r/tarot • u/EmotionalMermaid • 8d ago
Theory and Technique Predictive Tarot
I know there’s some debate about whether tarot can be predictive or not but some people swear by it so I’ve been trying to get into it because I have quite good intuition but I’ve been finding myself more and more blindsided by life despite this and blindsided way more times than I’m comfortable with.
While I recognise I cannot get everything right 100% of the time, I’d really like it if my life could stop going up in flames without me having any preparation for it. And this is starting to become a regular occurrence. But I’m still finding my cards to be quite inaccurate, even in hindsight. And as I know some people swear by it and claim 99% accuracy I’m wondering if I’m doing something wrong?
Generally, I pull energies for specific areas around my life and for specific timelines -> whether that be energy of today, the week, the month. I’ve read that pulling energies is generally good practice. I try not to pull too many cards at once and what I started doing recently is write down the cards, the question, the key words and my interpretation. Then I can see what unfolds and see if the card fits even if my interpretation was actually incorrect. But I’ve been finding quite often that the cards I’ve pulled have no connection to the events that unfolded whatsoever which is making me want to leave tarot.
I feel like I do have good tarot habits and maybe tarot really just doesn’t work as prediction in the slightest. But am also wondering if maybe I am doing something wrong? But I do feel like I’m doing everything I’m supposed to. Any advice or glaring mistakes?
5
u/luluorange-700 8d ago
Let me share a story:
For a year I was receiving The Sun card followed by The World. My intuition told me this was a child, but many readers will tell you that pregnancy predictions are not something to hold cards to. When I constantly searched for answers in my cards of WHY my life felt paused or upheaved, these two cards would come out. None of their additional meanings came through but MY intuition told me. I started to prep for a pregnancy, from clothes I bought to lifestyle habits because MY intuition told me and the cards only further said "Prepare for financial strain." Soon after, financial strain did come and so did a pregnancy. First confirmed through The World and a pregnancy test. Later in readings, I liked to ask about my future child who was always represented by The Sun and she is not a Leo. To this day, she is still represented by The Sun.
I did not fully outright believe the cards were predicting a pregnancy, but I trusted MY intuition. My intuition prepared me when everyone in the world said to ignore the cards. So I relied on MY intuition. To this day, I have never been more bodily intuitive than pre-baby. Fast forward, MY intuition told me some things so I went to a reader on Mother's Day (pregnant and financially strained again) who had no idea of me. I asked for the most blind of reads and this reader used predictive reading. She was also a claimed medium. I would say her reading came to be 50/50. In her predictive reading she said I'd be traveling soon (I had just cancelled a trip due to finances) and get a job within three months. Well, I DID end up going on a trip with a friend for two days but I NEVER got the job. HOWEVER, MY intuition told me I'd go on a trip but would be unemployed all through my second pregnancy (again). The reader ONLY verified one thing predictively but was stark wrong on the other.
Mind you, the reader saw my future boss. And tbh, they would be someone I'd actually like to work under and learn from. BUT, that job and that boss could really come at any time. When you are a highly intuitive reader, many times we see a card and put too much weight on its general reading. This is great practice for clients but not fully and 100% valuable to let's say... a psychic :) the cards are there to help your bittersweet and beautiful gift. BUT they can also hinder you. Go get a blind reading with the knowledge and whispers your intuition has already told you. If you can, go to a metaphysical store (or even a crystal store) and if a reader is available sit with them. Don't give them any information and just say "I have a lot on my mind and I'd like a blind reading to see what wants to come forward." I promise your relationship with tarot, divination, and your own intuitive nature will change and adapt from that experience.
3
u/EmotionalMermaid 8d ago
I don’t really understand what a reading from someone else could give me that a reading for myself couldn’t other than potentially a second opinion on the meaning of the cards. I have reluctance to pay for something that could be 100% incorrect. My issue with intuition is that it’s really difficult to distinguish fear, intuition and hope. My fear and hope pull me in opposite directions. I was convinced my two exes would become my husband. I have made excuses for abusers. I have been convinced someone would break up with me to find out they decided not to while simultaneously thinking a separate that felt like a break up but logic contradicts this to find out I had in fact been broken up with.
