Tarot Readers Block

Have you ever laid out your tarot cards and felt like something had changed, almost like you didn’t know the cards? If so you may be experiencing readers block.

Readers block is fast becoming the number one reason people book my tarot coaching and I thought it is a great time to talk about it.

What is readers block?

Many authors suffer from writers block, and readers block is pretty much the same only for tarot readers.

Readers block can come in different forms. However, it basically means that a tarot reader of any level, including professionals, can feel disconnected on some level from reading the tarot cards.

Symptoms of readers block can be

• Not wanting to give readings.
• Putting off readings.
• Cancelling or not taking bookings because you feel like you can’t face the cards.
• Dreading your next reading.
• Looking at your cards and not feeling any connection, even your most trusted loved deck can feel distant and uncommunicative.
• Not understanding the cards meanings after previously having full understanding. Like the meaning has suddenly gone from you mind.
• Going blank. Suddenly in a reading you have a temporary block and go blank, looking at the cards like you had never seen them and struggling to come out with a sentence that makes much sense. 

Readers block can come on suddenly, sometimes smack bang in the middle of the reading, or can creep up on you slowly.

Causes of readers block

Overworked

This is the main reason I see tarot readers with readers block. “But I was doing fine, giving tons of readings.” I hear that a lot with my tarot clients and often that is the very reason the block has set in.  I’ve been there, over working myself, giving readings for 10 hours a day, the high, the buzz, month after month. Until I can’t stand to look at another card.

Saturation

This is a little like overworked, only you may not be giving lots of readings, instead, you have been over tuned into the tarot. Maybe you have been practising, reading books on tarot or online blogs, contributing in tarot forums and talking tarot with others and now something inside you has had enough of talking tarot.

Out of sorts

Maybe you are just out of sorts, feeling under the weather, or have issues going on in your life and your mind can’t concentrate on the tarot. This happens a lot to readers who have other issues going on and need to focus their energy on something else. Death, divorce, ill health along with family and financial problems can all contribute to being out of sorts with your cards. (interestingly for some readers this is when they are most connected to the cards.)

Not meant to be

Maybe it isn’t really readers block you are suffering with. For whatever reason sometimes we are just not meant to read for certain people. Sometimes we are not meant to see a clients path. As frustrating as this may be, it can happen. 

Solutions for readers block

There are different ways you can try to overcome your readers block and here are some of my most valid suggestions. 

Take a break

This is an obvious suggestion. Take a break and disconnect from tarot for a while AND give yourself permission to do so. Don’t feel guilty or fearful for taking a tarot break. Instead give yourself time focus on other things. 

However, taking a break isn’t always easy, and more so if this is your chosen career. When you have a diary full of booking and this is your work, it is hard to say, hey I can’t work as I’m not feeling it. Although in honesty, due to the nature of tarot that should be a totally acceptable thing to do and say.

Still, I understand that tarot readers business and often livelihood depend on readings, so before cancelling bookings, maybe some of the following solutions will help.

Turn off when you’re not on

This means the moment you are not reading the tarot, put your cards away, get out of the chat rooms, put all other tarot work you may be doing aside. Hard, but doable.

Do something different

Another obvious solution but when I talk to readers who have readers block their something different isn’t always that much different. Swapping one tarot activity for another is different but it isn’t giving your mind a rest from tarot. Giving your cards a rest but working on a new tarot blog isn’t so different.

Instead Do something that takes you completely away from tarot. I have a pen name where I write steamy romance novels.  Whenever I feel I am overworked or out of balance with my tarot I log onto my pen name and write about bad boy billionaires and hot sex. This completely takes my mind away from my spiritual work. My good tarot friend makes things unrelated to tarot. Recently she showed me some small knitted animals, I knew she was on her tarot break. As this is the kind of thing she does when she feels blocked.

Take a slice out of your day

If you are unable to cancel work and haven’t got the time or energy to do something completely out of the tarot box, Sometimes just a slice of your day will help. 

I love walking along the seafront with my dogs and listening to music. And none of the soft relaxing stuff, I have Bon Jovi banging in my ears. The sea energises me and it is an easy way to get a tarot break.

Take a walk-in nature, go for a swim or even meet up for a coffee with a friend, preferable one who won’t want to talk tarot the entire time. Doing this once may not help but getting into the habit of taking a slice from your tarot day to just be at one with your vibe should help. 

Whatever way you choose and no matter how long you do so for, when you have readers block the best solution is to step away from the cards as much as possible for a while.

Then what?

Unfortunately stepping away, taking a break or even cancelling readings for a month is not the end of the readers block for many readers, it helps, it’s a great solution and it works, but once you have taken a break you then need to get back into tarot. Just returning to your normal routine may not feel right, you may still feel off and like you still have the blockage somehow.

Get back into tarot

Yes, first out now in!

To get back into tarot after your time suffering with readers block some of the following tips may help.

Story time

Try making up a story. Not the meaning or what you know about the cards, but the way you did maybe when you were first learning the tarot and you didn’t understand the meaning yet. Instead look at each card, forget the meaning and just make up what you see. This exercise is a great way to get back the creativity you may have had before you learnt the cards and ignite the spark again.

Change decks

Swapping decks is something many readers do over the course of their tarot work and sometimes after a break this is exactly what you need to get that fire ignited again. New cards, new images, new symbolism, new artist inspiration. This can add a great deal to getting you back in the game. I mainly use the same deck of cards, with another deck or two for when I feel like a change, but when I need a real change in my readings I pick up a deck from one of the many I have in my collection and it gives me that boost I need. 

Find a new spread 

After years of readings I came across a readers block and one of the ways I was able to quickly overcome this was to invite a new tarot spread. I loved the spread so much I couldn’t wait to use it in a reading and till this day I still work with that spread. Take a look at spreads in tarot books or google and play around with a spread totally different from one you are used to until one gives you the drive to read with it.

Write a tarot story 

Writing tarot stories is a popular thing and there are many ways to do this. A google search will lead you to books about the subject. 

I pull a card and write a story about it, then I pull another and continue the story. You can be as creative as you like with your stories, give the people in your cards names and backgrounds and take them on an adventure. Just get your pen and paper or your computer and take a card at a time and write a story pulling up a new card as you go.

Draw a card

If writing isn’t for you maybe you are more artistic and you can draw a card or an entire deck!  Even if it looks like a three-year-old did it, the point isn’t about your art skills, instead it is about being creative with the tarot and drawing cards that would be part of your perfect deck.

Colour cards

Play games

I love working with images, and I often go onto stock sites and go through the images, I pick one I like and then put a card name to it, asking myself what tarot card this image would be. This game gets my tarot juice buds rolling. I also play other games, like name the actor when I am watching films, is he the king of wands or the king of swords? I take situations I see in the media and create their story using three cards. Tarot games are endless if you use your imagination. Everything can be connected to tarot cards!

So the rundown on tarot blocks.   Take a break, and then get back into it! The aim is to not return exactly how you was before, instead jump out of your tarot box and do your tarot thing differently. Will this prevent any future blocks? No, life, overwork, and old habits can come and go, but the quicker you nipp every tarot block in the bud the easier it will be to know why it happens and to deal with it.

And don’t forget, No matter how serious you may take your readings. Tarot can still be fun!

love Gaynor