Tarot Reading is an urbanized concept in India. We still connect to the typical astrologer who takes our date browse-1of birth particulars and gives us a book on our life predictions. While this article is not about astrology, let us admit we Indians believe in astrology and have surely consulted an astrologer some or the other time in our life. Now what is this tarot reading? Are they some kind of magical cards which can predict your future? What is the science behind it?

Before you read what I have to say about tarot cards, it’s important that you know me.

I am a chartered accountant by profession and an amateur astrologer, numerologist and tarot reader. I started reading about astrology at the age of 13 and started practicing it soon after, of course with my own horoscope and the charts of all the near and dear ones. Without mentioning my age directly, today I have an experience of more than 20 years in Indian astrology. As soon as tarot cards became famous in India, they invited my attention. Today I believe in them more than I believe in astrology. And I don’t like to listen anything being said against them. So here I am, breaking a few myths about them. For all my readers, let me tell you again I do not practice tarot reading commercially and what I have written is purely for general awareness.

Lets start:

Tarot Cards are a pack of 78 cards. Now, how can somebody shuffle these 78 cards and tell me what is going to happen? Our children will laugh at it but in olden times, there use to be parrot readers who would tell you the future! A parrot would come outside the cage and take a card. We all laughed at it! I always wondered what kind of cards they are and how can they predict. I wish I had seen them. So, it’s natural to ask what is written on these cards to enable them to predict your future.

Guess what!!!

There is nothing written on original tarot cards. It has pictures; 78 pictures!!!.

A firm believer of Karma myself, my inquisitive nature to unleash the truth behind these pictures, made me read and study tarot reading. While anyone of you can Google the history of tarot cards, I will share the journey of understanding the cards and why I believe that they can predict future along with breaking popular myths.

Myth No:1 Tarot Cards are magical with supernatural powers

Have you ever met an artist who makes human portraits?

Of course yes! We have always wondered how some people can be so talented that they draw our faces while we struggle to draw simple things. Drawing is an art. There is no science behind it. And do you think, it’s the brush, the pencil and the best of postal colors that make the difference?

No. It’s all in the mind of the artist. He looks at you and his hands draw exactly what he sees. His brush is his tool. And maybe there is a science we are yet to discover, which may be capable of making any one of us an artist.

Tarot reading is also an art! The Reader is an artist and these 78 cards are his tools. These tools cannot predict anything without the reader. There is no magic in them! Magic is created by the reader.

Myth No:2  With the help of 78 pictures, how can someone predict your future? What is the science behind these Cards?

The science is that as humans we are blessed with a sixth sense called intuition which enables us to feel what is going to happen in future. A Reader is a person blessed with superior intuitive ability and the pack of cards connects him with the person whom he wishes to know about.  Tarot cards are like a connecting device, like a router which makes your internet wireless.

I don’t know who made these cards but each card has a unique story and when they come in a reading they foretell stories about that individual. Is that all? No.  The biggest quality lies in the ability to read the minds and hearts of people. To unfold the truth! So without a good reader, cards cannot predict.

Myth No:3  The predictions often fail. How can we trust it?

Yes, predictions often fail. The reasons behind it are

1.     Commercialization of the art

2.     Inability to read the mind of the questioner or lack of honesty of the questioner

3.     Inability of the reader to recognize the Crossroads

4.     Lack of Experience

While I was learning about tarot reading, I happened to ask a question from a famous tarot reader online. This is a typical example of cn gave by her proved wrong. While I wrote back to her, not demanding my money back but questioning the possible reasons for inaccurate predictions, she chose to completely ignore me. If I was not a reader myself I would have blamed these cards as fake.

