Tarot

[Sirius]

I rate this is highly effective in gaining control of ones life.  It's verry similar to building bastions in the mind and having demons or servitors.

[sahgwa]

The tarot trumps especially function as a wonderful set of primal archetypes in the Jungian fashion, to forecast one's life events, and to notice patterns in the outer and inner worlds as well.  
I had to memorise the order of the trump cards for some of my Order work, and it is fascinating to see them at work in one's life, with everything being applicable to these symbols and archetypes.  Also more interesting is to see the natural progression of the Trumps and thus life evolutions from  0 The Fool all the way to 21 The Universe/World and back again to the beginning in an eternal cycle .
They like to say the archetypes for the trumps came from Ancient Aegypt.

[Byrd]

Archetypes are very good at suggesting paths and alternatives.

Fun fact:  I used to read the tarot professionally at a local haunted house.

[sahgwa]

Archetypes are very good at suggesting paths and alternatives.

Fun fact:  I used to read the tarot professionally at a local haunted house.

Did you find or know if the readings were accurate?

[Byrd]

Did you find or know if the readings were accurate?

I used them as a "counseling" tool -- would directly ask the person what concerned them.  I didn't claim to be able to predict the future; only to give them tools to help them with a current problem.  If they demanded a "future" I would craft advice based on the possibilities ("You are someone who keeps careful watch on your personal situation.  A seemingly minor issue will suddenly turn out to be unexpectedly complicated and good professional advice will save your bacon.")  (10 of swords -- if the 10 is reversed then "Don't let things overwhelm you.  There's a nasty situation coming up that will resolve itself more easily thanks to some good advice from someone you trust.")

(notice how those 'predictions' actually give them agency and frame the "how important is this crisis" idea.)

I also kept some cards of agencies (women's shelters, etc) on hand.

I also did palmistry; that's amusingly vague and can be made to fit to anyone.  I would modify any "standard outcomes" to be "cautions about probable futures." 

Some examples: 

• "I see a break in your life line here (normally one would imply a short life) -- you need to start making sure you get regular checkups about age 40 to prevent severe complications."
  
• The "children" lines on the side of the hand -- "You will find new family in your life; not blood or marriage relations, but three (or four or however many) people who become a true part of your tribe."
  
• The "rigidity" (stiff hand) - "When you make up your mind about something, you are very firm in your belief.  This can lead to some real arguments or hurt feelings or strained relationships."
  

It's basically introducing them to a subset of "Adlerian psychology" ... what you expect in life usually comes to you (if you think people are evil, you will find horrible people all around you.  If you think people are good, you will be surrounded by kind and helpful people.)  And getting them sometimes to consider "just how important will that situation (like driver cutting you off in traffic) be in ten years" , and "who really owns the problem." 

Yes, there are people who do predictions with Tarot and palmistry.  I've had (paid or) readings done for me -- they varied from "inaccurate" to "wildly inaccurate" both in their assessment of who I am and what happens to me.  My experience with other readers (including some moderately famous local ones) led me to use them as a tool to help (successfully) rather than a tool to predict.

[Byrd]

By the way, the "rigidity of the hand" is actually a somewhat reasonable predictor -- if the hand is stiff, AND the person doesn't appear to have health issues (possible stroke, arthritis, etc) then they're nervous or reserved about what's going on.  So this is someone who could get very uncomfortable in strange situations (like a haunted house... with howls and chainsaws...) and is more likely to be less open to experiences.

A more "rigid" mindset.  More "cautious."  Often more firm about their opinions.

[sahgwa]

I used them as a "counseling" tool -- would directly ask the person what concerned them.  I didn't claim to be able to predict the future; only to give them tools to help them with a current problem.  If they demanded a "future" I would craft advice based on the possibilities ("You are someone who keeps careful watch on your personal situation.  A seemingly minor issue will suddenly turn out to be unexpectedly complicated and good professional advice will save your bacon.")  (10 of swords -- if the 10 is reversed then "Don't let things overwhelm you.  There's a nasty situation coming up that will resolve itself more easily thanks to some good advice from someone you trust.")

(notice how those 'predictions' actually give them agency and frame the "how important is this crisis" idea.)

I also kept some cards of agencies (women's shelters, etc) on hand.

I also did palmistry; that's amusingly vague and can be made to fit to anyone.  I would modify any "standard outcomes" to be "cautions about probable futures." 

Some examples: 

• "I see a break in your life line here (normally one would imply a short life) -- you need to start making sure you get regular checkups about age 40 to prevent severe complications."
  
• The "children" lines on the side of the hand -- "You will find new family in your life; not blood or marriage relations, but three (or four or however many) people who become a true part of your tribe."
  
• The "rigidity" (stiff hand) - "When you make up your mind about something, you are very firm in your belief.  This can lead to some real arguments or hurt feelings or strained relationships."
  

It's basically introducing them to a subset of "Adlerian psychology" ... what you expect in life usually comes to you (if you think people are evil, you will find horrible people all around you.  If you think people are good, you will be surrounded by kind and helpful people.)  And getting them sometimes to consider "just how important will that situation (like driver cutting you off in traffic) be in ten years" , and "who really owns the problem." 

