Explore the Future or to go back to explore the Past?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 22 May 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Draconian Angel	22 May 2003
Ah, I dunno if this is the right place to post this, but I usually think about this question: What is the Tarot for? The stereotypical view on Tarot is to use it for fortune-telling - "Will you tell me my future?", "What's my fortune?" However, I was surprised to find that my deck often tells me what I know already, giving me an idea what might happen, rather than to suggest straight away I might meet a dark and tall stranger... :D But I can't think of any other way of understanding the cards other than this way. I'd prefer knowing that my actions in school last term has resulted me seeing the Headmaster this term(hasn't happened really! ^^; ) rather than tackling a reading that out of the blue suggest I might get a job do to with crafts, or something like that... So, in short, do you use the Tarot for the future or to go back to the root of the situation?

Rusty Neon	22 May 2003
In readings, I tend to use the cards for the purposes of brainstorming or exploring choices, rather than predicting future events in any way.

sagitarian	22 May 2003
I usually try to use the cards as a way to generalize what is going on and possible outcome as well as to better understand myself in what has happend in the past how best I can change that of which I don't like about myself. What areas the universe thinks I should work on as well as what areas internally I feel I need to work on. I do also use them for brainstorming too, to see what my options are, and which one is recommended for me to choose or follow. I always tell people that the tarot doesn't tell you anything you don't already know. Their next question is "why do a tarot reading then" I tell them, "I don't know, why do you want a tarot reading?". The reason why is b/c I firmly believe that tarot helps you develope the skills of being empathic, being able to read people, their history, their present, and possible directions in near future. Because of what the tarot teaches you to use, it requires that they've already been through it, going through it, or only so limited to future outcome (near future). Which is also why most people find it so difficult to read themselves. They know themselves too well so no tool is necessary, empathia isn't necessary, only your own thinking of what you've done where you're going, where you want to go, etc, basically goal setting and then brainstorming the best way to get there. Although, tarot offers a bit of truth and insight that sometimes b/c we are so close to ourselves, it opens up our eyes to the possibility of a friend that is a back stabber, or a bad person in our lives, things of that sort. In any case, not sure if this helped or answered your question, but I really did enjoy replying to it. :)

MeeWah	22 May 2003
I tend to use Tarot in the now to see what I need to know rather than seeking to know the future or to review the past. I see it as more about utilizing the knowledge & understanding of the prevailing energies or trends in order to make the wisest choices. At times, there are predictive qualities to how I see the cards but those are involuntary. Ditto for any past references including past lives. Since one is ostensibly accessing unconscious knowledge, there can be the sense of receiving confirmation for ideas already formed or in the process of forming.

Kiama	23 May 2003
I often use the Tarot as a tool for exploration and analysis... The querent comes to me, tells me about a situation they're in, so we use the cards to explore how the querent feels about the situation. Often, this does nothing but telling the querent what they already know, but what it does is gives them the opportunity to properly examine how they really feel, what they want etc, which most peopel don't bother to do. When they see their feelings spread out of the table pictorially, they are more inclined to really examine them. When they have examined where they are at the time, how they feel etc, we find out what they want to happen, and look at the likelihood of that. Some call this fortune-telling. Me, if I want to make it sound less mystical and more intellectual, I call it 'examining the causes with the cards, and thus coming to conclusions about the possible effects'. Just like you would examine causes to guess effects in real life... In this way, I explore both past, present, and future, but don't claim any mystical powers to be able to 'tell the future'. Kiama

Diana	23 May 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Draconian Angel So, in short, do you use the Tarot for the future or to go back to the root of the situation? You know, I have noticed more and more recently that it is not I who use the Tarot, but the Tarot that uses me. I can ask it a question about my present situation, and it'll shove me off into the past. I can ask it about something in the past, and it'll talk to me about the future. I will ask it about the roses, and it will hand me a bunch of daffodils. Tarot seems to tell me what I need to hear, and not necessarily what I want to hear. Which can be risky if one is not prepared...........

Noubaguy	24 May 2003
Most of the times I to use it as a brainstorming tool. I analyze the diffrent options I can take towards diffrent situations.

The Explore the Future or to go back to explore the Past? thread was originally posted on 22 May 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.