Is Tarot Reading a Scam?

[CuriousityIsKey]

Is Tarot Reading a Scam? 

I need to understand,  what's your expirience ?

Sincerely yours

Your brother in life.

[Yarco]

From my experience, I would say 95% of "psychics" are scams, 5% real.

Of that 95%, probably half know what they are doing and are straight-up fleecing people. The other half may sincerely believe that they have a gift but are fooling even themselves.

I still think tarot cards are possibly a useful tool for personal introspection and exploration. They're a tool you can use yourself, so there's no reason to get others involved.

I've done free tarot card readings online from time to time. I always ask for feedback afterward and the feedback is almost always positive and that I was accurate. 

I can't explain to you how it works though. It might just be vague cold reading like astrology. Or maybe something is really there.

I do kind of feel like I'm "tapping into something" when I'm doing it. I can tell the readings where I'm really feeling it or nothing is coming through. I've done invite-only tests with the Institute of Noetic Sciences and do seem to have some kind of underlying psi ability, so maybe something real is happening, but idk. (Most likely I fall into the group I described above, of people fooling themselves.)

I recommend a gnostic approach to paranormal/psychic phenomenon. That is, try to directly experience it and see for yourself. Don't take other people's word for it or rely on others to interact with them.

So buy a tarot deck for $20 and give it a try. I'd get a Rider Waite or Thoth tarot deck, whatever one appeals to you more, they're the most tried and tested. Get regular playing card sized ones. Sometimes they come in "large" sizes which I made the mistake of getting. They're awkward af to shuffle and handle. Either deck will come with a handbook explaining what each card means / symbolizes so you can just deal the cards out and then look up the meaning. I'd start with a basic Celtic Cross spread

* One usual disclaimer I'll give: If you are Christian and worried about opening yourself up to the demonic, then I would avoid tarot cards in the same way you wouldn't want to mess around with an Ouija board or anything else occult.

Edited March 17, 2022 by Yarco

[CuriousityIsKey]

Thank you very much for your time and effort in your reply, I'm sincerely grateful. I will try to do tarot for sure.

 

I just got a free 2 minute reading on a tiktok live, thinking it's gonna be a scam but I was shocked how accurate it was.

Would you be willing to do a tarot reading to a fellow actualized.org friend? ? 

I could compose a song for you, as a thank ?  hehe

[aurum]

@CuriousityIsKey I’ve done a few tarot readings and they’ve been really accurate.

I don’t know if it makes sense to therefore say tarot is “real”. It seems to be a tool to tap your own intuition, spirit guides, higher self, etc. And in that sense, of course it can work. But it’s more of a subjective phenomena than an objective one.

For example, last time I did a tarot reading, I pulled a card and immediately felt like I knew what it was attempting to say. But when the person doing the reading went to the book’s “definition” of the card, it didn’t match my instinctual reaction.

So what does that mean? The book was wrong, and yet I knew what the answer was. I’d say that’s a success, but it depends on what how you’re defining success.

[zurew]

This is interesting. In the past i have done some tarot sessions and i think most of them became true. 

I can't explain either how it works, but it seems like , that it works. You can't necessarily see all the important messages first, but after some time when you look back on it, you can clearly see that more and more things became true. Of course you can get better at reading or getting the cards messages. You can argue that given infinite amount of time every event will happen. Yes it sort of true, but when we are talking about a finite amount of time a few weeks or months then it is intersting.

I don't know about the mechanics of it either , but it seems to me, that when you are doing practices like tarot you are using your intuitive knowing much more effectively. Maybe because you are focusing your mind to a particular event or a person for a certain amount of time, and you open up your mind , and then you can get certain insights about events and people (because you opened your mind up to the possiblity that you can get insights about it). But it is all speculation from me, don't take my word for it.

17 minutes ago, aurum said:

For example, last time I did a tarot reading, I pulled a card and immediately felt like I knew what it was attempting to say. But when the person doing the reading went to the book’s “definition” of the card, it didn’t match my instinctual reaction.

So what does that mean? The book was wrong, and yet I knew what the answer was. I’d say that’s a success, but it depends on what how you’re defining success.

It seems like that it is 100% about your intuition. It doesn't matter what definition is used for a certain card, it didn't really matter for me either. In my opinion ,you are sort of feeling into that message, pulling cards is just a reason for the mind to open itself up and get the right insights.

Edited March 17, 2022 by zurew

[BipolarGrowth]

I’ve had surprisingly good results with them. The results had little to do with tarot cards and more to do with interacting with others with genuine psychic capabilities. 

[Leo Gura]

I've had a Tarot reading done once on me by a friend.

It's not a scam, but you have understand what is really happening. It's not some simplistic prediction of your future. It's more like life coaching, pulling insights out of your own mind.

[Spence94]

I've done group tarot readings, followed by intuitve drawings, followed by group discussions about the individual problems we are facing. When we pulled the tarot card we were asked to think of a question or problem we were trying to resolve and find clarity around. The whole process was very healing and transformative. It wasn't so much like your future was being read, it was more just a tool to deepen awareness and ignite some imagination and creativity in the exploration of your inner Self and to share that experience with others. We were conciously practicing NVC at the time too.

It wouldn't have really mattered what card you pulled, you would interpetate it for your Self in the way to investigate your Self. Then again, maybe the Universe will give you the exact card you need, which by divine perfection, will always be the case anyway, so... right on baby. Right on.

Just don't get too obsessed about it all.

