First, let's look at why we want to have a reading.

This search often starts because we are uninspired, confused, or stuck. We want and need movement in our life but do not know which direction to turn, and the opportunity for a reading emerges.

Let's remember we might be vulnerable in such a place, and it is essential to find someone honest and with great integrity in their craft.

We all go through phases, and our life is made of cycles; transformation and growth often come from chaotic places, and we benefit greatly from guidance and support during these times. A reading can bring some light on our path and help us see beyond our actual situation.

Discernment, sovereignty, addiction to readings, and seeing things symbolically are important matters regarding readings. Let's look further into it.

A Process

The reading is part of a process in which you are an active participant/agent: your life. You can work with the information you received, let it simmer, cultivate it, question it, and broaden your view so its meaning has a fuller weight. We often get caught in a sense of emergency and frustration, but the information we receive during a reading might not be applicable or relevant for weeks, months, or even years.

To work with the information received during a reading often means leaving the literal and entering the symbolic aspect of things, which requires time and a certain quietness of mind.

What the person sees in you might be correct (or might not be), but the shape they see might not be suitable for you. For example, if the theme of voice is strongly present in your reading, it does not mean you need to become a public speaker, a singer, or anything related to your vocal abilities. Using your voice can have many aspects:

• If you are an artist, your art medium is your voice.
• If you do community work, your voice takes shape in supporting and/or inspiring others.
• If you are a teacher, your voice helps students find their own and give them a platform for expression.
• Having clear boundaries in a relationship is a way to use your voice.

It is important to have discernment and see the person doing the reading as a helper, not as the supreme source of all truth.

We work hard for our sovereignty; let's not give it all away.

Different ways to work with a reading

• Write about what you remember. Note the feelings in your body, the memories, and the images that come up.
• Make a free-association list of words: write the most important word you heard during the reading, or the theme that appeared for you. Then write one word it makes you think of (not a phrase). Then write another word the previous one makes you think of, and so on until you have a whole list/page. If you get stuck, write the first word again and start from there.
• Doodle, collage or make art thinking of your reading and see where it takes you.
• Watch a movie or read a book related to the theme of your reading or a piece of information from it.
• Do some research. It might be about a specific modality, a land, a person, a symbol, a plant or animal, your ancestry... pull a thread and follow it.
• Use the power of imagery by creating a mood board related to your reading. It can contain words, pictures from magazines, colors, and symbols. Place it where you can see it often and watch ideas and realizations emerge.

What to keep, what to discard

Some things in the reading will not resonate. We usually feel it right away; instead of grasping it, we can let it go.

Think of putting what does not resonate in a box. It may resurface and be useful later; it may never be. The person doing the reading is a human being, and like every one of us, has biases, projections, and stories of their own. And even if some things in the reading appear very accurate, not everything may be.

It is good to take notes or keep a recording (if possible and if the person you work with agrees) and revisit the information later. There are always things you miss or overlook in the moment, and this gives you a chance to listen again with more space.

Is it time for another reading

An excellent way to know where our needs and desires come from is by asking ourselves clear and straightforward questions and taking the time to answer them (journaling is a great way):

Why do I want another reading now?

What did I not get from the previous one?

How can I work with the information from the last reading (list three ways)? What is confusing me?

What am I looking for that I can not find outside of myself?

I will have another reading, and then, what?

The emotional charge we get from readings can be why we keep seeking them, especially when we feel stuck or dull. We have the hope that things will change right away after the reading (it rarely does, as we saw, it is part of a process, not an answer in itself) and the desire to hear something extra-ordinary (as in out of our ordinary life). So many of us long for more profound experiences and connections, but piling up readings and healing sessions will not give us the depth and peace we seek. It can become more confusing, and the chances of losing our own agency are present.

Looking at our life more broadly, we might see that profound, connective experiences are lacking. Suppose we invite them into our life more regularly. In that case, the desperate need for the extra-ordinary will fade, and a reading can have an essential place without sweeping away our personal power.

Find regular practices that center and ground you with a healthy embodied aspect and connect you with other people who are also searching for depth and meaning. They will help you stay independent and will be essential to your well-being when you need support. Then, inviting a reading into your life will bring more possibilities and engage you even more in your own growth and creative process.