When I do a reading for myself, and I’m interpreting what I got, sometimes I realize I’m trying to “twist” the meanings to align more closely with what I want to be true. For example, I did a reading for the upcoming year and got the 7 of Pentacles reversed for the question “What will be the hardest part?”
The 7 of Pentacles reversed is a card I associate with frustration, feeling stuck, or being dissatisfied with the results of one’s time and effort. I immediately thought about the publishing projects I’m working on. “Oh, no,” went my brain,”does this mean my results will be even more minuscule than I’m already prepared for? Will there be delays? Mistakes?”
Then my rationalizing brain kicked in. “Well, the reading didn’t say how much of this you’d experience. Maybe it’s not much. Besides, you got the 8 of Wands as a general theme, so surely that means things will progress and not be stuck…”
You get the idea. Sometimes I think I hear the cards saying: Well, if you already decided what answers you’re willing to accept, then why did you ask us?
How do I deal with this when it happens? Well, sometimes I just have to keep ruminating on the card I don’t like. Maybe meditate about it. But another thing that can help is to consult a different reader for their perspective. I did this, and it turned out that she sees my reversed 7 as being about my impatience…things may be stuck or delayed or having a low return, but it will be my impatience that is making it seem larger than it is.
Getting that input doesn’t solve everything–after all, my unconscious knows how I tend to interpret different cards, therefore my interpretation matters. But it does jibe with what I already knew. And it aligns with a belief I have about the cards: in general, their message is meant to help me. And if I stay open to it rather than trying to twist it around, there will always be a way to see it in that perspective.
My Tarot Conversations 