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Author Topic: How do you feel "connected" with the cards?  (Read 1048 times)

earthbride

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How do you feel "connected" with the cards?
« on: August 11, 2013, 11:17:37 am »
Hello all! :)

I have been practicing tarot for the last month and a half or so and I am making great progress. For a while, I could only read for other people with clarity but not so much myself. When I would read for myself, I'd feel lost and disconnected with the card. I would feel too confused to make sense of what the cards gave me.

Last night, I did a reading about the relationship I have with my best friend, asking where it stands and how I can improve it. Before I did the reading, I really spent some time shuffling and thinking about this person and how many years I've known them and just touching the cards and getting a feel for the general atmosphere of this question.

When I laid out the cards, I was so amazed! Everything was exactly spot on and I didn't feel lost!

As I was shuffling and thinking about this question (for about 7-10 minutes) the cards began to feel different to me. They started to feel warmer and suddenly I felt in sync with them. It was as if I had formed a connection with my cards!

This is a major breakthrough for me as a beginner, but I'm curious how other people have experienced a deeper "connection" with their cards.

brad

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Re: How do you feel "connected" with the cards?
« Reply #1 on: September 25, 2013, 10:28:51 pm »
Quote from: earthbride;118637

This is a major breakthrough for me as a beginner, but I'm curious how other people have experienced a deeper "connection" with their cards.


Well, this is a hard one for me to put into words.  Hence, the "connection" haha!

I've been working with tarot for a little over 15 years.  For me, my decks give me clues as to what's up.  One thing that happens, is no matter what I do, the cards simply will not shuffle.  They either clump all together in huge clumps or they decide to... fly away... to put it nicely.  When this happens, I humbly accept the fact that I should not be reading at that time and go pout.

When I am shuffling, and all of the sudden they clump up real bad, that is my clue that I'm ready to start reading now.  Also, in the process of shuffling, on occasion, one will literally jump out of the deck at me.

Any seasoned reader will tell you that you sometimes get burned out and need some time away.  When this happens to me, all my decks will seem to disappear.  ALL of them (I have 7 decks.)  Some time later, sometimes a week or two, sometimes a month or two, they start to reappear in plainly visible locations.  The most memorable of these was the time I decided to watch the evening news, and seen a deck of mine sitting in front of the tv.

Once in a great while, you might decide to pick up a new deck only to discover that you don't like that deck or that you can't ever get a good feel or reading out of it.  I've had one such deck.  I tried and tried with it.  Out of the blue, I decided to  put all the cards back in order.  I was missing one card.  The card was not missing when I purchased it (my first order is to count the cards, then make sure there are no duplicates, then check the artwork for printing problems).

These are a few of the most common things my decks do to let me know that they still care.
The hardest part about being pagan, is being pagan.

Liadine (dragonflyeyes)

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Re: How do you feel "connected" with the cards?
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2013, 07:24:38 am »
Quote from: earthbride;118637
This is a major breakthrough for me as a beginner, but I'm curious how other people have experienced a deeper "connection" with their cards.

 
For me, this comes in two forms - the initial period of getting to know the deck and the cards individually, and then keeping up that connection/relationship while reading (which I think is what you're talking about).

I haven't bought any new decks lately, but when I do (or if I want to reconnect with an old deck if I haven't used it for ages) I like to go through the deck card by card. Sometimes I organize them according to suits/categories/my own feelings about them, sometimes I pick out a few cards to spend some time with, and sometimes I just put them back the way they were before - it depends on the deck and whether anything jumps out at me. It's not really a learning session, so I don't mentally list off meanings or anything like that; I just look at the cards, recognize the way the deck feels in my hands, and make small mental notes about my feelings. Since I use scent and perfumes a lot, I usually end all this with burning incense or rubbing a tiny bit of perfumed oil into the edges of the deck, but that's just me.

When I'm reconnecting with decks before readings, I do as much shuffling as seems appropriate. :) Sometimes that's for a few minutes, sometimes longer, but I see it more as grounding (or a physical meditation, if you see things that way) rather than just shuffling. I don't have any clues for how long is "long enough", I just generally go by instinct and then a little bit longer for good measure (and to properly shuffle them, rather than the physical meditation stuff I was doing before). Also, I have different ways of shuffling and dealing/choosing from each deck, which seems to make a big difference in how connected I feel/whether the reading comes out clearly. Again, instinct played a big part in that, though trial-and-error would probably also work.

Good luck, and awesome question :)
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Aett of Cups

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Re: How do you feel "connected" with the cards?
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2013, 02:05:04 am »
Quote from: earthbride;118637
Hello all! :)

I have been practicing tarot for the last month and a half or so and I am making great progress. For a while, I could only read for other people with clarity but not so much myself. When I would read for myself, I'd feel lost and disconnected with the card. I would feel too confused to make sense of what the cards gave me.

Last night, I did a reading about the relationship I have with my best friend, asking where it stands and how I can improve it. Before I did the reading, I really spent some time shuffling and thinking about this person and how many years I've known them and just touching the cards and getting a feel for the general atmosphere of this question.

When I laid out the cards, I was so amazed! Everything was exactly spot on and I didn't feel lost!

As I was shuffling and thinking about this question (for about 7-10 minutes) the cards began to feel different to me. They started to feel warmer and suddenly I felt in sync with them. It was as if I had formed a connection with my cards!

This is a major breakthrough for me as a beginner, but I'm curious how other people have experienced a deeper "connection" with their cards.

 
I guess I would say there are three main ways to connect to cards (with one being optional).

Physical connection: You can make a physical connection to your cards (the type you've described).  This often means that you have some general ability for psychometry or enchanting (or both).

Symbolic connection: You make a meaningful connection with the primary, then secondary, symbols on your cards.  You then get a feel for the symbology in larger chunks (major arcana, numbered element cards, court cards, entire deck - that sort of thing).  Finally, you consider general patterns when overlaid upon your cards (or whatever) - elemental patterns and numerological patterns are the most common types for tarot.

Astral connection: This is the optional one.  For people like me (who are psychometrically challenged), the initial connection comes through a spirit guide.  So far, I have only one or two guides per divination style (Elder Futhark runes, Renaissance tarot, Shapeshifter tarot, faery tiles, bibliomancy, geomancy, etc.).  I start here, then ask for the guide's help with symbology, and finally make a physical connection with the cards (or other foci).  When I do, I often see certain cards lit up in certain colors in my mind or feel that a certain card is warmer than the ones surrounding it.

It sounds like you are fortunate enough to begin with a physical connection.  If no particular guide calls to you when you meditate on the cards, then I would concentrate on learning, and really feeling, their symbology.
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KristinCali

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Re: How do you feel "connected" with the cards?
« Reply #4 on: October 01, 2013, 05:55:29 pm »
Quote from: earthbride;118637
...I'm curious how other people have experienced a deeper "connection" with their cards.


Hello, this is my very first post here although I'm not new to tarot. This is a great question. For me, I love sleeping with a deck under my pillow! Some people say this induces particular dreams but I haven't had any out-of-the-ordinary dreams. I also keep a deck in my purse as I feel like they can get to know me by being around me in my daily activities and interactions. I also pull out a deck and randomly shuffle the cards even if I'm not doing a reading. You may also find it helpful to do a card a day readings. I highly recommend keeping a tarot journal, which can be anything you want it to be! It's time-consuming but I have written my own interpretations for every card in a few of my decks. It helps me really see the imagery and feel the meanings. Lastly, store your decks in nice boxes or bags and keep crystals with them. The crystals (especially quartz) will clear the cards and keep them "fresh". I think by doing this it lets the cards know you care for them. :)

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