reading tarot while stressed

Today on CARD TALK, I’ll cover:
-whether or not it's okay to read tarot when your emotions are at their peak
-how to manage tarot readings when you're stressed out
-things to avoid when reading under pressure
-reminders about tarot gatekeeping myths

Priestess' Prompts: a collection of simple daily questions to ask your cards
Spread Archive: free tarot spreads for support, insights, and care
Fill Your Cup: a workshop for everyday nourishment

For more on Meg, check out 3amtarot.com, and order your copy of Finding the Fool through Bookshop.org or your favorite local bookstore.

Find episode transcripts and more over on the CARD TALK website.

Love what you’re hearing? Support the pod with a one-time donation or recurring subscription, and please subscribe, review, and tell your friends! 

Chapters

• 0:12 Reading Tarot in Times of Stress
• 5:42 Making Decisions With Tarot
• 13:16 Navigating Stress With Tarot

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:12

My name is Meg Jones-Wall and you're listening to Card Talk, a mini podcast for tarot basics and evergreen insights. I'm glad you're here. In today's episode, we are going to be talking about reading tarot for yourself when you're stressed out, and the question that I see often coming up with folks, especially given the state of the world that we live in right now, is can you read tarot for yourself when you're really stressed out? Is it possible, is it healthy, is it advisable? So let's talk about it.

Speaker 1: 0:45

I think the questions that often come up when we're having this conversation about reading tarot when emotions are high, when we're feeling maybe activated or triggered or traumatized, or when we're sitting with big feelings, when there's a lot of fear or anger or frustration or sorrow or helplessness is what can tarot really offer us in those moments? How can tarot support us and how do we actually practically read? Is it worth reading the cards when things feel really complicated or hard? Is it okay to read the tarot when we're feeling fueled by fear? And are those moments when particularly if we're someone that does read predictively on a regular basis can we use the cards to self-soothe and help us understand if things are going to turn out all right Now. These are big questions and they have as much to do with tarot beliefs as anything else. So I want to unpack this with a little bit of care and a lot of consciousness that we're in a really hard time in history right now. And if you're feeling stressed out and this is a question that you've been asking yourself a lot I really do want to sit in this with you and help you think critically about whether or not you're equipped to read cards in a particular moment. Now, for my money, the short answer to can you read tarot for yourself when you're really stressed out is yes, you can pull cards for yourself when you're stressed out, when you're angry, when you're upset, when you're having a hard time. But the caveat, the asterisk, the like, extra other yes and is it requires a little bit more care. It requires that you take a little bit of extra care with yourself. It requires that you move a little bit more slowly and it might require that you're more deliberate or attentive than you normally are in your tarot readings, even if you think of yourself as someone that reads in a really slow, gentle, thoughtful way.

Speaker 1: 2:31

When you're stressed out, when we're scared or angry or triggered or upset or whatever, our capacity for hearing the cards can become more limited. I'm going to say that again when we're really stressed out, when we're having a hard time, when we're activated, when we're struggling, our capacity for hearing the cards might be more limited. Now, in the best of circumstances, we're only ever going to be able to hear so much from our cards, right? We all already always have some kind of blinders on. We already are always just seeing the world through our own perspectives and no matter how long we've been reading, there's always more to learn about the cards. So as we learn and grow, our capacity for what we're able to hear, how many layers of meaning we're able to see, is going to grow too.

Speaker 1: 3:15

And the more I learn about myself, the more I learn about my world. The more I learn about tarot, the more I'm able to see in the cards. I've seen that expand and change over my years of working with the tarot. But when my capacity is low, when my scope feels really narrow, I find that that is often mirrored in my readings. My card readings become a little bit more simple my ability to combine multiple cards together or read really long readings, which is to say, reading multiple cards at a time might feel diminished. Now, that's okay. The readings that we do in our hardest moments are not necessarily going to be reflective of the readings that we do in our best moments, but it is worth knowing and remembering when you're feeling some kind of way that reaching for your cards is something that just needs to be done with some extra care.

