I actually don't believe tarot works anymore

[Absynthe]

After spending 10yrs + with a deck and seeing the results of readings for myself and others I think I've come to this conclusion about tarot.

The possible combination of interpretations from any given set of cards is so huge that potentially any spread could mean anything. Sometimes you'll intuitively hit a right note and other times not at all. It doesn't actually have any benefit or accuracy beyond any other kind of analysis and possibly your intuition without tarot would have greater accuracy. For example, if you look at any of the your reading threads and the responses, the interpretations often contradict each other and the OP will usually only find one, possibly two of those interpretations to be relevant to their situation. About the same as chatting about their problem with a friend who is using brain analysis alone.

It's another one of those spiritual tools that I'm putting aside, along with the law of attraction and various other teachings on the subject. I've found a lot of it to have little practical application in life beyond helping you to think happy thoughts about situations which ultimately you have little control over.

I'm happy that people find value in it, I just don't anymore. Cool hobby but not much use beyond that.

 

[russell]

You nailed it. It’s a tool. Different people use different tools. I have a chainsaw and use it quite a bit; but I don’t expect everyone to.

As to intuition, some people like/need to have their intuition stimulated or guided by cards, and other people don’t. Some people would tell you to read the bible and pray instead, and that method must work for a lot of people. It takes all kinds to make a world.

—Russell

 

[BlackLilith]

I also had a passing thought similiar to your conclusion here..

The chances that youll get/pick the cards that actually can pertain to the question/ situation can be pretty slim. Many combinations are possible and things are constantly fluctuating meaning its the same for the cards. Plus the Cards meanings are relative with of course a general meaning already established but thats why we interpret them.. based on OUR intuition/process thought/ style of reading whatever.

So.. yea Tarot can be "useless" in a way in that sense. The specific cards one picks doesnt matter but what truly does is How theyre being interpreted. Its only a tool to channel what we may already know logically or feel in our gut.. or idk higher forces whatever floats our boats.. Though I differ on not having any practical use and for happy self delusions.
Hell when I see a reading that i dint expect or that seemed right despite how shitty and gloomy and uncomfortable it made me or other feel it showed where work needs to be done and where to leave things be. I think it helps in understanding ourselves, helping or guiding others in that too w/o being judgemental and foreseeing events that may or may not happen but by knowing we can take an active role in shaping these areas.

eh those are my two cents..

 

[Shade]

Your Mileage May Vary

For me it's not that I think Tarot "works" it's that I think divination "works." Dominoes, cards, tea leaves, none of them have some sort of scientific explanation all their own but they seem to work well with the power within us.

If I only did readings for helpful spiritual advice than yes there just isn't any way you can measure the success of something like that; but when I have used them for prediction they have been too spot on for me to see it as me just playing word association games with evocative images.

 

[Tanga]

"When you can't control what is happening, challenge yourself to control the way you respond to what is happening - that is where your power lies"


Different people use different tools to do that same thing - Tarot is just one of many of them.

 

[Saskia]

I agree and disagree.

Firstly, I agree that tarot is an intuition-prompting tool and anything and everything can work (or not work) the same way. I use clouds, fire, tree leaves etc. to help me answer questions, but it's because my subconscious can piece together the message. I also meditate and let thoughts/visions come freely, which is probably the most accurate method to pinpoint issues and see most likely directions onward.

However, I disagree that different interpretations mean they are wrong or tarot (or any other fortune telling) intuition tapping tool doesn't work. If it were possible to print out snapshots like polaroids of one's dreams, visions or thoughts, and these snapshots - say, 3-5 polaroids - were given to a person B to interpret what person A was thinking, do you think it would be a 100% accurate interpretation? I think the right material can be there, but because it's never the full picture, it's easy to "fill in the gaps" incorrectly: we each do it based on our own past, memories, experiences and personality type. Hence, there is a number of differing interpretations for each set of cards.

