Why is my Tarot Deck lying to me?

[magpie9]

This method's been working for me for over 40 years now, I recommend it highly.

When reading predictably for myself, especially on a emotional or biased issue, I Write the reading down as I go. It detaches me from it enough for it to be very clear and not reflect my mind's treadmill, or hopes or fears. It also gives me a record of my personal readings that I can check back on and see how I was accurate (or NOT) and where I took a card in a different aspect than how it was actually meant. It's been an amazing learning method for me over the years.

I should add that I am a professional, and that if I did not predict, and predict accurately, I would not be able to make a living at it, or have customers loyal for years who send their friends to me.

 

[Traveller77]

Hi Boxxleman
I'm also very new to tarot and you're most definitely not alone on this. I've been pondering a couple of the same questions you're voicing here about the cards and reading so if you're interested here're my own beginner's thoughts/theories - a newb to a newb - for what it's worth

I've also wondered about the ability to predict, and I also have experimented with the much-debated 'yes/no' thing, usually finding that neither are forthcoming. I've worked out that all my readings so far seem to be reflecting the situation/feelings at the time rather than showing me any kind of future.

One theory I have on this is that it could be that we, as beginners, aren't 'tuned in' enough yet to be able to use the cards to predict - maybe it will come with practice and time.

Another theory I have is that perhaps reading for yourself on a personal situation which has you worried is perhaps not going to produce satisfactory results because your thoughts and feelings and energies and what-not are all mixed up and panicky and therefore it's difficult for a proper reading to come through.
My situation is quite a different one from yours but it has had me worried and very anxious for a few months, and recently I've realised that reading about it when I'm stressed about it just seems to throw a load of nonsense at me and doesn't help at all, so even though I still can't resist picking the cards up in a moment of stress, I tend to pay more attention to the readings I do for myself when I've calmed down a bit, because they tend to make more sense (even if they do only reflect the present). Recently I've been very stressed about it, so I've only been going as far as a general daily draw, but now I'm going back to the cards because I'm feeling better/clearer.

Another theory of course is that it could just be me, that perhaps the reason I've been led to the tarot in the first place is to glean more insight into the present and perhaps the gift of foresight is not something meant for me. Also, so far for me the 'future/outcome' position whenever it does seem to be applicable usually is one or other of the cards which tell me 'at this point in time the situation is in limbo/rest and could go either way' or 'you're not supposed to know at this time' - which, to be fair, is quite frustrating but also probably very true of my own situation.

A theory i have on your reading however (I'm full of theories... or full of crap, I'll leave it for you to decide!) could be - as others have suggested - that because it's an important issue for you then perhaps the reading/universe was giving you what you needed to think about, rather than what you wanted to know about (as we all know that 'you can't always get what you want, but sometimes you'll get what you need' to paraphrase the 'Stones)... Let's see if I can make this clearer... Perhaps the more important issue was not so much 'is she pregnant or not?' - rather it could have been 'how would you handle it if she was?' Perhaps you're being urged to consider your feelings about fatherhood/how a pregnancy would affect your feelings about the relationship?

And of course it could also be a light reminder to be constantly on your guard against such 'accidents' if it's not something you feel you're ready for yet!

Sorry for waffling on for so long - this topic interests me because I've pondered some of these same questions and am still pondering all available theories!

 

[sharpchick]

Actually, I'd more likely interpret the High Priestess as indicating pregnancy, i.e., gestation and being consumed with inner mysteries (pregnancy long having been considered a mystery relevant to females), and the Empress as indicating mothering or nurturing instincts or spirit. Yes, I know the Empress is often depicted as a pregnant woman, but there are usually always other signs of "fruition" and the results of nurturing all around her also.

For me, the Queen of Pents is the archetypal earth mother, again nurturing people who are already here, not those who have yet to be born.

 

[spoonbender]

This is such a weird thread.

To me, the Empress and the Queen of Pentacles both showing up were very indicative of pregnancy; both cards have the connotations of fertility and motherhood. Of course they don't always mean those things (perhaps I missed it, but I didn't see anyone suggesting they do!), but in the context of this reading, with boxxleman's issue in mind, I'd have thought the cards suggest a strong possibility. That's definitely how I would have interpreted it. And, no, a tarot reading OBVIOUSLY isn't a pregnancy test (again, I didn't see anyone suggesting it is!) - does that mean you can't do a reading about pregnancy? And how far does one have to take the "just open the door"-comment? Perhaps one shouldn't do daily readings either, and instead just go out and see what the day has to bring?

The title of this thread is also very strange to me - why do so many people insist on anthropomorphizing inanimate objects? Instead of thinking tarot cards are lying to you or have given up trying to tell you the truth or have chosen to teach you a lesson or whatever, I think it's just a tad less far-fetched to accept that no one can accurately predict the future. It's as simple as that. Like Gregory, I don't think prediction and fortune-telling is the best use to put tarot to...

Spoon

 

[Debra]

Boxxle, my friend, welcome to my world, where the cards always always always tell me what I hope and fear, and when I ask for more, stick out their little cardboard tongues and tell me to use my free will.

 

[Sophie]

Hi Jeff!

I have just read your latest post. You seem to have passed over this, most important, of all the answers you received:

Context.

Context.

Context.

Neighboring cards! There is too much emphasis on single card draws, and celtic cross type spreads where the cards float like separate little islands. People are forgetting how to make a synthesis! [...]