Speaker 1: 4:03

Now, the reasons for this might feel a little bit obvious, but, just in case, let me just reiterate why reading for yourself when you're stressed out might be harder. First of all, you're stressed out, you're activated, you're feeling challenged, you're feeling compromised, you're feeling heavy, you're feeling tight, you're feeling stressed or restricted. Things get harder to see clearly when we're acting from a place of like fight or flight, and often our brains can really fixate on something or find it really hard to see something clearly, and so it might take more work, it might take more energy, it might take more resources, or it might just take more time to be able to really process the messages that are being presented and understand the response from the cards in a way that you're able to really take in. Now, this can look different ways for different people, right, but it can mean that if you're stressed out and then you pull cards that feel stressful, if you pull cards that feel activating, if you pull cards that you have negative associations with, it can mean your reaction to that, your instinctual gut reaction to those cards, might be heightened. And so I think it's really important, when considering whether or not you want to pull cards in a moment of stress or in a period where you are struggling, it's important to ask yourself a few different questions and really consider what's going to happen in this reading and how equipped you are to navigate what might happen in the reading. Now I want to offer you some questions that you can consider when you're thinking about reaching for your cards but you're concerned that you might be too stressed to read. Clearly you don't have to go through every single one of these questions, but they're just some guidelines or some thoughts to get you started.

Speaker 1: 5:42

First, are you feeling general bad feelings, like generalized anxiety or generalized helplessness or generalized anger, or are you focusing on a specific thing, a specific issue, a specific choice, a specific reaction to something? Are you trying to make a decision or are you in that place of like stewing or spiraling? Next, is the question or fixation, a solvable problem or, to put another way, is it something that is in your power to change? Might pulling cards help you feel focused and empowered? Do you need something or someone to acknowledge your feelings? Is that what you might be looking for from the cards, or are you struggling with a question or a challenge that doesn't actually have an easy, clear answer or path forward? Is it something really big and broad? Just generalized frustration, generalized anger. Please don't think that I'm minimizing this. There's a lot to be angry about, there's a lot to be grieving, there's a lot to be sad about, there's a lot to feel helpless about, but I think there's a big difference between wanting to come to the cart looking for a solution to a specific problem, or wanting comfort around something that is bigger than we are as individuals. Right?

Speaker 1: 6:53

Another question to ask is what do you actually need or want from the cards right now in really practical terms? Is there something that you actually want or need from the cards right now? Which is to say, do you want advice? Is advice possible? Do you want comfort or support? Do you want insights or truth? And again, are those things possible? Are those things that the cards might be able to actually give you and, perhaps most importantly, I want you to ask yourself do you want to read tarot right now? Is tarot the right tool for this particular challenge? And also, is it going to feel good for you to read tarot right now? Is tarot the right tool for this particular challenge? And also, is it going to feel good for you to read the cards? Does reading sound and feel like it's going to be calming or energizing or whatever you might be looking for? Or do you actually want some other kind of support and tarot is simply what's available or what you're used to reaching for? Now, your answers to these questions, your reactions to these questions, don't necessarily have to mean that you definitely should or definitely should not read the cards right. But if you can feel that you're really worked up or upset, they can be some helpful ideas or thoughts to sit with and really process before you start pulling cards.

Speaker 1: 8:06

Now, just because I think it's okay to read the tarot when you're stressed out doesn't mean you have to. Okay, Tarot is really personal. Your relationship with the cards is your own. So ultimately, it is up to you if, in general or in specific circumstances, you want to read the tarot when you're feeling activated, when you're feeling some kind of way. You want to read the tarot when you're feeling activated, when you're feeling some kind of way. Personally, I find it's really helpful in some circumstances and simply is not what I need in other circumstances, and I can't really prescribe for you one way or another when tarot is going to be useful and when it isn't. But what I can tell you is that the longer you read and practice with your cards, the more you build an in-depth, intimate relationship with your tarot cards, the more you're going to start to develop your own sense of when the tarot is actually what you need and when it really isn't.

