Two Types of Tarot Readers – Which One are You?

two types of tarot readers

Do You See?

Generally speaking, there are two types of Tarot readers. Tarot readers can broadly be categorised into a) readers who actually see the cards and allow the cards to speak the language of symbolism without blocking the flow and b) readers who use card meanings and don’t really give the cards a chance to tap their intuition.

Of course, life is never black or white and there is a spectrum… Many readers start out by learning set card meanings simply because they do not – through no fault of their own – know what they are looking at or what they should be looking for. The problem is that from a  young age, we rely on others to tell us what we are looking at and how things ought to be labelled. Gradually, we lose the ability to use and rely on our inner guidance that bridges the third dimension with higher dimensions.

Was Your Filter Properly Installed?

I think of it as a filter being installed and this filter blocks the third eye. It happens sooner to some than to others. Children who are encouraged to use their imagination go without their filter for longers than those who are discouraged from being imaginative and creating from that place where everything is possible.

My filter, thank Goddess, never got properly installed. The Matrix never properly managed to make me forget completely and that is why I had such a powerful first ever Tarot reading experience at age 15. I looked, saw and simply relayed what I saw. No filter. And wow, that packed a punch!

Again, things are never that black and white… Doubt creeps in. You hear about what the cards are supposed to mean… about a right way of reading the cards. Of having to rely on reversals or dignities or astrological correspondences…

There is nothing wrong with learning about all these things – on the contrary. Everything we learn can be used to enhance our readings… but only if we do not lose our ability to see.

Visual Literacy

In the Tarot Geekery group on Facebook, we are currently studying Tarot Prediction & Divination by Susyn Blair-Hunt. I’m not very far into the book yet. But there are already a couple of things I don’t agree with. In particular, I would never in a million years remove the ‘bad’ cards from the deck. I’d rather spend some time explaining to my client what they mean.

But I completely agree with her about the importance of what she refers to as ‘visual literacy’ when it comes to being able to use one’s psychic ability in connection with reading the cards.

Unless we actually read the visual symbols and take time to get to know them for each of the decks we work with, we are not actually reading the Tarot; we are reading a list of memorised card meanings and that is not something anyone would pay you for. Why would they when they could just look those card meanings up for themselves?

I am of the opinion that we are all psychic and that it is just a matter of discipline when it comes to developing. That said, we are also all musical to a certain degree but very few reach the heights of Mozart or Gary Numan (yes, I’m a fan!).

Visual Literacy

Being visually literate is important when it comes to the Tarot because it is a visual medium. Your strongest clairs may be clairaudience or clairsentience. However, the impulse for both of those clairs will still be triggered visually, so no excuses, please. I’ve heard them all before – from myself!

One of the best ways, I have found, in exercising my visual literacy is daily Tarot symbolism studies. All of a sudden I’m seeing things I never noticed before… new meanings and layers of meaning have opened up this way – I cannot recommend it enough!

My other top tip is to relax and trust what comes when you look at the symbols. Never second-guess or doubt your first impressions. Your intuitive brain is much faster than linear thought. The reason for this is that intuition is what made our ancestors good sentinels in times of danger.

How ‘visually literate’ are you? When and why did you first begin learning the Tarot? How psychic do you consider yourself to be? What’s your strongest clair? Comments below, please!

love raven liora

Comments 1

  1. I began studying Tarot symbolism around the time I took a Jungian Dream analysis class in college. Since then I have observed my dreams and worked with the symbols as forms that represent feelings, thoughts, turns of phrase, mood, character, and events. Some of my dreams are clairvoyant and some are psychological- either for me as an individual or for my family or community. That said, I still find it difficult to use my clairvoyance with the Tarot cards. I find I have to sit in meditation for a long time for me to have the fuller meaning of the reading. Maybe that is what will support deeper seeing, more time in meditation. Also, I work as a play therapist and I see the symbols and multi-layered work that my clients do take shape on a daily basis through toys and body movement. This seems to be a combination of imagination and the collective unconscious being invoked with my nurturing presence. It can be explained clinically, but I prefer to feel the magic that is happening as the children engage with the symbols and forms. Thanks for your work, I really enjoy your website!

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