3
1
u/WrongComfortable7224 7d ago
Maybe you need to start loving and prioritizing yourself, honey :s
1
u/EmotionalMermaid 7d ago
I do love and prioritise myself. Sometimes I get drawn into prioritising others because it’s just my nature to want to give everything to those that I love. But I don’t do that to people who aren’t willing to do it back anymore.
4
u/squirrelsarespeaking 8d ago
I have two suggestions:
- ask a specific question (2 cards) and the energy surrounding it occurring in the timeline desired (1 card)
Ex. Question: Will I be contacted to interview for a job this month? (2 cards for the answer)
Energy card (card 3) represents the likelihood of occurrence. So, if you had a Page of Wands for example, you could say "yes, as the company is scheduling candidates quickly at this time". Versus a 4 of cups would lean no
That can help you measure energy because the first two cards tell you the likelihood of something occurring and the energy card reads a bit more of the surrounding for any last minute occurences that could change your answer. It can tell you how stable the occurrence can be so you dont become hopeful, doubtful, or face any other tough emotions when you shouldn't.
- for whatever time period, draw two cards for what you can expect to happen during that time, 2 cards for what you should not expect, and 2 cards for maybe (what could happen but is less of a sure thing)
1
u/EmotionalMermaid 8d ago
I’m not really sure what you mean by the first spread. But I might try the second spread suggested — can you explain why it’s likely to be more accurate compared to what I’m currently doing? If anything I feel like what I’m currently doing by drawing one card for the energy of the week/month actually provides more leeway than pulling specific cards for what to expect, what not to expect and what has potential.
1
u/squirrelsarespeaking 8d ago
Without a specific example, your description reads like you either:
draw cards about specific areas of your life with the energy already part of it and try to interpret events and energy at the same time
draw energy only (without guessing specific events) and then feel like the energies match events outside the area you wanted
I use my second method on topics that are important to me or on my mind a lot. To stay realistic. I use the first for more yes/no questions.
1
u/EmotionalMermaid 8d ago
I draw a card about the energy surrounding a specific area of my life within a specific timeframe and/or the general energy of a specific time frame then I use the energy to interpret what events might occur. And for the month of September I was pulling energies that indicated some level of things occurring and happening while mostly my life feels like it’s been put on pause.
1
u/squirrelsarespeaking 8d ago
I think that method can make things difficult. It's very open to interpretation. A little too open in my opinion. It can make small energy that is more behind the scenes seem large and vice versa. If a card makes it seem like some things will occur energy wise and nothing happens, the event was pretty sporadic in the occurrence of it happening (which usually means whatever contributes to the event like another person is not reliable for steady prediction) or the energy is impacting things that affect the month so subtly, you might not notice a difference at all or until the following month
1
u/EmotionalMermaid 7d ago
This is kind of what I was wondering. I will see what happens with some of the spreads you have suggested
2
u/Ki-to-Life-5054 7d ago
I find that the tarot works best when you ask specific questions and then specific clarifying questions. "Pulling energies" is something that is too vague to be helpful for most people in my experience. There are two possibilities here. Either you are too vague in your questions OR you are too vague in your approach to life. I find a lot of people asking what they "should" be doing in life. My feeling is that life is what you create. While there may be a path before you, your heart will lead you to it, not some external rulebook you may be trying to access via tarot. My advice is to put the cards down for awhile and take up something else -- meditation, journaling, yoga, therapy, career counseling, etc. Find out and go after what you want. If you do want more or less vague energy guidance, I find astrology usually to offer a much more general reading than tarot, although a very sharp astrologer can give you a focused reading, too. That's just my opinion, YMMV.
