Can Tarot really foretell the Future ?

lupercalia

I think tarot can be used to predict a future - that is, the future the querent is currently heading towards, given their current actions. Not to get into multiverse theory or anything here, but I don't think the future is ever a fixed point that can be determined precisely (except in rare cases), whether by tarot cards or anything else. Meteorology isn't actually a bad comparison, since in both weather and lives the future is a matter of 'if x then y' most of the time - and if x changes, so does y.
 

Nikita_

If they can ... one should be able to demonstrate that ( a demonstration is not a 'story' though).

Sometimes they can...but not necessarily ?...
 

Nikita_

Sorry ? Are you saying you are trying to understand how a 'really talented' reader can fail at predicting the future?

That must be one of the easiest things to understand :confused:

Why don't you give me your theory about it ? I don't think it's as simple as you make it, and I don't think we would all agree with the possible explanations...
 

Nikita_

Just about anything is possible. However, I think your question might well be "WILL Tarot really foretell the Future?" instead of "CAN Tarot really foretell the Future?" It's like the two schools of thought about 'Tarot is only Predictive' versus 'Tarot is only Intuitive', or "Can the Tarot predict actual Death?"

Yes, you're right, looking at some of the posts of replies, I probably phrased the question in the wrong terms...Of course tarot can predict the future, but it doesn't always do that correctly....and I guess I was wondeing why, how it works...
 

Nikita_

I mean: If those readers you admirer are here on the forum: Pay attention when they write something in our discussions, read their readings thoroughly, if necessary copy their style shamlessly to get a feel of how they are thinking and approaching tarot.

Anyway, I can't say this enough: Rote learn every traditional meaning of every 78 card, both up and reversed, learn the traditional way of putting the cards together to see the entire story infront of you. Don't be a lazy reader who brag about your psychic/intuitive talents, in the end your talents means shit, you need to commit to the craft if you want to do your clients justice the day your abilities fails you.

And in the end it will be so simple: Just read the cards.

No, those Readers are not on this forum, they are readers I've known personally for many years, and anyway, I don't think you got the point : MY QUESTION WAS NOT HOW TO LEARN TAROT PROPERLY IN ORDER TO AVOID MISTAKES, thank you, my question, on the contrary, was why, even excellent, experienced readers, who certainly do not have problems reading the cards properly and know them thoroughly, flop massively in certain circumstances....I've been in this world of tarot and exoteric questions since I was a teen ager, first as a client, student, and then reader, and I've heard this story dozens of times : someone who went to the same tarot reader for years, and she was always spot on, and then, on that particular very important thing, she flopped miserably.....and the question is more or less what tarot bear said : are there certain things that tarot CANNOT, WILL NOT see ?
 

Nikita_

Sometimes the Weather Guy on TV gets it wrong. Does that mean meteorology doesn't work?

No, but usually there's a scientific reason/explanation for that, that we only understand later on...eg, an unexpected wind blowing from somewhere....do you get my point ?..
 

Nikita_

Sometimes people "get the future wrong" because things change. I view tarot as a heads up about what's going on and the most likely outcome if things stay as they are. You might not like a reading, so you use your free will to change your course and get a different outcome. The prediction wasn't wrong; you just decided you didn't want that particular future. (Other people have free will, too, of course, so they can change things as well.)

Yes, I've heard this explanation before, and although it seems logical in a way, I've never found it satisfactory personally...
 

Nikita_

Well ... that has to be an all time classic !

A tarot reader predicts the future and it doesnt come about ... but "the prediction wasn't wrong; you just decided you didn't want that particular future" and also other people can change it; " Other people have free will, too, of course, so they can change things as well."

But the prediction is not wrong .... seriously ? :bugeyed:

That is like saying the weather prediction says sunny ... but some wind came along and blew some clouds in from the ocean and it rained ... but the prediction wasnt wrong ... other forces interfered .

Thats the sort of thing the Australian Government tries to tell us.

I totally, TOTALLY agree with you on this one, ravenest, but I have yet to understand where you stant exactly on the question of WHY TAROT DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK AT PREDICTING THE FUTURE...
 

Nikita_

Again, I believe it tells us the outcome if nothing changes. And things change. If I do a reading and get told that something I don't like is going to happen, of course I'm going to make choices to avoid that outcome. I wasn't wrong; I decided I wanted something else. But you don't have to agree with me.

No, I'm afraid I agree with ravenest on this one...either the future can be predicted, or it can't; either the reader can predict it, or he/she can't....and if she predicts something, and the opposite happens, she simply got it wrong, full stop.
If indeed there are so many variables, and there's free will, and everything is so open, then in my opinion, there's no point in even trying to foretell the events....to take the example of the weather forecasts again, who would watch one where the guy says " Tomorrow it might be sunny and warm; on the other hand, it might rain and possibly there might be storms as well....depending on tomorrow's winds, which way they will be blowing..."
I mean, what good would that do to someone trying to plan a trip, maybe by boat ? Nobody would watch them again !....
 

Nikita_

Tarot is just a tool. Like a car, you still need a human to drive it. So if you get a bad reader, like a bad driver it can be a very unpleasant experience. If you get a good reader, you might get where you need to be safely :)

Now, if you wish to discuss human abilities, defects, challenges or gifts as some call it, that allow them to use the tool (tarot) propertly, start new thread. :)

I thought I had made it quite clear that I've ruled out the possibility of human mistake in the examples I've given, I am quite sure there are other explanations.