Yes, there are people who do predictions with Tarot and palmistry.  I've had (paid or) readings done for me -- they varied from "inaccurate" to "wildly inaccurate" both in their assessment of who I am and what happens to me.  My experience with other readers (including some moderately famous local ones) led me to use them as a tool to help (successfully) rather than a tool to predict.

I think keeping it vague is a good tactic. I have never read for anyone else but I have done the ol' 3 card past present future thing for myself and it seemed fairly accurate.  I think it's more than just Adlerian psychological stuff at play, I think synchronicity is a thing, as in , one can be tapped into certain rhythms or currents and 'see' but also it goes beyond confirmation bias or seeing what you are looking for too.

[Maxmars]

I used them as a "counseling" tool -- would directly ask the person what concerned them.  I didn't claim to be able to predict the future; only to give them tools to help them with a current problem.  If they demanded a "future" I would craft advice based on the possibilities ("You are someone who keeps careful watch on your personal situation.  A seemingly minor issue will suddenly turn out to be unexpectedly complicated and good professional advice will save your bacon.")  (10 of swords -- if the 10 is reversed then "Don't let things overwhelm you.  There's a nasty situation coming up that will resolve itself more easily thanks to some good advice from someone you trust.")

(notice how those 'predictions' actually give them agency and frame the "how important is this crisis" idea.)

I also kept some cards of agencies (women's shelters, etc) on hand.

I also did palmistry; that's amusingly vague and can be made to fit to anyone.  I would modify any "standard outcomes" to be "cautions about probable futures." 

Some examples: 

• "I see a break in your life line here (normally one would imply a short life) -- you need to start making sure you get regular checkups about age 40 to prevent severe complications."
  
• The "children" lines on the side of the hand -- "You will find new family in your life; not blood or marriage relations, but three (or four or however many) people who become a true part of your tribe."
  
• The "rigidity" (stiff hand) - "When you make up your mind about something, you are very firm in your belief.  This can lead to some real arguments or hurt feelings or strained relationships."
  

It's basically introducing them to a subset of "Adlerian psychology" ... what you expect in life usually comes to you (if you think people are evil, you will find horrible people all around you.  If you think people are good, you will be surrounded by kind and helpful people.)  And getting them sometimes to consider "just how important will that situation (like driver cutting you off in traffic) be in ten years" , and "who really owns the problem." 

Yes, there are people who do predictions with Tarot and palmistry.  I've had (paid or) readings done for me -- they varied from "inaccurate" to "wildly inaccurate" both in their assessment of who I am and what happens to me.  My experience with other readers (including some moderately famous local ones) led me to use them as a tool to help (successfully) rather than a tool to predict.

Thank you for reaffirming my faith (so to speak) in the harmonious nature of Tarot.

I could have followed a similar path, for I gained some notoriety among my peers in my University days offering to share my learning of Tarot... offering readings etc.  Most of them professed amazement at the experience, and even I felt that I was participating in something that reached the human experience... but I soon became very apprehensive about my ability to compartmentalize personal intimacies I was quite unintentionally learning, and the effect I might have should I lapse into 'opining' or 'suggesting.'  I just didn't have courage to "go there" and simply stopped my "sharing" and ceased all Tarot related inquiries.  I got scared, scared of caring about every single person, scared of fearing for them, wanting to help them, being repulsed by some of their grotesqueries or even inclinations... I was never trained to 'clinically detach'... which isn't supposed to mean you don't care, but that's how it feels.

In my ignorance, I thought when people come in genuine need of something which offers them a moment of focus, it matters too much to reduce to a triviality - especially to the subject.  Like any other such art, the subject is the entire point of the exercise...  The outcome isn't for the reader being the prime paradigm. 

While reading some fiction (Piers Anthony - I believe) I became interested again for a brief respite... and considered having a reading done - but to be brutally honest - I can't abide the idea of that kind of intimate contact being tran$actional. 

However, I found your post very encouraging...  

[Sirius]

I used them as a "counseling" tool -- would directly ask the person what concerned them.


I also did palmistry; that's amusingly vague and can be made to fit to anyone.  I would modify any "standard outcomes" to be "cautions about probable futures." 

Ask Bob what it want's from me. I have a simian line on one of my hands, maybe that helps the cards.

I started reading UFO of God yesterday and can sadly relate to allot of it. 

Some thing's I think that is hard to comprehend from the outside is that you feel like you are going through judgment day.  All the doomsday stuff is also terrible, I have lost count of the times I have seen the end of the world now, what even is the point of it?

You have to recontextualize allot of things and quickly, depending how your world is structured different pillars get kicked out and you have to fix them.  

Jacques Valleé had some good points here.

[Maxmars]

Tarot readers are human.

Some sensitive, some detached, but both perspectives are necessary for balance.

If the reader is engaging in an interpretation, as guided by the subject... no certainties are ever guaranteed.

In strictly human reality, nothing is ever beyond witnessing... perhaps it's all part of the human drive to 'witness it all.'
"Simultaneously a great virtue, and devastating weakness." to paraphrase someone I think I heard in media.