Selective decks?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 12 Jan 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

rabidwolfie	12 Jan 2005
I have two main decks that I use. I'd like to collect more but I'm still learning to read. Anyway, my decks are the unicorn & dragon tarots. They tend to be pretty accurate for my level, but for some reason, neither deck seems to like a freind of mine. She's a close freind & to my knowledge has never done anything against me, so there's no harsh feelings between us, but every time I give her a tarot reading, it's always something negative. One reading told of upcoming pregnancy (which she didn't want), a miscarriage (which happened), a relationship with an older man (she didn't think she wanted), an abusive relationship (which she recently got out of) & lately it's warned of more bad news. We use both decks & while the unicorn deck seems a bit less negative, they both seem to say the same things. Now, I've been told many different things, but I let the person getting the reading shuffle the cards & then I do the spread. Is it possible for a tarot deck to dislike a person? I've never heard of such a thing but I'm still new to the world of tarot.

Greyling	12 Jan 2005
Hey, rabidwolfie. I don't think these decks "dislike" your friend at all. I think your friend is going through a rough patch in her life, and the cards are truthfully reflecting her journey. The tarot cards did not make her become pregnant, or have anything to do with her miscarriage. They were not responsible for the fact that she was trapped in an abusive relationship--although they may have helped serve as a wake-up call that she needed to leave that relationship, which is a positive thing. Your tarot decks don't dislike your friend. If anything, they are in tune with her troubles, because YOU are in tune with her troubles. She is having a difficult time right now, and both you and the cards would be lying--and doing your friend a disservice--if you glossed over her current struggles.

rabidwolfie	12 Jan 2005
You know, that's an interesting way of looking at it. And it makes sence. Thank you. I'll have to let her know next time I see her because she's convinced my decks hate her. LOL

WhiteWolf	12 Jan 2005
Hello fellow wolf, I have a friend that doesn't want me reading for her anymore because she says she'd rather not know than be told something negative (or what was uncomfortable to here). Now, I am a pretty positive person and even if things look dark and dreary, I always let a person realize that they have choice in attitudes, perspectives, and the decisions they make, thus influencing the outcome. In my experience, readings reflect the energy level of a person and what that energy is attracting (this is one aspect of tarot, at least) - perhaps you should try encouraging your friend with well thought out advice based on tarot - perhaps draw a card for insight alone so she can have something to focus on. Take care! Jason

Little Baron	12 Jan 2005
Interesting. I think that Greyling is spot on there. The decks are very sensitive to her and so too, are you as a reader. It is unfortunate that you have uncovered things that are negative, but maybe they are things that maybe need to be brought to the surface and dealt with. I am sure that as things progress for your friend, as they sound as if they are moving on, our decks will pinpoint good changes and she will learn to appreciate your readings more. Best wishes Yabs

Cerulean	13 Jan 2005
Sometimes when you are with a good friend, you can do a card pull while they are talking about GOOD things too! Someone was talking about their hopes for the new year and as they talked, I pulled some cards as an experiment. The cards pulled and looked at by both the chatter and his significant other seemed right and apt--and it just emphasized to him that his path was working out. You are right that for friends, one might be more positive in their interpretations... By the way, the Celtic Dragon deck seems to be a nice deck--I mean, a very nice deck, from what I remember. But I bought it in the Year of the Dragon and discovered after that year, I was no longer interested in a strongly animal theme tarot. Still, it's a lovely deck in terms of the pictures and has an open, breezy feeling...so maybe that could be a friendlier deck? Best wishes, Cerulean

rabidwolfie	14 Jan 2005
Well, I'd like to get more decks when buisness picks up. I never thought I'd say this being in the computer feild but, it's slow right now. LOL I have one deck that I bought that I use very rarely that I may try later. It's called The Druid Animal Oracle. NO ONE but me touches those cards because they are special to me. I've done a few readings with them for two other people & they always seem to give a gentle nudge in the right direction while keeping things positive. I don't think it's possible to get a NEGATIVE reading from them. LOL. That should cheer her up.

Fudugazi	14 Jan 2005
rabidwolfie wrote: They tend to be pretty accurate for my level, but for some reason, neither deck seems to like a freind of mine. She's a close freind & to my knowledge has never done anything against me, so there's no harsh feelings between us, but every time I give her a tarot reading, it's always something negative. [...] Now, I've been told many different things, but I let the person getting the reading shuffle the cards & then I do the spread. Is it possible for a tarot deck to dislike a person? I've never heard of such a thing but I'm still new to the world of tarot. Your deck is not a person - it is a pack of cards. Its power lies not in its feelings (cardboard doesn't have feelings) but in the symbols printed on it, and on the way these symbols will show up in response to certain events (including those events that are in the future). But that's not the deck- that's synchronicity. Now, if your friend is going through some hard times, that's what will be reflected in the reading. You can't make things positive just by hoping they will be and I bet you could go through a shopful of decks and still get the same answers. The only thing you can do is try and help your friend face these difficulties in her life. No-one says being a tarot reader is an easy ride - we can't always have good news to give, and people might want to shoot the messenger (hopefully, not literally). Have a look at Aoife's wonderful thread called "the Reading Event" because that will give you some very insightful comments by several experienced readers (I exclude myself from that group, but I have my ideas). Here it is: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=35811

Gypsy Mama	14 Jan 2005
Often in our lives we are set to repeat cycles. By that, I mean that your friend like anyone, may have certain beliefs or a mindset that is enabling her to continue setting herself up for a difficult life. (ie. Having abusive boyfriends as an example) We continue to draw people and energies towards us until we learn to deal with these things consciously and move forward. I think it is the best thing about life but also the hardest. I think your cards are very in tune with your friend. Perhaps she doesn't see where she needs to make changes in her life to get out of this difficult time. Maybe what she needs to ask the cards is "What can I do to take control of my life? How should I proceed? What am I not seeing?/ or too afraid to face? " Recovering from such traumatic events takes alot of effort and it will take time to heal the mind and spirit as well as the body. If she starts now the light will be that much closer. Remember that what does not kill us, makes us stronger. Take care, Gypsy Mama

The Selective decks? thread was originally posted on 12 Jan 2005 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.