A few of my “rules” for predictive tarot readings
We’re nearing the end of the calendar year which means a lot of us are turning to tarot to ask, “What’s coming up in the New Year?"
Even though there’s always a lot of back and forth in the tarot community about whether or not to use tarot as a predictive tool, the reality is that a large percentage of tarot querents ask predictive questions.
I think where readers sometimes hesitate with predictions is when we feel like we’re under pressure to be all-seeing and all-knowing.
When I got my first tarot deck, I assumed readings were completely predictive, and expected the cards to send me visions of the future. (Yes, I was very disappointed when it didn’t work out that way.)
That assumption blocked me for a long time, especially because it made me feel inadequate as a reader.
It took time, practice and reflection for me to understand how I wanted to approach predictive readings, and to develop a framework for myself to operate within whenever predictive questions landed on the table.
As I got more confident with predictions, I ended up circling back to future-oriented questions as a way to help myself plan and prepare for what may come.
Doing predictions for myself, and then eventually for others, helped me to understand that they can have a time and place within a tarot practice.
Here are some of the guidelines I work from when looking at predictive readings:
I don’t pressure myself to know everything. This is something I spend a lot of time talking about in my classes as well. Be careful about the expectations you put on yourself as a reader. Don’t feel pressured to talk about more than you can see in the cards. If a client pushes you for information that you aren’t able to speak to, take a moment to outline how you approach tarot, and what you are able to offer within the span of a reading.
I remind my clients that they are responsible for their life’s momentum. Sometimes I’ve had querents who want to know what the future holds, but end up disappointed when the cards don’t offer anything exciting. “Is there something you’re hoping will happen? What are your goals? What are you aiming for right now?” I might ask if a reading feels flat to the querent.
Sometimes querents admit that they aren’t sure: They don’t have passions or hobbies. They aren’t driven towards any specific direction. They aren’t interested in change, but are instead hoping that something will happen to them.
There’s nothing wrong with keeping things status quo if that’s what makes you happy. But this passivity won’t help much if you’re hoping that the cards will reveal an exciting new path. Tarot often reflects your energy and your mindset. Your reading will reflect what you are setting into motion, or not.
I remind my clients, and myself, that the best indicator of the future is the present moment. Are you making decisions that reflect the person you want to become? Are you taking action that aligns with what you say you want out of life?
Tarot cards don’t make things happen: You do. Regardless of what a predictive reading entails, the best indicator of whether you will get to where you want to go revolves around your everyday actions.
I never look too far into the future. At most I do a 12-month outlook. When people ask for a play-by-play of the next 10 years of their life, I dial that back and encourage them to think about the year ahead first.
So many things can change within a year alone, and your life is going to be shaped by so many factors along the way. A longer term outlook can bring a lot of unknown variables to it. You never know who you might meet or the chances you might take, and any decision can change the trajectory of your life in an instant.
So what’s the point of predicting anything? Sometimes predictions can help give us a sense of where the energy of our lives is heading based on what we’re doing right now.
Predictions can also give us insight into things we haven’t considered yet. They can show us the blind spots in our decision-making or highlight assumptions we’re making.
For example, when my first book was published, I had an idea of how my life would unfold from there. One night, around Christmas, I sat on my bed with my tarot deck and pulled a Celtic Cross for myself. That reading showed me that what I thought was the end of a journey was just the beginning, and that there were many more roads to go down as a writer than I had considered at the time.
It was immensely helpful, as it made me realize I was taking a very narrow view of what my writing career could look like.
Predictions can also help us to get clear about what we really want out of life. It’s a good exercise in clarifying what you want to know about what’s ahead. And it’s a good opportunity to push yourself to think about what your life could be, rather than feel like you’re at the mercy of unseen forces.
Until next time,
Liz
p.s. If you are a tarot reader and you want to build your tarot skills in time for the New Year, my annual Zodiac Tarot Workshop will show you techniques for general and intentional tarot readings.
Learn how the Zodiac Tarot Spread can become a multi-faceted tool to help you and your querents tap into various areas of life through predictive and proactive lenses.