Speaker 1: 8:57

I also just want to acknowledge that some folks develop a real habit of reaching for their cards for every single decision, for every single bad feeling, for every single stressful event, and that can look different ways. Right, for some people that could be really great and healthy. It could be a really useful tool for reflection or checking in or just giving yourself time and space, but I have also seen this really develop into a habit that's not necessarily healthy. I don't think there's anything wrong with reading tarot when you're stressed, but I do think that developing a habit of always reaching for your cards when you have to make a hard decision or when you're dealing with something complicated kind of outsourcing your power to the cards can develop in a way that ultimately starts stripping you of your own agency. Tarot can be whatever you want it to be and your beliefs are your own, but ultimately you get to decide what you're doing and I don't want you to fall into a habit of always deferring to your cards, even if they're giving you advice or counseling you in a way that you understand to be contradictory to something that feels like safe or appropriate or okay for you. If you're going to develop a habit of reading tarot when you're stressed out, I just want to make sure you're doing it with intention and thoughtfulness, not just letting the cards tell you what to do and following orders.

Speaker 1: 10:14

If you're trying to decide whether or not to read tarot in a moment of heightened emotion or difficult feelings, take some time to really sit with your emotions, to ask yourself what you might need and what you're looking for, and then to decide for yourself if a tarot reading is going to feel good and helpful and supportive for the needs you can identify in a particular moment. If after sitting with those questions. If, after really listening to yourself and letting your gut speak, you decide to read the tarot for yourself, fantastic. Be nice to yourself. That is step number one. Be nice to yourself. Pay attention to and remember the practices and techniques that you have specifically observed in your experience are supportive for you. Which is to say, pay attention to and remember if you like spreads, if you like reading reversals, if open readings are a little bit more comfortable for you, if there is a certain way or method of reading the tarot that feels particularly supportive, pay attention to if there's, like a certain deck in your collection that feels the most gentle, and reach for that one.

Speaker 1: 11:16

Keep it simple. This is not the moment to stretch yourself or try a larger reading than you're used to or start experimenting with a new deck or anything like that. Do something that is comfortable and familiar to you and that is relatively simple. I also highly encourage you to be clear with your cards about what it is you're looking for and to go ahead and straight up tell the cards that you're stressed out or struggling or need them to be a little extra tender or whatever it is you could use. I do this all the time.

Speaker 1: 11:45

I'll be shuffling my cards and I'll say hey, look, deck, I'm having a really tough day and I could use a really clear message. I don't I don't necessarily have the wherewithal to sift through a lot of cards, so please be as upfront and clear with me as you can possibly be. Or while I'm shuffling them, I'll say something like hey, I'm feeling really tender right now, so I could really use some support. Please help me figure out what I need to do right now to take care of myself right. Be really honest with the cards and tell them what you need. Additionally, give yourself a lot of grace and move as slowly as you can through the reading. There's just no reason to rush, and trying to move too quickly when you're already stressed is probably not going to make the reading any easier.

Speaker 1: 12:31

Lastly, I highly recommend making a point of doing something nice for yourself after the reading is over. Even if the cards are incredibly supportive and you walk away from the reading feeling really bolstered and held and encouraged and nourished, it's still just good practice, when you're stressed out, to be extra kind to yourself. So take yourself for a walk, have a snack, get a big glass of water, call a friend, go hug someone you love, pet your dog, whatever it is, but make a point of doing something lovely for yourself, even if it's small. Before I jump into what to do if you decide not to read the cards, I just want to say that general questions for your cards, like will everything be okay, is not a great question, right? We're going to do a whole episode on how to formulate the proper tarot question or how to build questions for your practice. But in general, yes or no questions not super helpful, right?

Speaker 1: 13:16

The tarot is not super equipped to answer yes or no questions. There are other tools that are better suited for yes or no questions. I would recommend instead asking a question like what can I do to take care of myself right now? Or how can I find some calm or peace in this particular moment? Or what is something in my life I do have control over that I can focus on? Or what is an action I can take to feel useful right now? Or what is something I need to stop worrying about? Questions that the cards can answer are always going to be more helpful in periods of stress than questions that the tarot isn't really equipped to answer or that don't have answers. And is everything going to be okay. While that might be a great question to ask your partner when you're crying on the couch, it's not necessarily a question that the tarot is going to be super equipped to answer. What if you decide not to read? Great, be nice to yourself Again. That is step number one be nice to yourself. It's okay.

