Querent's strong desires interfering with the accuracy of the cards?

A bit of background before I get to my question:

I am in a situation right now where I've had problems with my own readings due to my emotional involvement in a situation. I did have a professional reading done which gave me the same sort of confounded outcome, so I do know that I am on the right track with my thoughts about the situation, albeit confused. (And the card reader could totally understand why! lol) Essentially, there are many factors currently involved and it is all about timing at this point.

That being said, I did a spread the other day on what the universe has in store for my next future relationship (wish I would've written the cards down!!!). I did NOT ask about a relationship with my current interest, just in general. However, all of the cards spoke to me about this particular man that I've been interested in. Everything suggested that the relationship would be with him. Outcome was the Hierophant, which in other readings, I had always believed to represent that our relationship couldn't exist until I leave his professional setting. Obviously, it meant something different here in this spread (an experience - which is what I have always assumed would happen with this guy and what I have realistically wanted). But again, this spread was not specifically about this man....just my next romantic relationship that the universe has in store.

My question is this:

Would it be possible for that "future relationship" reading to be adversely affected by my intense desire and belief that a relationship will eventually develop with my current interest? Could the cards ever just tell me what I WANT to hear? The confusion lies in that I have never received a very clear answer about the future of our relationship when I consult specifically about him....just that there are obstacles that need to be cleared first before we could begin. The cards just always warn that timing isn't right and that we can't be together right now. However, this "future relationship" spread was so clear and I couldn't imagine anyone else that it could have been in reference to as cards that have represented him in the past were present. Everything just made sense that it would occur after he got done going through a painful time in his life.

Hopefully this makes some sense. Any insight is appreciated about the potential for spreads to be negatively affected by the querent's overwhelming beliefs or desires.

I have experienced something similar. I have pretty intense travel anxiety, for example, and when I am going to be traveling, I can't read about it because my readings all come back death and devastation.

I believe that cards reflect the sitters energy, among other things, so my answer is yes. I also take outcomes with a grain of salt and believe they are a possibility and something to consider... not that they don't come true. I can also be wrong, which is why I take it with a grain of salt.

Of course these are my beliefs on the matter, so someone else may say differently.

I posted elsewhere at some length on the subject. My short answer is "Yes!" and quite often (since I tend to read at a psychological level, I might venture to say more often that not) that's what comes through instead of, or in addition to, a response to the consciously-posed question. I don't think the cards ever "deceive" (though they're quite often oblique) but the querent may be deceiving him or herself, and that can come through. It's at the bottom of page 2 of this post:

http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=159048&page=2&pp=10

Yes, I've observed this, especially when you ask repeatedly - and even more for matters of the heart. I've read for people and given them completely different relationship messages than they received for themselves; and likewise for me - the same has happened. I find relationships tend to be the more emotionally intense moments and factors in our lives, which affects our energy considerably.

Another thing to consider is that outcomes, if they are possibilities; can thus be changed. I've had that happen for myself and others. I read for one woman in which (I read normally in the present; but I also get a sense of future) ALL of her outcomes came true EXCEPT for the relationship.

Here's the catcher though; she let the universe flow with everything else. Taking the suggestion that the relationship would succeed, she obsessed with it and assumed he would instantly like her. It didn't happen.

He later told her he couldn't date her because she was being too possessive, obsessive and jumping all over him because she presumed he would automatically like her right off the bat; and he was interested in dating her before she began doing that. I'm not saying you're doing that; but that even when we expect an outcome, it can influence our behaviour.

Thank you all for your replies.

Barleywine - I will head over and read your thoughts on that thread. I am into psychology so this is ultimately why I am concerned about this happening to me in this situation.

TractJM - Thank you for sharing that story...I definitely see how that could happen. It sounds like her confidence upset the process of creating the foundation for a real relationship. Definitely something to keep in mind. Thanks.

I do think that a strong desire can affect the cards.

You see, for me the cards works mainly with intention. Intention is your desire to know something, to get an answer. The strongest and clearest it is, the more powerful your reading will be.

But intention is present in many aspects of life - including in our desires for other things. When you want a certain outcome to become true... sometimes this hope is stronger than your wish to simply know the most likely outcome. And that can affect the final result of a reading. Although you say you want a sincere answer regarding the outcome, your intention is focused on the outcome that you want. Your intention guides the reading - your cards will follow it.

That's why it is so tricky to read for yourself about important matters. Your intention cannot focus on simply getting a sincere answer (it is focusing on getting a specific answer). And your capacity to interpret the reading with the necessary impartiality is usually reduced.

I have done readings in which the querent simply didn't want to know the answer. They asked the question, but all their intention was focused on avoiding the answer, so I ended up giving them rather insipid readings. Sometimes the cards would even say that the person was not reading to know the answer.

I don't need to say that the querents usually don't like that.
But yes, it happens...