Tarot ever lied?

[sacredashes]

Sometimes I meet people who are not familiar with tarot; they heard about it or had readings done before but they never really investigated further as to how it works, what it is/not or how it is used by readers.

When they ask me if its accurate; if it does so and so... I stick to the middle path and tell them...

The tarot is a like a mirror that reflects current energies at play in any given situation. It can be used to provide insight. To me, we can phrase words to tell others what is going on.. which unfortunately also means we can manipulate how something is presented.

With the tarot however.. Well, if the seeker pulls the card/s, the mirror can't lie. Its an impartial reflection of what is, as is. However the reader who delivers the interpretation is fallible. Therefore, it comes down to how well the reader interprets the card/s and how (or if) the actual the message is delivered.

Just my $0.02

 

[JSNYC]

In essence, "the future" is what will be written. Just like there is a "past, present, and future", I think there are 3 types of future as well:

The unchangeable future, the future fated by decisions already made.

The changeable future, the future we can change if we make the choice.

The potential future, the future that could be based on opportunities not yet seen.

In the movie, The Matrix, the first time Neo goes to see the Oracle, she "lies" to him. Later she tells him it was because he wasn't ready to hear the truth. In the third move, Trinity says, "maybe we did something wrong?", then Neo says, "Or maybe we didn't do something?", and finally Morpheus says, "know that what happened couldn't have happened any other way."

My Tarot tells me all sorts of things, sometimes it even sounds similar to your story, but I don't know if the Tarot "lies". Maybe your Tarot lies to you, to test you to see if you are paying attention.

 

[vgnhippie]

You guys are all amazing. These are great responses. I have a lot to think about--thanks!

 

[Major Tom]

Tarot will only lie when you obsessively ask the same question repeatedly. Then, it'll tell you exactly what you most wish to hear.

 

[MareSaturni]

In essence, "the future" is what will be written. Just like there is a "past, present, and future", I think there are 3 types of future as well:

The unchangeable future, the future fated by decisions already made.

The changeable future, the future we can change if we make the choice.

The potential future, the future that could be based on opportunities not yet seen.

In the movie, The Matrix, the first time Neo goes to see the Oracle, she "lies" to him. Later she tells him it was because he wasn't ready to hear the truth. In the third move, Trinity says, "maybe we did something wrong?", then Neo says, "Or maybe we didn't do something?", and finally Morpheus says, "know that what happened couldn't have happened any other way."

My Tarot tells me all sorts of things, sometimes it even sounds similar to your story, but I don't know if the Tarot "lies". Maybe your Tarot lies to you, to test you to see if you are paying attention.

WOW!, this is amazing. A truly brilliant post, JSNYC!

I do agree there are different sorts of future, just like you described. And when it comes to divination in general, I find that whatever power that exists behind it is a bit ironic, like life itself. It doesn't blatantly lie simply because it can, but in it's attempt to bring you awareness it throws some jokes and misleads you. It's questions your assumptions, and the tests your ability to see what it beyond the obvious. Because this is what tarot and other oracles do: they help you to gain awareness, to understand your situation in a deeper way, to recognize the power of your choices... and to know when nothing can be done.

We like to sit on our assumption "yes, I read tarot and I get the message!". So I believe that sometimes it tells us simple things in the most complex ways, as if saying "Oh, really!?". It want us to keep growing.

I don't see this as a lie, because "lying" is something you do to blind someone else. Tarot is not trying to blind you - it's exercising your sight, by giving the answers in different ways until you are ready to understand them in the right way. Like the Oracle did to Neo

 

[sacredashes]

My Tarot tells me all sorts of things, sometimes it even sounds similar to your story, but I don't know if the Tarot "lies". Maybe your Tarot lies to you, to test you to see if you are paying attention.

I like this thought.. a lot... Thanks for sharing it

 

[Glass Owl]

In the movie, The Matrix, the first time Neo goes to see the Oracle, she "lies" to him. Later she tells him it was because he wasn't ready to hear the truth. In the third move, Trinity says, "maybe we did something wrong?", then Neo says, "Or maybe we didn't do something?", and finally Morpheus says, "know that what happened couldn't have happened any other way."

Actually, the Oracle didn't lie to Neo. She simply allowed him to draw his own conclusion about whether or not he was the One at that point. Plus, I think it also shows how the future is open to change when it comes to predicting.

