aware7
Wow - talk about dealing in absolutes!
Sorry to say this but I disagree with the underlying assumptions of nearly all the posters on this thread and I think it highlights a significant problem of being a tarot reader not only for others but for oneself.
In fact the only poster who I think gets it (meaning what tarot is really about when attempting to do a meaninful reading for others) is the person who mentioned something about their feelings influencing readings. To the others - just why do you think that the cards which appear in a reading are absolute truth, they 'don't lie', and their purpose is more or less set in stone?
I think it is actually kind of dangerous to see the cards this way - when we deal with tarot we are dealing more with energies and potentialities/possibilities. The mention of 'heartbreak' in store for a young man represents the problem of reading this way - from my experience and others' experiences reading tarot, a spread is mostly like a map and you can point to the direction in which the querent wants to go, you can also identify the landmarks on this map that they should take notice of, and you can tell them of alternative routes.
The landmarks show the energies/emotions/possibilities/potentialities at play. You can think you need to give a reality check to somebody - for example, the man is not into her at all, the young man has heartbreak in store etc but it's not that simple. Sure we can pick up on wishful thinking at times but we can also pick up on energies that do affirm what the querent believes to be true as they are potentialities.
You can get the Ace of Swords, for example, that denotes separation - seemingly two will split, but with a shift of focus it can also mean that if the couple's communication is less aggressive/direct then there is the possibility they can stay together. The Ace of Swords can also mean clarity - a conversation that clears the air.
Some tarot readers tend to deal in self fulfilling prophecies whereas in fact tarot is not so cut and dried most of the time. Yes, the readings can be predictive - I have done a few for people that are uncannily predictive. However, the energies in our lives are in a state of flux and the majority of those readings are seen by me as a case of the querent being determined to pursue certain courses of action.
However, if you tell the querent that this what the cards are telling them as their future or as a certainty, you run the risk of pre-empting what can change or simply thinking the cards are 'telling it like it is' whereas in fact they could be reflecting YOUR perspectives/energies and influencing whereas it is best to leave it up to them to see the cards and positions as energies and possibiities.
Sorry to say this but I disagree with the underlying assumptions of nearly all the posters on this thread and I think it highlights a significant problem of being a tarot reader not only for others but for oneself.
In fact the only poster who I think gets it (meaning what tarot is really about when attempting to do a meaninful reading for others) is the person who mentioned something about their feelings influencing readings. To the others - just why do you think that the cards which appear in a reading are absolute truth, they 'don't lie', and their purpose is more or less set in stone?
I think it is actually kind of dangerous to see the cards this way - when we deal with tarot we are dealing more with energies and potentialities/possibilities. The mention of 'heartbreak' in store for a young man represents the problem of reading this way - from my experience and others' experiences reading tarot, a spread is mostly like a map and you can point to the direction in which the querent wants to go, you can also identify the landmarks on this map that they should take notice of, and you can tell them of alternative routes.
The landmarks show the energies/emotions/possibilities/potentialities at play. You can think you need to give a reality check to somebody - for example, the man is not into her at all, the young man has heartbreak in store etc but it's not that simple. Sure we can pick up on wishful thinking at times but we can also pick up on energies that do affirm what the querent believes to be true as they are potentialities.
You can get the Ace of Swords, for example, that denotes separation - seemingly two will split, but with a shift of focus it can also mean that if the couple's communication is less aggressive/direct then there is the possibility they can stay together. The Ace of Swords can also mean clarity - a conversation that clears the air.
Some tarot readers tend to deal in self fulfilling prophecies whereas in fact tarot is not so cut and dried most of the time. Yes, the readings can be predictive - I have done a few for people that are uncannily predictive. However, the energies in our lives are in a state of flux and the majority of those readings are seen by me as a case of the querent being determined to pursue certain courses of action.
However, if you tell the querent that this what the cards are telling them as their future or as a certainty, you run the risk of pre-empting what can change or simply thinking the cards are 'telling it like it is' whereas in fact they could be reflecting YOUR perspectives/energies and influencing whereas it is best to leave it up to them to see the cards and positions as energies and possibiities.
