Tarot already "lied" for u?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 09 Feb 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

estroncios	09 Feb 2005
Every time that i do a new reading for me i trust more in the power of the cards...but sometimes i ask my self "should i really trust this???" so my question is: Tarot always work? Did u already got a "wrong" card in one of the future positions? Tarot lie?

huredriel	09 Feb 2005
Hiya, Well my little thoughts on this as a newcomer to Tarot is no, the Tarot doesn't lie. What cards are meant to be, will turn up. However, you have to bear in mind that the reader is fallible, especially if reading for self. I know I can be biased and see what I want to see in certain cards. Also I tend to view the Tarot as a way of gaining advice. A spread is a snapshot in time. Everyone has free will. So a future card can always be changed, depending on what path you choose to take and what advice you heed. Hope that helps. x Huredriel

temperlyne	09 Feb 2005
I believe that the power of the tarot lies not in the cards but in the reader. The meaning comes from association. The cards are just an intens way of looking at an aspect of your life more objectively. The cards cannot lie because to me they do not speak. If the outcome cards don't appear to be correct that might be because I interpreted them the wrong way or failed to see a hidden meaning. And since I don't use set time frames, the time for that card might still be in the future.

ros	09 Feb 2005
I don't think the Tarot lies. The cards have all the correct answers to our questions. We need to "focus" on the cards that we pulled or read no matter where they are placed. Where we need to focus helps us to work through our questions.

WalesWoman	09 Feb 2005
Tarot doesn't lie, it's just up to us to figure out the message. I'm still figuring that out, if a reading doesn't turn out the way I thought it "should", it's usually because I just wasn't interpreting something that was right in front of me. Case in point my superbowl reading...I wanted the Eagles to win and it seemed like they should have, but now that I look at the spread I see I just didn't make the right connections and it was obvious it was the reader (me) lying to myself rather than the cards being wrong.

BlueLotus	09 Feb 2005
I truly trust that if you believe in something strong enough, and Tarot is no exception, it will definitely manifest for you . If on the other hand you half-heartedly believe in the cards, you will probably be disappointed, get mixed or contradictory messages. One also needs to be patient. You cannot get all the answers right away. Some things take time to manifest. Tarot reading will always get in tune with your higher self, and laying the cards will help you see these more clearly, once the reading is done in an open minded unbiased manner. There is no second guessing that. It IS all in the cards.

The Dreamer	09 Feb 2005
I read for myself only and not others. I've never had the tarot lie to me about anything in which I asked about the outcomes of future events or about what to do, or about describing a situation. And I tested that a lot, as I was also unsure whether to trust it at first. (Sometimes there is no clear direction, though.) At times, though, I have gone through phases of obsessively asking what certain people thought of me when I was having trouble with them, and would ask it repeatedly. At times like those, I occasionally would get answers which were probably false, or at least contradictory- but only after asking repeatedly in a short span of time. In those cases, I would immediately be surprised about the seeming untruth; and after having thought and agonized about the seemly badly described situation for a while, I would finally ask whether the tarot had been joking- and it would give an answer which showed that my having agonized about thinking that the person had thought the false thing about me was what I'd needed at the time, and why it was. I have found even those few instances of seeming untruth to be a very necessary and enlightening for emotional release. I tend to think that tarot gives the person what they need, if the person seeks to understand the meaning which was given- for me it has always indicated the truth in important and even non important matters, and the few in which it seemed not to were regarding questions which were not about objective knowledge but emotional truth- (and my emotional truth, not even the emotional truth of the person I was asking about. What it was really giving me in those instances was not a false answer to the question I'd asked, but a true answer to the question I didn't actually ask; when I would keep asking what does this person think of me, what I really wanted to know was how to deal with my feelings about the person. And the answer I recieved turned the question back on me, as it should- and helped me work out my own conflict in the process. It was saying to me "wrong question- and here's what you really want. Meanwhile, consider this glaring untruth to burn off some of your obsessive emotional energy. Feel better now?") I definitely trust tarot and have found it to have my best interests at heart. It shows the deeper truth about things, even when we don't want to face that truth. That has been my experience, in any case.

