Lyrical said:
Have you ever been through a time when you are reluctant to pick up the cards because you're afraid you'll pull negative ones?
<sigh> No.
A Tarot deck is one of a number of warning signals we have at our disposal to help us navigate life a little more safely.
I'll get back to the example of my blind friend Shaun and his guide-dog, Berry. I know I've said what I'm about to say again here at least twice, but probably you weren't around to see it.
Berry is a guide dog, not a pet. The whole time she's out of the house, she wears a harness. The whole time she's in harness, her job is to protect Shaun and lead him to where he needs to go. I've done a bit of walking with Shaun and Berry, mostly in suburbia. Now, when they reach a kerbside, Shaun had three signals he can use to Berry: one telling her to guide him left onto the footpath if there is one, one to guide him right, one to cross the road.
Shaun then WAITS.
Back to you. Now, supposing you're afraid of using a Tarot deck at important times in your life in case it gives you a negative signal. Then you move forward blindly in your life with no idea of the problems to be faced, and unable to prepare yourself for them. Is that somehow preferable to having an idea of what's approaching and taking steps to avoid it, or protect yourself and prepare yourself if it's unavoidable?
Back to Shaun and Berry. Now, let's suppose Shaun's in a real hurry: running late for class, perhaps, or desperate for the toilet. It's only his eyes that are blind - his ears work perfectly well. But the area is busy, and the sportscar that is ripping down the road has had its engine tuned to a soft, expensive, nearly inaudible purr. Hypothetically, Shaun might be in too much of a hurry to wait for Berry to give him the all-clear. Berry sees the speeding car coming, Shaun doesn't.
Does Berry think to herself:
"Oh, the car might hurt him, in fact it might kill us both.
I love Shaun, he feeds me and pats me and lets me sleep on the bed.
I don't want to worry a man whom I love.
So I'll just let him walk out onto the road, after all, the driver *might* see us in time and *might* swerve to avoid us."
Is that good thinking for a guide dog? No, it isn't. That dog's whole life, training and career are based around him keeping Shaun safe, with the extra sensses and knowledge the dog has that Shaun doesn't have. Shaun would EXPECT Berry to resist being encouraged onto the road when she judges it's dangerous, maybe Shaun would expect to be barked at, pulled at and even bitten on the leg a la the Fool Card (I'm *sure* that dog is a guide-dog, trying to steer the Fool away from the cliff!). It is Berry's job to warn Shaun of any hazards, no matter what.
It is a Tarot deck's job to warn us of any hazards, no matter what. If you don't use it at times you need to, that's a bit like Shaun leaving Berry at home one day because the traffic is a bit heavy that day, and he doesn't want Berry warning him about it because it might worry him.
