Why Free Will Matters in a Tarot Reading

A lot of people get uneasy, or even scared, by the thought of a tarot reading, and the reason is often the same. They don’t want to hear that something bad is going to happen.

And I understand it. Tarot has a reputation for being this mystical determiner of fate - a predictive device that tells you that something will or won’t happen. Naturally, that puts a lot of pressure on the outcome of a tarot reading - your entire future hanging in the balance.

This perspective on tarot ignores something very important - our free will and agency to create our own future, as our life unfolds.

This is something I’m deeply passionate about as a tarot reader.

It makes me sad (and a little mad) when I hear past horror stories from nervous clients. No one should be afraid of getting a tarot reading. No one should be scared of living their life because of what they heard in a tarot reading. No one should leave a tarot reading riddled with self-doubt.

Because life is not something that happens to us. We are not passive observers. We are active participants in it.

So, if a tarot reading is not a declaration of our pre-determined fate, what is it?

More accurately, you could describe a tarot reading as a snapshot of the present moment, revealing where you are now, how you got here, and the direction you’re headed in, provided you continue your current trajectory, taking the necessary steps to get there.

Therefore, any ‘prediction’ you receive in a tarot reading is not an inevitability, it is a possibility. This places the power to affect the outcome of your life squarely back in your own hands. And that changes everything.

It changes the way a reading is received, because if you receive a potential outcome that you’re dissatisfied with, you have the power to change it. It reframes a bad prediction into an indication that adjustments are advised to create a more fulfilling future. However, it also means that if you’re satisfied with the potential outcome of your reading, it is not an inevitability. You have to take the steps to make that outcome a reality.

It also changes how we approach a tarot reading to begin with.

A reading full of pre-determined predictions is a very passive experience, because we cannot do anything with the information, other than pass judgment on whether the prediction is ‘good’ or ‘bad’, depending on the information we currently have. For example, let’s say, hypothetically, that a prediction is made in your tarot reading that the happy relationship you’re in won’t last. The reader is adamant that this is inevitable. With the information you currently have, this is crushing. A ‘bad’ prediction. However, in five years, when you’ve both changed and your values have shifted, the relationship might not be so happy. At that point, when the relationship comes to an end, you aren’t crushed, you’re relieved. You had no way of knowing this when you received the reading five years prior, and besides prematurely ending a happy relationship (please, for the love of god, don’t do this), there’s really nothing you can do with that information.

Now, let’s look at the same hypothetical example through the lens of a reading that celebrates and emphasises your free will. Your reading may have given you guidance on self-discovery, to help you better understand who you are as a person, who you want to become, and what your values are, because they were unclear to you, supporting your natural trajectory at that stage of your life. Five years down the line, you might return to that tarot reader for another reading focused on the problems you are having in your relationship. The reading might reflect and affirm the shifting values of you and your partner, presenting you with questions to consider and explore, in terms of what purpose the relationship now serves for both of you, where your values have deviated, why, and whether there is any middle ground that your relationship can build a more fulfilling future upon. With deep thought and discussion, and a heavy heart, you might come to the decision that you would both be happier if the relationship comes to an end.

In both scenarios, the outcome is the same. You could argue that the prediction was true, and yes it was. But in one scenario, we feel powerless. In the other, we feel empowered to create our own life.

But to take this one step further, there is second way that our empowered reading could have gone. Through that deep thought and discussion, encouraged by the tarot reading, the pair might have discovered important common ground, embedded in their five years of history, and with some effort, weathered this difficult season in their relationship and come out the other side, stronger than ever.

And this is why emphasising free will in the context of a tarot reading is so important. The door is open for both reconciliation and rupture, and the decision remains in the hands of the querent.

And there are actually more than two ways this scenario could play out. They could stay together, even if separation was the more favourable option, because they are not ready to let go of one another. They could also separate prematurely, only to realise the relationship is worth fighting for. And the list goes on.

That’s the thing about free will - the possibilities for your future are endless and constantly shifting, because each decision you make opens up a whole tapestry new possibilities. And likewise, each decision that the people around you make, alters the tapestry of possibilities too.

And I think this is a significant reason why we like the idea of predictions - if we receive the ones we want to hear, that is.

Predictions come with a sense of certainty. They deliver answers.

To say that the future is uncertain feels as frustratingly unhelpful as the Magic 8 ball telling you to ‘ask again later’.

It is comforting to think that our whole life is mapped out, and that it will all work out in the end. And when faced with difficult choices, to think that the choice is already made (and that you can find out what that choice is from pulling a few cards), sounds a lot easier than agonising over the outcome.

This deterministic view absolves us of responsibility for the bad choices, yes. But it also erases the part we play in those moments when we get it right.

It is impossible to learn and grow without bearing the responsibility of our failures. And it’s impossible for us to derive true satisfaction and fulfilment without bearing the responsibility of our successes.

And in the moments when things feel uncertain, difficult, or stuck, when you feel helpless and don’t know which way to turn; there is something deeply reassuring about the reminder that you have the power, at all times, to make changes. To respond. To evolve. And to mold your life, bit by bit, into something that makes you truly happy.

Tarot isn’t there to tell you that everything’s going to be okay (and freak you out if it tells you it’s not). Tarot is there to hold your hand and prompt your inner authority, encouraging you to deeply consider all facets of your life, so that you can decide which steps are most in alignment with the best version of yourself that you can be.

And so, when you come to a reading, the question isn’t what will my future hold? Rather, the question is, how can I create the future my soul craves, even if I don’t know what that looks like yet?

The power isn’t held in the printed pieces of card that make up a tarot deck. The power isn’t held in the hands of the tarot reader who selects and interprets them. The power is in your hands, and it is and always will be, your free will.

Want to know what the cards have to say about your free will? You might be interested in exploring this episode of my podcast, Major Arcana Energy, in which I reflect on The Lovers as a symbol of our personal autonomy, in the context of expectation.