I think sometimes it just doesn't work. And that's okay.

[Yola]

Hi everyone,

I posted something similar a few years ago, and at the time, I remember many people disagreed. We even discussed all the hypotheses raised: error in the question, error in the method, error in interpretation... (very common, actually). But, in a very humble way, I want to share that – having played tarot for a long time, both personally and professionally – I think that sometimes tarot simply doesn't work. It doesn't get it right. Why? I don't know. I have some ideas. They all have to do with: tarot is not an exact art. Objective. Cartesian. It's not something that can be replicated thousands of times in an attempt to obtain standardized and 100% accurate results.

 

 

I recommend reading: "Tarology and science: there is an abyss between us" - http://www.clubedotaro.com.br/site/r69f_Ricardo.asp (available in Portuguese, but there is an automatic translation via the navigation tool)

 

And that's okay. I don't think that disqualifies tarot. It doesn't make it worse. I think we need to take that into account in our practice and learn to live with that fact.

 

[Tanga]

Nope. The shoe doesn't always fit.

But hey ho - we're all fascinated with it and just continue on!  

[KiMo]

I wonder if there are also cases of the message in the tarot sometimes being intentionally wrong (for lack of a better way of phrasing it, as who knows how purposefully intentional the tarot really is, if at all). 

 

Outside of the instances of wrong question / wrong method / wrong interpretation, I've certainly heard of readers who have had cards that are total nonsense given the context of what they're seeking answers for. I had this just yesterday so the timing of your post is interesting. I asked a carefully crafted question using an appropriate spread and the cards I got seemed almost belligerent (again, anthropomorphising here but hopefully you get the idea). All five cards reversed and all five utterly confusing. After a few moments I just cleared them away, something I've never done, and as I was doing so I got a very clear message of 'you shouldn't be asking that question because you don't need to'.

 

I'd hoped to gain a deeper insight into a synchronicity I'd experienced, and looking back I'd been doing so in order to validate a hope that I'd already been told I needed to stop trying to control the outcome of. Going into the reading I genuinely felt that I was just trying to explore the message, but when I remember the cards I got I can now very clearly see they were telling me that I was pushing. My understanding of and trust in the synchronicity was enough, and I needed to be brave and take it at face value. 

 

So, this is perhaps not quite what you were pointing to @Yola, perhaps in my case it was a case of wrong intention. But again, the timing of your comment was interesting, and thinking about how the tarot can be 'wrong' (or appear to be) and what that means for us.

[geoxena]

On 4/30/2026 at 11:17 AM, Yola said:

. . . sometimes tarot simply doesn't work. It doesn't get it right.

 

To me, it's not the cards that work or don't work.  It's not the cards that don't get it right.  It's the reader.  The cards are just inanimate objects with pictures and symbols on them.  We humans are the ones who created the dynamic of looking to the cards for answers.  We humans set up this system of shuffling, pulling, and applying meaning to the cards, so we are the only ones responsible when we don't see a message, or the message we hope for.  Tarot is much like any game.  If I don't win at Yahtzee, I don't blame the dice.

Edited Friday at 05:05 PM by geoxena

[Chariot]

I can't say I've ever had a 'wrong' reading for myself, but I've had MANY that didn't make sense, or didn't seem to be engaging with the question.  It's not so much that it gave me the wrong answer, as it didn't really give me ANY answer.

 

However, when I REALLY need help or 'an accurate answer' I get one that's spot-on.  That's why I rely on tarot in times of need ...it has never let me down.  (Never is a long time, when I've been doing readings for myself since the late 1970s. ) In fact, I have so much faith in the tarot being accurate on important ongoing issues that I sometimes avoid doing readings when I'm not ready for disheartening news.  Those are the kind of readings where I don't have to ponder the meanings; the meanings are starkly obvious as soon as I turn over the cards.  

However, trying to simply STUDY the tarot by doing daily readings (or whatever) can be frustrating.  When nothing significant is actually happening in my life, l just get non-committal readings, or cards that seem to be gazing into the sky and singing la la la la la.  I wish there was some way I could get my tarot to engage accurately with mundane questions and events—just so I can improve my skill.  But that doesn't seem to work well for me.  It's like my tarot isn't going to bother with stuff that's not important.  It's saying, in effect, 'nope, not playing.'    

I have also NEVER had any success doing 'yearly' forecasts or things like that.  I mean ...no success AT ALL.   I look back on the yearly readings I have done and think ...what in heck was THAT all about.  To the extent that I don't bother doing them at all any more. 

Whatever is 'behind' the art of tarot and makes it work, it doesn't seem to like wasting its time with trivia. 

Edited Saturday at 07:21 AM by Chariot

[DanielJUK]

It's worth I think always reviewing why the reading didn't work out I think, each time. You can learn from it.

