DO the cards suggest or reveal??

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 10 Jan 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

StarGoddess	10 Jan 2003
Hello, it's me again! I often read in other people's interpretations that some cards suggest a certain action. How do i know if the cards are telling me that this is what i SHOULD do, rather than what i will do? For example, about three months ago i did a lot of reading about the future, and my cards would turn up such cards as the CHariot Reversed, signifying a loosing of control in my life. While, at the same time, few of my cards in other readings gave me such cards as 9 of Wands (I assumed, from this, that i will still have control bc it is such a positive card). Now when i look at it after the whole has ended, the 9 of Wands was a suggestion card telling me to use my insight. So now, im really confused, just HOW do i tell if a card is a suggestion rather than a fortelling of the future?? Please help me out on this one, im very confused!

HudsonGray	10 Jan 2003
Try to keep your mind as open as you can, and be relaxed & at peace when you shuffle & ask your question. Sometimes the decks have the bad habit of showing you what you WANT to see, which can screw things up & not help at all. It's all about keeping one step removed as you look at the cards, to look at the options, to try to feel if this is a 'result' or a 'suggestion' or any of a number of things. Think about what you see, and the part you have the strongest feeling for should be the most accurate one. But practice, practice, practice. That's the best way to figure out how your deck talks to you. Keeping a journal can be a big help to get you on track with interpretations.

Alex	10 Jan 2003
like when it's in past, you can't go back and change it. When as "hopes" and "fears" it reaveals what you're feeling When in the future, it may be forecasting, but you can as well use it as an allert sign: if you change your present you can change your future.

Marion	11 Jan 2003
Hi Stargoddess, I am moving this thread to Talking tarot. Your readings is for posting specific readings and getting others takes on them. Hope this is all right with you. Marion

lunalafey	11 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by HudsonGray Sometimes the decks have the bad habit of showing you what you WANT to see, which can screw things up & not help at all. or we anticipate and manipulate. {who did a thread on perception?hehe} The key is to be OPEN. Look at it from every direction you can. Something will click and there it is. The cards and thier positions have alot to do with the 'direction' you are looking for; Action or Response.

StarGoddess	11 Jan 2003
Thanks everyone for all of the imput! This helps a lot, because i used to get the suggestions and revelations confused (which ended up in readings that didn't help as much). BUt now i know, thanks once again for all the advice.

tarotbear	12 Jan 2003
First of all, tarot is not written in stone, nor are its revelations. When you receive cards that fortell something nasty is about to happen, it is probably a 'heads up', a warning that something bad is headed your way. It is what you do with the information you received that will make or break this come. If you do not like what the cards tell you, and you believe them to be 'true' it is up to you to change the circumstances and affect this occurrance. For example: Once while I was reading at a Mardi Gras, a customer started talking to me about a 'reading' she had gotten once (not sure if it was even Tarot). She said that a turn of phrase by the reader - who said her life was about to come crashing down around her - caused her to cancel her flight to Florida and the vacation she had planned. I asked her if the flight had crashed - it hadn't. I asked her if she went to Florida by another means - she didn't go AT ALL! A wee bit extreme if you ask me. Perhaps the reader meant her marriage was crumbling or her company was going to go bankrupt. IF I was that woman, I'd have asked the reader a whole lot of questions!

WolfSpirit	13 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by HudsonGray Sometimes the decks have the bad habit of showing you what you WANT to see, which can screw things up & not help at all. My cards have a mind of their own IMO and sometimes show me what I need to pay attention to even if I don't ask about that particular subject ! I was working at home got a bit bored started to play with the cards did a reading and although I asked about something very different I got cards I could only relate to work: 3 of pentacles, 8 of pentacles...the message was clear: get your job done WolfSpirit... Having tarot decks is sometimes like living with your mother *sigh* :D

imagoddess	15 Jan 2003
I don't believe that the CARDS will at times show you what you want to see. I believe it is the reader who choses to see what he or she wants in their interpretation of the CARDS. Say for example you perform a reading about romance, and you get the LOVERS card, well that card can be interpreted in many ways and a lot of wishful thinking could lead a reader down the wrong path! IT IS ALL ABOUT THE INTERPRETATION, THE POSITIONS, AND THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CARDS. Hell, if I could make the Tarot give me the cards I want to see, why would I do Tarot? I'd just play the lottery!

tarotbear	15 Jan 2003
Sorry, imagoddess, but I AM able to make the cards tell me what I want...that is why I do not read for myself any more and require the Querent to shuffle his own cards. When I find myself in this situation where I've asked a question about something potentially dreadful and the cards come up all goodie-gumdrops, glitter, and light, I take the deck and slam the long edge against the table a few times and say 'KNOCK IT OFF! I NEED THE CORRECT ANSWER - NOW!'. The cards may still answer that things will look up, but the 'Hollywood movie premiere' quality gets removed. Yes, I do slap my cards against the table; it's similar to slapping the side of an old b/w TV set when the reception is not good.