Oracle: OK, now I'm supposed to say, "Hmm, that's interesting, but... " then you say...
Neo: ..."but what?"
Oracle: But... you already know what I'm going to tell you.
Neo: I'm not The One.
Oracle: Sorry, kid. You got the gift, but it looks like you're waiting for something.
Neo: What?
Oracle: Your next life, maybe. Who knows? That's the way these things go.

In two different scenes Morpheus helps Neo to better understand The Oracle's role:

Neo: And she knows what, everything?
Morpheus: She would say she knows enough.
Neo: And she's never wrong.
Morpheus: Try not to think of it in terms of right and wrong. She is a guide, Neo. She can help you to find the path.


Neo: Morpheus. The Oracle, she told me I'm...
Morpheus: She told you exactly what you needed to hear, that's all. Neo, sooner or later you're going to realize, just as I did, that there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.

One moment that I particularly like is when Oracle demonstrates the idea behind "a self-fulfilling prophecy" and how knowing information can influence the future. I think of this scene sometimes when I am doing readings and considering what I am going to tell someone about what I see in the cards.

Oracle: I'd ask you to sit down, but, you're not going to anyway. And don't worry about the vase.
Neo: What vase?
[Neo turns to look for a vase, and as he does, he knocks over a vase of flowers, which shatters on the floor]
Oracle: That vase.
Neo: I'm sorry...
Oracle: I said don't worry about it. I'll get one of my kids to fix it.
Neo: How did you know?
Oracle: Ohh, what's really going to bake your noodle later on is, would you still have broken it if I hadn't said anything?

I would really love to have my cards read by the Oracle, by the way

But to answer the original poster's question, I feel that the cards tell you what you need to hear. If a person continues to ask the same questions over and over maybe the cards (or perhaps whatever is guiding the cards) just decides that what you need to hear at this time is... what you WANT to hear. This way you will stop asking and move on to something else.

 

[SunChariot]

Hi all,

I've been a tarot-user for about seven or eight years now (so I'm not trying to draw skepticism to the practise of using tarot cards for advice by any means!), and have used several decks over the years. About a year ago, I switched to a new one (Tarot of Trees: I love it!) and since then, I've started to get much more growth-inducing and positive/encouraging readings.

But I recently ran into a situation where all my cards, for several weeks in a row (in answer to different questions), came up the same and were all pointing in one direction, in a very forceful manner. That direction vaporised in 'reality' and now I'm wondering: has anyone ever had their tarot cards purposefully go out of their way and lie to them? I was just wondering about experiences people have had with that.

Thanks! Appreciate it

In peace.

In my eyes, no they never lie. The future though is changeable. I keep that in mind any time I do a future reading and I make sure to tell my querenst that too.

If something is predicted repeatedly and does not come to pass, my belief is that each of those predictions was right at the moment it was made, but that the future changed after they were made.

The future is not set in stone as they say. It can suddenly up and change at any moment. Usually it doesn't as the cards can predict trends pretty well, but the future certainly can and does change unexpectedly at times.

That is not the fault of the cards. They were giving an accurate view of where you were heading at the moment you asked (which is all you can expect of them). Then suddenly things changed and you were heading in a new direction. Certainly it happens, but it does not mean the cards lied or even that the readings were inaccurate. They were likely accurate at the time they were done.

Babs

 

[SunChariot]

My Tarot tells me all sorts of things, sometimes it even sounds similar to your story, but I don't know if the Tarot "lies". Maybe your Tarot lies to you, to test you to see if you are paying attention.

This is probably associated with a life lesson about faith and having faith in the cards, and in life to give you the answers you seek. Although I still don't think they are lying. But maybe you were send a situation where you might see it as such to examine those feelings.

Babs

 

[starrystarrynight]

This is probably associated with a life lesson about faith and having faith in the cards, and in life to give you the answers you seek. Although I still don't think they are lying. But maybe you were send a situation where you might see it as such to examine those feelings.

So true!

I read trumps as life lessons, so, if I draw some in a spread, I tend to assume that they present a lesson for me or my seeker to learn. If the lesson is not learned--just as the old adage says: "you must learn from history or be doomed to repeat it." The Universe will send that lesson to us again and again (if necessary) until we do learn it.

So, it may look as if the cards are "lying" to you if things don't turn out the way you have "predicted;" however, it may just be that you haven't quite learned what you were meant to learn though the situation.