How much faith do you put in a tarot spread, really?

I know people who constantly read their cards and take them at face-value (sometimes literally). They believe that the cards tell them what is REALLY up and make most of their decisions based upon what they read in the cards. Others will read the cards, and not put much faith in them- they believe that really, they are simply pieces of cardboard dealt out at random. Where am I? Somewhere in the middle- its dependent upon the situation, too.

If I’m going to weave some magic, and I’m pretty unsure about it, I will read the cards, and follow what I read in them. This has saved my ass several times in my life by preventing me from acting strictly upon my emotions and doing some pretty unethical stuff magickally. However, if I’m reading cards in regards to a situation, and my feelings aren’t in line with what the cards are saying, then I definitely use the knowledge of the cards in order to frame my decision. What I’ve found interesting today, is that I was reading cards as they relate to a situation, and it turned out to be about something completely different that might possibly relate to the original situation. By this I mean, that a card in the FUTURE slot in a spread might not have something to do with the immediate people in a situation, but may reflect an issue with a person on the outskirts of a situation- possibly becoming a major player somehow. This is interesting to me. I don’t read tarot regularly- its one of my goals-to increase this- but when I do, sometimes I’m really surprised with what the cards say, and how they educate me more and more each time I read.