As you work with your cards, you will find that each card evokes a certain feeling from within, a series of associations based upon the images found on the card. It is these images that you will learn to interpret as you find-tune and develop your intuition. It is important to remember that the Psycards contain no magic, but are merely a tool that you will use in your own personal development.
I have used the Psycards to successfully read for both myself and others. I prefer the Psycards to the Tarot decks because the symbolism on the Psycards deck is less obscure than on the Tarot. The Tarot is a wonderful tool for those who wish to dedicate the time to studying its esoteric meanings and gaining insight into this ancient intuitive practice. But few of us today have the time or the means to dedicate ourselves to this type of in-depth study. In addition, many people find the Tarot to have negative connotations or they feel uncomfortable with the Tarot's long association (however misbegotten) with "witchcraft" and "gypsies."
I have found the Psycards to be equal to the Tarot in the quality of insight, but without the obscure meanings and symbolism. The symbolism of the Psycards is universal, intended to reflect archetypes or images from the Collective Unconscious. This symbolism is almost immediately relevant to the user, touching and evoking the meaning from within the individual's psyche. In other words, the pictures on these cards represent things to which everyone can relate and will immediately have some sort of meaning to you personally.
As an experienced reader, I prefer the Psycards because they enable my clients to contribute to their own readings. Although I spent a number of years providing professional readings and am currently a practicing astrologer, psychic and hypnotherapist, my goal is to help others get in touch with their own intuition - their Higher Selves - for this is the purest and most accurate way to receive spiritual guidance.
With the Psycards, my clients often find hidden meaning within the cards which I am unable to see for them or simply don't understand. In many cases, my readings turn into more of a mutual exploration of the current problems and situations which my clients may be facing, and in this way yield a greater spectrum of more accurate information.
When you do readings for yourself or others, it is important to clear your mind of worry, fear or opinion. It is advisable that you do not attempe to do readings for others if you are upset about something in your own life, or if you are very distracted at the time. It isn't fair to those you wish to help to receive half-formed impressions, or images which are colored by your own negative frame of mind at the time.
Keep your opinions to yourself. It is critical that you do not make judgements on the information you receive during the course of a reading. To do so is to impose your will or desires on others, which is a violation of their right to free will. As you work with the Psycards and learn to trust your own intuition, it will become easier to trust the choices of others. When you do readings for close friends or relatives, do so in a very guarded and careful way. With practice, it will become less likely that your impressions will be influenced by your own personal opinion of a loved one's situation. You must endeavor to not confuse opinion with intuition! Give only that advice which comes to you at an intuitive level, and be very careful not to interject your personal conclusions. Your intuition is a link with the Divine, but your thoughts and opinions are like everyone else's, subject ot error and emotionalism. Never use a reading to influence someone to do something that you would like to see them do. This type of behavior is manipulative and unethical, and can only cause you grief in the long run. If you truly care about the person you are reading for, then you owe it to them to do so in as honest and scrupulous way as possible.
When you come across situations where you are not certain that you can remain objective, or when you are getting no intuitive impressions at all (and this does happen), then simply refuse to do the reading until you are more clearly in touch with your Higher Self. If you lay out the cards and get nothing clearly, then say so. Your honesty will be appreciated and respected by most people.
Let bygones be bygones. Another trap which can easily be fallen into, whether with friends and family, or with total strangers, is the situation where you see within the context of the reading a situation which resembles something in your own life or experience. It is important that you do not advise your questioner to do what you did in the past, or what you currently thing you ought to have done, but that you advise them only to the actions specifically implicit in their cards. Many people have had traumatic experiences such as divorce, death in the family, illness, career stress or other difficulties, and we have all reacted to these situations in our own unique way. You must remember that the person who consults you for advice is also a unique whois working through his or her own life in the way that is best for that person at that time. No two situations are ever exactly alike, and you must preserve and respect the integrity of the person who comes before you.
On the other hand, if you do have someone who is experiencing a situation similar to one from your own past, be sure and let them know that you understand what they are feeling and experiencing. It is a wonderful thing, when we have troubles in our lives, to know that we are not alone, and that someone else is capable of being empathetic to our own dilemna.
Don't absorb the troubles of others. As you work with your cards, you will learn many things to do and to not do, according to your own experiences. Like many who seek to expand their spiritual or psychic awareness, you may become more likely to feel the emotions of the people for whom you read. When you deal with people who are experiencing difficult times in their lives, you are exposed to their feelings, which are often negative or painful ones. Often, following a reading, the person with the question or problem feels greatly relieved or uplifted, while the reader feels washed out and tired. It is important to take steps to transform any negative energies you encounter, and to recognize when emotions belong to you and when they do not.
One way to help transform negativity is to visualize both yourself and your questioner as being firmly connected to the Earth. See the soles of your feet as being open and all negative energies flowing gently out and through the floor into the Earth below. Now imagine that the Earth will take this negative energy and transform it into the fertilizer for positive change. Be sure to use this visualization (or any other method you may have for "grounding") before and after each reading. Use it when you read for yourself as well, as this will help to clear your heart and mind of energies which may prevent you from seeing the messages in the cards properly. Many readers also find that a smoky quartz crystal or other grounding stone helps in this respect. (For psychic fairs, I often put small flat pieces of hematite in my shoes.)
It is never necessary for you to take on the problems of others as if they were your own. Demonstrate care, express empathy, offer advice and guidance, but do not take others' troubles to bed with you. This will only confuse and muddle your own life, and does nothing to ease the burden of those you wish to help.
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