Are your cards ever completely wrong?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 13 Oct 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

ninja_vixen	13 Oct 2004
Hello all, Have your cards ever been completely inappropriate or wrong for the circumstance you drew them for? I'm curious, sometimes I pick single cards that are so hard to read in relation to what I'm asking. Looking forward to hearing other opinions. Ninja

lunalafey	13 Oct 2004
are the cards ever wrong....that's sort of a trick question. It's a popular belief that Tarot is never wrong and it is the reader that is not understanding the message. In my use of tarot I have had times where the throw of the cards did not seem to apply to the question presented, but spoke loud and clear about another issue. So are they really wrong- or do they just change the subject? Keeping one's notes of a reading comes in helpful with confussing readings. One can look back and reference any after thoughts and events since the time of the reading. Most times, the first impressions of the cards changes and after the fact brings about a big "OH! I get it now!"

TheoMo	13 Oct 2004
Quote: Originally posted by lunalafey Keeping one's notes of a reading comes in helpful with confussing readings. One can look back and reference any after thoughts and events since the time of the reading. Most times, the first impressions of the cards changes and after the fact brings about a big "OH! I get it now!" This is very true. In my experiences, readings provide multiple layers of insight. Depending on the spread, some things may provide insight at the moment the throw is made, while other cards may not reveal wisdom weeks, months, or even years afterwards. Sometimes the cards might be trying to say something that our own experiences surrounding the issue may not be aware of, or may be blocking. On a related but slightly different note, sometimes I have done a reading on an issue and have felt as if the cards I've picked are just completely and totally wrong...when that happens, I'll use another deck and get a reading much more in line with what my gut seems to feel. So maybe it's a question of deck as well? or of the spread you use? who knows ;) theo

Mesara	13 Oct 2004
If I have difficulty making sense of a card within the context of my reading, I will pull more cards and pair them with the first for elaboration. It seems to work for me.

RedMaple	13 Oct 2004
I have occasionally had times when the cards seemed to not apply, but the feeling I had was that I hadn't connected at all to the cards, that I wasn't grounded. This has only occurred when I've read for myself, never when I'm reading for others. But then, I won't read for others when I'm tired or low-energy.

DarkElectric	13 Oct 2004
YES! Sometimes, as Lunalafey mentioned, the cards are changing the subject, and are redirecting my attention to an area of my life that needs to be scrutinized more closely. But there have been times when my readings have been COMPLETELY off the mark, the "broad side of the barn was totally missed by the howitzer cannon fired at close range". Fortunately, these readings have been for myself, not clients. (Whew.) I remember a recent reading I did, concerning my new relationship. I asked specifically about it, and the man I've begun seeing. What cards came up? 9 of swords,7 of swords, the Devil, King of Pentacles (rx) ,the Tower, 8 of cups, 3 of swords, gaaaaak! I began to wonder if this dear, sweet man was the reincarnation of Hitler. But no, I did another reading, using a different deck, and the reading was more in line with what I asked about. And in retrospect, I think the other reading was concerning my fear of relationships, and not indicative of any wonky character flaws in my new man. So yes, I have definitely had times where the cards were really, really off. :P

WalesWoman	14 Oct 2004
There's been times I thought the cards were out to lunch, but it was me. Once I have had time to really digest it, it seems like things happen, some one may say something and I recognize what that card was pertaining to or I'll get a sudden flash of insight talking about another subject entirely. All of a sudden it clicks, I know I get too caught up in the literal meaning of them at times and don't catch the sublties, until they sneak up on me. I think sometimes that the cards pick up on what the energy is rather than the question actually being asked and that's why they just don't seem to hit the mark.

Mesara	14 Oct 2004
Darkelectric made an important point- sometimes the cards will take it upon themselves to make you pay attention to something. Recently, I had someone close to me ask me to write them a letter. They wanted me to tell them my thoughts, feelings, about our relationship. I had no idea how to go about this (it's a wierd and complicated relationship), I didn't even know where to begin. So, I decided to use my cards as guideposts, to help me see what my feelings were about this person and then relay it to that person in the form of a reading/letter. I begged my cards to behave, to show me the positive things about our relationship so I could write a positive letter to this person. I asked them to illuminate for me what I treasured most about this person and our relationship. As usual, my cards decided to show me what *they* thought I should tell the person, which did not go along with what I wanted to tell the person. I debated for a while on whether to present this reading to the person, then said "the hell with it" and showed it to them. I thought they were going to be mad, because it wasn't the doting letter I knew they were expecting, but they were pleased with it. They told me that these were things they already knew, that they have just been waiting for me to say and acknowledge these things myself, and how much it meant to them for me to do so. So, if I didn't trust in my cards so much, I may have made the mistake in thinking the reading was wrong and tossed it out. It's not that I don't think tarot cards can never be wrong, but if it's a deck you have a strong bond with then I think part of that bond is a mutual trust- We trust them to be truthful and wise, and they trust us to believe in them and their revealings, no matter how much they may deviate from what we were expecting.

