really off readings

I find myself stating this in almost every post I make, but I'm a tarot newbie and haven't really done many readings, but I have several decks that I try to study with and some books I'm reading. I'll occasionally do a reading, but most of the times they don't make much sense, and I'll just disregard it, of course, with disappointment.

Anyways, I had a really accurate reading about a car last week, so this week, I asked the cards about a job interview I was going to later that day. I found an ad online that said they were looking for bartenders for private parties, and appearance was important. I e-mailed him a photo of myself and contact information (as requested). And about 20 minutes later, I recieved a phone call from some guy and he asked me to go in later that day for an interview. I asked the cards:

What can I expect from meeting this man?

and drew:

The Hierophant
Two of Wands
Seven of Pentacles

I could be wrong, but I took this as a sign that it would be a good interview. I felt like it was saying I need to stand out from the crowd and this could be a good opportunity. The interview was hardly like anything I had expected.

First of all, the address the guy had given me was apparently his condo. I didn't really mind that so much (but still felt a little weird) going to his place, but once I got in, I got a really weird vibe. He showed me a photo book with a bunch of different girls dressed in lingerie, some naked, and I told him I wasn't sure if I was interested in doing anything involving me being nude. I asked him about the bartending job, and then he started laughing at me, and told me that this company offered "other" services as well and promised me I'd make a lot of money if I just took a chance.

I was really starting to get worried, when he asked me if I would remove my clothes so he can check out my body. I told him I was no longer interested in the job and wanted to leave, but THEN he started asking me if I ever considered being an escort, and told me I could make a lot more money working for him.

Well, in the end, he kept trying to brainwash me and convince me to work for him (apparently his clients want an Asian girl) while completely grossing me out and making me feel uncomfortable. I had hoped the cards would have warned me of something like that.. perhaps I interpretted it wrong, but yeaaa... I don't know if it has anything to do with me always switching around my decks or using different shuffling methods, but the readings just don't seem that clear to me. Why is that?

Geez mate, what a total creep! Im just glad you got out of there. kudos to you I say. As for the cards, it can take a long time to become comfortable and confident in your readings. Not every reading is going to be "right" especially as we have a tendency to re-ask questions when we dont like the answer or dont understand the answer. For me I find my most accurate readings are the ones where I trust the first thing that comes to my mind, dont second guess myself and just go with it. This comes with practise. Dont worry, you'll get there.

What a terrible "interview!" I'm glad you got out of there safely!!

As for the issues with your readings, I would REALLY stress using just one deck for the time being. All the flipping back and forth won't help you get to know your decks! (IMHO) Pick one deck and stick with it for a month (or two or three!) Learn it inside out.. I'd bet within a month you'll start getting more accurate readings.

I don't think the shuffling methods really matter, more that you haven't gotten to know any of your decks or what the meanings are enough yet. Sticking with one deck has done wonders for me. So my advice is based on my experience. As the saying goes around here: mileage may vary...

Hooked

I was struggling with "way, way off readings" for years! No matter how far I think I've come where tarot is concerned, I still feel like a newbie so you're in good company Still have moments when I'm tuned into FM when the cards are actually on AM frequency so...

As for your interview, bright side to it is that you came out unscratched physically but with possible psychological trauma. "Slime" residue doesn't really wash off but it'll get your danger-radar screaming next time you come across something similiar.

Glad to hear you got out safe.


Ash

euphoria said:

What can I expect from meeting this man?

and drew:

The Hierophant
Two of Wands
Seven of Pentacles

I could be wrong, but I took this as a sign that it would be a good interview. I felt like it was saying I need to stand out from the crowd and this could be a good opportunity. The interview was hardly like anything I had expected.

... I don't know if it has anything to do with me always switching around my decks or using different shuffling methods, but the readings just don't seem that clear to me. Why is that?

Click to expand...

In general I would have expected it to be positive too. However, with a 7 of Pents in the reading, there would have been some aspect of waiting or things not being ready yet that I would have anticipated.

In a way, it was a good opportunity -- a good learning opportunity (Hierophant can represent education). You did need to stand out from the crowd else you would have ended up doing something you probably didn't want to be doing. I would say the end result of this interview was positive as you stood firm with what you believe in and safely made it out the door.

While it can be good at times to focus on one particular deck, it may just be in this case that your expectations may have colored how you viewed your interpretation.

You may also want to think about the wording of the question you ask. Sometimes we get cards which answer the question we specifically ask versus what we meant by the question we asked.

Glad you made it safely home from that "interview"!

