I have seen many benefits from a tarot reading, and they are not the obvious one about predicting the future. For me, the primary benefits of a tarot reading are more to do with raising consciousness, so that the inner direction is strengthened. As a result, clients move away from being driven by events and actions of others to something that arises from within. Critical to this understanding is the realisation that we are not controlled by Fate, but we have our own free will. In this transition phase from fatalism to free will, there is a peculiar state that has the characteristics of both, but is neither of them, and there is a natural lack of faith at this point. Part of the job of the Tarot Reader is to give confidence and faith that this new inner direction is valid, for the problem is that when there was fatalism there were always clear signposts, but the inner direction has no signposts, except for after the event.

From Fatalism to Free Will

As the change from fatalism to free will, or the inner driven experience increases, we realise that we are on our own – nobody can help us – we have to do it ourselves. At the same time we realise that our goals, aspirations, or drives to complete our goals are no longer valid, or we are unsure about what our goals are anymore. Some people come for a tarot reading when they feel devoid of any goal or direction to take, and so the Tarot Reader has to bring the self-confidence to believe in and find the new goals. Furthermore, the courage to face problems has to grow, but the interesting aspect to this is that on the journey from fatalism to freewill, any obstacles seemed insurmountable, a drag to progress, but as we move into freewill the obstacles are now seen as opportunities for growth.

Inner faith and confidence

For many people there has been a crisis of faith and confidence as the foundations of truth are pulled from under their feet. Very often they believed in a person, a group of people, or political, religious or spiritual system, but something happened to make them realise that Truth no longer resided there. This can be devastating, since if they were wrong all along, what makes them think they can trust or find truth again? It is a thorny problem, for where do you go? By definition, the Truth came from society, and now it has vanished as we see through everything. It seems that the very friends, family, colleagues or experts are part of the problem, so a radical solution is sought beyond society. Tarot readers are seen as outside of society in some way, which makes it easier to consult them. However, at some point Truth has to be seen as coming from within, so a good Tarot Reader will guide the consultation towards self-validation.

Self-validation and Tarot

Trust in feelings and experiences have often been turned upside down by a perception that people do not represent the truth as we believed. This crisis of confidence has to be resolved for progress to be made. If the feelings have been suppressed ‘for the good of others’, then it is difficult to know anger, sadness, love, hate, inspiration, belief, and all the other feelings, and whether they are true or not. To resolve this, it is time to start expressing feelings, for all the time we ‘think’ about feelings, we do not know. By starting to say how we feel (not the deep levels; for some it would be expressing a preference for tea over coffee), we begin to know if that is how we feel, and we can calibrate what our true feelings really are.

Sometimes people come for a reading and start by asking how they will know if what I say is true. The truth is that we already know what truth is, but we have forgotten the facility to know that truth. Ultimately it is not about knowing the veracity of what the Tarot Reader says, but growing towards knowing truth after the reading. Self belief is not about arrogance – if it is, it the ego at work.

Coupled with concerns about truth, fatalism and freewill, is the worry about the right direction, for without the inner conviction and self belief about what one does, how can we know if we are in the right direction? What is the right direction anyway? Actually, it is not about direction at all, it is about movement. If we are standing still, it does not matter which way we face, we are still stationary. By taking a direction and moving we are changing the landscape – the view outside the kitchen window does not change unless we go into a different room or go outside the house. Being able to move is far less frustrating than not moving at all, and as we continue to move our confidence will also grow. When we stand still we have only our thoughts to tell us of the journey, and since we have not started the Journey we really have no idea of what is out there, except our hopes, fears and expectations. Simply by moving we are gaining information that feeds back and tells us how we are doing. This is not the same thing as looking for the ‘signs’ that were there in the fatalistic times, for by being inner driven, we are not looking for external reassurance (although if it turns up, that is good). As we move on the Journey we naturally make course corrections, based upon what is out there, not on what we think might be there. This is the smart way.

Tarot helps your progress on the Journey

As the Journey progresses we learn more about our goals and aspirations, and these may change. This is as it should be. For much of the time, Truth is now a reality that may well change, but for now we can live with it. Travelling on the Journey may well give us opportunities for testing the Truth, or Truths, for journeys mean that we are passing through – we are not stopping. Simply by travelling on the Journey we find other inspirations and goals that we may want to pursue. We may also find that just as there are many roads to Rome, there are also many ways of pursuing our goals, which must be reflected in the Tarot Reading, for time is no longer linear – there is not always the cause-effect, or past-present-future sequence at work. The Tarot Spread and the Tarot Reading must reflect this concept, for fundamental to the new paradigms of working from Within is the need for choice in actions and achievements. Gone are irreconcilable issues that paralysed us.

Making the Right Choice, finding the Critical Path, is now simply a matter of progressing on the Journey, and as we travel onwards we grow in confidence and we find new solutions and new ideas and inspiration that propel us forward. Fears and worries disappear to be replaced by newfound confidence and peace of mind. Opportunities for improvements in love, health, work, career and travel naturally arise in ways that make it easier to bring fulfilment.

The benefits of a good Tarot Reading

Can a Tarot Reading deliver this? Yes it can, as long as your Tarot Reader knows and understands the principles described above. A good Tarot Reader does not dictate or preach, or say that there is only one Future. There are always many Futures, but naturally it is wise to suggest only a few of them, otherwise confusion will reign. The result of a good Tarot Reading will be renewed confidence, a greater sense of well-being, a belief that problems and obstacles will be overcome, and that you are empowered to create your own better future.