My Tarot Theory
A lot of readers will tell you that the future is not written in stone. Of course, I'm sure we all know that, or I'd hope we do. Some even explain that the predictions they've made, if they don't come true, don't resolve as expected because of something called "free will." Somehow, even though philosophers have argued for centuries whether this "free will" actually exists, and/or what "free will" actually is, we all seem to accept this conclusion without much question. And somewhere in all of that mumbo jumbo, we still keep coming back to get readings even though we know that these insights don't come with any guarantee, and even though the events we begin to recognize as unfolding as foretold could easily take an unexpected turn at any moment if something or someone changes the scenery. So I ask you, with all that to consider, what's the point in asking a reader, "what's going to happen?"
That's why I prefer Tarot spreads with more than one outcome displayed. The truth is, the future isn't written in stone - all its potentials are written at once. It's the paths we choose that will determine which way the stones get thrown. That's why I prefer, over all others, my fifteen card spread with at least two outcomes shown, and suggestions for how to find the most beneficial path.
Let me tell you how I conduct a Tarot reading.
First, there's a little matter of why you are calling in the first place. Is it to learn what someone thinks and feels about you, if you have a chance? Or is it a less common question, like your financial future or the wacky new toy you invented and are planning on marketing? What is it you are seeking insight on? This will determine the style of reading you'll receive, the spread (it is called) I will be using.
If you are asking about a love relationship, one that is existent or about to be, I will begin with what I call "The Relationship Perspective Spread" which tells me the here and now of the situation between two people by using nine cards and my Mythic Tarot deck.
I prefer the Mythic Tarot for this spread because with that deck I allow cards to shuffle so randomly that they have a chance of ending up upside down as well as right side up, and this spread depends on reversal cards to inform us of specific meanings in them. I will be able to tell you how you both appear to the outer world, how you both appear to each other's eyes, how the relationship looks to each of you (existent or not, for we are all in relationship with each other on some level), what the ultimate desire of each of you is regarding the relationship, and the overall matter which is between you. In essence, the total here-and-now of the situation between two people.
Usually for the sake of brevity I only focus on the other person's point of view - as I'm sure that for the most part you already know yours. Unless, of course, I find something definitely interesting or surprising in your side of the reading, I will rarely mention the cards representing you (with the exception. But I will use these cards, both sides of the story, for further elucidation in the next stage of the reading - any looking forward into what is available that we might do.
Which brings me to my next spread and reading style. The fifteen-card spread I mentioned above.
For this spread I use the Thoth Tarot deck designed by Aleister Crowley and painted by Lady Freda Harris. I don't use reversed cards with this spread or this deck, but instead use what are called "dignities." This is a form of determining the meaning of the card in relation to its positive or negative nature dependent on other cards around it. Some elements (air, fire, water, earth being swords, wands, cups, disks) work for or against each other - as do some of the astrological associations of the cards. This is how I will determine, for instance, if a two of swords is about two ideas that agree with each other or two ideas that pose argument. This style of reading is also where my particular art of Tarot comes in, a technique I call "blending."
This spread is made of five groups of cards in sets of three. Each group tells me a specific aspect of the situation you are asking about. The first group is about you now and the matter as it looks. The second group is more often than not, information from the past. It could also be the future, as the past can repeat itself, and is telling me the influences on your situation which are beyond your ability to control. The next group is often times something that will take place in the very near future, or can tell me about other people involved - it relates to the influences around your situation which you can control - things you can do to make things move in your favor. I tend to call these "the advice cards." The other two groups, one on the right, one on the left, detail the outcomes available.
The outcome on the right hand is the most likely occurrence to take place. It is the path in which things are moving should nothing happen to change the influences that are already in play. In other words, this is the answer to the question you asked if you asked "what's going to happen?" The other outcome, the one on the left, is also available and might be preferable to the first one I told you. Of course, this is not always the case, and sometimes it describes the situation you've been hoping all along to avoid. In any case, the advice cards will be referred to again so we can get a better understanding of exactly which choices you want to make to best suit your desires.
The long and short of it is, the outcome is not written in stone. But a best path most certainly is available to you and is written at least in a form much like soft clay ready to be fired up. And that, ultimately, is what I hope you came seeking. And that, ultimately, is what I hope to help you find.
A final caveat. I've made an agreement with my Tarot decks (with the entities behind them or the energies of the Universe which influence their shuffles) that if bad news is delivered, there should also be a way to avoid it and I want to know. Of course, this doesn't always happen - some times it is a choice between the lesser of two evils. But in any case, there's never a "worse case scenario" only situation. There's always an option to make the best of the situation and the bottom line, that's the least I want to provide for you.