When the deck doesn't listen? (or does it?)

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

dolphinprincess	22 Jul 2003
I just read the thread "A reading doesn't count when..." and it made me think of something that happens to me a lot. Like many others, I often get the SAME cards over and over again. Sometimes I'll shuffle two decks and pull a card from each - and its the same. Happens VERY frequently with me... (and i DO shuffle well...) My problem... Sometimes I think my decks are so adamant on giving me this message that they don't answer the question I am asking them. For example, I'll ask about someone or something other than myself (to help them).. or a situation very different from the one I think my daily card is addressing... and my card will come out regardless. In these situations, I don't know what to do... disregard it?? Perhaps the card really does apply to the situation, but this happens regualry enough that it seems like an odd coincidence... Does this ever happen to anyone else? What do you do?

Centaur	22 Jul 2003
Interesting. This has happened to me on numerous occasions. My solution; I take a deep breath, and try and breath new energy into the cards. I clear my mind of my issues/questions and focus on the issue/question to which I seek clarification or answers. My take? It sounds to me as though you have a lot of undispensed energy hanging around you, and this is finding it's way into your readings. If it happens again, try taking a moment to clear your mind, take a deep breath, re-shuffle, and try again. Ofcourse, one cannot refute the possibility that the original card is the answer to the issue/question to which you seek clarification or answers. Go with your intuition. What 'feels' right? C

dolphinprincess	22 Jul 2003
you make a good point. i think i may need to center myself better before i do any reading... i'll give it a try!

Ruby Red Slippers	22 Jul 2003
dolphinprincess: Some say that you draw people to your readings who are in the "same energy" as you. Such as if you are working on relationship issues, you may read more people who are looking for these answers also, or money, or whatever.... Perhaps the same card/lesson applies to you and your client at the time. just a thought..... Ruby Red Slippers

lunalafey	22 Jul 2003
maybe try this.... http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13698

Butterfly	23 Jul 2003
On a slightly different note, I often get a muddled reading when I am asking about something that I should really be working out for myself. Some things we just aren't meant to know, or are meant to learn for ourselves.

jog1118	23 Jul 2003
i've read this somewhere and believe it to be true based on my own experiences with my readings: when doing a reading the following may happen: 1. cards cannot be read no matter what you do - a higher power is saying that it is not yet time for the querent to know 2. a totally "out of the question" (or in this case an "out of the spread") reading comes out - a higher power is saying that the querent should prioritize the said "out of the question/spread" reading instead of his initial question :smoker: edited: posted the same reply to this thread http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16070

Elle	23 Jul 2003
The five of Swords was following me around for weeks; it finally took a hike (there was a stressful situation at hand). Now the Queen of Cups pops up everywhere... It happens to me a lot. Elle

Umbrae	23 Jul 2003
My opinion. I have a friend who lives in a yurt, out on an island. It’s a large yurt with a loft, wood heat, and a wood fired kitchen stove. She was remarking one day about she’d like to redo the interior. However she was stuck. She could not figure out how to move things around. I told her to empty the yurt. Take everything outside, strip it bare. Then she would have a clean slate. She would be able to picture it differently, see it anew. Her perception was ‘stuck’. The deck always listens. When we get the same card over and over, usually it’s we that are not listening. Often, it can be a matter of stopping, putting down everything…and attempting to see the situation in a different light. Change our perspective – so as to understand the message that we are being given…

Cerulean	23 Jul 2003
If you are a one-deck person, then do your regular shuffle and say the one card that comes up for you pops up again. Remove it from the deck and put it face up on one side. Then shuffle again and pull out another card. Whatever the one card is, it will have a different slant with another card to pair it. If you want to write or draw or just note the card combo, do so. Keep both cards out of the deck for a day or two. Reshuffle and proceed with the reading that you intended to do. A little later or the next day, put the two cards back in the deck. If you find that in your next pull that you pull the two cards together, than you might realize that your shuffling method or the cards might tend to stick together. Toss them in a box and shake the box gently. Pull from the box. If you pull out Old Faithful again, pull another card and see if the slant is similar or different with the new pair. Hope this helps.

Trogon	23 Jul 2003
Wow dolphinprincess... This is an interesting post, I can't say that I've ever had this happen to me, at least not on such a repetative basis. I've had a card repeat in a reading once or twice, but not very often. I am wondering... were you saying that you have had this particular card, or cards, come up when you're doing readings for others as well? In either case, 2 things occur to me. The first one is that there might be some message that is "coming through" that you've been missing. It might be a good time to pull the card or cards which keep recurring and really meditate on them and see how they apply to your life and what they may be trying to tell you. My other thought was maybe you just need a break from using that deck for a while? I think you commented that you have another deck? Though you said the same card is recurring there too... hmmm... well, anyway, perhaps put the deck in order (the order it came in originally, or whatever order is appropriate) and set it aside for a while. Perhaps its even time to buy yourself a new one? ;)

dolphinprincess	23 Jul 2003
Thank you all for some really great comments and suggestions.. Leave it to me to have something off the wall like this happen. :o) I will say one thing - I already beleived in the Tarot, but I really do now.. Sometimes cards repeat so regularly I see them in my mind's eye as I'm turning them over.. Anyway, I'm going to try some of the suggestions here and think about the comments... and see what happens.. THANKS, as always!

silverwitchi	24 Jul 2003
I have this happen to me a lot. The 3 of swords just kept showing up in my readings and it did bother me but once I realized that the 3 of swords was there for a reason. (I had upheavel in my life at the time.) Once I came to terms with what was going on in my life the 3 of swords no longer came up in my readings. I think the cards following us in our readings is a good thing. It is an answer to our question but we don't always see that. Sometimes the visual affect of a card scares us and we think the worst. But I feel if the card is reappearing the cards are trying to tell us something.Maybe it is something we need to work threw to move forward on our journey. Sorry if I got a little carried away. Hope it makes sense and helps. LOL

The When the deck doesn't listen? (or does it?) thread was originally posted on 22 Jul 2003 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.