What's the most confusing tarot reading you've ever gotten?

[TarotNewbie101]

What was the spread and the outcome?

[Wyrdkiss]

From someone else, or reading for ourselves?

[TarotNewbie101]

On 1/8/2022 at 10:37 PM, Wyrdkiss said:

From someone else, or reading for ourselves?

Either one!

[gregory]

Never had one - in either circumstance. I have had some that needed thinking about - but they always made sense in the end.

[Raggydoll]

Not sure if this qualifies but I once got a reading (not on this forum, I might add!) that was confusing. This was mostly just because the reader used the Celtic cross with positions that had nothing to do with the question I had asked. The reader did admit that they only knew the Celtic cross and didn’t know how to adapt it to the question I had asked. Other than that, I can’t think of a reading that has been confusing. No, wait - I have also once had a reading where the reader made a mistake about the spread positions as well as the guidebook information (they got two oracle cards mixed up). I would say that for an experienced reader, this is likely not an issue. The common denominator here was that both readers were inexperienced. 

[Wyrdkiss]

7 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

Not sure if this qualifies but I once got a reading (not on this forum, I might add!) that was confusing. This was mostly just because the reader used the Celtic cross with positions that had nothing to do with the question I had asked. The reader did admit that they only knew the Celtic cross and didn’t know how to adapt it to the question I had asked. Other than that, I can’t think of a reading that has been confusing. No, wait - I have also once had a reading where the reader made a mistake about the spread positions as well as the guidebook information (they got two oracle cards mixed up). I would say that for an experienced reader, this is likely not an issue. The common denominator here was that both readers were inexperienced. 

This is so interesting to me @Raggydoll, as I delivered my first really lackluster reading in years back in 2019.  I was hard on myself about it and realized later after talking with some colleagues that I learned two lessons:  A) don't let someone pressure you into hurrying to do a reading for them because they are distressed. That was the first take-away. But the second, that I realized through contemplation, was that a Celtic Cross spread is not a one-size-fits all approach.  I needed to take a few minutes after this querent shared her situation and I should of given myself that time to adjust or fully create a new spread for the session.   I did not. While the Celtic Cross had some accuracy, it focused not on the seeker herself and also did not provide any viable options for the specific situation at hand. Lesson learned.

Edited January 11, 2022 by Wyrdkiss

[Raggydoll]

58 minutes ago, Wyrdkiss said:

This is so interesting to me @Raggydoll, as I delivered my first really lackluster reading in years back in 2019.  I was hard on myself about it and realized later after talking with some colleagues that I learned two lessons:  A) don't let someone pressure you into hurrying to do a reading for them because they are distressed. That was the first take-away. But the second, that I realized through contemplation, was that a Celtic Cross spread is not a one-size-fits all approach.  I needed to take a few minutes after this querent shared her situation and I should of given myself that time to adjust or fully create a new spread for the session.   I did not. While the Celtic Cross had some accuracy, it focused not on the seeker herself and also did not provide any viable options for the specific situation at hand. Lesson learned.

Interesting! I suspect that the Celtic cross is one of those spreads that many will attempt as they are starting out, despite it not being a very beginner friendly spread at all. Those are some really good lessons you learned ! 

[DanielJUK]

When I first picked up tarot cards as a teen in the 90's, all the books were obsessed about the Celtic Cross. One book I was learning from was like you do the Celtic Cross Spread for every reading and only that spread, it's the tradition of tarot, do not break the tradition! It was so obsessed with that spread for every single reading! I think a lot of people learning then were forced into this one way to do tarot path 😞 . I put the cards away and came back to it in 2010's and there was the internet and forums then! Now tarot was about finding your own way and you could read however you wanted. I can't remember the book I was using before to help learn but I notice a lot of the books from then are out of print. It was all terribly old fashioned then, sleep with a brand new deck under your pillow, keep it in silk, do not buy your own deck, always use the celtic cross, etc. Also I think there is a negative view of the CC spread these days because people were forced to learn with it. It has it's place in a reading but it's a nightmare to learn as the first thing in tarot and also it's not appropriate for many readings. So that person got it totally wrong for you @Raggydoll. It excels when you need to see a lot of factors in a reading but I use it rarely. It's a good spread though, I've tried to challenge my negative view of it over the years 🙂

 

I've had a few confusing readings but I have never had them from this forum or any people from this forum, just to be clear.

