# Fate is a Lie: Why Predictive Tarot Disempowers You ## The Trap of Prediction One of the most persistent myths in tarot reading is the need to "make a prediction" — to tell the client what will happen. But here’s the truth: **prediction is disempowering**. When a tarot reader speaks of the future as fixed, or when a client seeks to hear a forecast carved in stone, both are engaging in a subtle form of **spiritual abdication**. It says: "I am not the creator of my future. Fate is." This is not only untrue — it’s deeply harmful. --- ## Fate is the Enemy of Will The idea of fate may feel comforting. It relieves the burden of decision. But it also removes the capacity for transformation. Tarot, in its truest form, does not uphold fate — it **reveals possibility**. Crowley, in _The Book of Thoth_, was clear: the tarot is a map of energies, of forces in motion, of _Will manifesting through action_. Not a tool to surrender one's power, but a mechanism to awaken it. **Fate is where people go to avoid responsibility. Will is where the magician lives.** --- ## Decisiveness is Magical When I read tarot, I don’t predict — I _read the energy_. I look at the sequence and relationship of the cards, the flow between them, the story they tell of the present moment and how it may unfold. But it is always the **client’s decision** that moves the current. Want to change the outcome? **Change your action.** The cards can show you where things are heading — not because they _must_ happen, but because that’s where your current trajectory is taking you. Do nothing, and yes, that future may arrive. But the minute you choose — the moment you _act with intention_ — everything changes. --- ## Empowerment Through Action The real magic of tarot lies not in foretelling, but in **forging**. - Use the cards to clarify your will. - Use the cards to test your vision. - Use the cards to locate resistance, inner and outer. But **do not** use the cards to passively receive fate. I’ve had clients ask, “Will I get the job?” I ask instead, “What do you need to do to _secure_ the job?” This shifts the reading from wishful thinking to **tactical magic**. --- ## Tarot is a Mirror, Not a Script Tarot holds up a mirror. It shows you the mechanics of your moment. It offers a glimpse of your inner dynamics and the external energies at play. It reveals hidden motives, suppressed desires, unseen opportunities. But it does not _write your story for you_. That’s your job. If you approach the tarot as if it were a divine Yes/No machine, you will reduce it — and yourself. If you approach it as a way to understand, transform, and act — you step into your power. --- ## The Magician Creates The first numbered card in the Major Arcana is not “The Prophet” or “The Oracle”. It is **The Magician** — the one who _acts_. And so must you. ### Tags #taro #tarot-reading --- ### Contact me The circle is open — if the work calls to you, or if you simply wish to say hello, you're most welcome. Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: [Message me here](https://wa.me/447918637940) ### Links to Paul on the web - [Substack](https://tarocurrents.substack.com/) - [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/paulhughesbarlow) - [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/@PaulHughesBarlow1) - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/paul.hughesbarlow) - [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/paulhughesbarlow.bsky.social)