Having spent nearly a decade as a professional tarot reader, I’ve read the cards for Beauties in all stages of growth and struggle. I’ve seen clients rise and make radical changes, and I’ve seen them stay stuck and resist change. I’ve watched many evolve and blossom over several years, making gains and experiencing setbacks in the ways we all do. In other words, I’ve been in the game long enough to know what a tarot reading can and can’t do for a person, and how unrealistic expectations and a refusal to do the work can sabotage a reading before it starts.
We often come to tarot readings with oversized hopes of what they can accomplish: fix our love lives, get us our dream jobs, and even make us rich. If we don’t temper our expectations enough to acknowledge the tarot’s limitations, we risk leaving a reading unmotivated to set out on the path it illuminates for us.
Since I want everyone to come away from their readings hopeful and motivated, I decided to write a little essay about what tarot simply can’t do. And because so many of you who know me from Youtube signed up for the newsletter last week, I made an accompanying video so you can watch instead of read if it strikes your fancy!
A Tarot Reading Can’t Give You a Yes or No Answer
I’ve tried asking, Beauties—countless times. And guess what? I’ve never received a straight answer. This is because the tarot inspires exploration, not affirmation. Through imagery, symbolism, and meaning, the tarot encourages you to consider a situation from all sides and use what you discover to make the best decision you can. It doesn’t declare that something is or isn’t so; rather, it gives you the insight you need to make that assessment on your own.
Some cards read positive and others read negative (like the Ten of Cups and the Devil, for example), and you can assign them “yes” and “no” meanings accordingly. However, this approach subverts the expansive flavor of tarot and never quite delivers anyway, so it’s not the best way to use the cards (if you’re looking for divination tools that offer “yes” and “no” responses, moon blocks, a pendulum board, and the Ouija board are good options).
A Tarot Reading Can’t Make Your Decisions for You
A tarot reading can illuminate inner conflict, provide context on a situation, and even suggest a path you may take to overcome an obstacle you’re facing. It cannot, however, make your choices and decisions for you.
The tarot is a tool your reader uses to help you better understand your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It is not an all-powerful oracle that holds the ultimate authority on what’s best for you and your life.
YOU have the final say on how you address (or ignore) whatever issue you’ve come to the cards with. Just as you are free to follow whatever guidance or advice a reading offers, you’re free not to follow it. The tarot can help you figure out what choice is best for you, but the final decision always rests in your hands.
A Tarot Reading Cannot “Do the Work”
At the end of a reading, it’s often clear that certain shifts need to be made to promote growth, resolution, and healing. For this reason, I often give actionable advice or “homework” to my clients that helps them use what they’ve learned to make meaningful changes in their lives.
I can’t tell you how many times I or one of my clients has refused to act on the advice a reading has given us. This is because change is hard, uncomfortable, and even painful, so it’s a lot easier to avoid it than confront it head-on. Basking in the glow of a post-reading realization sometimes feels like an end in itself, and we can sometimes mistake the catharsis a reading creates for the change it makes possible. This is why some consult the cards a bit too often: they love the feeling they get when the tarot reveals a hidden insight, but they can’t make the transition into focused and emboldened action.
Don’t get me wrong: a shift in perspective or understanding can be transformative on its own. However, these revelations often show us how what we’ve been thinking or doing is holding us back, and what we might do differently moving forward. The “high” we get when we discover the truth of ourselves wears off if we don’t meet it with aligned action. In other words, a tarot reading is only worth as much as we’re willing to apply its insights moving forward.
Some Questions for the Tarot Readers and “Readees” Among You:
Do you ever get stuck in a tarot reading “loop” where you consult the cards over and over and over without making any actionable changes in your life? Have you felt that post-reading “high” of having a major revelation only to crash back down into the same unhelpful patterns a few days later? Have you ever asked the tarot a question you know it can’t answer because you don’t want to face a truth you already know? I’d love to read your experiences in the comments!
Much Love,
Jessi