Can You Read Your own Tarot?
Tarot for Creatives Series
It can be hard to get started with writing and art sometimes, and Tarot is a fun jumping off point to start writing or making art — even art that isn’t about Tarot specifically.
Once a month, receive a writing/artmaking prompt post and be part of the group chat to create and share work. It’s only $7 a month (or $80 for an entire year) to get some creative work going, plus extra Tarot content. Subscribe monthly or for a year below if you are interested!
Reading Your Own Tarot
“Can you Read Your Own Tarot?” is one of those questions I hear once in a while when people are learning the Tarot. Another is “Do you have to be gifted a Tarot deck?” The idea that there are taboos around this ritual just seems to make it more mysterious and consequently worrisome if you break any of them.
I was talking with a friend one day about these taboos. What it boiled down to for us was: of course you can read your own cards. Because the reason we do it in the first place is to collaborate with that universal energy and receive direct messages from that place.
But I acknowledge that there’s a reason it’s sometimes said that you shouldn’t read your own Tarot and it makes sense that you might consequently wonder about it.
When you are really worried about something, you might feel the urgency of the question and do a quick reading, only to be unsatisfied. So you do another reading, with totally different results. Then you draw a few more cards. And you look at the bottom of the deck. Then a friend calls. Then you have to go to an appointment.
You can forget the ritual of it and focus instead on the result you want, and never get it.
I believe people can and should read their own cards! However, there are helpful ways to go about it for an effective outcome. And it doesn’t involve anything mysterious or taboo.
How to Read Your Own Tarot Cards
My advice for reading your own cards is this:
Create a ritual space. Any space can work. You’ll want your cards, books and decor set up there so you can drop into a focused place when you want to do a reading.
Set aside a bit of time. Having a dedicated amount of time — even 10 or 15 minutes — when nothing else is demanding your attention makes all the difference.
Keep focused on how you will read the cards. Find a spread that works for your question.
Basically, you don’t want to be in bed at midnight drawing card after card about whether that relationship is a good idea or if you should quit your job and move to Italy to paint.
You aren’t going to get good results that way. In fact they will be completely confusing. But if you follow the above steps in creating the ritual for yourself, you’ll more easily create the space for the message you need to hear.
The short answer here is Yes, you can read your own Tarot. But the longer answer is make sure you are treating it as the ritual it is when you do.
Just because it’s for yourself doesn’t mean you can cut corners. And in fact, that’s probably a good thing to remember for all the areas of our lives.