Can Tarot cards be wrong?
That is a question that many readers, veteran and new, have asked themselves on many occasions. It’s one that sitters wonder about, especially when they request a reading. This article will attempt to explain why, yes, Tarot can be wrong, but not necessarily in the ways that one might think.
The Tarot is a very ancient and mysterious form of divination. That said, anyone can learn to use it and incorporate it into their daily lives.
But all Tarot readers are different. Everyone has their own individual way of reading the cards. What works for some may not work for others, different decks call to different readers, the cards have different ways of manifesting their meanings according to the individual.
There is a famous belief within the Tarot community that the cards never lie. To a degree, that is correct. Whatever force is working behind the Tarot, it will usually answer the question you ask with both accuracy and insight. Many believe that if a reading is incorrect, it is because the reader has misinterpreted it. This is not wrong, but today we’re going to dive deeper into this question.
How Can Tarot Cards be Wrong?
Tarot cards can be wrong when the reader is too heavily invested in the subject matter, or when the reader is not grounded enough to make an accurate reading. Energy and emotions play an enormous part in card readings.
For example, let’s say that Marie is a Tarot reader. Marie is in love with John, but she wants to know if John is in love with another woman. Marie is a very intense, passionate person, and when she feels, she feels strongly. The thought of John being in love with anyone other than her terrifies her. As she shuffles the cards, she feels her heart beating out of fear. Her stomach churns and images of John and this other woman flash through her mind.
When the time comes to lay out the cards, Marie interprets the spread to mean that John is in love with another woman, either because this is what the cards are saying or because this is how Marie has interpreted it due to her overwhelming fear.
In this situation, the reality may or may not be that John is in love with another woman. But regardless, Marie’s emotional attachment to the issue has not allowed her to provide an accurate reading for herself.
Emotions can Manipulate Readings
The cards have been manipulated by Marie’s intense emotional energy and they have spread out to reflect her own fears. If you’ve ever heard the term self-fulfilling prophecy, this is a good example of that. This is a mistake that readers can make easily (especially new readers) and it is one reason why many people choose not to read Tarot for themselves. It’s very easy to misinterpret Tarot card meanings or influenced the cards due to your own intense emotional energy.
At this point, it is important for the reader to sit back and put the cards away for a while, reflecting on what happened and trying to look at things as objectively as possible.
Similarly, another reason Tarot cards can be wrong is when a reader is feeling tired, drained of energy, or emotionally numb. A tired reader may be mind-boggled at a reading that makes no sense and end up basing important decisions on an inaccurate Tarot spread. The Universal, Divine forces working behind the Tarot are unable to communicate effectively with the reader due to their own natural resources suffering depletion.
How Can We Reduce the Risk of the Cards Being Wrong?
1) Do not read when you are intensely emotionally attached to the question.
If it is a situation for how you feel about someone in particular, ask another reader to do the reading for you if you can. It is far better to avoid the cards with the absence of intense fear than to do a reading which may come out wrong and inflame that fear even more.
2) Ground yourself
It is advisable to do a 10 to 15-minute meditation session before every reading. Work with crystals and incense to help ground you and place you in a state of calm so that your mind and body can channel the information correctly. If you are doing repeated readings for people, it is important to take an adequate break between each one.
And, have some food to hand! Tarot readings require a lot of energy and you can easily become hungry!
3) If you are too tired or drained to read, then do not read
Forcing yourself to do so is extremely unhealthy and, what’s more, the reading is likely to come out inaccurate.
4) Pay attention to your reader.
If you are receiving a Tarot reading and you notice signs of fatigue, exhaustion, or dull lethargy in your reader, they may be too tired to read but might not wish to disappoint you by refusing to read, especially if you made an appointment.
Most readers will inform you that they cannot give the reading due to their lack of energy, but some may not. If you notice these signs, tell your reader you’re happy for them to do it another time. You might not have the reading you want right away, but at least you’ll drastically increase the chances of an accurate reading.
Conclusion
It is common for readers to misinterpret Tarot cards even when they are not emotionally affecting them. The cards may tell the truth, but human error is always a possibility. However, as with the two reasons given above – intense emotional attachment and drained energy resources – situations can arise when the readings themselves come out wildly inaccurate. In such instances, follow the advice given above and you can avoid such mishaps occurring in the future!
Related Article: Tarot for Pisces: Which Tarot Cards Correspond with Pisces?