The short answer is: only if you want them to.
Tarot doesn’t predict the future the way a weather forecast does. It doesn’t hand you a fixed outcome and tell you to sit back and wait. What it does is reveal the possibilities already moving beneath the surface of your life — and show you which paths are open, which are closing, and which you haven’t noticed yet.
I’ve been reading cards for over 40 years. Here’s what I’ve learned about what tarot actually does — and why that’s more useful than prediction.
What Tarot Actually Does
The reason tarot works is that it is a distilled microcosm of any and all life experiences. Every card in the deck represents a human situation, emotion, or turning point. When those cards appear in a reading, they don’t conjure something from nothing — they name what’s already present.
This combined with the beautiful dance that occurs between an open questioner and a skilled reader often leads to incredible synchronicities. When the reader sees their situation laid before them across the coloured pasteboards of the tarot, the alternative possible paths offered by the reader seem enticing — like teasers in a delirious summer dream.
Tarot is windows of opportunity. It shows you what’s available. What you do with that is entirely your own.
When Tarot Gets It Right
Recently I had a weekend of readings that coincided with dramatic, incredible storms and powerful energies. The atmosphere was electric. Big hitters of the tarot coming through in reading after reading — Judgement, The Ten of Swords, The Lovers, and of course the Tower struck by lightning. My brief was simple: give it to us straight. No tall dark strangers. No vague karma.
I loved it. Showed up suited and booted.
The Tower struck by lightning appears when the foundations weren’t secure to begin with. After periods of great upheaval, a new calm is revealed — truths exposed, a new reality waiting behind the crumbling facade. I await that lightning bolt with trepidation, safe in the knowledge that what comes next is more honest than what came before.
Those readings were among the most accurate I’ve given. The cards named exactly what was happening and offered a clear direction forward. That’s tarot at its best.
When Tarot Gets It Wrong
Though I have walked the Royal Road of Tarot for more than 40 years, sometimes real life throws me a curveball.
Last year I gave what seemed like an open and shut reading for a young lady via telephone. A textbook Major Arcana feast — The High Priestess, developing wisdom and feminine intuition, through the Two of Cups, and ultimately The Lovers. Every union card in a positive position. A beautiful relationship laid out clearly before me on the table.
Imagine my surprise when I heard through the grapevine that these young Lovers were having a wobble and even thinking of going their separate ways. Were my impressions wrong? Had someone slipped some duff cards into my deck?
What had happened was simply called life.
I went over the fragments of the reading in my head. I had given the necessary disclaimers. The young lady had gone away thoughtful but not reliant or shaken. As readers, that is all we can hope for — that our wisdom and experience offers alternative life choices in an entertaining and empowering way. Ultimately the choices are down to the questioner. Exactly as it should be.
Does That Mean Tarot Is Inaccurate?
No. It means tarot is honest.
A reading shows the most likely path based on the energies present at the time of the reading. Life moves. People make choices. New factors enter the picture. A reading from six months ago may have been completely accurate at the time — and then someone made a decision that redirected everything.
The younger generations are increasingly seeking faster confirmation of their gut feelings. A psychic text reading is often their choice — they like the combination of mysticism and technology, fast answers to burning questions. What they’re really looking for is permission to trust what they already sense. Tarot gives them that.
The cards aren’t wrong when life surprises them. They were right about what was possible. Possibility and certainty are different things — and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you something tarot was never designed to deliver.
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The short answer is ‘only if you want them to’. Tarot can be used to predict the future, you first need to accept that change is possible, Tarot is just windows of opportunity.
Recently I had a weekend of readings that coincided with dramatic incredible storms & powerful energies. The atmosphere was indeed electric, big hitters of the Tarot coming through in many readings to instigate serious shifts & cathartic conversations. Judgement, The Ten of Swords, The Lovers & of course the Tower struck by lightning. My brief was ‘Give it to us straight, no tall dark strangers or vague karma’. I loved it, showed up suited & booted. I love giving accurate psychic readings that shake things up & make people see potential from a different perspective. Lots of Moon cards for some added lunar lunacy. All in all I was one happy Cartomancer.
Tarot & the pandemic
As a side note a lot of questioners were asking ‘is it over?’, ‘what happens in the new normal’ & similar questions. Interestingly on a few occasions the Tower card was the significator, the Tower Struck by Lightning indicates after periods of great upheaval, a new calm is revealed, truths are exposed. When the Tower appears to me I await the lightning bolt with trepidation, safe in the knowledge that a new reality awaits behind the crumbling facade. The foundations were not secure, a new reality is revealed.
Wow, That Card is So Bang On!
The reason Tarot works is that it is a distilled microcosm of any and all life experiences. This combined with the beautiful dance that occurs between an open questioner & a skilled reader often leads to incredible synchronicities. The younger generations re increasingly seeking faster confirmation of their gut feelings, a psychic text is often their reading of choice, they like the combination of mysticism & technology I think, fast answers to burning questions. When the reader sees their situation laid before them across the coloured pasteboards of the Tarot, the alternative possible paths offered by the reader seem enticing, like teasers in a delirious summer dream.
Were the cards wrong?
Though I have walked the Royal Road of Tarot for more than 40 years, sometimes real life throws me a curveball that makes me re-assess & investigate a constellation of cards that seemed a foregone conclusion, yet turn out to lead to a different manifestation of events in the lives of the sitters.
Last year I gave an ‘open & shut case’ reading for a young lady via. a telephone tarot reading. Textbook Major Arcana fest that started with the High Priestess & developing wisdom & feminine intuition. Through the Two of Cups & ultimately the Lovers & every other union card in a positive position in the spread that laid a beautiful relationship ahead of me on the table. Imagine my surprise when I heard through the grapevine that these young Lovers are having a wobble & even thinking of going their separate ways. I was gobsmacked, were my impressions wrong? had someone slipped some duff cards in to my deck like James Bond to Solitaire in Live & Let Die?
What had happened to these to young Lovers was simply called ‘life’. Obviously as the all seeing ego driven important oracle that I am I was shaken up by the news, I had to accept that it had absolutely nothing to do with me. I went over the fragments of the reading in my head, I had given the necessary disclaimers around the reading & I was comfortable that the young lady had gone away thoughtful but not in any way reliant or shaken up by her cards.
As readers that is all we can hope for, that our wisdom & experience offers alternative life choices in an entertaining & empowering way. Ultimately the choices are down to the questioner, exactly as it should be.
For exciting new psychic readings with my selected clairvoyants please visit my updated site. A great place to start is with my free tarot readings, many different spreads to fire your inspiration. Otherwise I hope to tempt you for a free psychic reading or to engage you with a visual morsel on Instagram @omaratarot
I’m signing off for a chilled day. Wherever you are & whatever you are doing I sincerely hope this finds you well, have an amazing day.
