inherently truthful?

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

Persha	13 Dec 2004
ok, here's another technical question for you philosophical types: Say you do a spread and you can't work out what it means. Is that because you simply can't interpret it correctly or because you don't have enough skill to get a correct/truthful answer? I guess what I'm asking is, are the cards 'inherently' truthful, or do they only become so through some action(s) of the reader? cheers, persha

WhiteRaven	13 Dec 2004
Sometimes stress can affect the way you see the cards. That's why I feel that it's important to clear and ground before trying to read a spread..otherwise it's like looking at blank cards and going "duh". It's not that you can not do it. It's just your mind is swinging in too many directions "in the moment" to be able to concentrate on the messages the Tarot or Oracle or any other divination method is trying to give you.

Mesara	14 Dec 2004
I think that if are distracted, or if your heart simply isn't in it, your readings are not going to be *authentic* or truthful. The spreads will simply be a reflection of the chaos going on in your mind, nonsensical and messy. That is why concentration and grounding is important, and why I only read if I feel I have the energy to devote to my cards. If you feel you are giving it your all but still are plagued with confusion and doubt about what you are being shown, simply leave the cards in their positions and walk away for a while. Take a brief rest and then come back to them. Often I have come back to find the answers jumping out at me in such a way that I couldn't believe I had missed them the first time. Tarot reading takes a lot of energy and mental agility. I have to be in the right frame of mind before I pick up my cards. I have to feel mentally fit, sharp, and calm. I have to be able to block out distractions, and I have to be centered. Often I come away from readings feeling tired and drained, yet curiously exhilerated, much like I feel after working out.

firemaiden	14 Dec 2004
Persha -- I don't think there cannot possibly be one "correct" way of interpeting the cards-- unless one ascribes to a very limited view of reading which only allows for set and rigid meanings. Are the cards "inherently truthful?" Well, some say the cards never lie. On the other hand... they're just cards... But is any card inherently truthful? I'd say no. It's just a card. But each card may contain great wisdom, which could be useful and applicable to any situation - which ever one you draw, has the possibility of being meaningful at the time.

Gypsy Mama	14 Dec 2004
Persha, I echo what Mesara said. It works very similaar for me. The other night I wanted to try out a few new spreads I had picked up. I did one reading and it was slow going which took me by surprise and frustrated me. I did a second and all my cards came up reversed. So when I attempted a dialogue as to the reason, I got the answer that I needed to go to bed (I had been awake over 24hrs for various reasons!) I felt OK I thought to squeeze in a reading but my intuition told me the time was better used to rest. So I listened. I find if I am blocked then I ask why I am blocked and the reason always flows as the reading normally does. But it usually means the time is better spent at something else for the moment. Sometimes it drives me crazy!! Take care, Gypsy Mama

SunChariot	15 Dec 2004
I truly believe the cards are always inherently honest and trying to help us. I have had that a number of times, especially when I was just getting started, when I could not understand a card at all. I just wrote it in my journal anyway along with what I thought it meant and put it away. Then I go back and reread it 3-4 months later and it makes perfect sense. All the cards I have pulled have made perfect sense either at the time I pulled them or in retrospect. I think some of the reason is that I sometimes get used to thinking and seeing life in a certain way, and cannot think "outside the box". Until things change enough that I have to change my way of thinking too. If you know what I mean. But I have found my readings always make perfect sense, and are always accurate, although often when you look back, they did not mean exactly what I thought they did, Bar

Ace	16 Dec 2004
Some times the cards don't make sense, sometimes you don't want to face that issue. But the cards never lie. Sometimes you can ask the wrong question, but the answer will be true. As others have said, it is how you interprete it that matters.

