I use rituals for preparing for a reading. They vary depending on opportunity and mood, but I do some form for any reading. I like to take a couple minutes and clear my mind. Take slow, deep breaths and center. I rub my hands with some of my “Psychic Oil” I made under the full moon in Pisces (and recharged under the full moon in Scorpio). I light incense or put essential oil in a burner. I hold a quartz crystal and say a prayer.
And then I start reading.
This sounds like a lot of trouble, but it’s not, really. I like all that stuff; that’s part of why it’s helpful.
I drew a card for insight into improving your readings, and we got the Two of Swords—you have decisions to make, after all. Two’s indicate a need to balance; this card is associated with Moon in Libra. Effectively reading for others requires you to keep emotional (moon) balance (Libra), keeping your own energy tidy. Rituals are one way to help do that.
By relaxing, creating a pleasant atmosphere and clearing your mind, you put yourself in a state primed to receive intuitive insight. You’re calm and centered. That’s when your radar’s best. You’re focused and present, ready to give full attention to the reading at hand.
And the symbolism is helpful. Crystals and physical objects pick up the vibrations when you use them. You’re creating a shortcut to get to the right frame of mind. By focusing on the energy you want to create, you increase your awareness and experience of it. It’s a basic form of magic work.
In order for rituals to be effective, though, they have to resonate with you, being consistent with your intent in the reading. There’s energy contained in the act of consideration, creation and execution. The more personally meaningful to you, the more energy. You can copy someone else’s ideas if it resonates, but most of the time altering to fit in with your frame of reference and belief system makes the ritual or symbol more powerful.
Do you use rituals in your Tarot or astrology work?
My tarot ritual is making sure i am the one that purchases the deck that i use to do readings with. I feel uneasy with the idea of someone buying them for me as a gift as some readers have said you should do, others say the opposite.
The one deck I did receive as a gift was the one I absolutely could
not work with. They just felt so wrong to me & gave me such an uneasy
feeling when handling them that I put them back in their box & have
not even looked at them in almost 5 years. I could not even tell you
where they are now!
Welcome, melissa. I’m not a fan of the “has to be gifted to you” myth, either, and I’ve purchased some of my favorite decks myself, although have gotten some fabulous decks gifted too. But I’m always a fan of listening to your inner voice.