Patterns in the Cards

[unaligned]

Hello everyone! I'm new, both here and to tarot, so like the typical amateur, when I was first introduced to tarot cards, I would do what everyone is advised absolutely NOT to do: I'd pull cards for multiple readings for the same question, sometimes several times a day.

Part of the reason for this is that I was very cynical about tarot, and I also doubted my ability to communicate my question with the cards clearly enough for accurate results. What I found, however, is that even given the millions of possibilities, if the question I posed was the repeated, I would eventually begin noticing the same cards appearing, over and over and over again. It took time for this to happen, about 50 or 100 times, but it would start to happen regardless.

But! The only difference is that sometimes the same cards were reversed, and sometimes they were upright. The one question I asked was whether someone I'd lost would communicate with me, and over several readings I kept pulling: the upright three of swords (ouch, I never pulled this one reversed), the knight of wands (once reversed), the hanged man (often reversed), nine of pentacles (often reversed), a few others including the eight of words and the ten of swords (never reversed).

I entertained the hypothesis that maybe I was just *remembering* certain cards better than others, but I don't think that's true, because I would have very much liked to have pulled the six of cups (indicating the return of a lost love), so you would think I would remember it occurring more frequently than it did, but I know I only pulled it twice or thrice.

Has anyone else had this experience? Do you believe that when a question is exasperated (typical newbie mistake) the cards begin to offer the same story, sometimes even with the same cards?

 

[rwcarter]

Welcome, unaligned!

Without discussing specific cards (as repeating cards are discussed in Using Tarot Cards), it is possible for the same cards to repeat over a course of readings to highlight the message you need to see. The fact that the orientation of the card may change between readings could be tarot trying to make you pay attention to that particular card.

50-100 readings on the same subject goes way beyond overkill. But if you're going to test tarot that way, I would suggest keeping a list of which cards appear in each reading as you may be forgetting cards. It sounds like you have expectations about the card(s) you were hoping to see. And it sounds like you've paid attention to cards that appeared that you weren't hoping to see. But that doesn't mean that there weren't other cards that you didn't pay attention to.

If you think of tarot cards as a friend, what happens when you ask your friend the same question over and over and over again even though they've given you an answer many different times? They either get exasperated and tell you what you want to hear so that you'll stop bugging them or they'll turn sarcastic and start giving you nonsense answers. Tarot isn't a person, but whatever you believe is the source of the answers you get will get tired of being tested and/or asked the same question repeatedly.

If you want to test tarot, ask it many different questions so that you get a better sense of whether it works better for you for certain type questions and not so well for other type questions.

Rodney

 

[unaligned]

The fact that the orientation of the card may change between readings could be tarot trying to make you pay attention to that particular card.

Rodney

Interesting! Thank you so much. I have *definitely* stopped asking the same question over and over again.

 

[nisaba]

Playing the Devil's Advocate, a thought: if it takes fifty times for you to notice a repeat, and there are only 78 cards in the deck, that is not statistically significant.

 

[unaligned]

Playing the Devil's Advocate, a thought: if it takes fifty times for you to notice a repeat, and there are only 78 cards in the deck, that is not statistically significant.

I don't notice repeats unless they've occurred about five or more times.

 

[SunChariot]

Hello everyone! I'm new, both here and to tarot, so like the typical amateur, when I was first introduced to tarot cards, I would do what everyone is advised absolutely NOT to do: I'd pull cards for multiple readings for the same question, sometimes several times a day.

Part of the reason for this is that I was very cynical about tarot, and I also doubted my ability to communicate my question with the cards clearly enough for accurate results. What I found, however, is that even given the millions of possibilities, if the question I posed was the repeated, I would eventually begin noticing the same cards appearing, over and over and over again. It took time for this to happen, about 50 or 100 times, but it would start to happen regardless.

But! The only difference is that sometimes the same cards were reversed, and sometimes they were upright. The one question I asked was whether someone I'd lost would communicate with me, and over several readings I kept pulling: the upright three of swords (ouch, I never pulled this one reversed), the knight of wands (once reversed), the hanged man (often reversed), nine of pentacles (often reversed), a few others including the eight of words and the ten of swords (never reversed).

I entertained the hypothesis that maybe I was just *remembering* certain cards better than others, but I don't think that's true, because I would have very much liked to have pulled the six of cups (indicating the return of a lost love), so you would think I would remember it occurring more frequently than it did, but I know I only pulled it twice or thrice.

Has anyone else had this experience? Do you believe that when a question is exasperated (typical newbie mistake) the cards begin to offer the same story, sometimes even with the same cards?

