When the Tarot Gives Counter-Intuitive Advice

[Sentient]

I was wondering if readers would be willing to share instances when you were reading for a client (on the board or off), and the cards' advice seemed to be directly opposite what you normally would have advised without the cards.

How did you handle it? How did it turn out?

For interest, here is what two experienced tarotists had to say about this:

Barb Meyer from Chicago: "Keep your opinions to yourself" 2016.03.08
http://www.bgmeyer.com/keep-your-opinions-to-yourself.html

Ginny Hunt from DC: "On the Bias" 2008.06.21
https://78notes.blogspot.com/2008/06/on-bias.html

 

[rwcarter]

Only speaking for myself, if I were going to give the advice that I wanted to give, I wouldn't do a reading. I use the cards to get to the message that I'm supposed to give my querent. If that message is different from the one I would be inclined to give, I'd give the card's message.

For example, if my advice was "don't jump off the cliff!" but the tarot's message was, "of course, jump off the cliff!", then I'd tell the client to jump off the cliff. Jumping off the cliff may be the necessary starting point to a chain of reactions that gets the client to the place they need to be longer term. But if I tell them not to jump off the cliff (cause that's not what I'd do if it were me), I could be stopping (or even just delaying) them from getting to where they need to be. And that would be a disservice to them.

Rodney

 

[schizandra]

I think it's difficult enough as it is for us to keep our own prejudices and experiences from coloring our readings. So when the cards seem to be indicating advice that goes against what we ourselves would advise, then I think it's probably communicating to us in a very blatant way. If the message was more subtle, our prejudices may cause us to miss it. If it got through to you (someone who is generally opposed to whatever it is the cards are saying), then it's a strong enough message to get past your personal resistance. Therefore, don't ignore or alter the message when you give it to the client.

 

[Grizabella]

Only speaking for myself, if I were going to give the advice that I wanted to give, I wouldn't do a reading. I use the cards to get to the message that I'm supposed to give my querent. If that message is different from the one I would be inclined to give, I'd give the card's message.

For example, if my advice was "don't jump off the cliff!" but the tarot's message was, "of course, jump off the cliff!", then I'd tell the client to jump off the cliff. Jumping off the cliff may be the necessary starting point to a chain of reactions that gets the client to the place they need to be longer term. But if I tell them not to jump off the cliff (cause that's not what I'd do if it were me), I could be stopping (or even just delaying) them from getting to where they need to be. And that would be a disservice to them.

Rodney

But---but---but, Rodney! I can't swim!

Seriously, too many readers, unfortunately, read their own opinions into the cards in front of them. In order to read ONLY what the cards say, it requires that you be able to turn off your judgments and just read the cards. That's not always easy to do. Tarot isn't a tool to give us power over other people and cause others to go "wow! man this person is really something special!" Tarot is a tool for people to use when they want to genuinely help people with questions they have that will be helpful and useful in their lives. They want the best for that person in front of them and can have enough humility to realize that they personally aren't able to give the best advice witout the cards. The cards give more impartial and non-opinionated answers than we could.

 

[rwcarter]

But---but---but, Rodney! I can't swim!

For all we know there could be a very short drop and a very soft landing at the bottom of that cliff....

Rodney

 

[morenah]

I'm in total agreement with Rodney.

Plus+++ the advice card, I read literaly, I just don't understand why some people like to twist it till it completly loses it's original meaning.

I'm a tarot reader, I'm supposed to tell the querent what's the cards advice, not mine, because if that was the case I'll be a coach/counselor and not a tarot reader.

 

[FLizarraga]

I'm in complete agreement with Rodney, Grizabella, et al. Only I can't say that I'm able to turn off my judgments --now THAT is hard.

What I have learned to do is to acknowledge them but keep the message of the cards free from them. Like, for example: "Well, you know, this sounds really counterintuitive, even to myself, but what the cards are saying is that you should jump off the cliff..."

And, you know, sometimes what sounds counterintuitive to the reader makes perfect sense to the querent.

 

[Barleywine]

For me, style and delivery can finesse an unpalatable message in a way that is easier to swallow without blunting its impact. Death and the Tower are two cards where the intimidation factor has to be turned on its head before insight can emerge. It's definitely one of the most delicate arts in the tarot reader's entire arsenal of narrative techniques. I find my greatest allies in metaphor, fable, anecdote and other elements of the story-teller's art that often allow oblique entry of the message into the querent's consciousness. A dialogue usually ensues that fleshes out the bare bones of my inspiration. This entire evolution is one of the most stimulating and rewarding challenges presented to the reader. Note that I don't dilute or de-focus the message, I just give it color and life in a more imaginative way.

 

[geoxena]

In my view, the cards don't "give advice." People give advice, based on their interpretation of the cards, and other factors. I see tarot cards as simply tools that help us tap into our intuition (aka inner knowledge). When I read, I steer clear as best as I can NOT to give advice of any kind, nor to predict the future. I'm not a fortune-teller. I just don't think that is what the cards are for. For me, the cards are about opportunities, choices, possibilities, things like that.

 

[Grizabella]

I'm in complete agreement with Rodney, Grizabella, et al. Only I can't say that I'm able to turn off my judgments --now THAT is hard.

What I have learned to do is to acknowledge them but keep the message of the cards free from them. Like, for example: "Well, you know, this sounds really counterintuitive, even to myself, but what the cards are saying is that you should jump off the cliff..."

And, you know, sometimes what sounds counterintuitive to the reader makes perfect sense to the querent.

How about giving them directions how to build a hang glider?

Seriously, your answer is a good one. That's a good way to handle it.