“But Does It Work?”
AUTHOR’S NOTE: If dismay among junior members of the online tarot community is any indication, it’s not uncommon for beginners to expect far more factual accuracy and predictive discernment from a tarot reading than it is reasonably able to deliver, causing many new readers to question its usefulness. Lack of observable success leads to disillusionment, and they frequently vent their frustration during group discussions by asking forlornly “Does this stuff even work?”
As a confirmed skeptic when it comes to intuitive guesswork in the service of idle curiosity, but with an equally profound belief in the value of subconscious vaticination (your new word for today) when used cautiously, I’ve learned not to put too fine a point on the presumed infallibility of my forecasts. I’ll start with a general narrative that arises from an overview of the cards and then “dial it in” more diligently with specific details while never letting my imagination run wild. If we as diviners remain prudent and unbiased in our pronouncements we will seldom be blindsided by something we failed to “get right.” Jumping to conclusions benefits neither our professional credibility nor the querent’s peace-of-mind when those off-the-cuff assertions prove to be unfounded.
While acknowledging that my personal style is more analytical than mystical (which, I must say, can promote needless massaging of the basic facts), I also admit that a little “slop in the gears” (to use an old hot-rodder’s term) is necessary to permit seamless integration of any clinical outlook we obtain from the cards with the much more fluid reality that is typically handed to us by circumstances. The cognitive faculties must still be married to the intuitive precognition (and vice versa) at some level, although on the other hand it is far too easy to abandon critical thinking and default to “psychic navel-gazing” as the path of least resistance (in which case objectivity and plausibility often fly out the window).
As a source of reliable insight about the future, the tarot — particularly when read remotely and not face-to-face — is little better than the biblical “darkened glass” that can usually offer intimations of the truth but only rarely gives perfect testimony. If we anticipate receiving hints about possible developments expressed as tendencies or trends in forthcoming events that are almost always susceptible to conscious redirection, we will be on much firmer ground than if we attempt to present “chapter-and-verse” of a querent’s emerging life story. Obviously, we must inform our sitters with some precision before we can empower them, but there is little profit in trying to exceed the capability of our instruments.
The best advice I can offer novices is to cultivate two opposite but complementary viewpoints when assessing the validity of divination: the first appears in Hamlet’s wise words to Horatio that encourage belief: “There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy;” the second echoes the cynical remark of rival entrepreneur David Gannon about P.T. Barnum’s gullible customers, one that fosters healthy doubt: “There’s a sucker born every minute.” The goal should be to exemplify the open-minded practitioner of rational inquiry but also avoid becoming a gullible sucker who swallows every bite of spurious tarot wisdom without first thoroughly chewing it (YouTube followers take note.) When conducting a tarot reading it is best to “walk softly and carry a big QA” (aka questioning attitude or quality assurance, take your pick).
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on June 4, 2024.
