How to prepare for a Tarot consultation

This is how I recommend querents (those making an inquiry with the Tarot) prepare for a reading in order to get the most from it—both during the reading and after.

Be aware of the energy you bring.
Regardless of where you believe the energy that ‘powers’ the Tarot comes from, I haven’t met anyone who works with the Tarot regularly who doesn’t believe that energy and intuition are at play. Some work with the cards more as a centering, meditative tool and think of them as a way of working with symbols and archetypes (i.e. Jungian) that draw out our own knowledge, wisdom and energy—much in the way a skilled therapist might. Others see them as going further, drawing on and powered at least by their own psychological and spiritual energy, if not that of the broader world around them and beyond, to our place within and relationship with the cosmos. Still others see the Tarot as a tool of divination which, as the word implies, means connecting with the divine—whatever that may mean for you.

The reading is for and about you.
One key difference between doing a Tarot reading for yourself compared to doing one with a reader, or guide, comes back to the energy at the heart of the reading. Everyone involved in the reading brings their own energy, and I seek to both allow your energy to lead, and to do everything I can to facilitate an enriching experience with the cards. Each reading is as unique as the question, the querent, the guide, and that particular point in time. No two readings are ever alike and I work to help you make the most of each unique opportunity to gain new insights and gentle reminders.

Make the most of your time with the cards.
I am engaged in ongoing personal study and work to hone both my knowledge and my intuition, and to work with energy in the most authentic and beneficial ways possible. I also do specific preparation ahead of each reading so that I can be as present and helpful as possible, in collaboration with each querent. With this in mind, I invite and encourage you to do as much of the following as possible ahead of our time together.

• Come up with a clear question and ponder it ahead of the reading.
  • This allows you to arrive at the reading having already begun to center your thoughts and energy on the guidance you’re seeking.
  • Clear questions lead to the clearest-possible guidance; ambiguous questions lead to ambiguous guidance, which is less helpful and actionable.
  • Avoid yes / no questions. I don’t believe in pre-destiny or predeterminism; instead, I believe that each of us has agency in every moment that affects the course of events and outcomes that follow. It is more helpful to ask what you might do or where you might focus your energies to facilitate progress or bring about a desired or favorable outcome rather than ask whether or not something will or will not occur.

• Be sure the question you bring is one that you are ready to receive guidance for.
  • To put it another way, don’t ask a question if you’re not ready for the answer. Be honest with yourself and ask a question for which you will be willing and able to work with the guidance that comes in response.
  • Information alone cannot make change. Receiving guidance is only as valuable as your commitment to thoughtfully putting it to use afterward.

• Bring an authentic question.
  • Hopefully this goes without saying, but your question should and must be authentic. If you come in with a trick question to test whether or not the Tarot works, you are likely to receive a trick response that will not be helpful; it is also disrespectful to your guide who is showing up with and for you in good faith.

• Your question should be about you.
  • Your question should not, even inadvertently, constitute an attempt to read someone else’s mind or invade their privacy.
  • I believe in an ethical approach that respects boundaries. I am happy to work with questions regarding how you show up in relationship to others and what you might do to resolve issues, make progress in a relationship and so forth, but I will not invade the privacy of others by asking questions intended to read their minds or otherwise invade their privacy.
  • I am happy to work with you to formulate a question that gets to the spirit of what you’re seeking and is also respectful of ethical boundaries.

• Know that the Tarot is an instrument of guidance and support.
  • As mentioned above, I don’t believe in pre-destiny or predeterminism; instead, I believe that each of us has agency in every moment that affects the course of events and outcomes. A card considered difficult by some may arrive to let us know that we may want to change course to avoid unnecessary risks or potentially unfavorable events, but there are no objectively bad or scary cards. They are all medicine for us to work with.
  • Related to the above, the Tarot speaks to the cycles of life, the cycles within cycles and the events that comprise these—all toward the state of a whole, harmonious self. As one cycle ends, it opens the door for another to begin. Even the cards that bring difficult insights arrive to provide helpful guidance and not to strike fear in us by announcing a dreaded, inevitable event over which we have no control. Some events may be far more likely than others and some we may have more influence over than others, but rarely are we powerless or without choices and the Tarot is here to help us identify what those most helpful choices might be.

• Arrive prepared to feel present, grounded, open and receptive.
  • For me, this means avoiding being overly caffeinated and not being under the influence of recreational intoxicants (as opposed to medicinal needs, which I completely respect, of course!) immediately before and during consultations.

• Make the most of your time with the Tarot by being ready to capture what you discover and learn.
  • Try to plan for enough time after you leave the reading to sit quietly and capture as much of the experience as possible. People journal or record things differently depending on what works best for them overall, or where they are, how much time they have, etc.
  • Some ways you might do this are to bring a journal and pen with you and find a quiet spot to write as soon after the consultation as possible. Another option is to do a voice recording using an app on your phone or other handheld recorder. Find something that works best for you and, ideally, keep it with you over the next several days and beyond as new insights and realizations surface.
  • Some of the greatest insights and “ah-hah!” moments can come days or more after a Tarot reading as you are going about your day-to-day routine. Be open and receptive to these.
  • The Tarot works by tapping into, unlocking and illuminating what has been hidden—or what has been willfully ignored or avoided. The process may continue well after the reading, so be open and receptive to that, and ready to capture not just what you learn during the reading, but also the things you are inspired to study on your own or to seek a future consultation to inquire about.

Do you have questions? Please get in touch with your Intuitive Eclectic guide or contact us here.

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