Does action/inaction change the outcome?

Ok so I have a question about what tarot actually picks up on. I recently had a falling out with a friend because of something stupid that I did. I did not immediately apologize or reach out because I was unsure what to say, and wanted to give my friend some time to cool down. In the mean time (within a few days of the incident), I got a tarot reading done on the subject asking whether our friendship could be saved, and the reading very accurately picked up on the fact that I had done something wrong, and that there was a rift between my friend and I. The card that depicted me showed inaction (4 of cups), my friend's card depicted lost hope for the future (reversed star), and the outcome card depicted a reversed 5 of swords.

My question is, how long is that reading good for? It's been a few more days, I've had time to gather my thoughts, and I now plan on approaching and sincerely apologizing to this person. Does my action of apologizing change the potential outcome of the reading? Or would it still hold true?

It's hard to clarify what I'm trying to ask. Does a reading read the current situation/current outcome between us, as things stood at the time of the reading? Or does the reading read the future outcome, of what would happen down the road, potentially even after me apologizing? Because it showed inaction on my part (because I hadn't taken action yet), I started thinking maybe it was just reading the current situation. I'm not a total newbie, but because this reading was so personal to me, it kind of sparked some new questions about how tarot actually works.

In my opinion, and it's strictly that, you may have asked the wrong question to begin with. You clearly would like to salvage the friendship so it's really irrelevant whether it's "possible" or not. A better question might be whether it's the right time to approach your friend. With most things timing is everything and can make all the difference. I think it's good you gave it a cooling off period but I wouldn't wait too long, that'll kill it for sure. Best of luck.

Abrac said:

In my opinion, and it's strictly that, you may have asked the wrong question to begin with. You clearly would like to salvage the friendship so it's really irrelevant whether it's "possible" or not. A better question might be whether it's the right time to approach your friend. With most things timing is everything and can make all the difference. I think it's good you gave it a cooling off period but I wouldn't wait too long, that'll kill it for sure. Best of luck.

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Hmm, I see what you mean. Wouldn't that assume that the other person (my friend) is open to me approaching them in the first place though? I basically just wanted to know if we would reconcile and if they would continue to be in my life. But at the time she did the reading, I hadn't taken any action either way. So now I'm thinking maybe it's better to take action prior to a reading, so that the outcome card would be based on your most recent actions? Blah this whole thing is confusing me now! lol.

This doesn't answer your question as such, but I'm seeing this 4C as a lack of interest in apologizing altogether, not just waiting for a good time to do so. The friendship may have been dissatisfying to you on some level, inducing a "something stupid" sabotage of it: The 5 of Swords doesn't smell right, here, so if the relationship is reactivated, there may be ongoing issues of a similar kind... Something about this person -- starry-eyed over-optimism, perhaps, or seeming inaccessibly "perfect"/too good to be true -- could be triggering hurtful, cruel behaviour in you which would only continue. (Just an impression that came though for these cards; it may not apply at all. Cheers.)

IndigoWaves said:

This doesn't answer your question as such, but I'm seeing this 4C as a lack of interest in apologizing altogether, not just waiting for a good time to do so. The friendship may have been dissatisfying to you on some level, inducing a "something stupid" sabotage of it: The 5 of Swords doesn't smell right, here, so if the relationship is reactivated, there may be ongoing issues of a similar kind... Something about this person -- starry-eyed over-optimism, perhaps, or seeming too "perfect"/too good to be true -- could be triggering hurtful, cruel behaviour in you which would only continue. (Just an impression that came though for these cards; it may not apply at all. Cheers.)

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The 5 of swords was reversed, so I don't know if that makes a difference at all... Not terribly far off, this person was my friend, but very hot and cold emotionally, led me on quite a bit. Lots of games on his end, he's definitely got some issues of his own. I was already annoyed by all of that, so then I reacted out of insecurity. At the time of the reading, I probably didn't want to apologize because I had no idea what to say and was very depressed for a few days over it all. I since thought it over and realized its the right thing to do either way, regardless of how he receives it. That's partly why I'm wondering if an outcome card still stands after deciding to take action, it almost makes me afraid to do anything! lol.

