I’ve had a number of request for readings lately, both here and on other sites, where the seeker has asked, but the card that shows up appears to be unrelated to their question. This can be frustrating and even downright annoying to them, however, I have learned over the years to go with it.
Often the question asked is what is uppermost in the client’s mind, but it isn’t relevant to the most important issue that s/he needs to address. It may be something they are aware of, or it may be something that hasn’t surfaced yet. So rather than try to force the card into answering the question, I reveal the thoughts that it inspires in my own conscious. That’s not right, I hear you say, the whole point of tarot is that it should give answers to our most pressing concerns. Well, yes, exactly – but maybe what you think is a pressing concern, isn’t.
Let me explain. A lot of questions I get asked will be answered by the normal passage of time… for instance, “Will I receive the exam result I need?” Well, yes, no, maybe – you just have to wait for the result. Getting an answer to that question is pretty much useless.
Let’s just try that and see what happens.
Dear Tarot, will my client receive the exam results she needs to get on that course she wants to do?
Card: Seven of Cups
My interpretation:
Dear Client, I’m not sure you are convinced that the course is the right one for you. I think you are having second thoughts and perhaps you are being pulled in another direction. It is possible that you have selected this course because you are trying to follow a conventional path; one that has been mapped out for you for some time. My advice to you is to allow your dreams to wander and your thoughts to consider other options. Perhaps your dream is to travel but you can’t do that if you are tied into study. Maybe you want to run a small business or write a novel. Find out what really lights your spark and consider ways to make it happen.
See what I mean? The cards don’t always give you what you want, but rather what you need to hear. Now, my client may well get good results in her exam, and she may well embark on the course she already decided on. However, the idea that there are alternatives has been planted and could help her, if not right now, then sometime in the future.
What do you think? How do you make it work for you as a reader? Do you shoehorn the card meaning to fit the question, or do you go with the flow?
Wow, thank for this.
I would ask the cards, and have been asking, about my ex. “Are they over me?” “Will I ever talk to the again?” “Will O be Okay’?
Haha…my reading pretty much ignored that all together, it’s been over 6 months and nothing! (Maybe once it spoke about this, but never again.) It loves to talk about my career, staying focused, the outcome, etc. Most of the time, no matter what I ask, it’ll give me career related information.
I’m really grateful that I’m always checked and put back on firm ground. I am relentlessly obsessed with petty things, in particularly thilat bad relationship, so the patience bestowed upon me is amazing. Lol
This is a great comment and perfectly illustrates what is happening. The thing is, it’s not the tarot answering you, it’s your ‘higher consciousness’ or the ‘universal consciousness’, who knows? This intelligence, for want of a better word, knows that those questions weren’t important to you. There was one part of your mind that was focused on something that was no longer in your best interest. Therefore, the cards (higher consciousness) would only give you information that would be helpful. The really good thing is that you recognise what the lesson is… and now you have, I’m sure your readings will give you so much depth and insight. x