I think readings out of emotions or a bad state (tired / upset / under the influence/ etc) tend to go badly for me. Perhaps in that instance I am not asking the right things or is unhelpful. I find repeatedly asking the same questions, just gives me junk readings and the tarot starts to get sarcastic at me. I've stopped reading on if my day with George Clooney will come? 😆

 

This is an early hypothesis in my thoughts, so bear with me. I am still working it out but I think some people don't connect well in a reading. It's not how well you know someone but maybe there isn't an energy connection or spiritual connection. Like some people you read better with and some people it's harder. I'm just not totally sure why. Maybe it's like some people you connect with in life and some people you can never seem to connect with. Perhaps that applies to readings for others as well.

[geoxena]

On 5/1/2026 at 3:48 PM, DanielJUK said:

. . . some people you read better with and some people it's harder. I'm just not totally sure why.

 

In some workshops I took years ago on intuition, I learned that if someone is very fearful (of tarot, of personal interactions, of something scary being revealed, etc.), or highly protective of their inner life, or just doesn't really want to hear what you might tell them, they can effectively block you.  Even if they insist that they are open to whatever the cards and you have to say, deep down they may be afraid, and subconsciously shutting down and erecting walls to protect themselves.  Then it's like pulling teeth to access their energies. 

 

When nothing makes sense, or very little is coming through, many readers automatically think that they themselves are the problem, but it's possible to turn it around and use the fact that nothing's making sense as information in your reading—because that's what it is.  For instance, depending on the situation, your communication style, and your relationship to the sitter, you can ask the sitter if they're afraid of the answer, or if they feel like they need to brace themselves, or tell them that you sense a strong, protective energy from them that is hard to get past, or even just say point blank that you feel there's a sort of wall between you.  There are numerous ways to turn it around.  Doing so can really open up a difficult reading unless, of course, the querent remains very guarded and is totally unwilling to let the reader in. 

 

This was an important lesson that has stayed with me for years and helped me many times.  And it doesn't matter if you and the sitter are in front of each other in person or miles away and doing the reading online.  If they've internally put up barriers, it's very difficult to connect.

 

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 06:12 PM by geoxena

[Raggydoll]

13 minutes ago, geoxena said:

 

In some workshops I took years ago on intuition, I learned that if someone is very fearful of tarot, or highly protective of their inner life, or just doesn't really want to hear what you might tell them, they can effectively block you.  Even if they insist that they are open to whatever the cards and you have to say, deep down they may be afraid, and subconsciously shutting down and erecting walls to protect themselves.  Then it's like pulling teeth to access their energies. 

 

When nothing makes sense, or very little is coming through, many readers automatically think that they themselves are the problem, but it's possible to turn it around and use the fact that nothing's making sense as information in your reading - because that's what it is.  For instance, depending on the situation, your communication style, and your relationship to the sitter, you can ask the sitter if they're afraid of the answer, or if they feel overly protective of themselves, or tell them that you sense a strong, protective energy from them that is hard to get past, or even just tell them point blank tell that you feel there's a sort of wall between you.  There are numerous ways to turn it around.  Doing so can really open up a difficult reading unless, of course, the querent is totally unwilling to let the reader in. 

 

This was an important lesson that has stayed with me for years and helped me many times.  And it doesn't matter if you and the sitter are in front of each other in person or miles away and doing the reading online.  If they've internally put up barriers, it's very difficult to connect.

 

 

 

This is interesting, thanks for sharing!

 

I once did a reading that felt very strange and nonsensical. My intuition gave me the feeling that something was off, but I didn’t know why that was. So I decided to be truthful and tell the client (it was a live reading) about this strange impression. That is when they confessed that they had pulled a little lie to me. They were asking on behalf of another person and they had pretended like the situation referred to themselves. They claimed to have permission from that other person, which may or may not have been true. We ended up canceling the reading and I told them they could return with that other person to do it properly.
 

Anyways, this is the only time I can remember that I had that particular feeling from a reading. I’m glad I didn’t jump to the conclusion that it was me or the deck that was at fault. However, if there is a flaw that is not due to things like a badly phrased question (or a question built on incorrect assumptions/lies), then it will typically be down to the reader - in my opinion. The decks don’t have bad days, we do. 
 

 

[snailrizzy]

On 4/30/2026 at 5:30 PM, Tanga said:

Nope. The shoe doesn't always fit.

But hey ho - we're all fascinated with it and just continue on!  

I agree, and to add onto that I feel like Tarot is one of those things where you get what you put into it. If you aren't in the right state of mind to hear devastating news and give yourself a reading anyway you probably won't get the answer you need to hear. Tarot also has its limits: it's not going to be "correct" 100%. Reading cards in any form is highly subjective and doesn't guarantee any future result that can be replicated.  

[snailrizzy]

On 5/1/2026 at 6:09 AM, KiMo said:

the instances of wrong question / wrong method / wrong interpretation, I've certainly heard of readers who have had cards that are total nonsense given the context of what they're seeking answers for. I had this just yesterday so the timing of your post is interesting. I asked a carefully crafted question using an appropriate spread and the cards I got seemed almost belligerent (again, anthropomorphising here but hopefully you get the idea). All five cards reversed and all five utterly confusing. After a few moments I just cleared them away, something I've never done, and as I was doing so I got a very clear message of 'you shouldn't be asking that question because you don't need to'.

