Grasping and Holding: Readings That Stick
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The inspiration for this essay comes from an idea I picked up during my metaphysical studies that can be applied to professional tarot practice: “When we focus on seeking to grasp the answer, we (can) lose the ability to hang onto it.” We must cultivate the “quality of mind to hold the answer rather than simply seeking the answer.” (Ethan Indigo Smith, paraphrasing Lao Tzu in The Tao of Thoth.)
This observation proposes that we must be in the proper mental state to hold onto (that is, comprehend and accept) any answer we receive from the cards. When divining for oneself, the recommended way to instill this quality of mind is through meditation, but we can’t reasonably impose this solution on another person who comes to us for a reading if they don’t already have it in place.
It’s not uncommon for a querent to arrive harboring implicit expectations for the outcome of the session and to disregard anything that doesn’t line up with those assumptions; in short, they’re just looking to have their fondest hopes and wishes validated. Most of us have had clients who become testy when that assurance isn’t forthcoming. Those with prior exposure to the tarot might even push back against a contrary prediction by interjecting their own interpretation.
It can be tempting to speculate that they’re merely in denial about a prospect that, at least intuitively, they know full well isn’t going to manifest as envisioned. By seeking encouragement from the cards, they are aiming to defy the odds. This scenario can be one of the most difficult challenges facing us as tarot readers when we’re trying to come up with an impartial answer since it can be an uphill battle to overcome such “confirmation bias.”
My main countermeasure in fending off any dissatisfied grumbling is to make sure my sitters understand that the cards pulled for a reading are a direct result of the “silent communion” between their subliminal awareness of future conditions and the deck while they shuffle. I call this “subconscious induction,” and it is a key factor in my understanding of “how tarot works” (although it obviously excludes any attempts at remote reading). I state clearly that it’s their life’s story, not mine; I merely translate the plot into understandable terms. I have a brief statement of purpose that I like to discuss at the beginning of a session to make my position known; it opens with this caveat:
“A tarot reading is an experience in “guided self-discovery:” the cards speak, the reader interprets and guides and the seeker judges what it all means in personal terms. My goal is to shed light on what the cards can tell you about yourself and your situation. It’s your reading and your life, so this will be a dialogue rather than a monologue.”
I usually boil this down into a few words to advise them that the tarot is responding directly to their input, not to my intervention, while coaching them on how to form the question and present it to the deck without needing to know the details myself. This can be hard to swallow for those who are used to being spoon-fed a reader’s “expert opinion,” but it permits me to trust their ability to have a subliminal conversation with the cards while not feeling an urge to steer the narrative according to my own preconceptions about the matter or prior experience with similar situations. If they have any reason to quarrel with the results of the reading, they must take it up with their own inner source of wisdom. In other words, they must be honest with themselves and not “shoot the messenger.”
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on November 16, 2024.
