 |
Predicting the Future vs. Fortune-Telling
Many tarot reading groups, as well as mentors and their students, have struggled with the issue of whether tarot
readings can predict the future, whether doing so is ethical or should be classified as fortune-telling, and if it is done, how to do it in such a way that the client is empowered to influence and/or create their
own future. The definition of fortune-telling is particularly critical, because it is actually illegal in some states.
Here are some possible definitions to think about and discuss:
 Fortune-telling: Foretelling an event with certainty that is so far in the future or so
detailed that the future event described cannot be justified by the evidence or supported by events already in motion.
Prediction: Extrapolating from causes and events already in motion to their probable results
in the near future. Any scientific prediction, as well as any tarot prediction, should include an estimate of the probability of its occurrence.
Many professionals are involved in predictive activities, including doctors, counselors,
environmental professionals, stock-brokers, weather forecasters etc. Our profession is no different. We can take the known facts – what the client tells us about the situation - and put
them together with existing influences and trends that appear in the cards, to make reasonable predictions about the future.
Any spread with "future" or "outcome" cards in it has elements of predictiveness, including
commonly used ones such as Celtic Cross, Past/Present/Future, Horseshoe, etc. These spreads are commonly taught to beginning readers, in books and through on-line mentoring. Where people
seem to get uncomfortable is when the reading gets more specific, or when timing elements are involved. So where should the line be drawn?
I believe
it must be drawn on a case-by-case basis. For example, if you state that the weather
on June 3, 2003 in Seattle will be sunny and 75 degrees, I will think you're fortune-telling. If it is August, and a weather forecaster predicts that next week in Tucson, Arizona, the weather will
be hot and sunny based on the current weather, a reading of the weather charts, and historic records of weather patterns, I would be inclined to rely on that prediction, and take sunblock and
a floppy hat on my vacation there. Where you draw the line in between depends on many location-specific factors.
If we choose
, we can do the same thing with a client's reading. We learn about their past and
present from both the client and the cards, and we can extrapolate a certain ways into the future based on that. How definite we can be depends entirely on the circumstances: 1) how stable the situation is,
2) whether random events are affecting the situation, 3) whether the future depends on the client's decisions or someone else's that have not yet been made, 4) how
far out you're trying to predict, 5) how detailed you're trying to be. Each reader should make this decision for him or herself. The whole point of learning is for each person to struggle with these
issues and find the place where they are most comfortable. Once you have developed your own system and philosophy and your own code of ethics, and it is in line with the ATA code of ethics,
and you have obtained certification or other evidence of your ability, it is your choice - to do it or not according to your own views.
I personally believe
that any forecasting related to random events, such as lotteries, die rolls,
gambling of any kind, etc., is fortune-telling and not supportable by any kind of evidence (other than a common-sense discussion of the laws of probability).
I also believe that any system used for predicting the timing of events should include cards that
tell you whether or not the timing *can* be predicted - a system that makes a blind assumption that any event can be timed is unrealistic. In the timing system I use, only the minor arcana are
used for timing predictions – Swords indicate days or things that are already happening, Wands indicate weeks, Cups indicate months, and Pentacles years. The number of reversals and trumps
should also be evaluated, as these may block or slow down the normal progression of events. If I get court cards, that is my signal that the future depends strongly on decisions that have not
yet been made or actions that have not yet been taken by the client or others around them. If I get trumps, then I believe the timing depends entirely on how long it takes the client to resolve
the issues raised by the card - trumps represent major life issues, and they can take anywhere from days to decades to resolve. If I get the Wheel of Fortune, that indicates that there may be
random elements affecting the situation that would make any prediction questionable. In short, I let the cards tell me if a situation is well-grounded enough in events and influences that already
exist to allow prediction. And I communicate my basis for my conclusions to the client - if I don't think it can be predicted, I tell them why and what they can do to influence the outcome.
Please note that prediction does not eliminate the client's free-will, and I do not believe it is any
less empowering to the client than other approaches. A prediction of an event simply gives the client additional information - how they respond to it is still up to them. I do not see it as
fundamentally different from giving them information about their past or present, other than the element of probability and change, which needs to be communicated along with the predictive
information. Foreknowledge of likely events can be very empowering, because it acts as either a confirmation that they are on the right path and gives them confidence and hope, or gives a
warning of a potential negative situation that they could avoid by exercising their free will - I have seen the positive, life-changing benefits of showing someone the potential outcome of their
current actions, and I do not think those benefits can be over-emphasized. I do think that the most responsible approach to spreads that contain predictive elements is to include other
elements of the spread that are specifically designed to be empowering. For example, a spread that contains a prediction of a future negative event should also include tools and suggestions
for how the client can influence and change that future.
In the end, this is one of those issues that only the reader can decide, for their own readings
and based on their own code of ethics and responsibility.
|
