Is your intuition not coming through in your tarot readings?

“Whenever I try to read my cards, I’m not sure how to tell whether my intuition is coming through, or if I’m just remembering something I read in my guidebook.”

This is a common refrain I’ve heard from aspiring tarot readers over the years.

I’ve talked about this elsewhere, but it doesn’t hurt to repeat it every now and then: I think that the assumption that every tarot reading has to feel like an intense psychic download is something that ends up blocking a lot of tarot readers from connecting with their cards.

Which is unfortunate when you think about it. So many of people are called to learn tarot specifically because they want to deepen their intuition and trust themselves more.

But once you’re putting tarot into practice, there can be a disconnect between you and your cards.

Maybe the messages don’t flow as easily as you expect them to.

Or maybe you’ve careful studied the little white book that came with your deck, but you’re not sure how those meanings fit once it’s time to perform a reading.

Or maybe the images in the cards that you’re seeing aren’t what you expected for your reading.

And within just a matter of seconds sometimes, your confidence is crumbling. Instead of feeling aligned and intuitively connected with your cards, you’re questioning yourself. Not only that, but you’re also still short on the answers you’re seeking.

But it’s not always like this, is it? Sometimes, you might have moments where you feel like you know exactly what the cards are telling you.

The only problem is that you’re not sure how to consistently repeat that experience.

What if you could trust yourself every time you read tarot, instead of only sporadically?

What if you could control your skills more often, so that you could reliably read tarot for yourself and others, rather than feel like every tarot session is hit-or-miss?

Sometimes, it’s important to remember that intuition grows in time with practical skills. Musicians know how to play their instruments: They understand the structures, possibilities, and limitations of those instruments. They’re not winging it every time – their instruments offer reliable pathways towards predictable notes.

But where a musician’s intuition does come through might be in how they hear a new melody that ends up becoming a beautiful song. Or they trust themselves to re-interpret an existing piece of music, re-inventing an old standard.

Creativity and intuitive action come from the confidence of understanding the tool you’re working with.

When I’m teaching tarot to someone who is frustrated with their lack of intuitive connection, I have them follow certain steps to see that intuition isn’t the only source of information to go on in a tarot reading.

What else can you draw from when you’re drawing a blank?

• Come back to the question itself, or the intention of the reading: What are you trying to find out? All your intention to become an anchor, especially if your thoughts are feeling scattered.
• What’s happening in your cards? Sometimes, seeing cards you’re not expecting to see is actually part of the reading. What’s present? What’s missing? What’s surprising to you?
• What jumps out at you first? You don’t have to have a linear path you follow every time you read tarot. Sometimes, finding an entry point into the reading is enough to get started. What’s catching your eye?
• Don’t feel you have to a quick summation of the reading all in one go. Sometimes, readings can be a bit of ramble first. Give yourself the opportunity to follow whatever breadcrumbs are available to you. Let the reveal be slow if it needs to be.

Taking a more structured approach to your readings won’t tamp down your intuition: It will free it. With time and practice, tarot reading can feel like second nature. It’s when you’re no longer feeling like you’re puzzling through a reading and you’re able to work within the container of your tarot cards that your interpretations really start to fly.

If you feel like you sometimes get lost in thought with your tarot readings and you’re ready to start moving forward with your card reading skills, I’d love to see you in Tarot Study Hall, where we’ll gather to talk, explore, and practice tarot as a language and art.

Join here.

Until next time,

Liz