I think looking back, maybe I should have waited to get the reading until I was in a calmer/clearer state of mind. Then perhaps asked what the outcome would be if I approached with an apology? Or even waited until after apologizing to get the reading done in the first place? That way it would have reflected the most current state of things, not just the state of things immediately after it happened, if that's how it works. Or maybe the reversed 5 will still be the outcome even with an apology? No idea if it was reading the future or just current state of things. Blah. At this point I just want to fix things and move on, hopefully with the friendship in tact but who knows.

I would just get on and clean up the relationship. Bull-by-the-horns.
Pondering 'what if' will drive you nuts - as it already is... whilst the window for cleanup gets
smaller.
Do your best to "fix things and move on" as you say.

...5 of Swords reversed...hmmm. When you "bury the hatchet"... the hatchet is still there...
and here is where I would see the "ongoing issues" that IndigoWaves speaks of.
You mention games, and being led on. So can that be cleared up - or do you accept a continuation of it, if you continue to be friends?

Good luck!

ilikeskittles said:

The 5 of swords was reversed, so I don't know if that makes a difference at all... Not terribly far off, this person was my friend, but very hot and cold emotionally, led me on quite a bit.

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My sense of the 5 of Swords' reversal was/is that its (upright) energy and related behaviour will just keep "coming back" (Rx) if the relationship is reinstated/retained. Apologizing is one thing, but you may do well to avoid additional involvement and look elsewhere for friendship; this card is far from a positive sight when it comes to relating. If your 4C dissatisfaction is rooted in his being "out of reach"/inaccessible in some desired way (Star Rx), the resulting frustrations, resentments and unpleasant swordsy encounters will likely repeat as long as he's focused on. It really seems like he's triggering negative feelings and reactions in you, not bringing out your best at all.

Thanks for all the insight! It's greatly appreciated and I have lots to think about now from various perspectives. Keep in mind though this particular reading wasn't done on the relationship as a whole, just on this specific incident. I don't really have any expectations for him other than I just want the friendship back the way it was, if that's possible going forward. I'm not questioning the cards themselves as much as I'm wondering how far ahead an outcome card is good for.. ie. does it usually just read the immediate outcome at the time the question is asked? or does it look ahead to the future outcome down the road? That was more what I was confused about, whether action or inaction at the time of the reading itself affects what the outcome of the reading is. Does that make sense? I just put the background info/cards in for context. Maybe I just made it more confusing lol.

ilikeskittles said:

I'm not questioning the cards themselves as much as I'm wondering how far ahead an outcome card is good for.. ie. does it usually just read the immediate outcome at the time the question is asked? or does it look ahead to the future outcome down the road? That was more what I was confused about, whether action or inaction at the time of the reading itself affects what the outcome of the reading is.

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If the people involved remain essentially the same, and the situation doesn't change unexpectedly along the way (which none of these cards foreshadow), then this reading is looking down the road... But instead of providing a simple "Yes" or "No" answer when asked for -- too limiting for Tarot cards -- they tend to point out what's going on behind the scenes, or what led up to the question/motivations... So, Yes/No readings can come out like: "Yes, but would it really make you happy? Take a closer look..." or "No, but it's for the best, because..." (I could see either one applying in this case.)

It does to some extent, but it depends on how clearly you interpret the outcome card.

I for example once got the Tower for the future of a job, and it made sense to me. No matter what I do or don't from that point on, it wouldn't matter.

If you get a "bad" card for the outcome of anything, ask how can you lessen the effect. A very dramatic change of attitude may be needed to change the outcome (if it's not already too late or if it's destined), yet Tarot interprets our current patterns at the time of the reading.

I think you need to trust your judgement and be realistic as to what you can change or not.