Yes, it's true that any combination of cards *could in theory* mean anything. The more I do readings for others, the more I think that's not the case. Why do I get anxious cards such as the Devil, heaps of conflict-indicating swords and wands for people who are struggling with something in life when they ask the question (but don't reveal what the question is), and the Sun, and happy cups etc. for people who have just found love and don't have a worry in the world? I have not kept track for a while of my readings but when I started 5 years ago, I kept track on every card I pulled and could track a statistical tendency for certain cards to pop out to herald certain matters, and these trends changed over time when my life changed. It's not enough to write a PhD on this but it's enough to be noticeable!

I agree that tarot cannot change your life for you. If you don't find a way forward and stick with it, no card can ever mean positive change because every message can be read from a cynical, sceptical or depressed viewpoint. Some things in life just are, some can't be changed, some can be tweaked to be more bearable. But it's not the fault of tarot.

 

[Nemia]

Yes, I agree and disagree. Tarot is ONE tool among many to reach beyond the rational-verbal contact with the world, to tap into our intuitive and empathic powers and expand our horizons of understanding. There are many tools that can do that. And none of them work ALL the time for EVERYBODY. It's hit and miss, like with everything else.

Not every song a songwriter writes will touch thousands of others as though it was written for them. Not every meal we cook is a great success. Not every lesson I give is unforgettable. A doctor's diagnosis can be wrong. A calming moisturizer can make you break out. Things can go wrong and they do go wrong.

Like with everything in life, there's hit and miss also in tarot. Sometimes you tune into the underlying currents of the situation, sometimes you're too wrapped up with other issues in your life, sometimes you're simply not knowledgeable enough with the cards - or don't trust your intuition.

I see tarot as visual language we as readers receive and translate into verbal language that has to touch on the emotions and the intelligence of the querent (which can be the reader). There are quite a number of variables in the transfer of that message. The tarot system used by the creator of the deck - the illustrator's skill and proximity to our sensibilities - the spread we used - the situation we are in - our understanding of the spread and the cards - the way we verbalize it - and how our querent understands it.

It absolutely doesn't surprise me that it doesn't always work like a light switch. Even light switches don't always work!

I enjoy it for the great and wonderful support and insights the cards give when it does work. I enjoy it for the learning curve and the fun I have when reading the cards. I love the tarot for the deep connections to esoteric and exoteric belief systems in our culture.

Even if my interpretation of the Emperor or the 7 of Cups in this specific spread was all wrong - the cards still reflect archetypes, ideas, elemental and numerical associations that are deeply embedded in our minds. There's always this basic rightness even when I get it wrong.

The mere act of sitting down and focusing on the cards is right, IMO, it's a right and proper thing to do. There's a problem somewhere, and we tackle it. By thinking about it, exploring its deeper meaning, trying to find the pattern of our life and where the problem fits in.

I like the symbolic image of Perseus looking into the polished shield to see the reflection of the Gorgo Medusa - to avoid being turned to stone by her gaze and to kill her. I see the tarot as this shield. Our problems are reflected in it, the answers are reflected in it - but are we able to make the right movement with our sword arm?

It's a constant challenge to keep the shield polished and positioned properly, and to react effectively to what we see reflected there. I like this challenge.

 

[Saskia]

Hi Nemia, just wanted to say that your answer is beautiful and well articulated. What an excellent way to put it

 

[DDwarks]

Hi Nemia, just wanted to say that your answer is beautiful and well articulated. What an excellent way to put it

I second this!

It's a constant challenge to keep the shield polished and positioned properly, and to react effectively to what we see reflected there. I like this challenge

That's exactly what reading the tarot is to me. I never assume I know what the card actually mean, even from past experience with it.
Every reading, every card draw is a new challenge and adventure.

 

[Debra]

I think Absynthe is describing the difference between good readings and not-so-good readings. Good readings get to the point and, in my opinion, use cards efficiently, the fewest possible to reveal the answer. Crappy readings weave elaborate bs stories about huge spreads drawn to address essentially trivial questions.

A wise woman said: The answer is almost certainly "never" if the question is, "When will my lover leave his wife?" But you already know that, don't you.