TheLovers2	14 Oct 2004
Quote: Originally posted by TheoMo On a related but slightly different note, sometimes I have done a reading on an issue and have felt as if the cards I've picked are just completely and totally wrong...when that happens, I'll use another deck and get a reading much more in line with what my gut seems to feel. So maybe it's a question of deck as well? or of the spread you use? who knows ;) theo theo: Perhaps, it was that kind of thing that happened to me last night. It was very late, actually, more like the wee hours in the a.m., I was very tired and I was looking over my new Tarot book, Tarot: Plain and Simple and it uses the Robin Wood deck, which I own. So . . . because I rarely use that deck, I decided to do a one card draw with the deck. I reached into the box where I keep some of my decks and in my mind, I was thinking that the book used the Morgan Greer. I just substituted the two in my mind. So, I took out the MG and felt compelled to pull 3 cards instead of one. I can't even remember if I asked anything in particular, but, it was probably more like, "Tell me what you want me to know." I pulled, the Devil, Page of Rods and 8 of Rods. Of course, I wanted the Reading to relate to circumstances in my life or pressing issues, but, I was not feeling good about these cards, in particular, the Devil. I had not looked at the MG deck in quite some time and was really put off by the Devil card in that deck. (That doesn't happen with all decks.) Suddenly, as I was referring to the book, I realized that this wasn't the right deck. Oh . . . I meant to get the Robin Wood deck. I thought, maybe this had something to do with the Reading. I examined the cards, put them away, and pulled out the RW. Again, I pulled 3 cards and this time I got, Knight of Pentacles, Knight of Wands and Page of Cups. Ahhh . . . that felt better. There were however, some similarities in the messages and I did take note of the Knight of Wands (pulled twice) and the two Knights in the second draw. Hmmm. quote from Mesara: _________________________________________________ So, if I didn't trust in my cards so much, I may have made the mistake in thinking the reading was wrong and tossed it out. It's not that I don't think tarot cards can never be wrong, but if it's a deck you have a strong bond with then I think part of that bond is a mutual trust- We trust them to be truthful and wise, and they trust us to believe in them and their revealings, no matter how much they may deviate from what we were expecting. __________________________________________________ That's another thing. I remember thinking that I did not feel any kind of bond or connection with my MG deck. It's like we were strangers to each other. I attributed that to the way I felt about the cards I pulled, as well. I had made a mental note to "get to know them." Now, on the other hand, my RW deck is not one that I've bonded with very much, either, but, the feel was much different. I agree Mesara, that "trusting a deck" and having a strong bond does seem to factor in to the Readings. That is the way I feel about my Tarot of Prague. We have a really good connection. :) TL2 :TLOVE

Major Tom	14 Oct 2004
Quote: Originally posted by ninja_vixen Have your cards ever been completely inappropriate or wrong for the circumstance you drew them for? There are two sets of circumstances I'm aware of where it may seem that the cards aren't addressing the issue I thought I was asking about. The first has been adequately covered by lunalafey and others. Those times when the cards skip to another, perhaps more important, topic. The second is when I've tried asking the same question repeatedly. ;)

TheLovers2	14 Oct 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Major Tom The second is when I've tried asking the same question repeatedly. ;) Aha! Well, we all do it, really. But, I was just responding to a Thread about that very same thing -- the Thread about "Change the Topic, Please." Asking the same question -- perhaps, hoping for a different answer. :) I just wanted to comment on that. :D TL2 :TLOVE

lunalafey	14 Oct 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Major Tom The second is when I've tried asking the same question repeatedly. ;) O-mi, I could see that, the cards just a jumble, being a message of it's own. lol- wonder what a spread that says- 'shut up' or 'we quit' would look like.

Imagemaker	14 Oct 2004
Quote: We trust them to be truthful and wise, and they trust us to believe in them and their revealings, no matter how much they may deviate from what we were expecting This mutual trust is a key factor for me--feeling a wisdom in the cards that wants me to understand, and my going to the cards with humble earnestness that we'll have an honest dialogue. It's a feeling without form, and yes, it's associated with some decks more than others. But I purposely use a lot of (mostly RWS) decks, working to expand my ability to communicate. I am constantly awed by the synchronicity of a random deck that I pick out and how its images perfectly fit a situation that arises in a question. A querent may say that a picture looks exactly like his relative, when any other deck wouldn't have that image. It always reminds me that I'm a channel, not a source, of the information that comes through. Which is a relief!

RedMaple	14 Oct 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Imagemaker This mutual trust is a key factor for me--feeling a wisdom in the cards that wants me to understand, and my going to the cards with humble earnestness that we'll have an honest dialogue. I am constantly awed by the synchronicity of a random deck that I pick out and how its images perfectly fit a situation that arises in a question. A querent may say that a picture looks exactly like his relative, when any other deck wouldn't have that image. It always reminds me that I'm a channel, not a source, of the information that comes through. Which is a relief! Yes, I agree. The synchronicity is amazing, or I wouldn't still be reading. When I've had readings that don't make sense it's when I have been very tired or distracted. It's my lack of focus that's at fault. Otherwise, I have to agree that sometimes the deck tells us what we need, regardless of the question, and if we keep asking the same question, it says -- give me a break, will you? RedMaple

blackroseivy	14 Oct 2004
Mine were all wrong one time this summer when I was reading about someone's career. They just refused to say anything that made sense to me *or* the person. This is very unusual for me, & put me off the Gilded for a while.

The Are your cards ever completely wrong? thread was originally posted on 13 Oct 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.