What To DO When You Get Bad Tarot News

By elrich2012

   Sometimes I will see a client tell me, “I do not want to hear any bad news.” By bad news, I believe he is referring to cards which come up that he may not want to see like Death, The Tower or 10 of Swords. 

However, I am very Zen about Tarot, I do not believe that there are any bad cards.  I believe that there are hard truths and difficult outcomes, there are mistakes being repeated and sad endings that we can change or prepare for and for that, the Tarot can be its own weight in gold.

I cannot in good conscience lie about what I see. I have had clients walk out, yell at me, argue with me, defriend and unsubscribe from me and even then, I cannot make something that looks “bad” what they want to hear as hard as it can be for the both of us even knowing that the moment that I share the ‘bad news’ will be  the last time I might ever see you.


    Even though hurt springs to your eyes and you suffer, even though you blame me and call me a fake, a fraud, a ne’er do well; I still am only the conduit for the information and to lie about that means to lie about everything that I do and am.  There are readers out there who will only tell you the good news, because it is easy and it feels great. In fact, I know of a few readers who TAKE OUT the ‘bad cards’ in the deck; ensuring that everyone gets their happy ending. At the price of my integrity, I cannot do that. At the price of your beautiful shining spirit reaching to you through the Tarot, I cannot do that.

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Robin Wood, 1999

So when our Deep Self brings to us ‘bad news’ I find it to be a helpful warning about the things currently dealt with and the things to come. As Tarot is plotting a probability line we are being afforded a choice to continue to a path of unwanted outcomes or to prepare for an ending of a thing. Bad news gives us warning and also choices.

However, our egos- the part of us worried about the car and what the neighbors would think and is filled with fear and anxiety and separation- can get in the way of hearing the message.







We know that ego is acting up and trying to block the message by doing the following things:

·         Flipping completely out (using emotionality to override the message)
·         Feeling helpless and victimized
·         Blaming the messenger
·         Ignoring the message


So when we catch ourselves in the act of the ego responding we can then redirect ourselves by attuning to the message of our Deep Selves. Appropriate actions to ‘bad news’ are:

·         Understanding the message without excess emotionality
·         Looking into our part of creating the ‘bad news’
·         Pulling more cards for clarification and understanding of the outcome
·         Asking different kinds of questions to gain a greater understanding
·         Asking what is the lesson both spiritually and otherwise
·         Asking what actions we can take to change or influence the message
·         Asking how we can best deal with endings

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    Many clients will respond after the reading that, “Deep down, I already knew that.” This is when Tarot is its most powerful to transform the current reality.

The Tarot are the breadcrumbs scattered across the pond so our Deep Selves can emerge up like golden Koi fish,  bringing their beautiful natures up to the surface.



We know the fish are always down there but in moments of transcendental clarity, during a tarot session, is when we get to hear what they represent and have to say. The tough hard stuff, that is where the work needs to be.

Helping to bring up Deep Truth to the light of consciousness is a beautiful moment that needs to be honored and to take out the bad cards, to ask to not hear the process goes against the very wonder of what Tarot can do.

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