am i wrong?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 24 Sep 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

deee	24 Sep 2004
im not sure if this fits in here? i have been to a tarot reader who at the time i thought was quite good, but the more i learn and read about tarot, seems to me she was way off..... is it because she reads her own way?. and i feel she doesnt give what i believe to be the true meaning to what the cards say. Which i have read in different books.... i know some people read their own way but am i wrong to say this...? she charges £20 an hour, which i feel when she reads the person first and not the cards... i would like to know peoples opinion on this whether you think im wrong or right. i hope i have come to the right place to ask. i am a learner tarot reader who is trying to find the right way to read.... many thanx x

Mesara	24 Sep 2004
I understand your feelings. Ive wanted to have my cards read by a tarot reader downtown but have been hesitant; Im afraid that I will project my own methods/meanings onto her way of doing things and that I will see something completely different than she does, and thus question her ability. That just doesn't seem fair, because like you said, we all read differently. Ive never had my cards read by anyone else because of this, though I would really like to. If I was you, I would go one more time and let her do her thing without mentally interfering. By that I mean that maybe just concentrate on what she says and don't study the cards so much. Or if you can't help it, then try to see that card from her perspective- you might gain a whole new understanding of that card! However, if you still come away feeling shorted and not so confident in her ability, then I guess it's time to find another tarot reader. Just because she is professional doesn't necessarily mean she is good. Or she may be very good but just cannot connect with you for some reason or another. Either way, you should not feel guilty if you decide to leave her. It is your money!

HudsonGray	25 Sep 2004
I sat for a tarot reading (well, actually she had the soul cards deck, more an oracle) & got a psychic reading instead from the lady, however, she was on target with some things she couldn't have possibly have known (the items I make, her description of the size & that they were 'the frosting' -- LOL, I make white stuffed rabbits, yes, they were 'frosting' for the site that was selling them) but she couldn't help me with the second part of my question--on finding which direction I needed to pursue on a different sewn item to breakout of the 'mundane'. Oh well. You take what they give, and hope they can make a good connection about it.

Umbrae	25 Sep 2004
Some readers read the people more than the cards. Some readers read the cards only. Some readers read the cards and 'something else'. Some readers read all three... Just find out how you read. That's the only important thing.

Diana	25 Sep 2004
deee: The best Tarot reader I have ever known and consulted frequently was an old Gypsy lady. She is now too old and tired to read anymore and I only go and visit her to keep her company at times. She refuses to read the cards anymore. I have never seen anyone read the cards like she did. The meanings and interpretations were like nothing I have ever seen in any book or web-site. She even gave me lessons on how she read the cards. Not having children, she wanted to hand me her legacy so it would not vanish. She had been taught by her mother, who had been taught by her mother..... But, I was already too influenced by my own way of reading the cards, and I found it too hard to read like she did. This woman would be accurate to 100%. About four years ago, she predicted something that would happen this year. I remember telling her "That's impossible!". But yes, it has happened, against all expectations. And anyway, the Tarot meanings you read about in books, they are just made up by someone. And many of the so-called "traditional" Rider Waite meanings, if you really think about it, don't even have any LOGIC behind them. So who says that they are the "real" meanings? In fact, many of these so-called "traditional" meanings make me kind of smile rather wryly (and sometimes I even snigger! :D ).

Alta	25 Sep 2004
Quote: Originally posted by deee is it because she reads her own way?. and i feel she doesnt give what i believe to be the true meaning to what the cards say. Which i have read in different books.... I have a friend to whom I have given both her decks (Osho Zen and recently BBCats). Because she now lives far from me, I give her as much instruction as I can when I see her, which isn't that much. Mostly she reads intuitively, because she really doesn't understand the tarot system, numerology or anything like that. Her readings are pretty amazing.

maria42airam	25 Sep 2004
From a newbie's perspective :) I see the psychic gift ability to read the Tarot in a similar light to the mental gift of putting images down on paper. If you are born with the "gift" of drawing, then at a very young age (by the time you can physically hold a pencil/crayon) you will get recognizable images on paper. I've seen a 5 year old whose mother was despairing because his kindergarten teacher complained daily about his drawing during class. His drawings were amazing and he is now in High School at a fine arts school! Another person who does not have that "gift" can also put recognizable images down on paper, but it will take a great deal of studying and practicing and their results may never have that same flair/presence/impact that the other does. Now imagine someone with the "gift" that was never allowed to express themselves by putting images on paper; who were taught from a very young age that doing so would be detrimental to their lives. By the time they get to an age where they realize what has happened (or been done) to them, they still have the gift, but it is blocked, and it will take work to get past the block. I see the psyhic gift the same way. The only difference being that we are told (if we grew up in religious education) that what we are "feeling" is the Christian devil attempting to tempt us the way he did to Jesus in the New Testament Gospels. Our very souls are in danger!, they tell us. I am very new to Tarot. There have been occurences in my life that I have repressed exactly for the reason stated above (Catholic education until the age of 12 and then fundamental Baptist!) so it's not easy going for me. Luckily I'm stubborn! I know Diana is correct about the book meanings, but you have to start somewhere. My approach to learning new things is to read everything I can get my hands on and compare, then once I have a general feel for the consensus and disagreements, I decide for myself. I am using the same approach to Tarot. I especially enjoy reading books that disagree with each other, or that compare different opinions, but the end result (at some point in the future) will be my own decision. Maria

