I share my latest experiment with divination and discuss the protocols of the experiment.
Reading the darker side of Tarot
I’ve been starting to read oracle cards and Tarot at metaphysical fairs and one of the fascinating trends I’ve observed has come in the form of people who get readings from me and ask me not to pull any punches with the reading. One recent customer shared with me that they didn’t want me to filter my reading for them in any way. I never filter my readings anyway and explained that to my customer but it got me to ask them a question in turn.
“Why do you think people filter their readings?”
“They probably don’t want to deliver bad news or share something that will make someone uncomfortable.”
I nodded and took that in and gave them their reading. I can’t really speak to the experiences that anyone else has around giving or receiving readings but in my own experience of giving readings I’ve always opted for trusting my intuition and telling the person what I’m actually getting about the situation. I trust that if anyone else have given me a reading they have done the same.
The exchange got me thinking about reading the darker side of Tarot and Oracle cards. In some cases you find that reading through reversals, but I actually think you can look at a given card in of itself and regardless of what the position is you can read it and look at all the angles.
For instance, if I look at the Hanged Man, the positive perspective I can take is that the Hanged Man represents presence, being still in the moment, and cultivating awareness. The shadow side of the Hanged Man could represent blockages and obstacles both internal and external. Both the shadow and the gold are present within any given kind of reading and yet it’s up to the reader and readee to determine what applies for a given situation. The way we read a situation matters because it tells what we can learn from that situation and the same applies to a Tarot/oracle reading. The most important skill you can cultivate in divination is learning to look beyond the surface meanings of a card, so you can read into the card and how it relates to the overall experience.
Want a reading from me? Schedule one at this link, and let me show you what happens when you combine two different decks for your reading.
How to learn a divination deck
I share my process for how to learn a divination deck and an exercise you can do each day to learn a card and what it means as it applies to your life.
My Experiments with Scrying
Last year I took a class on Scrying taught by Harper Feist. It was a fascinating course that explored the sensory aspects of scrying in relationship to our senses.
Not just the five senses of sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell, but also kinisthetic, thermal, and other more subtle senses all of us have access to, including of course the "psychic senses."
Since taking that course, I've been continuing to experiment with scrying and have made it a regular part of my practice.
Even before I took the class I had done some scrying with bowls of water and with a crystal globe, but after taking the class I added a couple of tools to my scrying practice.
I bought a black scrying mirror and I started adding candles to the mix in order to create a source of light.
Why it can be good to get a second divinatory opinion
I discuss why it can be good to get a divinatory reading from someone else, in order to confirm details of a situation or get a different perspective and why an unbiased reading can be beneficial if the person doesn't know much about you.