estroncios	09 Feb 2005
your opinions really make sense but l...lets suposse that u do a small 3 card spread about a relationship and u get "ace of cups (past)" "lovers (present)" and "the world (future)"....at least in my opinion this is an amazing reading for a relationship.... and now lets suppose that everything went wrong after this??? the cards were wrong??? or this is a interpretation problem as some of u said??? thats the point...opinions please :)

Cerulean	09 Feb 2005
Ace - past was the potential for one's inner spirit and emotion to become engaged or the energy to flow. Lovers - in some decks, this is about the choice one makes and depending on the deck, one aspect can be lusty, the other more spiritual. It can mean union and togetherness or a coming together of the present. It can also mean an alliance or calling for some higher purpose, not always love and romance--although it's tempting to think of this card only that way. World - in some respects for the future, it can mean the completion of one cycle and the start of another. In retrospect if you think the World meant the finish of a relationship and the end of a cycle, then perhaps that might be the finale, the final bow. One is left stripped of all but the knowing it's time to start over... That might be one way to view those three cards laid out together. Best wishes, Cerulean

estroncios	09 Feb 2005
friend i agree with u but if we think like that the cards always will have different meanings!!! if everything was ok after that reading the "world" would mean acomplishments of wishes, if the dude hear a no from the girl the world would mean finish!! i really didnt get it could u try again???? more opinions please

Keslynn	09 Feb 2005
A tarot reading is a snapshot of the situation at the time the reading was done. I believe that when you're looking at a position for the "future" or "outcome" that it is only showing a possible future - what is most likely to happen given the current situation. It might not account for the behavior of another person or a change in the path you're on. If something big changes, the outcome changes. So to take your example, things may have been going pretty well in the relationship when that reading was done. My guess is that something changed and that in turn changed the outcome. It's often hard to account for the influence of other people. :) Kes

Cerulean	09 Feb 2005
but if we think like that the cards always will have different meanings!! Maybe it does have different meanings and when the reader is talking to the questioner/seeker, the questioner/seeker can clarify what the world outcome means to them... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- At first glance, the reading of Ace of Cups for the past, Lovers for the present and World for the present is rather nice, but it struck me differently. Let's say we agree the Ace of Cups seems to be an emotional opening and hopefulness and this is the recent past. We might also agree that Lovers for the present is talking about a romantic interest--but at this point, I would ask the seeker if they thought this was about a relationship with a person or would this be about a choice that attracts the seeker, something they are deeply connected to and if they will be making a commitment to something very attractive to them. Let's say the questioner/seeker says yes, it's about an attraction to someone they care about and perhaps a new path, as well. Now let's say the world comes up. As Keslynn said, the sign points to a possiblity of dancing in triumph and union with another. But the world card has multiple meanings. I would ask the seeker if this feels like a positive signal to their relationship or perhaps has a meaning to taking a final step and finishing of some option. The only way the reader knows is by what the questioner/seeker believes it to be. I am thinking in this instance, I want to not do a predictive reading, but a reading that involves the someone asking the questioner/seeker to help interpret the cards. I think it's a question of interpretation rather than the cards 'lying'. Actually, once I heard of a good reader doing a relational spread and got the world last...the world was the final outcome--and in that situation, it meant he was finished with that youthful cycle, he had to get his energy out in the world. The relationship was actually over. I would never have thought this until this was explained to me. I don't know if this is a clear answer. Sorry for the confusion. Cerulean

firemaiden	10 Feb 2005
estroncios wrote: Every time that i do a new reading for me i trust more in the power of the cards...but sometimes i ask my self "should i really trust this???" so my question is: Tarot always work? Did u already got a "wrong" card in one of the future positions? Tarot lie? Estroncios, what I really hear you asking is, "Does the tarot really work?". Yes, I ask myself very often if I have pulled the wrong cards. Half the time, I look at the cards I have drawn, and in exasperation, I hear myself saying, "these are just RANDOM cards!" arrrrgh. And I want to tear my hair out. I think many of us, if we were honest, would admit, sometimes we have a teeny tiny doubt, if these are in fact the right cards, which were really meant to answer the question. And I think if we were honest, some of us would admit, yes, from time to time, we have a doubt whether the tarot works or not. In my present state of development, at least, when I read for myself, I find it rarely works. However, when I give the same cards to others to look at and analyse for me, they sometimes find brilliant ways to interpret the cards to make sense. Then I am astounded, and think, "hey, this is amazing!". (And they wonder why I am amazed, LOL) I gather this is why my friend Umbrae asks that we read for others ;) I don't think it is a simple thing to learn to read the cards in a meaningful way. And if you ask me, honestly, if tarot works, most of the time, I would have to say "no". I'm sorry. That would be my honest answer. That is because the cards can do nothing without a reader. P.S. My suggestion if you are frustrated would be to post some of your readings in the Your Readings forum, and see how the readers here can make sense of it for you. :)

