James Wanless on Projection in Tarot Readings

By Sarah Taylor

The idea of projection in tarot, and the different ways it can affect the readings we do for others and for ourselves, has been a theme I’ve returned to several times here on Planet Waves. (See When you’ve got it, when you haven’t, and knowing the difference, Two approaches to tarot — and why it’s tricky reading for yourself, and Step away from that tarot deck!)

“Projection” is one of those terms from psychoanalysis that has found its way into the mainstream. You can read a longer explanation of the term here, but for the purposes of this article it is the phenomenon whereby we unconsciously disown a part of ourselves (either positive or negative) by putting it out into the world and onto another person, object or situation.

In this article below, James Wanless, writer, trainer and creator of the Voyager Tarot deck, shares his own view of projection and tarot, and suggests ways that we can strive towards a sense of objectivity in our readings.

I found this a lucid and thought-provoking article, and it offers a perspective that sometimes coincides, and sometimes diverges, from my own. I’ll touch on two things here. First, while I agree that it can help significantly to ask some searching questions of ourselves and our tarot reader (because there are some readers who act from a place of deep wounding), I’m not sure we can escape projection altogether. Projection, by its very nature, is an unconscious process, and, if that’s the case, then our conscious minds are not equipped to identify it and avoid it — or at least to identify and avoid all the projections at play at any one time. Life is a process of unpeeling projections, layer by layer; and I don’t believe that process ever ends.

Second, I’m not sure that all projections from a reader can be construed as ‘negative’. In the same way that everything has a light and a shadow aspect, I think there are aspects that a reader brings of themselves to a reading that can be as helpful as others are a hindrance. I don’t believe the idea of the collective is an unfortunate accident that needs to be fixed; nor do I believe, then, that where a part of my unconscious becomes interwoven with someone else’s that it is always something to be avoided as an obstacle to personal development. It might be that, through the process of tarot, we tap into something that is both unknowable and mutually beneficial.

But, like James’s thoughts below, this is purely a particular viewpoint. Therefore, without further delay, I invite you to read what he has to say, try it on for size, and see how it fits for you.

— Sarah

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“Those Pesky Projections” by James Wanless, creator of the Voyager Tarot

Though I have been a Tarot Reader for over 30 years, I confess, why would anyone want a reading from another? Don’t get me wrong, I’m honored that someone values my insights and I like the business. But I confess to you that I don’t usually go to other readers, knowing that consulting a reader can be like giving away your own authority, judgment and power.

Many people are socialized to believe that others know what is best for us. How can anyone know us better than ourselves? Don’t we have an inner voice that we can trust for guidance? Seeking out experts and gurus can perpetuate dependency and control from forces outside of us, which keeps us from being true to ourselves.

People tend to project the reader as wise, responsible, compassionate, perhaps like a father/mother figure or a magical genie with extra-ordinary powers. While many think readers (and therapists and counselors) are objective and understanding, here’s a true confession: All readers project themselves into your reading. There is no objectivity. Everyone looks at life and at another through the lens of their own values and experiences. So, who really is this person telling you who you are and what’s going to happen?

If I were to get a reading from another, I’d like to know who that person is. Just because they are “psychic” or have written a book or have a reputation, does that mean they are right for you? Before a reading with anyone, I’d, at the very least, get an intuitive sense of their own wholeness and healthiness. And I would interview them or read their book, asking about their philosophy of life.

Every reader has a bias. I confess that I tilt towards the belief that “anything is possible,” though not necessarily easy and swift. I advocate that change is good, taking risks is imperative, and failure is ok. Knowing this about me, I strive for balance with my clients, understanding that some are not ready for change, or that security may be more appropriate than growth. Do readers know who they are and how they project? Ask them.

More about projections: What the latest neuroscience of the brain tells us is that we all “read” people all of the time. Though we think it’s our intuition that’s feeling out a person, in fact, we are simply projecting from the memory part of our brain. For example, because a person looks or acts in a way that we remember from somebody before, we infer that that’s who they are.  Maybe, maybe not. It’s best to be open minded, and to keep in mind that “I really don’t know.”

Picking a card facedown from the Tarot is invaluable as a tool for seeing the “real” person. The cards liberate us from prejudging the person. I confess that I deliberately and fiercely seek to stay away from any preconceptions, and let the cards themselves, along with my now informed intuition, form assessments. Nevertheless, it is still a subjective judgment.

What’s the value of having a reading from another then? Treat it as an alternative information source. You can get insights about yourself along with different life scenarios and new possibilities. Readings can put your life in a perspective that gives you understanding and peace of mind. Readings can also confirm what you know about yourself and your path, and that is empowering and affirming.

Readings as a source of information are only information. Ultimately, it’s back to you to decide, to receive the counsel or not. This approach to a reading gives you neutrality, a state of balance that requires self-accountability and which gives you clarity.

Given the possible pitfalls of having a reading by another, why not “be your own oracle” by doing your own readings? This demands that you understand yourself and your basic personality style, for personality tendencies will color and cloud your own reading.

We don’t see what is, but who we are. Are you a “Harmonizer,” a person who wants to get along, be a people pleaser, not rock the boat? With this bias, you tend to see everything as okay and going along fine. Are you a “Pollyanna,” the eternal optimist who sees everything as good? If so, you will see the future as wonderful and joyous. Are you a “Critic,” evaluating yourself and life from a negative point of view, thus projecting a defeatist, pessimistic reading?

To achieve some clarifying objectivity in your own readings, be aware of your personality and perceptual inclinations. And then do what I have found to be most helpful in looking at the future. I call this “bracketing,” a balanced way of foreseeing. First, look at the future from the positive point of view, how you would like it to look, your best case scenario. Then see what you don’t want to see about the future, the worst case scenario. Finally, picture the future as being somewhere in the middle between the best and worst cases. Generally speaking, the middle forecast is the ”probable” truth, it being ok, neither as good or as bad as we project it. (More on the “catastrophic mind” later).

But if you accept that middle probability, then that is what you tend to create. So, who wants that? We’d rather have it great. As we know, reality is subjective and is created by how we see it. We have choice about how we make up our lives. Choose the best case vision of the future, and know that it could end up great or okay. Who knows? Nobody. To be judicious, by having previewed that it could all go wrong (worst case), be prepared with a fallback plan and, more importantly, get energized to prevent that by your pre-view.

Yes, you can do readings for yourself. But you must trust yourself and believe in your power to know what is best for you. Be aware of your projections though. Strive to read the cards in a “balanced” way.

You can visit James Wanless’s website here.

If you want to experiment with tarot cards and don’t have any, we provide a free tarot spread generator using the Celtic Wings spread, which is based on the traditional Celtic Cross spread. This article explains how to use the spread.