Before I move on to reading for the present and the past, there is another dynamic within the process of looking at future events that needs to be taken into account, and that is the process of patterns of events that are locked in place. Sometimes a disaster is going to happen but the person being read for does not necessarily have to be a part of that disaster.

When a disaster is building up to happen, sometimes it is directly linked to a specific person, and sometimes it is linked not to the person, but to a series of ‘ingredients’ or a place. The person being read for may have elements of those ‘ingredients’ in their life, but if they are forewarned and change course, then the pattern transfers to someone else who has similar ‘ingredients’. Let’s have a look at a real example.

Many years ago a teenager I was connected to had arranged to go to an all night roller-skate fund-raising party organised by their high school. A few days before the event I had repeated inner sight flashes (pre cognition) of the teen laying at the side of a road accident, and being pronounced dead. I pleaded with the teen to not go. They resisted at first, but eventually decided not to go.

The following morning, we were greeted with the news that a car full of teens from the same high school, who were driving back from the skate party had careered off the cliff and two of the girls in the car were killed on impact. The teen I had warned had planned to get a lift back home with a group of fellow school mates. I could not stop the accident, but I could stop one of the kids being killed. So what was happening here?

The energetic build up to such an incident can build for days or weeks: it is inevitable that it is going to happen in some form, but who is actually involved can sometimes be altered at the last minute. The teen I warned could have died but did not actually ‘need’ to, therefore warning was given. It was an option within their fate pattern but was not a fixed conclusion.

Over the years I have seen this happen repeatedly and it would seem that there are many times that we potentially cross paths with such incidents, but such crossings are possibilities, power points in the pattern, not set destinations. Fate seems to be a fluid, complex and interesting force: it is a far more intricate dynamic than our current thinking around fate seems to suggest.

Back to tarot – so if a situation like this presents itself in a tarot reading, it would be wise to look at what would happen if the person being read for simply changes plans, changes course in a way that obviates their involvement in the disaster. Sometimes it is a really simple change (not going somewhere), or it is a change in thinking or attitude, and sometimes it can be a massive change. Using yes/no readings is an option, as is asking, ‘what does this person need to change in order to avoid the situation’.

Such a question is much harder to read for that a yes/no question, but if you look at the reading, look poetically at the pictures and take cues from that, often you can arrive at the right answer. If you use the Tree of Life for such a difficult question, look at what is withheld in position number 5 (that tells you what not to do), look at what is in position 9 (home/tribe/family) as well as looking at the outcome card.

For example, if you asked the question ‘what does this person need to change to avoid the situation’ using the Tree of Life layout, and the answer is 4 swords, it is telling the person to withdraw and rest (don’t go out, or do not get involved), or if it is the Chariot, it is telling the person to get out of the way (movement, travel, action). There does not need to be complex analysis of the answer, often the simplest interpretation is the right one.

Safe travels!