Yesterday’s ask me anything actually got some responses! This is kind of fun, so maybe I’ll offer these more often.
Ask Me Anything: Inspiration and Beginning
Jaime asked:
While I am not interested in getting into it for myself, I would like to know what/who inspired you to find your light through tarot cards, and how did you start offer your services?
That’s a great ask me anything question and I have to admit there is no one person that inspired me. I consider myself a pagan and a non-practicing witch in the religious sense. I don’t usually do rituals, but I accept that they can work and effect a change in the real world. So I follow a lot of Wiccans, Pagans, and Witches on Twitter. Dana Newkirk has really influenced my Tarot work, encouraging me to look at it more as a tool for self-realization rather than just divinatory.
As for how I started offering readings, I took an in-depth series of courses from Biddy Tarot. For me, they taught me ways to look at and interact with the cards. There were also several units on ethics which were very thoughtful and helped focus my practice. Biddy Tarot also offers free tarot readings which students do for the public via email. I was terrified. My first two readings weren’t great. By the third reading, I began to click and by the time my studies ended I’d done nearly 200 readings for people literally all over the world.
Thanks for the question, Jaime!
Ask Me Anything: Getting Started
Martha and Diana asked similar questions, but I’m going to twist these ask me anything questions around a bit. Martha asked:
Well I don’t have a clue on Tarot cards! How did you get interested in card reading?
and Diana asked:
“How did you get started?”
I have an article here that talks about my history with Tarot cards, and a recent article about getting started reading for yourself here. So instead I’ll talk about how I use the Tarot in daily life.
Daily Three Card Draw
First off, I don’t always carry my cards around. When I need to make a decision, I don’t first consult the Tarot. Sometimes later, yes, but not first thing. Instead, I start the day with a three-card draw.
The three-card draw has a lot of potential because the card positions can be what you need them to be. For example, if I have a problem and don’t even know where to start I will make the first card the background to the problem or how I got there. The next card is the problem right now and how I’m relating to it. The final card tells me where I’ll end up if I continue without making any changes. I decide this before shuffling the cards and keep it in mind. I’m not sure how this works and attracts the right cards. One explanation is that this intention alerts the subconscious to get ready to relate what I see to the issue at hand.
Tarot Cards: The Ultimate Ask Me Anything!
More often I just read blind. I don’t have a specific issue, so I’ll just say “Tell me what I need to work on today”. I still pull three cards but I read them both sequentially and together. To do that, I read the first card as if it were alone, and then the second card. Then I synthesize both together and move on to the third card, reading it and relating it. This sounds far more complicated than it is and you can look back at my September Tarot Challenge posts to see what the resulting reading looks like.
Usually, I intend to journal about the reading, but it never seems to happen. Those cards do show up in that’s days meanderings though. This 3-card technique is a great way to keep learning about the cards. Don’t worry if you have to look up the meaning, but do try to interpret it yourself first. You’ll be surprised what your intuition will throw at you. Just looking up the meanings of the three cards each day will help the memorization process.
What Clients are Saying about Sophrosyne Tarot
I was advised to ask open-ended questions instead of predictive questions which I thought was helpful because I never would have known if it weren’t for the reader. The reader provided the reading along with some advice too so the entire reading was very thorough and explained in an understandable manner.
Everything said was accurate and helpful for me to identify my flaws in order to grow as a person. I have learned a lot about tarot and what it does to help me.
Greetings Sophrosyne, thank you for answering the questions so succinctly. I am definitely more clear on how the tarot cards are used and how you learn to interpret the three cards. I bet the journaling would take it to the next level. I too, alway make the intention to document daily, I need to make it a calendar habit! Much gratitude for sharing your gift.
I can say you got me interested in tarot cards. I’m always a curious person. I’ve heard of them before but this time, I said why not. So I got a book and reading it was interesting. I find the history and Pamela Colman Smith very interesting. Now I got my Rider deck also. The art is beautiful. That’s a draw for me since I like to think of myself as an artist, too. So sad Pamela died so young.
Thanks for answering my question and yes I like this topic of ask me anything! Like Jaime I’m not interested in getting into Tarot card reading but the more I’m reading your posts the more fascinated I am with it.
I’m so glad you found success with your tarot readings! It’s definitely a skill that takes practice to perfect, but it’s so rewarding when you can help others through their own journey. And to get 200 reading from around the world is an impressive accomplishment.