When Your Oracle or Tarot Reading Doesn’t Make Sense by Leela Williams

Tarot and oracle cards can offer profound insights and guidance, but sometimes a reading can be more confusing than enlightening. There can be days when it seems as though the cards aren’t speaking to you or that they aren’t making sense. It can feel isolating or frustrating when a card reading feels unrelatable, especially when the divination deck is your go-to for insight and support. Some people feel this experience as though their cards have deserted or are punishing them. If this should happen to you, know that you are not alone. Firstly, your cards are not in the business of judging, punishing or giving up on you. Secondly, we can all experience a ‘divinatory disconnect’ at some point or another. This can happen for many reasons, including fatigue, overwhelm or heightened emotion. Here are some tips to help you navigate these perplexing moments so you can move toward the clarity you seek.

1. Pull a Clarifying Card

Ask for clarification or context for a reading by pulling an extra card. A clarifier can lend understanding, confidence or depth to your interpretation. You can draw a clarifier for any card in any spread. I recommend limiting yourself to one clarifier for simple spreads (up to five cards) and two for more complex layouts. Otherwise, the core message of your reading can be diluted or lost. Avoid overthinking the meaning of the clarifying card. Run with the first feeling, word or phrase that jumps out from the image or text. Pulling a clarifier from a different deck can change up the energy and help shift perspective. If you began working with tarot, drawing a clarifier from an oracle deck can be a bit like a conversation starter that sets the theme for your interpretation — and vice versa.

2. Rephrase Your Question

The wording of your question may hold a clue as to why the reading isn’t giving you a clear answer. Was your question (and your intent) clear and specific? Ambiguous questions lead to ambiguous answers. Ensure that your query is well-defined and focused so it invites a more helpful or empowering response. Then, reshuffle and try another spread. If you are happy with the question, consider whether you are committed to receiving an honest response.

3. Let it Go

Walk away from your reading trusting that you have subconsciously received all you need from the cards, and your intuitive process is already working to reveal your answer in a supportive and surprising way over the course of your day and night. Releasing or surrendering your query can help you become open to receiving guidance from another source. When this happens, there’s a chance the query will sort itself out without the need for oracular intervention.

4. Gift Yourself Time and Reflection

Sometimes, a message isn’t immediately clear because it speaks to future events or an understanding that is yet to surface. Gift the reading time to make sense. Make a note of the cards or take a photo of the spread. Journaling your thoughts, feelings and initial impressions about the reading can help you process the messages and your reactions to them. Gently challenge what about the cards isn’t making sense. Consider whether you are ready to accept what they are saying or whether they are introducing information that is beyond your current vision. Check back with the card spread and journaling in a day and again in a week. The message may be obvious with hindsight. You may learn something new about how your cards communicate certain events or feelings.

5. Embrace the Uncertainty

The future isn’t set in stone, and not every question is meant to be answered. You may be better off manifesting what you’d like to happen rather than asking the cards for guidance on what has, is or will happen. Confusing readings can offer guidance in their own way by nudging us to explore our thoughts or feelings a little closer. Do your best not to assume the cards are hiding something negative. You can trust that guidance will not be withheld when you need it. They may not want to ruin an awesome surprise that the Universe is planning for you!

You can also pretend you are reading for someone else to give yourself distance from the question. It can also be helpful to change your reading style. Maxine Gadd’s Zoologica: The Steampunk Oracle includes devices for intuitive, interpretative and definitive card readings, but you can apply those approaches to any tarot or oracle deck. Remember to end even the most baffling readings by thanking your cards for their offering. Entering a space of gratitude can be enough to reset our emotional and mental space so that the wisdom before us is clear.

Connect with Leela J. Williams at https://linktr.ee/leelajwilliams. Image features Leela’s latest oracle, Maxine Gadd’s Zoologica: The Steampunk Oracle — available from www.tarotopia.com.au