Okay, I'm getting the feeling that all you were paying attention to all along was the Empress. Put those same three cards down, and look at them.

All three.

Now what do you see?

That's the long and short of it. You took that Empress in isolation, and so you made a mistake in reading. You drew several cards - you need to learn to interpret them together. You drew the Empress next to the King of Cups Rx: now one of the common associations for cups for the last X number of centuries is the human vessel - i.e. the womb. The King with the cup upside-down - well, his sperm did not fill her womb, or maybe her womb flushed out spontaneously what he placed there (the early miscarriage theory, which someone else mentioned). So what might have have indicated a mother - Empress, Queen of Pents - was annulled by that card.

I am also with Sharpchick on the High Priestess indicating gestation, whereas the Empress indicates nurturing of a fully-formed child.

For my part, I'll add that it is perfectly possible to read for oneself - but you need to put yourself in a calm and centred space when you are doing so. You can't read if you are a nervous wreck or dominated by fear, worry, anticipation, etc. So the first thing to do is to learn a few techniques to centre and ground yourself before you read. Do a search on this forum - many are suggested, and you might know a few yourself already. Deep breathing is one, for instance.

 

[firemaiden]

How does one read for themselves, without just being a mirror image of their mind reflecting onto the card you choose?

I think it was incredibly astute of you to notice this mirroring phenomenon.

I noticed something like that going on for me too. Either my wishes or my fears were being reflected. Personally - I think the trick is to not read for oneself very often. Sharpen the relationship to the cards reading for others and interracting with others.

 

[Mellifluous]

This thread is kinda sprawling in terms of topics covered so I'll just offer a few separate thoughts. Hope they help. If not, feel free to ignore.

1. A lot of times people 'don't get pregnant' because of spontaneous abortion very early on. It just occurs naturally. No one's fault or anything like that. So it's possible to be pregnant a few days or weeks and then lose it and not be pregnant. If you weren't anxiously awaiting the start of a period, you might not even notice. Also, stress and a trillion other things can delay a period. Also, I'll echo, it's always good to see a doctor to make sure though they tend to use the same 'take home' type tests most of the time. They just do it in the office.

2 I agree with most of the other things that have been said here, but at some point it becomes a lot of mental contortions and excuses to explain in hindsight why a reading was wrong. Which brings me to my next point...

3. People will disagree, but sometimes a reading is just wrong. Tarot's not infallible. Nothing is. Readers/humans certainly aren't infallible. Sometimes cards are tricksy, too. I seem to remember a thread on here long time ago about whether a baby would be a girl or a boy. The person drew the empress, which in their deck actually had the female symbol on it, so the consensus was 'girl'. I think the baby was a boy though. lol (Or at least the sonogram seemed to indicate so. Not sure if we heard after it was actually born.) Tarot is still a valuable tool though that works the vast majority of the time.

4. After many years of round and round with the yes/no thing, including using a simple system for a long time that was very often right, but not always right, here's what I do now. (I only do yes/no questions for myself, so far, btw.) I think about the question while shuffling and then I draw one card. As soon as I see it, meaning the artwork, I go with my gut feeling. No thinking about meanings or staring at the picture to analyze it. Instant gut feeling. Intuition. This method has been right every time so far. I've also found this an accurate method for timing questions. First thing that pops into my head when I see the card turns out to be right. No timing 'system' for tarot has ever worked for me. Maybe it's using tarot to tap into some other ability but it works for me.

5. Don't drive yourself crazy trying to 'clear your mind of everything else'. A reasonable definition of 'focus on a question' is fine. Mostly that instruction is to get you to settle down, calm down, breathe, relax, pay attention to what you're doing. If you stress yourself out about a million procedural details while trying to read, you're going to be too stressed to interpret anything (and getting headaches). So, just relax and 'think' like normal.

6. It really is hard to read for yourself when you're stressed. Just like it's harder to make decisions or be reasonable when you're stressed and not a tarot reader. That's just life. If you journal your readings, it really will reward you in lots of ways. Eventually, you'll gain confidence and experience (that you can 'remember' easily because it's written down), as well as different insights and hindsight and all that good stuff.

Best wishes for this whole situation and your tarot journey and life in general! Relax and try to have fun with the cards.

 

[Mariana]

How does one read for themselves, without just being a mirror image of their mind reflecting onto the card you choose?

My feeling is that what makes tarot work, is the fact that you subconsciously know more than your consciousness allows you to acknowledge. So here I think the cards would have been reflecting what was in your mind: a pregnancy.

People will disagree, but sometimes a reading is just wrong. Tarot's not infallible. Nothing is. Readers/humans certainly aren't infallible. Sometimes cards are tricksy, too. I seem to remember a thread on here long time ago about whether a baby would be a girl or a boy. The person drew the empress, which in their deck actually had the female symbol on it, so the consensus was 'girl'. I think the baby was a boy though. lol

I remember this thread. To me it proved what I just said, that the cards can only reflect to you what your subconscious nows. So to me the answer of the cards here was: 'all we can tell you is that she's pregnant, duh.'

 

[Ann Yu]

I think Tarot didn't lie you. The Empress came out so always, I think that's because you were thinking too much and too strongly that your gf was pregnant. And that mood influence your spreading and reading. Meanwhile, when we do a Tarot reading, we must focus and don't let what we thought is the come out control you.