Speaker 1: 14:15

If, after sitting and reflecting for a few minutes, you realize that tarot is not actually the move for you right now. You can ask a friend or a trusted confidant to pull cards for you instead. Sometimes that's really the way. If you still want comfort from the tarot but you don't feel like you're the right one, you're, you're going to going to be objective enough or capable enough or equipped enough or stable enough to really listen to the messages from the cards. Ask someone you care about and trust to pull a card or a couple of cards for you. You can also hire a professional that you admire to pull cards for you. It might not necessarily be something that you can get instantaneously. This might be more of a oh I'm going to book a reading for the next week kind of thing, but being able to sit down with a professional craft, a more complex or elaborate question and really get to the heart of the situation, it might ultimately be a really supportive move for you to make. I would also recommend just practicing self-care in a different way. Right, think about something that might help you soothe If you're going for a walk, eating a snack, watching something on television, playing a game, connecting with someone that you care about but just find something you can do that's going to feel soothing for your mind and spirit.

Speaker 1: 15:22

There are also ways to work with the tarot that aren't readings. I did an entire episode on ways to use the tarot, so I've definitely recommend checking that out. But if you're kind of craving engaging with the tarot but a reading actually doesn't feel like it's going to be supportive, meditating with a certain card that represents the way you want to feel or an action you want to take can be really helpful. It can feel really good. Just journaling to the tarot or to a specific card or archetype can be great and it can help you still feel connected with your deck.

Speaker 1: 15:51

You can also grab your deck and go through it specifically to find a card that represents whatever messy feeling you're holding in this moment. Or that represents frustration, anger, sorrow, you know, whatever it is that you're feeling. You can find a card that really represents and encapsulates that emotion. Then look at that card and consider what its opposite might be and find that card in the deck. You can think about that card as medicine for the feeling that you have. Then you can sit with those cards together, maybe journal, maybe pray whatever feels good for you, um and just really reflect on how those cards might work together and use that medicine card as a way to take care of yourself in this particular moment. Above all, I just want you to remember to be nice to yourself and to honor your real needs.

Speaker 1: 16:33

It doesn't matter if you're a really great tarot reader. It doesn't matter if you're a professional tarot reader. Sometimes tarot might not be the right tool for that moment, and it doesn't make you a bad tarot reader to not be pulling cards in moments of intense stress, anxiety, depression or anything else. Tarot is a tool that you get to use when and how you need it. You don't need to make yourself pull cards because it feels like the witchy thing to do or it feels like what you wish you wanted. Please take care of yourselves. The world is so fucked up right now. There are so many hard things everywhere we look, and I really want you to be as safe and supported as you can possibly be in this absolute hellscape that we are living in.

Speaker 1: 17:10

I always like to end these episodes with a tip or a trick, and in this episode, I want to just acknowledge that you're going to see, as you get more and more into tarot, all kinds of weird gatekeeping rumors around reading tarot for yourself, specifically about not being allowed to read tarot for yourself, how it's not safe or it's not done or it's not good to read the cards for yourself. But I also heard a new one the other day that was essentially the opposite. That quote unquote real tarot readers don't let other people read for them. That tarot readers should not get readings from other professionals. Now I want to be really clear here that both of these myths are bullshit. You can and should read tarot for yourself if you want to, and you can and should get professional readings or friendly readings or do collaborative readings with or from other people. Both are great, both are good, both are lovely.

Speaker 1: 17:57

I know that we're all stressed. I know that we're all looking for comfort in different ways, and I know that for some people that looks like doubling down and trying to take control over certain practices or really own expertise in certain areas. But if you ever hear people say definitive weird rules like this and it feels bad in your body, if it feels wrong, if it activates your spidey sense or whatever, trust that instinct, all right. People get so weird about tarot and there are just so many garbage hot takes on the internet that have nothing to do with reality. You do not ever have to take the word of a stranger myself included over your own instincts or intuition and anyone who is giving you these really hard and fast rules about a huge section of a tarot practice. Just please use some discernment and don't get caught up in this stuff. It's such bullshit.

Speaker 1: 18:47

There is so much I could say on this topic of reading when you're stressed out, but that's all I have for you today. So I just want to say thank you for spending this time with me. I'm sending you a lot of love and safety and I will be back again soon with another episode of Card Talk. Card Talk is committed to staying ad-free for everyone, which is only possible thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. To pledge your monthly support or to make a one-time donation. Click the link in the show notes. You can also find episode transcripts, more about me and additional tarot resources through my website, 3amtarotcom. See you next time.