Self-Readings: Lessons? (Probably overly philosophical)

Hi all. Please don't mind me but I've been extremely (and nearly psychotically) philosophically inclined lately.

I've been reading exclusively for myself most of my Tarot life, partly because to me reading and studying the Tarot has healed me in many ways, and the Tarot (and all related thoughts) have been partners in darker times, but also because to me Tarot is one of those selfish pleasures, it's something that I deeply feel is in my life to help me with me and nothing else.

Okay, I've been reading for a good 10 years now. And I've noticed a pattern to my readings (or is it life?). When I read something, and record my interpretation, and look back on it later to think "Man I was off on that!", I can see reasons why I needed to be off on that - whether I needed to acknowledge something that I was denying, or it was something I wasn't ready/able/"meant" to face. Of course I feel that way about life in general, so maybe it's me projecting (getting a lot of 7 of Cups lately!) on the Tarot my own image/thought process/logic. I'm in a Uranus Squaring Neptune transition... Sorry... that's another part of the forum... *sigh*

What I mean is: Do you think that maybe sometimes we are "off" (reading what we want to see - whether out of fear of facing what's ahead, unpreparedness to face reality, or need to have our "Tower" struck) because that is the only way ... something, other things, whatever... that we are meant to learn certain lessons.

Of course, I'm willing to admit this is right on the border of "non-Tarot-edness", but it is the Tarot that has led me to ask myself such questions.

But ... I don't know... I wandered if such things could be correlated. I went around the "Your Readings" board, and strangely, I recognized some cards that come back in many a readings... It's just like the Tarot is making me feel as if I suddenly realize (feel?) that maybe it's like we have this objective, this ultimately higher - near or actual perfection - of a soul (generous, kind, compassionate, loving, honest, etc.) that we aim or are meant to become, and that everything in life is basically meant to push us there. I'm not saying it's fair, and I'm not implying this justifies sometimes horrible/painful/soul-maiming events in our lives, but if you take the world as many numerous (repetition) ... "radars" (for lack of a better word) that emit their own stories, experiences, feelings, and personalities, then sometimes we are subject not to our own lessons but to another's lessons.

I know (feel) this is way of topic. Please just delete this threat if it's way off (and send me a PM)... Thank you.

maybe it's like we have this objective, this ultimately higher - near or actual perfection - of a soul (generous, kind, compassionate, loving, honest, etc.) that we aim or are meant to become, and that everything in life is basically meant to push us there.

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I totally believe this--that the events we encounter and endure are part of a pattern our soul needs in order to learn what it came to learn in this lifetime.

And in doing tarot we can (especially if we record our questions and the tarot's answers) see that life pattern more clearly than if we just ricocheted from event to event, not seeing the Whole of the forces and our free-will decisions that create the path we walk.

A tool for realization if we choose to use it that way.

I think that we are off because the tarot isn't a predictive tool.

<dodging rotten vegetables>


-tb

thinbuddha said:

I think that we are off because the tarot isn't a predictive tool.

<dodging rotten vegetables>


-tb

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So......it's NOT divination? It's just psychology? I'm amazed to hear someone get within throwing distance of one of my best theories!

And dear iseekserendipity, in life you can only deal with what you can deal with when you can deal with it. It's the same for everybody. It's just maturity! The ultimate teacher is experience, and you can't really know something until you experience it, and time has a way of addressing that for each and evey one of us. We grow up. (hopefully although it's not guaranteed) and you are taking an active part in maturity. I think it's that way for anyone who is analytical. There is such thing as thinking too much (ask me how I know).... smiles

*Nholdamek throws a rotten potato at thinbuddha

Sorry, that was fun.

I do think it's a predictive tool. I've predicted too many things with it to not think it is such. Of course if one doesn't think it is then it won't be for that person.

As for why people are off sometimes, sometimes we're just not meant to know something, I believe. Or else, we have a personal bias and read it wrongly because we want to see something else.

But those are my opinions and I've been called crazy.

*Throws one more rotten potato for good measure

That rotten potato smells just like McDonalds.

Mind you- It's not that I believe that divination is impossible. I just don't think that everyone can do it, and I don't think that tarot gives this ability to just anyone. Those who have it will be able to divine with or without a deck. I don't think I'm in the psychic crowd. But if you (like me) have an awful track record with prediction, you might look into changing the type of questions you ask (rather than abandon the tarot alltogether). I still find the tarot extrememly useful as a adviser. It the advise sounds like nonsense, I ignore it (or try to find the sense in the reading).

-tb

But I can't help but think, analyse, try to find a logic...

A tool for realization if we choose to use it that way.