Edited March 17, 2022 by Spence94

[BipolarGrowth]

43 minutes ago, Spence94 said:

I've done group tarot readings, followed by intuitve drawings, followed by group discussions about the individual problems we are facing. When we pulled the tarot card we were asked to think of a question or problem we were trying to resolve and find clarity around. The whole process was very healing and transformative. It wasn't so much like your future was being read, it was more just a tool to deepen awareness and ignite some imagination and creativity in the exploration of your inner Self and to share that experience with others. We were conciously practicing NVC at the time too.

It wouldn't have really mattered what card you pulled, you would interpetate it for your Self in the way to investigate your Self. Then again, maybe the Universe will give you the exact card you need, which by divine perfection, will always be the case anyway, so... right on baby. Right on.

Just don't get too obsessed about it all.

It can be a useful tool to think about situations in different ways even if there’s no spiritual force or anything of the sort truly associated with it. It’s a fun exercise to do tarot readings for yourself too. 

[Kksd74628]

@CuriousityIsKey

I am not saying, if they work or not, but pointing one important insight from tarot reading and other kind of future readings. I could easily say that during next week you will have an opportunity, if you only would pay enough attention and see it. That is spiritual despite if it works or not, because it "forces" you to be mindful on your daily basis which is progress even in itself. Also that sentence is right no matter what, because first of all most likely people will have couple "opportunities" during whole week and, because you could always say that you didn't have any opportunity, because you didn't concentrate enough and then the tarot reader would "predict" same thing for your next week and tell you to be even more mindful to see it. 

I am not denying people's capacity for reading future, but I am just saying that everyone could do that, because it is based on basic psychology and knowing what drives people. Also, if you are good at reading peoples emotions and thoughts behind what they say you could be extremely good at saying what they need in their life to be more happy. Tarot reading is kind of magic trick and when you know how it is made then it is not so impressive anymore. Also there may be that "real" magic part - psychic abilities - but I would say that this is not the case for mainstream tarot readings and is pretty rare, if even possible. I don't know, because I haven't had any personal experience of that yet.

[JosephKnecht]

11 hours ago, CuriousityIsKey said:

I need to understand,  what's your expirience ?

 

I signed up for a reading a few months back. 

Still didn't get the reading. 

You be the judge.  

[Manusia]

12 hours ago, CuriousityIsKey said:

what's your expirience ?

I often do tarot reading. It is fingerpointing to your unconscious. Your interpretation itself its what tarot pointing to. See.

Mostly I get the feeling like 'oohh yeah this is it'. Some insight from tarot really make paradigm shift. A good tool from personal growth.

Tips:

Use your feeling and intuition when choose the card or interpret the insight.

Don't overdo it or it will become your distraction from doing the work that tarot insight suggest.

Choose tarot reader that resonate with yourself. Sometimes tarot reader don't resonate with you anymore and you gravitate towards other tarot reader. Its sign of growth.

Hold the insight in loose goosey way, don't hold too tight or it will slip  

Edited March 17, 2022 by Manusia

[Reciprocality]

Everything which requires a belief is a scam. And everywhere a question is raised a belief is required.

 

A new signature? 

Edited March 17, 2022 by Reciprocality

[Porphyry Fedotov]

13 hours ago, CuriousityIsKey said:

Is Tarot Reading a Scam? 

I need to understand,  what's your expirience ?

Sincerely yours

Your brother in life.

I don't think it's a scam, although there're definitely people who scam using Tarot. All divination systems are merely tools which help you to develop your own intuition. For example I have some experience with I-Ching and my predictions have been quite accurate so far.

[caspex]

In my experience anything which is not future predictions or past-life readings, have been useful, practical and accurate.

For the future predictions and past-life readings, although they did feel accurate and resonating, most of them didn't actually come true later on. I am talking about Youtube Pick-a-card readings, which tend to be only positive and very rarely negative, those seems to be just to make yourself feel good if you are going through tough times. I haven't had a personal reading either online or in-person. I assume those would be much more accurate if done by a legit practitioner. 

[hoodrow trillson]

The older I get and the longer I've been meditating--it's becoming clear to me that the things I once thought were bullshit (tarot readings, astrology, psychics, home remedies, religion to an extent, superstitions, paranormal, etc) are actually true.  These things can happen and you have to experience it for yourself.  The trick is to not be scammed by someone out doing it to get something out of you, like money.

[Aldrich]

On 3/17/2022 at 8:10 AM, CuriousityIsKey said:

Is Tarot Reading a Scam? 

I need to understand,  what's your expirience ?

Sincerely yours

Your brother in life.

Tarot reading utilizes psychic and spiritual faculties. Tarot reading is a scam if the reader is underqualified or untruthful.

[Thought Art]

On 3/16/2022 at 11:47 PM, Leo Gura said:

I've had a Tarot reading done once on me by a friend.

It's not a scam, but you have understand what is really happening. It's not some simplistic prediction of your future. It's more like life coaching, pulling insights out of your own mind.

This is how I have framed it, though people believe it's magic.

Tarot is a pretty cool experience. I would not pay someone to do it though.

[SeaMonster]

Quote

It might just be vague cold reading like astrology.

Next you should get your natal chart done by someone competent, 'cause you're in for a surprise.  Nothing vague about it.  It's at a level of abstraction, but so is any personality psychology.

[Michal__]

When my concentration is high enough it can be so effing accurate that I can tell what card is going to show up before the reading happens.

Daniel Ingram and others have reported the same.