis, and it gives you an opportunity to connect with your Inner Guide regularly. Choose a time that works for you. Mornings are good because you can pick a card during your wake-up routine. You can also select one at night. You will be ready to put your card to use as soon as you wake up. It isn’t necessary to pick one time since your schedule may change. The main goal is to make the Daily Reading a part of your day so that your tarot work progresses.

Keep a journal of your selections. Later, you will find it interesting to trace the pattern of your choices. I started studying the tarot in earnest when I was spending my days caring for my two boys, then under five. One day I calculated the distribution of my daily cards to that point and found the following:

• Wands – 24
• Cups – 44
• Swords – 41
• Pentacles – 57
• Major Arcana – 56

How clearly this describes my life at that time – heavy on the real world (Pentacles) and basic forces (major arcana) and not so heavy on individual creativity (Wands).

In your journal, jot down a few highlights of the day next to your entry. This will help you correlate the cards with your moods and activities; but keep it simple, or you will soon tire of the effort.

I wrote my journal entries using five pens of different colors – one for each category:

• Wands = Red (Fire, passion)
• Cups = Blue (Water, moods, emotion)
• Swords = Yellow (Air, mentality)
• Pentacles = Green (Earth, growth, plants, nature, money)
• Major Arcana = Purple (spirituality, higher purpose)

Color coding helps you see at a glance the shifting tarot patterns of your weeks and months.

You will probably be surprised to find that you draw certain cards over and over. Of the fifty-seven Pentacles I recorded early on, I drew the Ace and Queen eleven times each! At home with my children, so many of my days reflected the themes of these two cards. The Queen of Pentacles is the ultimate nurturing mother. The Ace of Pentacles offers opportunities to enjoy the material side of life, and it doesn’t get more material than cleaning dirty diapers!

I picked these two cards so often that I became suspicious about them. I examined them closely one day to see if I had damaged them in such a way that I would be more likely to select them. They appeared no different from the others. I was simply drawn to them because they expressed my situation at that time. The cards you select frequently will also tell you about your concerns.

The most important step in learning the tarot is to take the cards out of the box regularly. The Daily Reading is the ideal solution. If you do one each day, you will absorb the character of each card quickly and easily.

Exercises – Lesson 4

The Spread

Exercise 4.1 – Celtic Cross Spread

Spend a few minutes looking at the Celtic Cross Section so you understand how it is set up. Don’t worry about memorizing anything. The goal is simply to get comfortable with the information.

Now, lay out ten cards of your choice using this spread. Read the page for each position one by one. Think about the meaning each card takes on because it falls in a certain position. You will learn more about this later, but just speculate for now.

 

Exercise 4.2 – Designing a Spread

You can design spreads yourself to suit your needs. Create for yourself now a three-card tarot spread. Follow these steps:

• Draw a picture of the physical layout – where the cards should go.
• Number the positions to show order of placement.
• Write a short phrase or two describing the meaning of each position.

This is a basic three-card spread that covers events in time.

Here’s a spread to use when you belong to a three-person team and want to know the expectations of the members (including yourself). The cards form a “Y” with the tops facing inward. This pattern suggests a meeting of the minds.

Design your layout so it reflects the meanings of the positions. To expand on this exercise, work with four, five or more cards.