 

• I've had several readings years ago when the person reading for me didn't really understand the LGBTQ+ community or same sex relationships. I don't think it was homophobia but maybe a laziness or ignorance to forget to think the person you are reading for might not be straight. I had a paid for love reading where it was all about my future wife. But also an exchange in the past where the person was like "....about your wife". I was really embarrassed in that situation and then you think, should you say something? I would for a paid reading but an exchange? I am a little militant about this now and would challenge it. The good news is this is rare now, people ask about what you are looking for in love readings. I have done readings for people who are interested in multiple partners, we have to ask what someone is looking for in love readings and not just presume. Humans are all so different and it's not hard to politely get the background info before a love reading. If I am not sure, I keep it all very neutral. So this was confusing because they got my love interests wrong.

 

• I've had a reading where the person took a dislike to me and had issues, I don't know why. I was so exciting to get a reading from someone with tarot experience about a certain method of reading tarot and never really talked to them before. But they took an instant dislike to me or had some issue with me. The reading was so weird and they said "you are attacking me" during the reading! I didn't understand any of the final posted reading. I think (now with hindsight and being wiser) that they were projecting their issues on me and the reading was really about them. The reading was quite upsetting in the insensitive way they posted it and later they did apologise to me. I had never spoken to them before! I think they saw something in me in themselves 🤷‍♂️

 

My own readings for others which ended up confusing 😮 ......

 

• When I was starting out reading tarot, an old high school friend got in touch with me and found out I was learning tarot. I was a total beginner and was learning alone, no internet communities then to ask for advice. They had split with their long term girlfriend and were very very upset about it. So they wanted to know if they would get back together, was there a chance? I did the reading and then they kept asking for the same reading over and over. It ended up with them phoning me or visiting and wanting to know if they would get back together on a daily basis. I know they were really hurting but I was too naive and young and inexperienced in tarot to stop this, until it became a big problem. In the end I ended it but it was very unhealthy for both of us. The confusing thing with the readings is that it would give different outcomes. One day they would get back together, next day it was over! Every day had a different outcome on the matter. I think the first readings were correct, they wouldn't get back together (Eventually they both moved on to new people). If you keep reading on the same questions, the tarot starts playing with you and you get the most confusing readings. I am wiser now, this would never happen again 😞 .

 

• I read for someone in an exchange on the old tarot forum. After we started the exchange, I found out a distant relative had died and so this was on my mind. I never really knew this person, my family were sort of disconnected from them but my Father reconnected with their family side after this. I spent a long time on this reading for my exchange partner, it was a fantastic reading and posted it. She told me she didn't understand a single thing in the reading and was so confused. I was so crushed! 😮 . I was about a year into seriously learning tarot and thought I was doing okay with the readings and then this one! Later on I found out the reading was for me, this fantastic reading was a big family secret about the person who died. I found out about it 6 months later and realised the I could relate to that reading. The tarot knew before me and had told me! When I did the reading for this partner, the death of the person was on my mind, not in a huge way but I was thinking about. I learnt such a big lesson from this and I always ask for a reading for the person I am reading for. So this was confusing because I didn't make an intention precise enough and the reading came for me! Right reading for the wrong person.

 

I don't think I have ever had a reading where I didn't understand any part of it and it was that confusing. I often get readings from people doing their first ever reading for someone else in the newbies circle and I have always found something as a message to me. Also if a reading is confusing I sit with it and see how it comes out in the end, some need time to fully understand!

 

But in my examples above, they are confusing because of error on the reader's part! A reader not getting the info about a person about what they are interested in for love readings, a reader who was not able to read impartially  for someone without any judgement and in my readings, reading on the same question over and over and also not setting an intention about who the reading is for and being specific enough. So I think confusing readings happen because the reader has done a mistake in them on the most part 🙂