interpretation

Tarot Talks: How to Be Objective in a Reading

Last week I said that I would be posting sample questions and spreads for using tarot to navigate your life. However, I am going to go a different direction given a conversation I had this week with some dear friends in the tarot community. I do apologize and will get to it in a future post. This seemed like a more pressing thing to talk about as even the most skilled readers will ask other readers for input in interpreting cards for themselves. This is because it can be difficult to remain objective when you are too close to the situation.

We can’t see the forest for the trees.

How I learned to become objective for myself is to read cards for other people. Not close friends and family. Reading for absolute strangers (you can find many groups where readers do free exchanges). Reading for people or situations you know little about can have a great impact on exercising your intuition. One mistake I made reading for myself is that I would look up every single possible meaning of each and every card. I was on information overload. Not knowing which interpretation to accept. It was stressful to say the least.

When reading for others is when I stopped stressing over possible meanings.  If I did a 3-card spread I would literally only read the meanings of each card that pertained to the other cards in the spread. Nine times out of ten this hit the nail on the head for those I read for. This lesson is two-fold because I learned how to connect the card meanings to each other, which is common for any newbie to struggle with.

The following are some methods to remain objective in a self reading (or reading for a situation you’re too close to):

– Act as though you are reading for someone else, what would you tell them based on the cards you see?
– Act as though it is your Spirit Guide / Guardian Angel who is giving you a reading, what would they say to you through these cards? What kind words, advice or encouragement are they trying to send you?
– Make note of all the things that come to mind from your reading, ask another reader their input without seeing what you’ve noted, and compare what interpretations line up.
– Pick a book, or website, of interpretations that you don’t normally use and use strictly those interpretations (www.biddytarot.com is a great resource)
– Read for someone else, often there are messages in there for the reader as well as the querent.

Most important thing is to relax, breathe, and don’t take the reading too seriously. We can only perceive from our current mindset. If we are in a bad mood we are likely to only see the negative aspects of a card. Sometimes I take the cards at face value and see what humor I can see in the pictures (see below memes). It’s a valuable lesson in shifting focus. As that’s what you have to do to gain an objective perspective. Remove yourself from the center of the storm and get a bird’s eye view for more clarity.

What are some methods you use in remaining objective in readings?

Images found on www.facebook.com/dankesttarotmemes

Brightest Blessings,
Phoenix Rose
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Dreamwork: Journal for June 15-21

Last week I gave the exercises of noting down feelings and symbols from dreams. This week I am sharing five nights worth of journaling. The benefits of doing this exercise for 5-7 days is definitely worth it. The following is a lot to read, but it will give a good sense with how to structure your own journal. This is the beginning in connecting with your subconscious, or as I call it, your Higher Self. These exercises will help you learn the language of dreams, which is the backbone of dreamwork.

June 15
Dream symbols: cigarettes, scooter (eBike)
Atmosphere in dream: neutral, felt like “real life” scenarios, there was also a sense of getting things done on time.
Dictionary meaning*:
Cigarette – To dream that you are smoking or offering a cigarette signifies your need for a break. It may also points to issues of dependency. However if you are against smoking and have this dream, you need to analyze aspects of your waking life and what you are doing that may adversely affect your health.
Scooter – To see or ride a scooter in your dream suggests that you are enjoying your position of power.
My thoughts on interpretation: These symbols that stood out to me seem to contradict each other. Needing a break has been on my conscious mind. I am not conscious of the dependency which this symbol may point to. I am against smoking. I’m in an environment where I am frequently exposed to it and it gives me headaches. I am also currently making lifestyle changes to eating and activity levels, so I do believe there is further analysis needed on this subconscious dependency. If I apply the scooter interpretation to my lifestyle changes – eating habits and fitness level – yes I am enjoying that sense of power I am gaining over myself. In regards to the smokey environment in waking life, I am feeling powerless and not enjoying it at all.

June 16
Dream symbols: laundry, carpool, farm house
Atmosphere in dream: hectic, trying to get things done, slightly confusing as people were doing all kinds of different stuff.
Dictionary meaning:
Laundry – To dream that you are doing your laundry suggests that you are cleaning up your act or changing your image. Perhaps, you are too concerned about how you appear to others. To dream that you are sorting the laundry indicates that you are trying to understand your own feelings and sort your attitudes.
Carpool **– To dream that you are driving a car denotes your ambition, your drive and your ability to navigate from one stage of your life to another. Consider how smooth or rough the car ride is. If you are driving the car, then you are taking an active role in the way your life is going. However, if you are the passenger, then you are taking a passive role. If you are in the backseat of the car, then it indicates that you are putting yourself down and are allowing others to take over. This may be a result of low self-esteem or low self-confidence. Overall, this dream symbol is an indication of your dependence and degree of control you have on your life.
Farmhouse **– To see a house in your dream represents your own soul and self. Specific rooms in the house indicate a specific aspect of your psyche. In general, the attic represents your intellect, the basement represents the subconscious, etc. If the house is empty, then it indicates feelings of insecurity. If the house is shifting, then it suggests that you are going through some personal changes and changing your belief system. To dream of a house that looks beautiful from the outside and/or downstairs, but the upstairs is falling apart implies that you are too concerned with outward appearances that your mental and emotional health is being neglected.
My thoughts on interpretation: The interpretation of the laundry really resonates for me, as in cleaning up my act. There was loads of laundry, so much laundry! I was washing, drying, and folding it all. I had done quite a good job at organizing it all. As for the car, I referred to the symbol as a carpool because there was so many people cramming into the car. There was actually 2 or 3 cars full of people. I was not driving. I was a passenger in the backseat. I do feel like this points at the passive roll I have taken in my life, however, the laundry is a positive sign that it’s something I am working on. The same people from the cars were going in and out of the farmhouse. I was mostly in the basement, my subconscious, where I was doing laundry. All the sorting of my waking life is being subconsciously done, I am not yet taking an active roll consciously.

