Can a tarot reading truly answer questions?

[LadyAutumnCat]

Hello all,

I am dabbling and trying to learn the tarot, I've had readings done, and sometimes they are completely off, while some have been almost identical, I've had timeframes pass and nothing similar to what the reader said actually happen, yet I believe. My question is do the cards REALLY answer questions or is it just the luck of the draw so to speak?
I did a reading, a very rough one for my ex about a year ago and everything I came up with pointed at him leaving me, yet I denied it and he did and the reasons were the same he gave me when he left. Yet, I've done readings with the same deck for myself and nothing seems to make sense. Is it all on the cards or does our state of mind play a large role? Is it the reader or the cards that makes the difference? Overall, how telling have the cards been for you guys? I'm genuinely interested. Like I said, I believe, but don't understand the discrepancies. Can anyone offer some insight?

Thanks!!

[Dagda Moon~Lily]

Personally, I believe that the cards are the right ones laid out, it's just out insight and interpretation of those cards that are off.

Danustouch gave me a reading today that was awesome! I do think it's the reader, not the cards that make or break a reading.

Timing is a difficult thing to nail down in a reading because the future isn't set in stone. Every decision you make from the moment of the reading changes your course. The reading is just a snapshot of where you are in that moment in time.



:bubbles:

[Danustouch]

Thank you again for the compliment, Dagda. And I do agree that it is the reader..not the cards. The cards are a tool, just like any other. On your altar, it isn't your athame which holds power..it is YOU who puts the power into the athame. Same principle. The Tarot is kinda like a psychic crib-sheet, imo. In other words...if a person is open to their psychic ability, and genuinely believes in their own ability...the Cards are a Tool to access that ability. They represent Symbols to our subconcious mind. They represent archtypes. I mean..we associate swords with pain. So when we see swords in a card, we know it can often mean struggle/strife. Etc. They are archtypical symbols to our minds. They are just keys to unlock it, to get the juices flowing, and remove any blocks..imo. Plus, it is my personal opinion, that when you are sitting in front of someone, with their cards laid out, and they can look at them, look at the symbols, and kind of understand where you could get "the idea" from, they're more able to accept the message you are giving them, than if you merely said.."hey, I feel this way".

Do Tarot Cards work?????? It also depends on the person being read. It is my personal opinion, that if you go to a reading with immense skepticism, or with a "Show Me" mentality, or with fear..NO they will NOT work. You get as much out of something, as you put into it. It works like prayer, it works like magick. When you do a spell..you must believe that the spell will work. When you pray for a healing, you must believe yourself already healed. Same principle.

As for things not occuring which were shown in the cards..Dagda is right. The Cards are merely arrows pointing us in the right direction. We have ultimate control over our fate. It is called..Free Will. Sometimes, your subconcious mind remembers things that your concious mind won't. So in other words, if the cards warned you that a relationship in your future might bring pain and suffering to you, Your subconcious mind might make you stay away from a "shady charachter". Etc. You somehow, altered your fate. And I do believe that it is often our subconcious mind that makes these tiny, even imperceptible, alterations. So that is my explanation. Hope it helps you understand :)

[Emy]

I agree with Danostouch and Dagda, it depends a lot on the reader of the cards. However if one does feel that one can't read ones cards at all, perhaps one should look for another deck with symbols better fit to oneself, symbols that one has easier to associate from, symbols that speaks to oneself.

As for accuracy on readings, I have done some readings which has been incredibly accurate, and many times they really have given answers to the questions asked. But also, there is no "yes or no" cards in the deck, nothing is just black or white, you'll get answer that needs to be interpeted, and sometimes at first the cards you got can seem completly off, but most of the time, they are not, not when you look close... :) See the answers you get are just arrows pointing in different directions, just suggestions upon what could happen or what could be, we all create our fate as we go along, but the cards can give us advice on the way, it can tell us to be careful not to do the same mistake twice, or it can open our eyes to opportunities that easily could have been missed... :)

B*B

[Silver Venus]

I agree with Dagda, Danus and Emy :D & Cant really add anything more because they have said it all :D
Also I believe its like everything ~ you cant be right all the time! ~ Sometimes we get it right (hopefully most of the time) sometimes we dont because of lots of different factors and see others things that curb our reading...

If your having trouble with your deck maybe as Emy said its time to look for one that excites you and connects to your heart.
You may be just to bias to read for yourself too ;) I am allot of the time!
Were trying to set up a tarot exchange so maybe/hopefully soon we will all (who wants too) be able to exchange decks and see if other ones work allot better :D

[LadyAutumnCat]

Thanks for helping me out here, I guess I'm just at a very desperate point in my life, I am lonely and so depressed and just searching for answers. I've been turning to the tarot, and prayer, etc to help me work things out in my head and heart, and it's slowgoing. Unfortunately, I'm an Aries, and stubborness as well as impatience are some of my wonderous quirks. Ah well, in due time things will shape up. Thanks all for the wonderful advice and insight.

Incidentally, I use two decks, the Cat Lover's Tarot with the major and minor arcana and the "Lover's Tarot", which is geared towards relationships and only has the major arcana cards. I just purchased the Lover's Tarot last week and the readings have been going well with it. The Cat Lovers Tarot is the one that used to be accurate, but now is throwing me off. Any suggestions on how to pick a deck?

[Danustouch]

my suggestion is to find a deck, which symbols are rather obvios. To tell you the truth. I use the Robin Wood Tarot deck. The symbols are sooooooo clear..and they are based loosely on the Ryder Waite Tarot..which is a pretty good version, too. This deck, in particular, you really can gather a lot of info, just by looking at the images themselves. And contemplating them. I would also reccomend you read MANY tarot books, to help reinforce some of the meanings.

My hubby uses the crowley deck, and there is no way I could read from that deck. The images are just too obscure for me. What you might try to do, is to choose a card a night, and spend about at least a half hour, just looking at it, studying it, and meditating on the symbols represented...until they become lodged in your mind. You may also want to slip a card under your pillow at night, after studying it. So that while you sleep, as you dream...perhaps those symbols might show up in your dreams, and help you retain their meanings. Just a suggestion.

[Silver Venus]

Autumn, Id just say that you have to go with the one that grabs you and makes your heart sing and mind boogle! :)
Have a look round http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/index.html and see which one jumps out at you then try and do a bit more research by typing in the name of the deck in search engines and see where you get ;)
Also again, If you hold on here for a while someone may have a deck that youd like to swap your cat lovers deck for :) I couldnt find it on there but maybe Id be interested too ;)

[Silver Venus]

for a laugh!
http://www.mabels.com/cats.html
:T

[Sequoia]

ne, Lady Autumn Cat - why not make your own deck?

I made mine, and I freak people out regularly with my accuracy ^.^;; at least, with one of my friends. . . he was bouncing off the walls freaked out LOL

I think if you make them, and it doesn't even have to follow the major arcana, really. . . if you make them yourself then it's an extention of your senses, it's a very very valuable tool. Even if they're just doodles (hence my QuasiTarot hehehe)

I think the point is to have fun! ^_^ you'll probably get the best readings that way. . . IMO


btw, here's the link to the thread about making your own tarot cards. http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4438&pagenumber=1