imagoddess	15 Jan 2003
So this happens to you? How do you explain it? And I would like to hear from anyone else who has this experience. I am very intrigued...

pozt	16 Jan 2003
In my opinion, I think that the cards can tell what will happen IF you do not change what you are doing at the present. It's a bit like being able to glimpse at what is LIKELY to happen - whether or not you can change it depends on your actions. Of course, sometimes the warning can come a little too late. But you may be able to soften things a bit once you are aware. --- I tend to use my cards to see if a guy is suitable for me for a relationship. It likes to give me gloom gloom and doom. I don't slap the cards, but I do threaten to burn them (muwhahahaha) if they don't tell me constructive ways to make my life better. :)

tarotbear	16 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by imagoddess42283 So this happens to you? How do you explain it? I am very intrigued... It's not like I can say 'O.K.- send up the Tower card.' It is more along the lines of asking 'Will a publisher decide to publish my book?' I would like the cards to tell me I will win the next Pulitzer Prize - and I get all the ''success cards', such as the Star, Sun, and World cards. I know the cards are selling me a line because even Stephen King doesn't get a reading like this ! After 'confronting' my cards, I will get cards such as the Magician, Hanged Man, and the Sun, which tell me the book can still be a success but I might have to wait a while before that can happen - which I would accept as a more realistic answer. I do believe that the cards are affected by their placement in the human aura, which is why I believe the Querent should always shuffle the cards if possible. My suggestion is take a happy incident in your past and ask the cards about it, but picture dark heavy thoughts while you shuffle. Your 'happy incident' may show the effects of your dark heavy thoughts, no matter how 'happy' the incident really is/was. Conversely, if you ask about a past 'unhappy' incident in your life yet think about lovely things such as 'Silver-white Winters that melt into Springs' you may also color that sad incident with your happy mindset. {Anyone who wants to try this intellectual experiement- feel free to do so and post the results!}

pozt	16 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by tarotbear My suggestion is take a happy incident in your past and ask the cards about it, but picture dark heavy thoughts while you shuffle. Your 'happy incident' may show the effects of your dark heavy thoughts, no matter how 'happy' the incident really is/was. Conversely, if you ask about a past 'unhappy' incident in your life yet think about lovely things such as 'Silver-white Winters that melt into Springs' you may also color that sad incident with your happy mindset. {Anyone who wants to try this intellectual experiement- feel free to do so and post the results!} Tried this on a freqent basis. No matter how happy I feel about a potential bf, the cards tell me quite realistically the reality. It hurts, but I'd rather have a frank honest deck than one that merely tells me happiness happiness and more happiness. If I do a reading, I want info that I don't already know. Fullstop.

tarotbear	16 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by pozt It hurts, but I'd rather have a frank honest deck than one that merely tells me happiness happiness and more happiness. If I do a reading, I want info that I don't already know. Ah - but sometimes a reading will ONLY tell you what you already know; that does not make the reading invalid. Sometimes when you do a reading for a Querent, that is ALL they get. This is why some querents think you are 'not psychic'; however, telling them (or you) exactly how a certain situation is is probably there for a reason, too, even if only to confirm the situation. In this situation the cards did neither suggest nor reveal. They only confirmed the status quo.

Laurel	16 Jan 2003
My general take is that readings can 'reveal' the past/present but only suggest the present/future and I rely on the way I set up my spread to help determine what I'm looking at. Back when I was more egotistical and less wise, I'd rely heavily on a 15 card spread that covered the Past-Present-Future in five major aspects of a querent's life... Physical/Health, Intellect/Education, Emotional/Love, Spiritual/Belief, Social/Friendships and attempt to "wow" the querent by reading their past and present before going to the future. Nowadays, I'm more reticent to "lay out" someone's life and pain just to convince them how amazing I am, even if they ask. I try to stick to more specific questions and solutions, rather than attempting to create a tarot biography of some passing stranger's life. Why? Too much intimacy, and intimacy creates bonds that aren't always appropriate, and can be unexpectedly emotional and draining. I don't have that kind of energy to spare any more, unfortunately. I know that sounds strange, coming from me. I'm not suggesting anyone else avoid seeking out "revelations" in their querent's life (especially when the querent asks for them). I'm just suggesting that one of the important things to do is to ask yourself what you, the reader, want to provide from a reading- helpful advice for your querent (suggestions) or to serve as a witness for their pain/joy/secrets (revelations). If you know ahead of time, its much much easier to direct the cards in that way. ~LAS

pozt	17 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by tarotbear In this situation the cards did neither suggest nor reveal. They only confirmed the status quo. Hmm...are you saying that the cards merely guide you to the aspects of your life u need to take more notice of?

