When reading the tarot, it's like a jump start to a whole slew of other things. It triggers me to be open to messages, guides, voices and hearing and smelling "things" to help get the message through. Reading the tarot is like putting all the right things in place for me to do psychic readings.
I like to have a candle burning, have a glass of water (which I almost never touch - I just have to have it there.) and on some occasions will burn incense. I spread my crocheted cloth out and unfold my cards from it, and take a few deep breaths, say a quiet little prayer.
When reading the tarot, I start to shuffle the deck, the meditation begins. I'll start to lose myself. (Really, I know it sounds wacky, but I seem to observe from some distance off.) so, during the reading I'll fidget with my hair and hands and face, and often will have a hard time making eyecontact because I'm "looking" around you. I'll place the cards on the cloth depending on how I'm inspired to. I usually like to warn people who I'm reading for in person of this... because, frankly, it can be unnerving if they aren't expecting it.
My favourite placements when reading the tarot are Horseshoe spreads, Celtic Cross spreads, and Year Wheel spreads.
It works very similarly when I'm reading on the phone, but you just don't get to see all the fidgeting! Reading the tarot on the phone is a completely different thing for me - in some ways it's SO much clearer for me, easier to get messages faster because your voice and all the messages are "in my head." In the minds eye? I'm not so much looking for them. With your voice in directly in my ear (I wear an operators type earphone and mic.) the messages seem more direct. I don't have to look around so much, because it's like you are already in my mind.
As well as a tool for fortune telling, I've used them for meditating, writing stories, and inspiration.