On numerous occasions in our Gurgaon malls, you will find stalls of tarot readers charging Rs200/- for a question.  A glamorous reader with lots of rings on her hands is sitting on a chair and there are lots of crystals and candles around her tarot cards. I happened to ask a question from her once, to the surprise of my family. I was absolutely smitten by the inability of the reader to read my mind and her lack of experience reflected in her inaccurate predictions. While I do not say that all of them would give all wrong predictions, I would request my friends to think before taking their predictions seriously or I should say “Believe at your own risk.” It is either an attempt to gain fast recognition or the motive is to get practice in tarot reading. Tarot reading is successful only if done by a trained person and is personalized.

 

CASE STUDY

Let me give you an example of a Reading done by me.

Once a friend called me and said that she was extremely upset because of the marital conflict she was undergoing with her husband. Her mother in law(mil) was extremely interfering and sarcastic. The husband was completely in control to his mother (according to her) and she was thinking about divorce. She consulted an astrologer who told her that there is Sade Sati and if she will not do n number of things, she will separate from her husband. There is a strong possibility of divorce. She wanted me to do a reading for her.

Both of us sat down for a reading. I told my friend that she has to be absolutely honest to me to get the best answer.

Let me first explain to my readers, what is a Crossroad?

Crossroad is a situation in our life when we choose one path out of the different paths available. God has in his own way made us responsible for our destiny. The decisions we take at a crossroad, determines the future course of action. This is our Karma!

Our Journey in  life is full of crossroads. Our decisions can change Predictions. In a way we all make our destiny. When a tarot reader fails to highlight the crossroad which will come in your path, his prediction is bound to fail. Because at that point destiny is unsure! Destiny is that crossroad will come and Karma is the path you choose at the crossroad.

My friend was at a Crossroad! To end the marriage completely Or separate now and evaluate the situation later or continue and bear the bad time. What will happen? Sometimes such people make the blunder of asking yes/no question from a reader. What is more probable? The reader says divorce is probable and they go ahead and take a decision.

A successful tarot reader is not only a reader but a healer and a counselor. Shuffling Cards and giving a Yes or No answer is Commercialization of the art. I can’t do that. My role is to explain the crossroad and help chose the reader a path because in simple words I can rise above ground and peep what lies ahead in each path. Not only to choose the right path but to choose the path of happiness.

My first Step was to unravel the truth. Is she speaking the truth? Is her mil a bad woman? Is her husband actually in control of his mother? Does he love her? What does she actually want deep inside her heart?

We shuffled cards a couple of times and she took out the cards. After it was done, I asked her to choose between 2 questions I asked her. One: How can I escape divorce Or Two: When will I divorce?

She was stunned and asked me she took out so many cards what were they for. I said wait, I will explain everything. She thought and said “ How can I escape divorce?” We took out some cards. Yes she could escape divorce. So, divorce was a decision for her. It was not her destiny.

We again shuffled and this time again I asked her to choose between 2 questions.

One: How will I be happy in life? Two: How can both of us be happy?

She stared at me. Thought and said “How can both of us be happy?” With a deep sigh she appeared more emotional and impatient to get an answer from me.

Now the result: My friend was speaking the truth but exaggerated the whole situation. It was not as bad as she felt. Her Husband was a decent fellow and deep inside she still loved him. She could not be happy without him even if she chose to separate. Divorce was very much possible but it was not a solution to her problems. She would have remained as unhappy as she was if she chose divorce as her option. The solution was to work on the issues. There was lot of negativity around her and both of them were in need of serious counseling. The silver lining was that the marriage was still not dead and could again become healthy and happy. At that crossroad, my friend could choose the right path for herself through tarot reading. Today she is married and does not think about divorce. While she still has issues, she knows she has to deal with them because her happiness lies with the man she is married to and not without him.

Tarot Reading is a brilliant tool only if used by an expert reader and is capable of resolving the toughest of issues. While astrology is more mechanical in approach tarot reading is more spiritual and intuitive. A reader has to first cleanse his own aura and remove negativity around him and then forecast predictions. He needs to be unbiased and read the cards with an open mind, allowing his sixth sense to play the role.  I hope I have resolved a few myths and my dear cards would have earned due respect in few more eyes.