Most of us tarot readers have had this experience.
You pull some cards for yourself or for someone else, and they don’t line up.
They seem confusing, out of sync, or not where you’re at. Tarot seems to give you the wrong answer. You might be happier than you’ve ever been, and then out of nowhere, the Three of Swords appears.
I had this experience recently. Everything was going great, personally and professionally, and then I drew the Three of Swords as one of the cards for the month ahead. I thought, “What the hell?”
I was panicked and disappointed when I saw this card, but what I told myself was this:
Betrayal and grief are tough, but I’ve been down this road before. I can handle whatever’s coming my way.
And wouldn’t you know. My past wounds and the medicine I’d used before came in pretty handy, as someone did end up letting me down in a tremendous way. The Three of Swords ended up being accurate, even though I didn’t know what it was about initially.
This is a reminder not to panic when seeing a difficult card.
Here are some ways to make sense of an answer that seems wrong or confusing:
- If the card doesn’t align with your present experience, ask yourself if the challenges of the card could indicate past triggers or underlying fears that still need attention or may soon rear their heads.
- Allow yourself to be okay with not knowing what the card means for you right now.
- Be open to the possibility that its meaning will become clearer over time; consider the card’s arrival like an honest friend, looking out for you. Be open to what it’s saying.
- If you’re reading for someone else, stick to your gut feeling about the card, even if it confuses the querent. You don’t need to discount how they see the card, but remind them that it’s important to be open to what the card is presenting and what may happen.
- Don’t assume doom. Just because a confusing or difficult card appears doesn’t mean that something horrible will happen. It’s more helpful to look at the card with an open mind and ask, “What can I learn, here?”