Can I Read Tarot for Myself?
BY NICOLE LAU
Short Answer
Yes. Reading tarot for yourself is not only possible but essential for developing your skills. The myth that you can't read for yourself comes from outdated superstition. Self-reading is how you learn the cards, develop intuition, and access your own subconscious wisdom.
The Long Answer
Where the Myth Comes From
The idea that you "can't" or "shouldn't" read tarot for yourself likely stems from:
- Professional gatekeeping: Readers wanting to maintain client dependency
- Objectivity concerns: Fear that emotional investment clouds interpretation
- Misunderstood tradition: Confusion with other divination rules that don't apply to tarot
None of these are valid reasons to avoid self-reading. In fact, most professional readers started by reading for themselves extensively.
Why Self-Reading Is Valuable
You learn faster: Daily practice with your own questions accelerates card memorization and intuitive development.
You access your subconscious: Tarot is a mirror. It reflects what you already know but haven't consciously acknowledged.
You track patterns: Reading for yourself over time reveals recurring themes, blind spots, and growth areas.
You develop personal card meanings: Your relationship with the cards becomes unique and nuanced through self-work.
You have immediate feedback: You can verify interpretations as events unfold, refining your reading skills.
The Objectivity Question
Yes, you might be biased when reading about your own life. But:
- Professional readers have biases too (cultural, personal, experiential)
- Your "bias" is actually context—you know your situation better than anyone
- Tarot isn't about objective truth; it's about accessing insight and perspective
- You can develop techniques to read more objectively for yourself
How to Read for Yourself Effectively
Create distance: Read as if you're reading for a stranger. Use third-person language. Describe what you see before interpreting.
Journal your readings: Write down the cards and your interpretation before events unfold. Review later to see what you missed or nailed.
Use specific questions: Instead of "Will he text me?" ask "What energy should I bring to this connection?" or "What am I not seeing about this situation?"
Read when calm: Don't pull cards in the middle of a crisis or emotional spiral. Wait until you can approach the reading with curiosity rather than desperation.
Accept uncomfortable answers: If the cards show something you don't want to see, sit with it. Don't pull again hoping for different cards.
Use clarifiers wisely: One clarifying card is fine. Pulling ten cards because you don't like the answer is avoidance, not divination.
When to Get an Outside Reader
Self-reading is powerful, but sometimes you need external perspective:
- You're too emotionally activated to interpret clearly
- You keep pulling the same cards and can't see past your interpretation
- You need accountability or someone to call out your blind spots
- You want a different interpretive framework or tradition
- You're dealing with trauma or deep shadow work that needs professional support
Daily Practice Ideas
Card of the day: Pull one card each morning. Notice how its energy shows up during the day.
Situation check-in: Use a simple three-card spread (past/present/future or situation/action/outcome) for ongoing situations.
Shadow work prompts: Ask "What am I avoiding?" or "What do I need to integrate?" and pull 1-3 cards.
Decision-making spreads: Compare potential paths or explore the energy of different choices.
Intuition training: Pull a card, note your immediate gut reaction before looking up meanings. Build your intuitive muscle.
Common Self-Reading Pitfalls
Obsessive pulling: Reading the same question multiple times hoping for different answers. This is anxiety, not divination.
Fortune-telling addiction: Using tarot to avoid making decisions or taking action. Cards show energy and possibility, not fixed fate.
Ignoring patterns: If you keep getting the same cards or themes, pay attention. The universe is not subtle.
Cherry-picking interpretations: Only accepting meanings that confirm what you want to believe. Tarot works when you're honest.
Final Thoughts
Reading tarot for yourself is not only allowed—it's how you become a skilled reader. Your deck is a tool for self-knowledge, pattern recognition, and accessing intuition.
Trust yourself. Trust the cards. And remember: tarot doesn't tell you what will happen. It shows you what's happening now and what's possible if you pay attention.
You are absolutely allowed to read tarot for yourself. In fact, you should.