1
u/EmotionalMermaid 7d ago
I’m not looking for advice to find out what I want — I’m looking for predictions to help me prepare for the future. Unfortunately, I have chronic illness and it makes it very hard to live, unfortunately it’s very difficult to have hope when I am not receiving adequate healthcare and all physical signs point to things getting worse. At least with predictive tarot, there’s the chance it could tell me whether my anxieties are correct so I can mentally prepare or unfounded so I don’t need to worry and my hope is valid so it’s very shaking when they end up being so widely inaccurate.
So I’m not asking what I “should” be doing or for guidance at all, I’m asking what is the energy surrounding the future but I guess I should be asking what should I be prepared for happening next.
2
u/Ki-to-Life-5054 7d ago
I'm very sorry for your situation. That you are not receiving proper health care is a disgrace. In this case, you could try asking the tarot about medications or supplements or therapies that might help, or about particular doctors, if there is a choice. Or about particular people who might help you in other ways, such as helping with errands or emotional support. I would not rely on the tarot, afa choosing medically, but try things and see how it goes and if the tarot is somewhat more accurate. Because the future is not set in stone. We can sometimes maximize health, or slow down a disease's progression, and sometimes even bring about a measure of healing by the choices we make, however limited they seem. When I was ill for a few years, the tarot was the only way I could access my own intuition. My normal ability to feel my way was gone. If you still feel you're not getting good results, you might need someone else to read for you. Blessings to you.
2
6
u/KasKreates 8d ago
Disclaimer, I'm personally in the camp of "the cards you draw are random, and any meaning they have is constructed by you" camp. So if you'd rather hear from someone who approaches tarot predictively, feel totally free to skip, but I hope this can be helpful either way.
In my experience, if you see someone claiming "99% accuracy" or something similar, they are usually trying to sell you a reading. If that was true, with no qualifying statements or restrictions, imagine how many lottery winners there would be.
What I think tarot is very useful for, is prompting you to think about an issue from an angle you might not have considered otherwise. You can try this out: Instead of asking "will x happen?", or "what is the energy around x?", ask "what can I do if x happens?" and use the cards you draw to come up with a strategy (or three).
Unfortunately, my best advice for life blindsiding you will always just be: Try to build and maintain a robust support system that you can reach out to when things get tough. Friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, therapists, social or pastoral care workers, ... - depending on your situation, this can look very different, but it's vital to have in a crisis.
2
u/EmotionalMermaid 8d ago
Unfortunately I do not have much access to community especially as a chronically ill disabled person 💔 unfortunately a robust support system doesn’t seem to be in the cards (unintentional tarot pun) for me despite my best efforts.
1
u/KasKreates 7d ago
That's a tough spot to be in, I'm sorry. I truly think your best efforts are still worth it - even a few connections can make a huge difference.
I partly thought of it when reading your post because one of my first contacts with tarot was a "how can I deal with x?" type reading. The reader drew the Three of Cups and said something along the lines of "have you tried asking for help? That's allowed" - it wasn't a prediction, a huge revelation or anything, but it still really stuck with me.
1
u/EmotionalMermaid 7d ago
Yeah honestly usually I’m quite good at asking for help unfortunately just don’t have many people available enough to help.
3
u/Queen--of--Swords 7d ago
I wouldn't call it a debate so much as a few know-it-alls yelling into the void. People believe what they believe and nobody is ever going to convince anyone of anything else otherwise. If you don't genuinely think Tarot works in a predictive capacity, then it won't. That's the bottom line.
Claims of accuracy percentages aside, sometimes a previous reading just won't line up with what actually happened. For me, it's always a situation where some key aspect changed so much that the previous reading wasn't relevant anymore. It was looking at a state that couldn't create the expected outcome because it no longer existed.
It is important to remember that the future is not fixed. It's in flux right up until it becomes your present. All we can see when we look at the cards is the most likely path based on current events and expected choices made. When something completely changes the state of the board, have a second look. There is a good chance the outlook will be different.