tarotbear	17 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by pozt Hmm...are you saying that the cards merely guide you to the aspects of your life u need to take more notice of? I'm say 'yes' in a status quo instance. A Querent comes to you because they are confused about a work situation that seems to be affecting only them and no one else. They wonder if they are misinterpreting the situation. You reading reveals that they were really not qualified to take the job - nothing else. The reading does not supply any info as to how they got the job, what will happen, or who is having sex in the loading dock during lunch hour. It says they are confused (which they already know) because they were under-qualified. No big revelations there! Sometimes the cards merely state the obvious, and that must be for a purpose, too, even if it only to confrim it in the Querent's mind. Not every reading is going to reveal which iceberg will hit the Titanic or the destruction of the WTC. Sometimes tarot deals with mundane things - the reason there are Pip cards.

Karenwhe	18 Jan 2003
Quote: Originally posted by tarotbear It's not like I can say 'O.K.- send up the Tower card.' It is more along the lines of asking 'Will a publisher decide to publish my book?' I would like the cards to tell me I will win the next Pulitzer Prize - and I get all the ''success cards', such as the Star, Sun, and World cards. I know the cards are selling me a line because even Stephen King doesn't get a reading like this ! After 'confronting' my cards, I will get cards such as the Magician, Hanged Man, and the Sun, which tell me the book can still be a success but I might have to wait a while before that can happen - which I would accept as a more realistic answer. I couldn’t stop thinking about this when I read the cards mentioned in your post. So, I had to add my two cents. This is just a thought to think about or consider. Is it possible that the cards where telling the truth? Is it possible that you refused to believe that such success can be possible? What made me think about this is actually the second set of three cards. The Magician pointing at the fact that you have the power and the knowledge and every other resource to do this and succeed without any problem, but then the The Hanged Man which says to me, you first have to see and believe in the Star, Sun and World, you must change you perception of what you can do and how successful you can be and then the Sun again. I also wonder if you would have drawn a forth card if it wouldn’t have been the World. I don’t know but this is how it looks to me, it look like self-sabotage and if good card are coming to you often don’t you ever wonder if they are not trying to tell you something? Maybe tell you that the good cards is what is supposed to happen if you stop knocking them over the head and just accept good in your life without any doubt or rejection. Or maybe look at the difference between what they say in the first reading and what they say after you knock them around, maybe there is a link? I don’t know, you can shoot me for this and tell me off, but it really stood out particularly when you mentioned that it is happening more than once, and I though to add my two cents.

Karenwhe	18 Jan 2003
Oh, I forgot to add that I did do the experiment and the cards pretty much told the fact as they were.

Shadow Wolf	20 Jan 2003
The cards definitely reveal. They reveal things we need to pay attention to. I'm so glad I was forced to use my other decks. I had misplaced my favorite deck.(Witch's tarot) which I used all the time. This forced to read with decks which gave me insights I need to know,in a way I need to hear it. I just found my Witch's Tarot today, as a matter of fact. The fact that I found it behind my son's dresser as I was pulling it out to paint his room, also revealed to me that my previous reading was correct, I needed to get my house in order. That previous reading gave me the tower as the future card and referred to the state of my living space. Since then I've been doing a total overhaul and had more energy that I thought I could ever muster. So, yet another example of how the cards "reveal" what we need to hear, not necessarily what we want to hear.

HOLMES	20 Jan 2003
they of course do both. 1. they reveal what might happenned, yet the good tarot reader reminds his client that the future is not set in stone, and thus the choices resides within your hands how you shall react and such. 2. so in that regard they suggest what to do to the client, i have yet to hear a tarot card whisper to my client (hey buddy this is the death card talking you will die in the year oohh abotu 2050 int he morning it will be beuty but rain in the afternoon when your number is up) or the ten of swords card ( hey buddy , um don't go to the party you will get stabed in the back ) or the lovers ( hey umm dearie if you go around the corner and say hello to him,, it will be your soul mate for years, and you will know much joy and of course lifes pain that go alone with a relationship ) or the fool pop up and say ( hey umm let us go jump off the bridge for that is what the picture show) let me say that the number two is supposed to be funny, i had a smile on face when i wrote it. i heard that fact a person can manipulate the cards to get what they want to hear to occur. i dont manipulte the cards per se when i read for myself but i can manipulate the information . ohh let me see death,, but then agian ,, there is the two of cups reversed opposing it umm , so if go to the party then a change will occure and the two fo cups will become upright yeah that;s it. so i don't read for myself or if i do i go by the book so i don't "filter the information " the way i want . i put the filter the information in quotations for it looks cool eheh but sersiouly i do believe the tarot does both, reveal secrets about the past , suggest hings about the futre. and the cards can only be interpated based on the clients ability and understanding of the tarot cards.

The DO the cards suggest or reveal?? thread was originally posted on 10 Jan 2003 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.