What does the first reading look like? (TAROT 101)
the first reading
Getting a tarot reading for the first time can seem intimidating, especially considering the way tarot is portrayed in popular media. You might be thinking “What if I get the Death card?” and have an image of a crystal ball in a dark room, or perhaps you’re thinking more “What if I don’t know what kinds of questions to ask?” You might even be thinking that this is all a load of nonsense.
Any way you look at it, it’s important to realize that tarot is just a tool, one that can help us connect to deeper reflection and intuition (something we all have), meant to serve us in our personal and spiritual development. So, what does that mean for you and your first reading? Let’s see if we can break it down a little.
share your story
After you’ve purchased a reading, I will start by asking about your current situation: how things have been going recently, what kinds of feelings you’re having, when you noticed certain things coming up, etc. The important thing is to share as much as you can, as much as you already know, since otherwise, I will just be telling you things you already know - which isn’t the best use of anyone’s time. From the perspective of trying to get you the answers you need, it will be much more worthwhile for you if we can dig into things that you may not have considered or that you can’t directly know.
Cards from: the Wild Unknown Tarot
ask your questions
This is the part most people are concerned about: how do I know what kinds of questions to ask? Well, that’s where I - the reader - come in. Aside from actually interpreting the cards intuitively, a huge part of what I do is help you, the querent, take what you are feeling and form that into questions which are both insightful and empowering, questions that can provide personally meaningful answers.
Common topics querents bring up include relationships, opportunities, challenges, the past, and the near future, but in general, I avoid yes/no questions like “will I..?” and instead favor questions that are centered around the “why”, “how”, and “what” of a situation. As an intuitive consultant, I believe in a future which is created through the energies and actions of the present rather than an inaccessible, distant future that comes to us prepackaged, and I believe this perspective enables querents to engage what they know about a situation, ask questions about what they don’t know, and then focus on what’s important: how to work with the present to create the future that they are looking for.
For example, look at the following question, one which I receive often: will I ever find the right person?
With this question, the only possible answers are “yes, you will” or “no, you won’t,” but the problem - aside from the fact that life is never quite that simple - is that this doesn’t give you anything to work with, you just have to accept whatever happens. A more helpful way to phrase the question (and to think about the situation) might be “What can I do to attract the type of person I’m looking for?” I am not interested in doling out life sentences or painting rainbows and utopias through my readings, because that isn’t really helpful for you; what I want is to collaborate in envisioning the future you desire and then make a plan of how to get there by working with the resources and challenges in front of you.
get your insight
Once we have clarified some questions to be explored, it is time to start pulling cards. A lot of readers work with what are called “spreads”, specific, set patterns of laying out the cards with each position representing an answer. While I offer many different kinds of spreads, like the personal horoscope or astrological readings available in our shop, I typically prefer to work with a freer, more intuitive “tree” style, meaning that I will pull more cards as more questions appear and build trees of connected questions.
This allows the direction of the reading and conversation to change as our consciousness of different questions changes, while also illustrating the connections between different ideas. As I pull cards, I will clarify the questions I am asking, as well as the patterns I am seeing. Live readings tend to be very conversational, and even in e-mail readings, I want to keep the communication open, so please don’t hesitate to bring up questions or doubts before, during, or after a reading!
At the end of the day, I provide this service because I want to help others develop their personal and spiritual potential, and tarot is one great way to do that. Further, working with tarot means that I am constantly learning as well - every reading is something new for both of us!
Now that you know what the first reading looks like, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and book yours today! We offer a variety of readings to meet your needs, whatever they might be, and I hope that you will allow us to be a part of your journey into a better present - and therefore a better future.
Thanks for reading,
Amani Michael
intuit.hue founder + lead guide
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