June 17
Dream symbols: –
Atmosphere in dream: –
Dictionary meaning: –
My thoughts on interpretation:
Only remember waking up thinking how if I go to tarot class instead of the road trip with the boys I’ll be able to sleep longer, even though I did not want to go to tarot class.

June 18
Dream symbols: Coworkers, auditorium
Atmosphere in dream: educational / working atmosphere, trying to get things accomplished
Dictionary meaning:
Coworker – To see your coworkers in your dream, highlights aspects of your waking relationship with them, including difficulties/support. It signifies your ambition, struggles and competitive nature. If the coworkers in your dream are not your actual coworkers, then they may pertain to some psychological business that you need to work on. Work-related dreams can also often be linked to stress at work. To dream that you are training someone to take your place suggests that you are moving toward deeper inner development. You are leaving behind old attitudes and are looking toward the future.

Auditorium – To dream that you are in an auditorium indicates that there is something that you need to learn from others. Pay attention to those around you.

My thoughts on interpretation:
This seems to me to be a pretty straightforward interpretation. These were coworkers from a previous workplace, which is no longer my current employment. There’s something of the past for me to work on and learn from, particularly when it comes to people around me.

June 19
Dream symbols: park, time travel, cat, concert, hometown
Atmosphere in dream: felt fun, a party was happening, but there was also a sense or urgency
Dictionary meaning:
Park ** – To dream that you are at a park represents a temporary escape from reality. It indicates renewal, meditation, and spirituality. You may be undergoing a readjustment period after experiencing some serious personal conflict or an end to a passionate affair.
Time travel – To dream about time travel indicates your wish to escape from your present reality. You want to go back into the past or jump forward to the future to a period where your hopes are realized. This dream also represents your romantic tendency and or your desire to romanticize everything.
Cat ** – To see a cat in your dream symbolizes an independent spirit, feminine sexuality, creativity, and power. It also represents misfortune and bad luck. The dream symbol has different significance depending on whether you are a cat lover or not. The cat could indicate that someone is being deceitful or treacherous toward you. If the cat is aggressive, then it suggests that you are having problems with the feminine aspect of yourself.
Concert – To dream that you are at a concert represents harmony and cooperation in a situation or relationship in your waking life. You are experiencing an uplift in your spirits. To dream that you are holding a concert symbolizes your untapped talents and hidden potential. You need to show of your creative side.
Hometown – To dream of your hometown indicates that you may be experiencing some unexpressed feelings. You may feel that you are not able to fully express your emotions. This could be triggered by some unfinished feeling in your waking life. The dream could also reflect aspects of yourself that were prominent or developed when you were living in your hometown. Did you abandon certain values or ideals when you moved to the big city? Did you forget some aspect of yourself and who you really are?
My thoughts on interpretation:
These dream symbols do line up with some things going on in my waking world, as well as lining up with a reading I recently had. The cat in the dream is my cat in real life, his presence was like a guardian or protector. The time traveling felt very shamanic, like delving into something through an unconventional method, which does reflect escaping this reality and lines up with the meditation suggested in the park symbol.

Did you notice a theme or pattern throughout this week of journaling? Pay close attention to recurring themes and patterns in your own dreaming and journaling. Notice how your dreams feel and how the interpretation feels to you, this is just as important as anything else. Does something feel like you are denying or avoiding it? Is the interpretation way out in left field?  Did it nail it?

I would love to hear your experience with journaling and how it has helped you in dreamwork. Comment here or connect on social media, links below.

*All interpretations quoted from http://www.dreammoods.com
**These dream symbol interpretations have been edited for space and relevance, these are huge dream symbols that are not only common, but imply many different things given the scenario and atmosphere of the dream.

Further reading on symbolism:
Passenger – http://dreammoods.com/cgibin/dreamdictionarysearch.pl?method=exact&header=dreamsymbol&search=passenger
Basement – http://dreammoods.com/cgibin/dreamdictionarysearch.pl?method=exact&header=dreamsymbol&search=basement
Park – http://dreammoods.com/cgibin/dreamdictionarysearch.pl?method=exact&header=dreamsymbol&search=park
Cat – http://dreammoods.com/cgibin/dreamdictionarysearch.pl?method=exact&header=dreamsymbol&search=cat

Brightest Blessings,
Phoenix Rose
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Photo credit: Dreamstime.com
Old letters, vintage accessories, diary and photos from Florence Royalty Free Stock Photos