Do you believe in Tarot Card readings?

Let’s discuss: tarot card readings, yes or no?

I would have emphatically said “no way, absolutely not, you are crrrrrazy” prior to a recent experience.

On a recent Greenbrier weekend getaway, my friend and I signed up for a Tarot Card reading just before dinner / happy hour. I expected more of a fun prediction read by a loony lady dressed like Professor Trelawney. Instead, I found myself with a tarot card therapist.

We arrived in the trellis lobby, which is bright and light with shades of sea green and magenta and glossy white. The tarot card readings were conducted behind a trellis wall, privately, next to a window.

Tarot Card readings, yes or no: the experience

The tarot card reader wore normal attire and spoke with a British accent (which totally made her more credible). She spread out the cards and asked me to select ten.

She flipped each card over and placed one by one in front of her. After that moment, not once did she point to a card or identify the cards in any way. She was so positive and convincing. Her accuracy surprised me. Some of the topics were about my personality, some concrete details, and a few insights into what my future may hold.

My tarot card reading

Here’s what she predicted for me:

• Life begins at 40 (oh thank goodness!)
• She said I have a good relationship with my husband. He is a good man (a detail easily assumed from his quick response via text message when I asked for the room number)
• right out of the gate, she asked me if I worked. Then, she said I was overworked and doing too many things. (Aren’t all working women?)
• She told me I liked to work and to be away from my kids – a boy and a girl (true, whhaaa?)
• She sensed I try to figure people out, and psychology may be in my future (this is true, but doesn’t everyone try to figure out what makes others tick?) And then followed with the disclaimer “I’m not telling you that you should be a psychologist” … (because no tarot card reader wants to be liable for failed career decisions)
• She sensed I am close to my mother and depend on her (I talk to her everyday)
• I’m a rock and dependable (I mean, I’d like to think so)
• She told me I was a reader, and studied literature, and liked to write – and asked if I studied English, and majored in college. While I was nodding in agreement, I was thinking, “I’ll be writing a blog post starring you as the main character!” but she didn’t predict it…
• She told me I would have a career change in a few years but since I am not a risk taker, will have set myself up for it (I mean, this could be a new job, promotion, etc. etc…. pretty much any career trajectory but she made it sound so exciting! and solid! and smart! and gave me hope for an exciting future!)

Are tarot cards real?

The skeptic in me broke down her statements. Could the things she said to me also have been guesses – or such broad strokes, it could have applied to most people? Were they vague guesses, and I interpreted them in the way that best applied to me? Or, is she particularly good at reading people? I think it’s safe to say a first impression can identify a person’s character. And, if she is just good at reading other’s character, could her words and predictions have meaning?

She knew I was married because I had to text my husband for our room number. That started the conversation off that he is a good person and we have a loving relationship. Good assumption. English is one of the top 20 majors for women in college. She could probably assess from the worry wrinkles next to my eyes that I am a mother, and a boy and a girl was a good guess.

For instance, on my job, she could have led me down a path that I wanted to have more time with my children or that I didn’t have to work, so why was I? We were at the Greenbrier, a luxury resort, and she could have assumed the stereotype that my husband is the breadwinner and my work is just a hobby. She did not.

My friend’s experience was similar, with specific details nailed with an accuracy impossible to explain away as lucky guesses.

do I believe in tarot card readings?

Do I think she is a psychic? I’m not sure, and I’m not sure it really matters.

The insights an outsider provides often gives us clarity, and sheds a new perspective on a situation or issue. Like an editor who points out an obvious mistake on a piece you’ve reviewed 1,000 times. You’ve looked at it the same way too many times. Sometimes, when we are so close to the details, we miss the obvious.

In some ways, nailing what our current situation is can predict the future, and her guiding me through what she saw in me in the context of the future – and how I interpreted it – gave me clarity on a few things I would like for my future.