I enjoyed reading your thoughts on this, KiMo. It's so intriguing how we personify these cards in order to help with our own interpretations. This makes me think of a parent who has had a long day and has a child who won't stop asking what seems like trivial or nonsense questions, so they begin to answer with snarky remarks in hopes the child will get the message to stop asking. 

 

[Nemia]

Like everything in life, tarot doesn't always work. There are days when I can't paint, there are days when my lecture falls flat, and there are days when my marriage seems boring. Bad hair days happen. I look at the cards, and nothing comes up. 

 

Last week I did my birthday reading, and it baffled me. I simply couldn't interpret it, the cards seemed to say, "nothing to see here, move on". So I took a picture of the reading to look at it later. It will make sense sooner or later, but I accept that right now, it doesn't. Probably, I can't deal with certain truths right now. Or I was not truly focused on the reading but simply did it because "it's my birthday and that's what I do". 

 

So many things in life don't work scientifically. We're imperfect creatures in an imperfect world, and I'm perfectly fine with it. 

[Marina]

I think 'not working' is made up of many factors, often unseen. Just like a medication might have a different effect depending on whether you ate something before taking it, or had alcohol... It's not that it 'doesn't work' per se, but the unseen interactions kept it from working as expected.

 

In divination, I think the reason it may not work is usually a mix of reader, question and/or the oracle itself (or whatever power you believe is behind it). Sometimes, we as readers are just not in the proper mood/spirit for divination. Other times, the question... plainly sucks*. And other times, the oracles will refuse to answer, either because the question sucks*, or because we should be out there touching grass, you know? 

 

I feel the latter is especially true when the reading is absolutely gibberish. Like... you are quite sure you are in a good moment for a reading, and the question asked was pertinent and clear, but you cannot find any thread of meaning in the cards. It's the equivalent of getting static on television... there is no signal, and we shouldn't force it. 

 

*To clarify what I mean by "the question sucks": I believe a lot in intention, ie.  you get from the reading what you put in it. If you don't really care about what you are asking, or you don't really want to know the answer, or you just want ONE answer and will reject anything else, or you are doing it just to 'test' the oracles... then chances are your reading is not going to be very good. 

[RunningWild]

I think sometimes readings don't work out because we, as readers, or the sitter, is too invested in an outcome we, or they, would like to see.  I've had some of those gobbledeegoop readings.  Those sometimes occurred when my heart wasn't really interested and maybe I was looking for any kind of hope in a situation where there really wasn't any and it was time to let go.

 

As for yearly readings, I think they can be a fun exercise but aren't all that useful because there are too many variables in life.  For example, you could do a yearly reading on your business asking if it was going to go well in the next 12 months.  Let's say you read the outcome as a positive but come that twelfth month your business is in disarray and things aren't going well.  You couldn't account for all the factors that led to that conclusion such as the need for a loan, or some illness that knocked you off your feet for a while.  On top of that, how willing are you to go back through the yearly reading to see if those things were 'mentioned' in passing in the previous months?  Probably not very if you're too busy scrambling to get your business back in order.  

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the cards do a good enough job if you're willing to take the time of going through them.  At the risk of anthropomorphizing the cards, as we all sometimes do, the cards are chatty.  It's a conversation they want with you.  The reader just has to take the time.

[Croat]

Kind of depends on what is meant by "doesn't work", or just "work" for that matter.  For me the value is always there, regardless how on point a reading may seem.  The reason is that I view the cards as leveraging broader perspectives on a question.  Sometimes those perspectives may be unexpected and seemingly disconnected.  When a reading doesn't appear to be on point, I don't see that as a "doesn't work" situation, but more as an opportunity to gain alternative perspectives that, in all likelihood, I would not have considered on my own.   

[Chariot]

On 5/5/2026 at 7:20 AM, Nemia said:

Like everything in life, tarot doesn't always work. There are days when I can't paint, there are days when my lecture falls flat, and there are days when my marriage seems boring. Bad hair days happen. I look at the cards, and nothing comes up. 

 

Last week I did my birthday reading, and it baffled me. I simply couldn't interpret it, the cards seemed to say, "nothing to see here, move on". So I took a picture of the reading to look at it later. It will make sense sooner or later, but I accept that right now, it doesn't. Probably, I can't deal with certain truths right now. Or I was not truly focused on the reading but simply did it because "it's my birthday and that's what I do". 

 

So many things in life don't work scientifically. We're imperfect creatures in an imperfect world, and I'm perfectly fine with it. 

What you said made me think that maybe the issue of 'working' is tied to specific questions and concerns.  In other words, if there is an issue we want to know about or consider, it probably works best to lay out a spread designed specifically to address that issue.  (Not ...what is my day going to be like today?  But ...how best to finish the tax paperwork today?  Mindset, practical actions, this helps me, this hinders me, advice, etc)  I know I get more useful results when I do that sort of focused reading, than from a simple 'daily' reading, or birthday reading, or yearly reading, etc.  If my focus is vague, the answer is likely to be vague as well.

Edited 9 hours ago by Chariot