SongDeva	10 Feb 2005
estroncios wrote: friend i agree with u but if we think like that the cards always will have different meanings!!! Tarot cards always do have different meanings. Each card has many meanings, within itself, and related to other cards. It changes every time, subtly or dramatically. No two situations are identical, after all.

dolphinprincess	10 Feb 2005
I think the answer for me is two part. First, as has already been mentioned several times, it may just be an interpretation issue. I suppose this is why it is important to write down or journal readings - when we look back at things that were incorrect (or correct) we can re-evaluate or reinforce the personal meanings we use for cards. It is a learning process.... But second, as was mentioned by Keslynn - things change. Most tarot readers will tell you that nothing is written is stone. We all have free will and personal choice. The cards show a snapshot of how things stand with the present energies...... If those energies changes, so can the outcome. That is why I normally find it helpful to pull an advice card after the reading. If I like the outcome card, I ask for advice on how to maintain that positive energy. If I don't like it, then I ask how to change it.

estroncios	10 Feb 2005
what i understood after read all these replies is that tarot is too complex for a begginer like me (btw iam using tarot since january last year) and if we really wanna understand the meanings of the cards we should ask for help of another more experienced person or maybe someone that doesnt know too much about the motive of that reading cos with that the interpretation would be "free of interference" i always asked my self if the card xxx means this or if the card xxx means what i want it means...in other words i think sometimes we influence the cards and an horrible interpretation of a outcome card could become an amazing one and now about the world in the out come position, i really always saw the world card as a happy ending story, a prize for your hard work or something similar to that but today i learned a new meaning for it....endings... and how can i know the real meaning of a card like that if iam the reader and in the same time the one that is searching for guidance... iam kinda confused now...btw ao start using the readings forum more often ;) thank u alot for your help and more opinions are wellcome :)

The Dreamer	11 Feb 2005
One thing that I've done to be more sure on interpretation is to stick as closely to the book's interpretation as I can for whatever deck I'm using. (I know a lot of people here interpret in a more general way, or in a more intuitive way. I'm just saying this works for me.) Also, I have found out what a card really means by seeing how it has played out in my life. So, say if I had gotten the world as an outcome card as you talked about, while still learning the meanings of a certain deck, if it had two possible meanings in that deck, what would tell me what the card really meant would be what happened later in my life. In this case for you, maybe if you really never hear from her again, that would show that the card did mean endings, at least in that case. (But maybe you will hear from her again in the future, though? I don't know.) How far into the future you were trying to read might also have something to do with it. I could be that the good outcome has yet to come, or that it has already passed. That's what's worked for me. Hope it helps. Sorry about your girlfriend. Endings can be painful stuff. Others might have more helpful things to say about this.

temperlyne	11 Feb 2005
the world as the outcome in a love related reading might signify that the couple involved will find their place in the universe. But that doesn't mean their place has to be with eachother. Even if the relationship ends up going no where, the world can say that it is for the best as both are needed elsewhere in the grand scheme.

psychic sue	11 Feb 2005
In reply to the original question, the tarot doesn't lie. What can change is YOU. In my expeirience the tarot does not give concrete predictions of the future. It merely tells of influences around the querant at the time the question is asked. I prefer to use the term "possible outcome" as opposed to "outcome", as you can use influences in your life positively or negatively. My own view is that the tarot is a guide to life, not a predictive tool.

The Tarot already "lied" for u? thread was originally posted on 09 Feb 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.