Reading your own tarot cards is, pretty universally, a pain in the ass.

It doesn’t matter your level of experience. When we try to answer our own utterly un-figure-out-able questions, the ones that make our heads spin and our minds loop, we easily get confused and irritated.

I tend to pick up my deck from one of three states.

For family prayer time. My 3-year-old loves to choose (and bend, and bite, and otherwise desecrate) his own card for the day, especially from this really weird (and amazing) space cat tarot deck I have.
When I’m feeling calm and wanting to read something that feels simple, like the collective energy for the day.
From an agonizing, neurotic, “I must know the answer to this question or I’m going to burst, please-Spirit-help-me-please, this question is the make or break of ALL”, kind of a place.

As you can imagine, it’s difficult to read well from the third state. But it is possible, with some emotional housekeeping, sacred space setting, and a quick lobotomy.

Okay, jokes aside, here’s how I read my own tarot and oracle cards when I have a burning question.

Create a sacred space. This doesn’t have to be time or energy intensive. You have options: Light a candle if you like. Go outside. Sage yourself. Take three minutes to breathe deeply, or to shake energy from your body. Stretch. Find the way that works for you, and stick with it. Don’t overcomplicate.

Clear your energy field and state intention. I like to use the meditation I shared in the latest podcast to clear my energy field. You can also state something fairly brief, like “I desire to be a vessel for higher wisdom. I call in my well guides, and I bow to my human experience of fatigue/nervousness/big attachment to this question (whatever experience you’re having). I only want to receive what’s in my highest and best to know.”
Find the right question. This is more difficult, and perhaps I’ll write an article on tarot/oracle questions soon. The right question isn’t a Yes/No question, and it isn’t a complicated question. It’s a question from your heart, and it can be simple. I love asking “What am I being invited to pay attention to in this moment, surrounding this issue?” or “What is in my highest good to know right now?”
Record your reading on your voice notes app. This is how I trick myself into giving myself the kind of reading I would give a client. Which is to say, a reading where I’m not attached to the outcome. When I pretend to read for someone else, I can read the cards more clearly. So, even though you’re reading for yourself, try to look at the cards from a more objective vantage point.
Choose your cards in YOUR way. You might not know your way yet, and that’s okay. I choose cards with my eyes (clairvoyance). I spread out the deck, and see which one catches my eye. My husband chooses based on feel (clairsentience): his hand feels magnetically drawn to a card. I used to pick by cutting the deck three times with my left hand, and the card that turned out on top—that was my card. You can also shuffle until a card leaps out of the deck. This is personal and you’ll find your way over time.
Try to resist picking a new card. When we draw a “shitty” card, or one we don’t understand, we might sneak it back in and draw again. This is a way to confuse the energy, confuse the outcome, and get real annoyed, real quick. Trust the deck, trust your heart, trust your hand. Build the trust by bowing to the card you receive. If you don’t understand it, place it on your altar or somewhere special. See if the picture means anything to you, even if it’s not the traditional card meaning. Breathe with it and come back to it in a few hours. You can also say, “show me the meaning of this card as I move through my day,” as an invocation and prayer.
Close by thanking the cards and the guides that showed up. Tarot and oracle cards are relational. Don’t forget to bow to the archetypes you’re working with. They’re ancient, and they’ll show up for you when you honor them and treat them with care.
Practice and return often. Like anything: the more we practice, the more our relationship deepens, and the more we get out of it.

Example reading:

Earlier today, I drew The Devil when asking about the possibility of trying a new health protocol. I used the question: What is in my highest good to know about investing in this new health protocol?

To me (quick meaning) the Devil is when we’re addicted, or stuck in old thought patterns that aren’t getting us anywhere. The pull made me laugh; and it annoyed me, because I really wanted to try the protocol. The Devil could be considered a “bad” card, and a younger me would have pulled again, trying to get a different card, or one that made more “sense.”

Not only did the traditional meaning of the card fit, but looking at the card, I saw the figure’s feet were on fire. This is the way I can hold myself to the fire, instead of pausing to focus on what’s going well.

I had just written in my journal that I desired to start focusing on all the good in my life, rather than the negative. And The Devil affirmed that by saying: do not invest in another way of fixing yourself right now. Reaffirm your true commitment to loving yourself rather than fixing. Do not give into the addiction and negative thought forms of fixing.

I share this because sometimes “bad” cards scare us. But they’re really just an ask from our guides, to reframe and go deeper.

Thank you for reading! Do you have any tarot rituals that help you center and read well for yourself? Please feel free to share in the comments.

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