Thirteen	16 Dec 2004
Persha wrote: I guess what I'm asking is, are the cards 'inherently' truthful, or do they only become so through some action(s) of the reader? You've got two questions here: 1) Are the cards inherently truthful 2) Can a reading be accurate if the reader is having trouble--for whatever reason? Answers: 1) Yes, the cards are inherently truthful--and usually, if you can't read them now, but go back to them later, a light will pop on in your head and you'll say, "OH! that's what they were refering to! Gosh, that was spot on!" 2) We don't always see what we ought to see in the cards, for whatever reason. We certainly all have problems in the beginning, when we're starting and we're unsure, need more practice, etc. Or when we're stressed, or blocked, or just in a rotten mood. Sometimes readings come easy, like magic. Other times, you just shake your head and can't make sense of the thing. But that doesn't mean the cards are telling you any lies or inaccuracies--just that you're having an off-day.

maks	16 Dec 2004
This sounds like a discussion of the High Priestess/La Papess. Perhaps when nothing comes to mind, it is because she is refusing to reveal her secrets. Or she senses we are not ready to hear the truth. Interesting topic, thank you Persha.

Ulfdis	17 Dec 2004
I get fuzzy, unclear, or only partially-clear readings a lot. A LOT. Usually it's just because I was unsettled or I didn't ground and focus. Once I take a deep breath, take a break, and come back to take a clearer look, the lightbulb over my head goes on and it all makes sense. There was only one time, a couple of years ago, when it didn't work. I had done a reading about a friend, and it came out complete gibberish. Nothing made sense at all. I wrote it all down, got a soda out of the fridge, sat down, and blushed. That reading was just plain none of my business. I guess it was a case of "Right makes (mental) Might".

mzoltarp	17 Dec 2004
Sometimes I have found that I am blocked on the message of a card because I do not want to know. I'm selling a house for my grandmother's estate and did a reading about that and got among the cards The Tower and Death. Everything was going well so I picked them all back up and thought that the cards were just off base. In the back of my mind I was annoyed that I had not heard from the real estate agent so I called. Not only had he been out of communication but the house had been vandalized and he had not shared that. The house is not in my town. Of course I flipped out and very nearly gave him his walking papers. I got off the phone then I remembered the cards!

SunChariot	17 Dec 2004
mzoltarp wrote: Sometimes I have found that I am blocked on the message of a card because I do not want to know. I'm selling a house for my grandmother's estate and did a reading about that and got among the cards The Tower and Death. Everything was going well so I picked them all back up and thought that the cards were just off base. In the back of my mind I was annoyed that I had not heard from the real estate agent so I called. Not only had he been out of communication but the house had been vandalized and he had not shared that. The house is not in my town. Of course I flipped out and very nearly gave him his walking papers. I got off the phone then I remembered the cards! I agree with this totally. Sometimes we don't understand the cards because their message is too painful, and part of us inside is being protective and not willing to see it as an option. I had that when starting. In an issue about my ex, whom I needed very very badly in my life, the cards kept saying something about aligning my needs with those of the Universe. Of course I totally KNEW that the universe meant for us to be together always. I was completley sure, nothing else made sense at the time. In the end, it meant that we had to break up and lose touch at that time. I guess when you have that kind of block and are unwilling to accept something as a possibility inside, your answer can be perfectly accurate, yet make no sense to you. Or more recently but on the same topic, the cards said over and over and over (even different cards in different decks gave the same message), that I had to learn from the past. As the questions I asked were related to our relationship, I was sure it was from OUR past. But I was stumped as to what it was I should be learning, or from which aspect of our past. I didn't get it for months. Then one day, rather spontaneosly, I reached a point in my life and Tarot studies that lead me to do a series on my past and on inner child work. Then it hit me like a bold of lightening, that it was not OUR past I was meant to examine, but MY past. And then suddenly all the advice of the readings fell into place and made perfect sense. So I still think the cards are always accurate, but some messages are harder to get and take more time to fully understand. I have only been learning Tarot since May/04, but I hope I will improve at this kind of thing with practice.:-) Bar

The inherently truthful? thread was originally posted on 13 Dec 2004 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.