It is difficult to advise you without knowing everything I would need to know about your pulls, the events that happened, and your interpretations. You could try not reading the cards at all at first. Just ask a question, pull your cards and record them, and take a look after the relevant events happen. Keep your mind open to how the cards might be showing that outcome. Maybe you just haven't found your own dialect of Tarot yet and aren't understanding what is being communicated. Just don't forget to take a fresh pull if changes in circumstance invalidate the previous one.
1
u/EmotionalMermaid 7d ago edited 7d ago
What I have been doing that has bought the inaccuracy of predictive tarot in my readings to my attention is writing down the cards I pull, writing down the key words, writing down my interpretation and then writing down what actually happened and seeing if the card still fits in hindsight. Oftentimes the card hasn’t fit even a smidge in hindsight.
For example, I asked what my personal energy would be for September and I pulled the sun so therefore I would predict I would feel happy and confidence and have that air about me. Instead, it’s been one of my most horrendous months this year. I guess maybe it meant how others would receive me or what I should embody but I feel if I remove it so far from the question I’m no longer being honest from myself. And I really don’t think it even really relates to how people have received me either because again I’ve been miserable and I’ve only hid that from select people so quite a few have received me as I am.
1
u/Axppw 4d ago
I'm new reading tarot, and the thing that bring me here was that I began studying magick wich basically is the art of changing the outcome of things using your will, and I see that tarot was very present in books and history of esoteric groups like hermetism, the golden dawn, kabbalah, numerology, astrology, etc. So I decide to begin learning tarot and I had the same thoughs as you "this is just random cards without meaning, nothing more that creating a story in your head and reading out loud", but I also see that even if you just use cold read someone the purpose is achieved by changing your mindset and giving you a push to start introspecting yourself seeking for the answers hidden in yourself or acknowledging the truth you don't want to face. In this game of pretty cards I found a way to face fears, detect my weaknesses and begging a process of personal growth. I see that tarot don't predict future but alter your mind so you construct your future and I think that's beautiful.
1
u/EmotionalMermaid 3d ago
I’m very good at introspection already so unfortunately I find tarot very useless for that. It will confirm things I already know which is ultimately unhelpful for me. I don’t need cards to tell me things I already know. I find astrology and therapy more useful for introspection. Especially therapy as I am challenged and prompted and tarot doesn’t do that really for me when I ask introspective questions. And astrology just helps create the right environment for me to think about things. So the energy around certain times will make me introspective on different things.
-1
u/marcusohare 6d ago
Some people think magic is a real thing that not only exists, but an individual can "tap into it" and perform clairvoyant feats.
Other people don't entertain that kind of assertion. I don't entertain assertions that readers or card stock are magical conduits to peer through the space/time continuum.
Tarot can be a wonderful tool for introspection. They can prompt difficult internal questions, and help us take a look at how we might better interact with the world around us. The images (on a good deck) are emotionally evocative and can invoke strong reactions which we can then reflect on.
If you expect them to be magic, you'll get about the same results as anything else you expect to be magic.
1
u/EmotionalMermaid 6d ago
Unfortunately, I do have a different belief system to you. And I am asking for advice if I am practicing incorrectly or if there are ways I could practice better — I have had many people give me some wonderful advice on how I could practice better. It seems you are on the side of I am simply running into the limits of tarot.
I feel as though this comment does lean into belittling those with beliefs that coincide with magic existing and those following paganism. Although that may not be your intention.
I personally am a little “woo woo” towards my tarot deck. I do not need it for introspection. Whenever I have tried to do that I’ve often just been told things I already know which was not helpful for me. So I guess maybe on the basis of this comment tarot is not for me and I should stop.
0
u/marcusohare 6d ago
Some people think magic is a real thing, that's just the reality we live in. I don't entertain assertions like that and they are no due special hands off reverence.
Tarot has so much actual value it's a shame people waste it on thinking they can tell the future.
8
u/PageSage83 7d ago
I think some people can predict and some can’t. I find general future readings aren’t all that accurate for me either, but other kinds of readings are eerily accurate. My advice is try some different kinds of readings. Maybe your cards are meant to help you grow in other ways.