Tarot Demystified

Tarot Myths and Superstitions

This is actually a favourite topic of mine, which I have covered before in my newsletters and am pretty sure that I will again.:-)

I see so many new readers confused by this too. One book says you must do things in this way for things to work., And the next books tells you, that you should do things in the exact opposite way if you want to be a good reader. I see so many new readers out there on the Tarot forums asking what is the correct way to do this, or how must they do this or that for the cards to work for them. Some of these superstitions make no sense to me as a reader. Others can actually be quite funny.

From my personal experience I distrust any book that says you MUST do something in a particular way to be a good reader or for things to work well for you as  a reader. If a reader is sincere about learning and about finding the answers to the questions they need through the cards, they will find them. It's not going to make a difference ultimately if they shuffle 3 times or 10, if they chose the cards by making 3 piles or fanning them out. If they follow what they book says or if they invent their own methods, it will work if they are sincere about what they are doing.

 

Tarot more than anything else I know is about connecting to what is inside you, listening to your inner voice and wisdom. Connecting to the world using those tools. There is no set way to go inside to access what is deep inside you. I believe you have to feel which way is right for you. It comes from reading a lot about Tarot and experimenting and seeing what works best for you. Which very likely will not be what works best for the next person.  The cards are your tool for experiment with and find the best ways for you.

 

In my opinion, it's when you try to lump everyone together as if we were all the same inside and say that this is the only way that it will work...., that is where the complications start., As this is just untrue.

 

While there is nothing wrong with rituals and such, eg if a reader feels more comfortable using a scented candle as they read. If that relaxes the reader, that is fine and good. But it's when you get into the territory of telling others that they must read by a lit scented candle or their readings will  not work as well, that gets into the superstitious side of things.

 

The first Tarot superstition I personally was exposed to was just as I was starting out. The gist of it was that you MUST not own two decks. You must only have one deck for your entire lifetime and never use another or you would be spreading yourself too thin, and would dilute your "powers" and you would never be any good with any of your decks.  

I actually heard this one from a co-worker whom I respected and who also was a reader. At the time I had ordered two decks that I was wafting for in the mail. As soon as they came I gave away one of the two, because I wanted to be the best reader I can.

 

While it certainly was best for me to learn on one, less confusing, I now have over 110 decks. And I use them all having that many has definitely been enriching as a reader and as each deck reads differently it lets me choose the exact right one for any reading.

 

 

Here are  a few more...

 

• Another common one is that you must never buy your own deck. You should only use decks that have come to you as gifts. Of all my decks, only 2 or 3 were gifts. And they all work fine for me.
• That you should sleep with a new deck under your pillow to best bond with it. I have NEVER done that one. I love my decks,  The thought of them under there getting all bent and curly and damaged would keep me up all  night if I had to do that! LOL
• that you should never let anyone else touch your deck. OR conversely that the querent must touch the deck for the reading to work well. Well, they can't BOTH be right. And yet you'll find different sources insisting that both are the right way (really there IS no set way that you HAVE to do anything in Tarot).
• Here is a funny one I just read, About using a second hand Tarot deck, and that if you do whatever you bake in your house won't rise.
• that you should not read when pregnant (not that I ever have been, but it seems like an ideal time to me to do so).
• that you must say a prayer, meditate, light a candle or do protective rituals each time before you read. If you enjoy these and it helps you relax, sure go ahead by they are not necessary to a good reading. As for the last....No you are not going to accidentally contact something that you need protection from. I have never done anything to protect myself or my cards or cleansed the cards and all my reading have been helpful. kind, gentle and loving.
• that you need to smudge the cards every so often to cleanse them
• that you need to talk to your cards in specific ways or they will get angry and not want to talk to you. They cards are just painted cardboard and no they have no feelings at all. They are just a tool.
• that the card can make anything at all happen. I found this one to be quite common, surprisingly to me. Not only do the cards not have any power to do any such thing (just painted cardboard), when we do ask about the future, the future they tell us about CAN be changed, it is NOT set in stone.
• And last but not least. NO the Death card does NOT mean actual death. That is mainly a popular misconception,.

Coming next month: Crossing your palm with silver