Fortune telling — as my regular readers might be fortunate enough to tell — is a very common “cognitive distortion.”
Fortune telling.
We believe we know what the future holds, as if we have psychic powers. We make negative predictions, feeling convinced these are unavoidable facts. Examples of fortune telling: “I am going to fail,” “This situation will never change.”
I’m fortune telling, now, that this post may get several comments identifying with that very human and pervasive way of thinking.
Why do we so often believe we know what the future holds, as if we have psychic powers? Maybe it’s because the uncertainty and the unknown of the future are difficult for us to tolerate. Maybe we believe we will do better in our lives if we’re prepared for what’s coming.
People who see me for individual and group therapy often express a wish to know the future. Some of them have visited psychics. Actually, I visited a psychic or two, in my youth. One of my friends from college regularly did tarot card readings for me.
Lately, I’ve been visiting an online tarot card site. Why? Because
- it’s fun,
- it’s free,
- I’ll be reconnecting with that tarot-reading friend from college sometime soon, and
- I like suspending my disbelief, for a few moments, to pretend I know something about the future.
Yesterday, I asked this question of the online tarot cards:
What does the future hold, for my blogging?
And here are the answers:
What do you think of that fortune telling? It’s my fortune to tell you these things about those cards:
- My college friend, Diana, would often reassure me that the “Death” card did NOT mean death, but rather change.
- I often tell myself and other people “Feel the fear and do it anyway.”
- That seems like a pretty positive, hopeful reading, to me.
- The fortune telling in those cards may have been affected by somebody else playing with the keyboard when I still needed to choose 2 more cards.
My fortune telling readers might foretell there are some other quickly-snapped photos in their immediate future.
I foresee some wicked cool, new, delicious, magic, fresh, lovely, and rockin’ comments in my future. And I don’t need an online tarot card site to tell me that.
Thanks to all who fortune-tell, including you!
The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally 
You may not have a fortune, but I can tell you your originality for your posts is worth its weight in gold 🙂 Oh and point 4 made me laugh so much haha.
Your laughter and appreciation is all the good fortune I need!
Such interesting tarot cards. I wouldn’t want to know the future and have learned as I have gotten older there is no point in trying to figure out what will happen-it only leads to disappointment. Plan ahead but don’t try to predict.
Your wisdom is our good fortune, Lisa!
Very cool, Ann. ☺ I had a very progressive aunt who would read tarot cards for us as kids. We didn’t take it too seriously at the time, but oddly enough, many of the relationship predictions turned out to be pretty valid. 💖
I always find your comments very cool and very valid, Van! ❤
At first I was surprised all your cards were major arcana but then I checked and realized the site only uses those cards and doesn’t include the minor ones. The minor cards can provide finer, subtler details to a fortune–or maybe they’re just the fortune teller’s way of hedging bets. That would be fitting since Tarot cards were originally used only for playing games.
I’m skeptical but surprised at how often The Hanged Man–like Death a rather frightening card but one that just means a different perspective on things–pops up in my readings.
Still I think of fortune telling as really asking for guidance. Sometimes if we deeply believe something is going to happen we have a way of making it happen.
I deeply believe that you will keep making these great comments on my blog, Chris. I suspect that fortune telling will come true.
Very interesting post! I may even give the reading a shot! 😉 Thanks for sharing, and I love your sense of humor!!!
I love your comment, Mari!
Wishing you good fortune, Ann, every single day.
I wish you the same, Maureen, every single day.
Fortunately I am able to read your post today. I am a strong believer in magical thinking and I think your blog is magical!!!!
This comment had a magical effect on me!!!! I am fortunate to know you here, SD.
My good fortune today is to drop in to read this!
❤ Sunny
Your sunny comment improves my fortunes!
The only thing I don’t like about online Tarot is that they give the person the meaning of each individual card and that is fine to a point. Where any card comes up in a reading is important as well as how it relates to the cards next to it. Another thing is that online sources of divination don’t tell you that the future is not set. A tarot reading is a look at a possible future. If you don’t like what it’s showing you, you have time to make changes in your life. This is the first thing I tell my clients. 🙂
You are obviously an excellent, helpful tarot reader and blog reader!
Thank you 🙂
“A fake fortune teller can be tolerated. But an authentic soothsayer should be shot on sight. Cassandra did not get half the kicking around she deserved.” — Lazarus Long, from Robert A. Heinlein’s “Time Enough For Love”
Listen to the cat, instead….
😉
gigoid, the dubious
I’m listening to the cat, Robert Heinlein, and you, gigoid.
I think these could stimulate someone to think a problem through and consider things they hadn’t. I say this having just come back from learning something about reading coffee grounds in Turkish coffee. Fun! I hope you enjoy reconnecting with your friend.
I always enjoy reconnecting with you!
Your friend is right — the Death card is nothing more than death of something negative in your life. I’m all for that. But as for telling the future–I truly believe any intuition, any predictions of the future, come from the deep root of common sense. Period. It’s just that most of us don’t listen to that “little voice” that warns us of good and bad. Readers watch our body language and tell us what we want to hear — we need to watch our OWN body language and listen better.
I’m listening to you, Claudia!
I prefer not to know – it’s more fun that way
It’s more fun when you visit, Derrick.
There is Oscar, with his novel!!!
Sorry it took me so long to notice this fortunate comment from you, Maria!
Pingback: Day 1444: A relaxed mind … | The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally
Pingback: Day 1473: Expectations | The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally
Pingback: Day 1591: Helpful | The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally
Pingback: Day 1646: Very Doubtful | The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally
Pingback: Day 1912: Jumping to conclusions | The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally
Pingback: Day 2081: Live Free or Die | The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally
Pingback: Day 2735: For now | The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally