A few days ago I received a message requesting a tarot reading because the person felt they had an addiction to trying to know the future and wanted to be able to control it. She went on to say that she wanted to get back into the driver seat and regain control. I’ve been reading the tarot for almost twenty years and like most readers, I have seen my fair share of clients who have an unhealthy fixation with wanting to know their future. These clients book reading after reading, often asking the same question, or they consult the tarot over every little aspect of their life. Although I have touched on this topic in the past, I have decided to write this post in order to give some advice to those that are addicted to tarot readings.
Signs of Addiction to Tarot
But how do you know you have an addiction to the tarot? Well, like any addiction you most likely will feel a compulsive need to have a reading. If the only way you can feel hope or feel better about your life is via a reading, then that is a problem. There may be a particular situation in your life that is causing you concern, thus you consult readers or the tarot again and again, hoping for the answer you desire. You may even receive conflicting answers, but this will not deter you from your search. Others may consult the tarot regarding different situations, but it is the need to know what will happen that defines this addiction.
Multiple Tarot Readings About the Same Situation
If you read the tarot for yourself, it can be very easy to consult the cards with the same question, hoping to see more or to get a different answer. This is something that we’ve all been guilty of at one time or another. I remember a long time ago, I was given some advice from an experienced reader, which helped me to see why this is not a good idea. I was told that the cards are like your friends; if you keep asking your friend for advice about the same thing, but never take that advice, sooner or later that friend will lose their temper with you. If you are that emotionally invested in a situation, you probably do not have the objectivity and distance to read for yourself, so please consult an experienced and recommended professional tarot card reader; but only once and take the advice that you are given.
Why Do You Want a Tarot Reading
This is a subject I have written at length about before (Why Do You Want a Tarot Reading: The Purpose of the Tarot) so I will not repeat myself here, but I will say that it is very important to think about why you want a reading. We all need advice and guidance at times, and the tarot can be great for this, but sometimes we consult the cards because it seems easier than doing anything else. In fact the cards become our reason not to act because we want to see what will happen without having to do any of the work ourselves.
One of the main things I would suggest is never to consult the cards when you are feeling highly emotional or in the wake of some drama or catastrophe in your life. Allow the situation to sink in, and then think about getting a reading, and asking yourself what it is that you hope to get from the reading. I’ll give you a real and very common example. You may have just broken up with your boyfriend, so your first reaction may be to find out if he will come back to you, because you are understandably upset. You may consult the cards and be told that there will be someone else for you, or that you have been clinging to a bad situation, but none of these things are likely to be what you want to hear. All you want is for the hurt to go away by things returning to the way they were. On the other hand, if you give yourself time to grieve the ending of the relationship, and then some time down the line consult the cards on wanting to know about your love life, rather than that specific relationship, you will receive more options and advice and be much more receptive to the reading.
Paralysed By Fear
The main motivating factor to consult the cards when there is no need to is fear. We’re afraid of what will happen, will not happen, afraid to act, or to confront a situation or person. A tarot reading can become a safe filter which allows you to not have to deal with anything that is happening. If you’re more interested in what will happen, and less in receiving advice on how you can take control of your own life, then a reading is not for you. Unfortunately there are too many readers out there who are more than happy to concentrate on predicting the future, rather than helping their clients to see available choices and actions, but as I have said before, this just makes them dealers for their clients’ drug of choice.
By realising that you have the strength to affect change in your life and if not change, to endure anything that can happen, you will not be paralysed by fear and will not need the crutch of tarot for every little thing. If and when you do need advice on how best to act, be sure to consult a reader who helps to empower you, rather than just gives you answers on what will or will not happen in the future.
Why You Do Not Need to Know the Future, Just the Present
It makes much more sense to have the present as the main focus of a reading rather than the future. This may seem like a strange concept as most people would insist that they know where they are, they need to know where they are going. As the saying goes, the onlooker (in this case a good professional tarot reader) sees most of the game. Chances are that if you are consulting the tarot, you are feeling without options or are confused. A tarot reading can help you to see that you have more options and choices than you realised.
The future is changeable, so even if your reading shows that you will get your heart’s desire, inaction in the present could change this. It is a popular idea in society that we will get what we want without having to exert any effort. But is this true? While we may want it to be so, the truth is that you’re not going to pass those exams without studying, you won’t find your love without making some decisions and taking action and you won’t get that promotion at work unless you show you deserve it. All the power to cause the necessary changes to achieve these and other goals lies in the present, not in the future, and they lie within you.
Keeping Your Use of Tarot in Check
So in summary, don’t use the tarot as a way to make yourself feel better, especially not when you are feeling highly emotional. Limit yourself to only using the cards when you need advice and guidance, by asking yourself why you need a reading and only asking the cards or your reader the question once. Be open to receiving the advice you receive and look at ways you can implement change in your present rather than just waiting for your future to take place. Above all, have faith in yourself and your own strengths and abilities, rather than giving away that power by only having faith in what a reading will say. You can read more about this in Tarot Addiction: Surrendering Your Power to Tarot Cards. As with most things in life moderate, use of the tarot can be a rewarding experience.