Typically, in my experience and in those of many other readers I have heard of, if you keep asking the same question over and over whatever it is that answers us via the cards gets tired of it and just stops answering. Then you get random cards that make no sense and have no meaning in response to the question.

My belief, from what you have said, is that the cards are taking into account that you are new to Tarot and trying to be patient with you as you are learning. The powers that be tha answer us through the cards (opinions vary on what that is) get it that you are unsure of yourself and that may not always be sure that you got your question through properly or that it was understood.

My belief on what you said is that you have been receiving the same cards first because they are the correct answer and secondly because you are being shown that that power that answers IS paying attention, listening and ready willing and able to give you the right answers when you ask.

If you are not sure if you are remembering the cards that came up exactly correctly maybe start writing them down in a Tarot journal so you can look back at it later. As to what the cards mean, they come to mean somewhat different things to different readers over time with experience. The cards don't talk to each reader identically. They work wtih who you are, your personality, the kind of reader you want to be....They talk to each of us in the ways we tend to best understand.

Hope this helps.

Babs

 

[RiverRunsDeep]

Welcome to the forum, unaligned!

I have been reading tarot for a little less then a year, and with a healthy dose of skepticism, so I can certainly relate to your amazement over the patterns that turn up in the cards.

I'm finding that the cards are usually right, and it is my interpretation that is wrong. For example, I will pull a card and think, "No, no, no! That doesn't make sense at all!" I will return the card to the deck and keep shuffling, only to have that same card fly out of the deck as I shuffle, or show up at the bottom of the deck as the shadow card, or appear in the very next spread.

I suppose the answer is the answer, and that is that!

 

[unaligned]

Thank you so much for the welcome everyone! SunChariot, your response about the power paying attention was very soothing for me in regards to whether I even have the ability to communicate... I believe in a higher power but I really doubt my own ability to connect to it through the cards. Sometimes I think I am not "worthy" enough to connect to it, especially since, being a Pisces I'm supposed to be a little psychic (right?) and I often don't *feel* psychic.

Not so it seems, or I haven't tuned into it enough to command it... I'm also a Scorpio rising so I'm *very* skeptical of everything!

RiversRunDeep, I've had the same experience: once I asked a question (this time only twice), because at first I pulled the Hierophant, and I thought, no that can't be right. It's a good card, but I'm so cynical and afraid of being "setup" and hurt that I tend to take bad news over good news. But after shuffling again I pulled the same! card, but reversed. I felt like Tarot was telling me, "No you fool, *take* this card!"

 

[SunChariot]

Thank you so much for the welcome everyone! SunChariot, your response about the power paying attention was very soothing for me in regards to whether I even have the ability to communicate... I believe in a higher power but I really doubt my own ability to connect to it through the cards.

Here are some questions for you.

IF you believe in a higher power, then the question is not so much whether you believe you have the ability to connect to it through the cards but if you believe that this higher power itself has the ability to communicate with you through the cards.

DO you think it has the power to do this if it chose to?

If so then you yourself do not HAVE to try to create that connection to it through the cards. Your job is just to ask the question and then to listen for the answers. If it is all knowing then it hears any question you ask. Your job is just to ask, and then to let go and let that power forge the connection.

All you have to do is to ask, and then tune out distractions, listen, and pay attention to what comes. You do not have to connect to it, it will connect to you if you ask something and want to know. You just have to listen for what comes.

And btw, Tarot is a tool that improves your psychic abilities. It helps develop them, but it takes some time. I had none at all at the start. My instincts and intuitions were always wrong. They are dependable now in all areas of my life and i can sense things I had no idea existed before. Tarot develops that, but it takes time.

Babs

 

[SunChariot]

RiversRunDeep, I've had the same experience: once I asked a question (this time only twice), because at first I pulled the Hierophant, and I thought, no that can't be right. It's a good card, but I'm so cynical and afraid of being "setup" and hurt that I tend to take bad news over good news. But after shuffling again I pulled the same! card, but reversed. I felt like Tarot was telling me, "No you fool, *take* this card!"

Even though this was not addressed to me....I wanted to say the Hierophant for me could be just what you said. Its meaning for me is about your past influences that are influencing you today. About what you were consciously taught in your past by family and teachers and about what you learnt from your life experiences so far (whether you understood these experiences accurately or not).

In that sense, the Hierophant repeatedly coming up could be the deck's way of telling you that you are seeing things the way that you are right now in your life because of the experiences you had in your past and how you interpreted them. (eg choosing to accept bad news over good news) And it coming up reversed could say that maybe there was someting you misunderstood from those past experiences. Maybe that you interpreted those past experiences at the time they were happening "upside down", in the reverse way of the way they were meant to be interpreting....maybe from some fears at the time....

Just my two cents.

Babs