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I agree with you Imagemaker, and I must say that is exactly how I chose to use the Tarot (or Astrology, or other tools). It's also probably why I read nearly exclusively for myself (unless my mother or someone else harasses me for a reading). I know I don't (really, even when I deny this) expect true predictions as much as a ... push forward towards a better understanding of myself and/with others. Sometimes it comes from me doing a reading and ironically reading "such and such will/may happen to you soon", and then it's up to me how I chose to act based on that. If I end up believing in this as an undeniable truth, if later on it doesn't happen, I can always look back and see how believing it served a purpose (even if it just showed a need, a desire, a pain that I was refusing to deal with).

I do think it's a predictive tool. I've predicted too many things with it to not think it is such. Of course if one doesn't think it is then it won't be for that person.

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I agree with that Nholdamek. To me in the end, Tarot - and anything in life really - is what you chose to see in it, to make/do with it...

And dear iseekserendipity, in life you can only deal with what you can deal with when you can deal with it. It's the same for everybody. It's just maturity! The ultimate teacher is experience, and you can't really know something until you experience it, and time has a way of addressing that for each and evey one of us. We grow up. (hopefully although it's not guaranteed) and you are taking an active part in maturity. I think it's that way for anyone who is analytical. There is such thing as thinking too much (ask me how I know).... smiles

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I think you put the finger on the matter at hand asphodel! *gasp* I think too much! lol

It's not that I believe that divination is impossible. I just don't think that everyone can do it, and I don't think that tarot gives this ability to just anyone.

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thinbuddha, I see what you mean, but I must admit I don't agree. To me, we all have it in us to be sufficiently in sync (and this is my take of course) with all that we are and all that is around us. When I seek predictive answers in the Tarot or through Astrology or something else, although part of me is trying to know what is happening in order to - in a way - control my life and self etc., I think what I seek most of all is the reassurance that I'll make the right choice. But of course, I'm a Libra Sun, so maybe I say that because making choices is a huge issue for me! lol

I just find that things seem to click in place, even when they didn't seem to originally, for me.

This said, I do find that sometimes what keeps me from interpreting correctly, trusting my intuition or just ... "trusting myself" with the cards is the fact that I think too much... Probably an advertisement for meditation practice!

When I'm off on my own readings it's because I really did not want to see the truth......... or am so confused by the issues that I couldn't see the forest for the trees. Sometimes I need the Flashing Neon Light tarot because I can see way too many ways to interpret the cards and can't decide what the heck it really means.... until later, when it happens or becomes so obvious, I'm amazed at my own self imposed blindness.

I don't neccesarily read for divination, but that doesn't mean that the readings don't end up being predictive, because more often than not, they are.

iseekserendipity said:

Okay, I've been reading for a good 10 years now. And I've noticed a pattern to my readings (or is it life?). When I read something, and record my interpretation, and look back on it later to think "Man I was off on that!", I can see reasons why I needed to be off on that - whether I needed to acknowledge something that I was denying, or it was something I wasn't ready/able/"meant" to face.

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ahh I totally agree with you, in fact I was wondering about that recently myself and started a thread here also Looking back I sometimes was off in my readings, becuase I was soo involved in the matter (either myself or for other persons - when I know too much about them and their situation already OR the reading was just off - truly even after visiting it later or when I posted it here in the Your Reading section and all posters had more or less the same take on the cards - yet, we were all off

Since recently I am feeling compelled to NOT read for me and my closest friends, I think also, when we are at a certain point in life, a lesson we need to learn based on our own decisions and character, our spirits 'protect' us from stepping too far away from ourselves and let it become all blurry, so we are 'forced' back to just trust our intuition again and let life unfold itself in due time.

I am sure this is not the case for everyone, but - for me at least- its like this since a few months, so I can completely relate to your note

the threads here are so interesting! everyone knows i primarily collect cards for their beauty, and could scarcely call myself a real reader.

a propos of the current "intuition" thread, sometimes when my mother was ill, i would get really stressed out and go to therapy myself. i would go to the therapist and say "i'm stuck! my option a is all bad and my option b is worse!"

the therapist would show me that my habits of thinking, stress, and anxiety were blinding me to all my different choices. she would say, well, perhaps there is also another option of c or d.

looking at the tarot cards sometimes does this for me too. they make me think of possibilities my habits had hidden from me. (yoga is also good for this.)

so i would take both sides here. because often your choices can make certain things happen for you, so in that way your actions become deterministic and predictive. any tool that helps you change your point of view, look for new paths, or re-examine yourself and your ingrained habits can lead to new outcomes. and the experience of that feels predictive too!