Can I trust this person?
Are my plans for the future solid?
Will this new project be successful?
These are all questions I’ve asked my tarot deck in the last month, not for clients but for myself. With each question, I could feel my fear and desire rising in anticipation of the answers.
Let me quickly say that the questions above are not the best questions to ask, they are terrible “yes or no” questions. (I’ll talk about how to phrase the best questions later on.)
Playing with an unattached heart is necessary but not easy when the stakes feel high.
Your own wants and needs threaten to cloud the answers.
Your intuition knows, but how can you get a clear line to the truth?
How can you be unattached to what you want most?
Even knowing the cards' meanings, I can spin interpretations to meet my own narrative when my heart is on the line. It’s hard, but not impossible, to read into situations for yourself.
When it comes down to it, calling your intuition into your tarot practice is about noticing. Intuition itself is about noticing: how you feel and what you desire, listening deeply, and honoring what you already know beneath the static.
Here are four tips to help you read for yourself objectively when your heart is on the line.
1. Pay attention to where your eye is drawn
Tarot cards have such rich symbolism and imagery. When you flip over the cards before interpreting any meanings, notice when your eye is drawn.
Is there a color that catches your attention? If so, what does that color mean? How does it feel? Do you notice a plant or animal on the card you never have before? Does a character appear to be smirking, and how do you interpret that expression? Do any symbols appear to you? A sharp angle or shape that appears? Your intuition will draw your eye to symbolism that’s meaningful to your situation. Notice it all and write down your first impressions.
2. How do the cards feel?
Pull a card from your deck, and before you turn it over, take a moment to feel into it. Write down a few sentences about it. Then flip it over and notice the feeling you had combined with the actual card meaning. Now, looking at the card, does it feel any different? Write down all your impressions quickly before trying to interpret or make sense of them.
3. What do the cards want to say?
This works particularly well with face cards. Pull a card for your future self, and then pull a card for your current self. If the cards could speak to one another, what would they say? Imagine words of wisdom your future self has for your current situation. Again, write them down.
4. Ask the right questions.
When reading for yourself, I love open-ended questions that start with “what” because they can give you the most impartial answers. These questions clear the way for something unexpected to come into your reading and keep your intuition sharp.
You can reframe any question as a what question to open up the possibilities.
Using the questions above as an example:
Instead of “Can I trust this person?” ask, “What is this relationship teaching me?”
Instead of “Are my plans for the future solid"?” ask, “What do I need to know about my current path?”
Instead of “Will this new project be successful?” ask, “What would be a positive course of action be moving forward?”
If you have a daily tarot practice of pulling a card for yourself, here are some questions I like for daily focus and reflection:
Where should I focus my intention today?
What is my soul asking for right now?
What strengths do I possess that I’m not aware of?
What lessons am I currently learning?
How can I align my life with my soul’s purpose?
It’s also worth noting that when something is heavy on your heart it might need time and space rather than answers. Self compassion is the answer to many hard questions.
I hope you notice something magical today 💫
With love,
Sheryl
P.S. My next Mediumship with the Moon Event is July 6th, learn more here
Here are more ways to work with me or get a signed copy of my book, Uncovering Intuition, here