Facing insecurity as a tarot reader

Reading tarot, whether for yourself or others, can stir up a lot of insecurities.

It’s normal to feel nervous when you’re reading for someone, especially if you’re still learning. But even experienced readers aren’t immune to a case of the nerves every now and then.

We’re all human, after all. And while reading tarot does get easier with time and experience, it’s still a skill that requires a lot of effort, concentration, and focus.

It also requires readers go out on a limb to offer messages, insights, and interpretations that might feel disparate, unexpected, or unclear at times. Even when a reader feels in flow with their cards, you don’t necessarily know why certain messages are important, or how they connect to a querent’s life.

But your job is to deliver what you’re seeing in the cards, no matter how little you know about the context of someone else’s situation.

That alone can be uncomfortable at times, especially when you have a querent sitting quietly across from you, hanging onto your every word – while you have no idea if what you’re saying rings true for them or not.

But how do you even get to that point in the first place if your insecurities are keeping you at square one with your tarot practice?

Or how do you grow beyond those jitters after you’ve built up enough experience to know that you’re onto something as a tarot reader?

First, if you’re new to tarot, or still consider yourself a beginner, you have permission to take all the pressure off yourself to be able to perform full readings right away.

So often, new tarot readers get down on themselves when they don’t measure up to their own expectations when it comes to their tarot skills. Like anything in life, tarot takes time to learn. It’s like a language.

You probably wouldn’t expect yourself to be a virtuoso musician the first time you pick up a guitar, right? Or fluent in a language you’ve never spoken before after just one lesson.

So why expect the same with tarot?

And like learning any new skill, there are different phases and stages you might move through along the way.

When you’re feeling insecure about your tarot skills, it can help to reflect on the reasons behind the insecurity, and what you can focus on to grow into a new stage with tarot.

Here are some pointers to help you find a way to keep moving forward:

• If you’re a beginner… Like I said earlier, don’t expect it all to click right away. And don’t pressure yourself to tackle big, deep readings immediately, either. Take time to study your deck – really study it, card by card. Learn about tarot’s history, and find some books, resources, and mentors who you can continue to learn from.
• If you’ve got the basics down, but you’re not sure how to apply what you’ve learned… Practice as much as possible. Practice on friends, colleagues, acquaintances – anyone who’s open and willing to be a guinea pig 😉 Seriously, though: Finding someone you can practice with who is open, patient, and willing to provide some thoughtful feedback to you can go a long way in building your skills.
• If you’ve been studying for years, but don’t feel confident doing readings in real-time… I challenge you to give it a try. Taking in knowledge and information is great, but at some point you need to implement all that you’ve learned in order to truly integrate it.
• And if you’ve been reading at an advanced or professional level, but still face those moments of doubt… Start collecting testimonials from your querents. If you already have some, review them every now and then to remind yourself of the impact of your work. If you don’t have a process of collecting testimonials, start one. Even a simple email to past querents asking them for feedback can be a start.

Above all, no matter where you’re at, keep going. Insecurity is a part of life – we all have moments when we question ourselves. But when we find tools and strategies to help counter those doubtful times, we build confidence and experience true growth.

Until next time,

Liz

p.s. Looking for more steps and tips you can take to focus and strengthen your tarot skills? I've got some awesome free resources for tarot readers of all levels. See what suits you here.