Wow. Reading or not, I would have been out of there the moment that book of photos made a public appearance, and would have phoned the police from outside. I'm glad you made it out of there safely. I met a pimp once too, masquerading as a music promoter. It turned out he was the same one who had successfully deceived a friend of mine, who was a singer songwriter. He sent her to a different city, had her forcefully addicted to smack, and had her walking the streets of Rochester NY in 1 month's time. Her family found her, thank the Gods, but she ended up quitting music forever. You were very lucky, my friend.

As for the reading, I think it may apply to waiting for the opportunity for more appropriate employment.

First of all... ewwww... that guy was a total scummy sleezeball to the core! I'm so glad you managed to get outta there safely!

However, I feel your cards weren't really off, but maybe their message was a little 'twisted'. Could you perhaps tell us which deck you were using, so that I can view it and accordingly see how those cards could have been warning you about this scumbag.

One of the best ways to learn any deck is to go back to your readings after the fact and see how those cards actually applied to the situation. In retrospect, you can see meanings of the cards that are specific to your life. Especially after the sex scandals, the Hierophant could represent a lecherous person in authority. The 7 Pentacles could represent someone or something being groomed. The 2 Wands could represent someone who tries to dominate you.

I wouldn't have come up with any of those meanings before the fact. But given the cards and your experience, they make sense looking back on the situation.

Rodney

euphoria said:

I asked the cards:

What can I expect from meeting this man?

and drew:

The Hierophant
Two of Wands
Seven of Pentacles

Click to expand...

Actually; if there are no objections from the Mods, this would make an excellent opportunity to try a post mortem on the reading so we can share our interpretation of the cards; what types of messages we can get from them in relations to this recent event.

Foresight is great but hindsight, now that tells us stuff we didn't see before and like rwcarter mentioned :

rwcarter said:

One of the best ways to learn any deck is to go back to your readings after the fact and see how those cards actually applied to the situation. In retrospect, you can see meanings of the cards that are specific to your life. ......

..........I wouldn't have come up with any of those meanings before the fact. But given the cards and your experience, they make sense looking back on the situation.

Rodney

Click to expand...

I'll go first by saying that I do see how optimism and hopeful expectations may show this reading as a positive reading.

On the flipside, I've found that my own preference (no reversals) open up the possibility of seeing one side of the coin and maybe not the other. (*Personal opinion here. Not the gospel truth to tarot reading)

Since I don't read with reversals, I usually read both the possible "good" news as well as the possible "bad" news so I minimize getting blind-sided. It still happens since I don't have all-seeing eyes but it helps somewhat.

I think the question was worded fine; perhaps if I were to look at the entire reading, I would pay attention to the Hierophant as someone who may have the tendency to exert authority (not necessarily in a positive or ethical way); someone who can be convincing in their delivery of their beliefs, principles. This card is also about social conformity; this gentleman rogue may have expected some kind of social conformity but from the sound of it, his beliefs were clearly not in line with the reader's. Since it is a Major, this is one aspect I would pay attention to if I was doing a self-reading.

The 2 of Wands would tell me that there is an opportunity out there (if it was a job interview) but since I usually read with my Universal, the one thing that always gets me with this card is that the way is blocked despite my eagerness..... so what is blocking it? Perhaps the timing is not right or the "opportunity" itself isn't right.. it will vary depending on what I'm asking about.

Then comes the 7 of Pentacles... that card would tell me to cut losses if I have to; sacrifice what I can afford to let go of, to save what is more important. Also, with this card, I'd remind myself how accurately I assess the situation would determine what I reap out of it.

Having said that, I've been guilty of wanting something so badly, it blinds me to other factors that may be indicating that it's not the "right" thing for me (blocked by the wall in the 2 Wands card) so the cards may be saying one thing but I may also be happily ignoring what its saying. (Experienced this many times over, I swear I need a leash sometimes!)

We read the cards differently of course... sometimes its also about what "messages" we are open to receiving when we look at those cards, I guess.

If we share our interpretation of how these 3 cards may influence each other, we turn this unfortunate experience euphoria had to go through into a good thing by milking some lessons from it


Ash

I used the Bohemian Gothic deck, and no, I did not really read the reversals (I need to make a habit though, since I don't do reversals). I did the reading real quick before I left the house, jotted down a few notes in my journal, and thats it. I suppose I should have looked at both positive and negative aspects, but I figured the reading was either inaccurate as usual, or it was just going to be a good interview.

But yes, looking at the meanings in the companion book for the Bohemian Gothic, I can see how they could apply. But still, I thought a different draw of cards may have given me better insight into what was going to occur.

Maybe the Seven of Cups, or the Moon for how this was going to be something it really wasn't?

Or Seven of Cups for dishonesty and deception and how he was going to trick me?

I mean anything that showed what the "interview" was REALLY going to be like.