Claudia's Question:

How or what do I do before reading my oracle cards? Do I pray? State an intention? Do I need to go through the ritual of lighting the candles before I read? Is it my religious upbringing that begs for ritual, or is ritual necessary?

My Response:

I firmly believe that whatever feels right will be right for you.

I do follow specific rituals each time I prepare for a reading based upon techniques I have picked up here and there based upon books, classes, circles and gatherings I have participated in, watching others, personal preferences, etc.

I begin with yoga exercises, then I smudge and bless myself and my tools, crystals and oracle cards (all painted by me) with white sage that I have gathered in the wild. I light a candle, play my Native American flute, light incense and then I meditate. I learned how to meditate in Ottawa, Canada, in 1991 from a woman named Om who was a student of Sri Chinmoy. I also make sure to ground and center myself by connecting with Mother Earth and by balancing and clearing all the wonderful rainbow colors of my chakras; being an artist, this is one of my favorite parts. I pray to the Divine/Great Spirit for guidance and I request an open heart and a clear channel so that I can be of service in the best way possible. When the reading is over I make sure to thank the Divine, ground, center and clear my energy. When I blow out the candle I send a healing wish to all who need it and I include specific names as well. This is my personal recipe for oracle card reading. I also offer my readings on Etsy, a large online community of artists and crafters.

Claudia Olivos is the featured artist for today. I met this wonderfully talented woman in the Etsy forums recently and you can find more of her work here:

Claudia's Website
Claudia's Blog
Claudia's Etsy Shop

Do you have any techniques, methods or questions about tarot/oracle card reading?
Tell us more about how you to prepare for a reading. We are all, each one of us, eternal students of the heart.

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