LESSON 10

The Open Reading

An Open Reading is a request for guidance that is not tied to a particular problem. You don't write a question. You simply give your Inner Guide an opportunity to communicate what you most need to know at a given moment.

For most occasions, the Question Reading is the best type because it zeroes in on the issue that is most important to you. Just as with the telephoto lens of a camera, a question lets you move in to focus more narrowly on a subject, but it also keeps you from seeing the bigger picture. An Open Reading has more scope. It covers your long-term growth and development. It offers a higher level of guidance that embraces the larger patterns that are shaping your everyday experiences.

Open Readings can be quite powerful. I try to use them sparingly to preserve their out-of-the-ordinary quality. Consider them for special occasions, such as: birthdays, anniversaries, ceremonial days, equinoxes and first days (new job, date, trip).

Open Readings are useful when you are standing on the threshold of a new phase, such as after the birth of a child or move to a new house. Open Readings can help you adjust to new or unpredictable situations ahead of time. Whenever an expanse of unknown is opening out before you, that is a perfect time for an Open Reading.

The procedure is basically the same as the one in lesson 8. The few differences are noted here. (There is also a step-by-step outline.)

1. Setting the Mood
   To prepare for an Open Reading, you want to avoid the analysis that goes into writing a question. Simply let your mind empty of all cares and concerns. There is nothing you have to do or arrange except a gentle quieting of the mind.

2. Making A Statement
   Instead of reading a question, say a more general message of intent such as:

   I welcome a message of wisdom and open myself to receive the guidance that I most need at this time.

   You can narrow the focus a little as long as you avoid specific people and events. If you're interested in your health, you can add a phrase to that effect:

   I welcome a message of wisdom about my health and open myself to receive the guidance that I most need at this time.

3. Shuffling the Cards
   Keep your mind free and open while you shuffle. If a thought drifts by, let it gently pass without fixing on it. Ideally, you should feel like an empty house with all the windows open to every soft breeze.

4. Cutting the Cards
5. Laying Out the Cards
6. Responding to the Cards

7. Analyzing the Cards
   As a rule, when analyzing the cards, you want to step back from the details of your life and let the cards show you the larger themes. Concentrate on the patterns as revealed in the reading. View everything in a wider context. Open Readings are not about the everyday.

8. Creating the Story
9. Writing the Summary Statement
10. Finishing Up

11. Using What You Have Learned
    It is not necessary to commit to specific actions. Simply absorb the spirit of the message and allow it to guide you in a general way.

Exercises for Lesson 10

Please read the INTRODUCTION to the principles of interpretation section before going on to Lesson 11.

Lesson 11

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