Diana	25 Sep 2004
Quote: Originally posted by maria42airam I know Diana is correct about the book meanings, but you have to start somewhere. Most definitely! I am not very keen on book-burning myself. I love Tarot books. Why... I wish to write one myself one day. :) In the preface will be written: "Don't believe what I write in this book unless you can prove it yourself." And as time goes on, one learns by EXPERIENCE what works and what doesn't.

VGimlet	25 Sep 2004
Books are a great place to start...or end...depending on your learning style. They are wonderful if you are looking for information. I love books, tarot books, art books...all books. But reading tarot isn't really about what's in a book. The more tarot books you read, the more you'll realize that most authors have their own slightly different interpretations for every card. Tarot reading has more in common with art. A reader who only goes by the book is a paint-by-numbers kind of artist. A good one might give you a nice reading, but a reader who follows his own intuition will give a unique reading just for you.

Umbrae	25 Sep 2004
Hey...you don't have to burn all the books! But you know - Tarot is a book. It has only 78 pages. They are not bound (there's a lesson there). It's the great place to start (IMHO).

Satori	26 Sep 2004
Let me say that I just did this expo where I had the privelage of rreading for people one after the other after the other. This is enormously educational. Anyway, one woman sat in the chair and as she sat she told of her broken heart..... as we spoke and flipped cards, she was writing furiously, and I kept talking about what I saw. Interestingly, her input was more confusing to me so I just kept talking about the patterns and the ripples I was seeing. Nothing was very much futuristic. Then it happened. I turned the 9 of pents, and told her to look at waterfront property when she decided to move florida. She wanted to move, the cards didn't say no, but this 9 of pents was a little house on the water...and the water was just a tiny bit of blue, but it seemed to fill the whole card, I could hear the waves, and it seemd right to tell her she might get a good deal on a waterfront property. This is so weird for me but it just sort of washed over me. She got up and agreed to tell me how the move goes....we'll see.

Ace	28 Sep 2004
ONe of the biggest annoyances I feel is when someone reads my cards while I am reading them. I have, even at parties, slammed my arms down over the cards, glared at them and said: DON'T READ MY CARDS! If that is what you are saying Deee, watch it. You were too busy watching her technique and not listening to what she was saying to you. What the cards mean TO YOU, is totally irrelent when you are getting a reading. What is important is what the cards mean to the READER, at the TIME SHE/HE is reading. it may be very much not usual or subject to change, so just listen. There is no one true way, or one right way to read. It is the results that matter. If you read different than anyone else does, if it works so what? I read palms different than anyone else I know, I don't even agree with the book I learned with anymore! Does it make me a bad palmist, not a bit! but (as always) I am different. ON THE OTHER HAND: if you were not trying to see how she does it, and you DID listen, and the reading seemed totally wrong, well, just because she charges a lot of money, doesn't mean she is always on target! Elf's message was probably very on target, but she may never know, until she comes back or maybe when someone else shows up asking for a reading: "you read for my friend and now she lives in FLorida, but she wanted me to tell you hello. She can't stop talking about what a great reading she had from you...."

acolyte	29 Sep 2004
Well i guess that is a reason that you have to learn to dettach yourself when someone is giving you a reading as they can see for you something that you will not see in the same cards.I guess it is a lot like second guessing your doctor you would not have gone to them if you did not believe in them.But on the other hand if you think they are way off you should just chill listen to what they have to say and then go seek a second opinion elsewhere. I am happy that when I went for my first reading I did not know tarot as I think I would have been looking at all the cards and coming up with my own meanings.The interesting thing is that theere are some predictions she got not through the literal meaning of the card but just the picture on it and she turned out to be right!I would like to become that good.Anyway I'm getting side tracked.

The am i wrong? thread was originally posted on 24 Sep 2004 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.