Untangling The Tarot - 21 Common Misconceptions
In recent years, a great number of people have become interested in the Tarot. So I'm going to clear up some common misconceptions here, for beginners, clients, and in some cases, more experienced readers.
1) The deck must be wrapped in silk
Silk is lovely, but it's not necessary to shield your cards. Hold a piece of silk up to the light and you will see openings between the weave or knit...how can it keep anything in or out? A little common sense is in order here. Silk is fine for wrapping cards, but so is any other fabric or no fabric at all. A lot of people keep their decks in boxes. Some of these boxes are quite expensive, others are cardboard. Some just put a rubber band around the cards, some use drawstring bags...whatever you prefer.
2) You must say protection prayers or do protection rituals before consulting the Tarot
I think this one has its roots in all those Ouija Board urban legends that have been going around since the release of "The Exorcist". You know, the stories where evil spirits came through and attached themselves to people and caused horrible things to happen. Total hogwash, don't base your actions on a Hollywood plot device. Reading cards is no different from any other activity. Crossing the street can be much more dangerous! Tarot requires no special prayers or rituals that you wouldn't normally do for any other activity. If you want to, fine, just remember you don't have to.
3) The deck must be cleansed periodically
This one is kind of "yes and no". No, the cards don't pick up invisible astral gunk, but they might have bad psychological associations - in other words, if you have some kind of unpleasant experience with them, like reading for a person who is being difficult or hostile, then the deck may remind you of this every time you see it and feel "tainted". In this case it really is beneficial to perform some kind of cleansing ritual. You don't have to bother with the crazy ones you see on the net that tell you to dress up like Gandalf, recite mumbo-jumbo, rain salt water on them or bury them on a full moon night. Try just leaving them on a sunny windowsill for a day or putting them in order and then thoroughly reshuffling.
4) The meanings are the same for all Tarots
There are several different schools of Tarot, a Thoth is not a Marseilles and a Marseilles is not a Rider Waite. There are also many, many decks. And each of these decks may have multiple methods of reading. Find what makes sense for you and do that.
5) You can't predict the future with Tarot
Yes, you can, I've done it many times. Other systems like Lenormand tend to be more to-the-point for predictive readings while Tarot is more philosophical, but it can be done.
6) A Tarot reading "fixes" the future and it can't be changed
Tarot shows the most likely outcome if you continue the path you are on, but it can often be changed. One of the purposes of a reading is to show you where things might go off the rails so you CAN change them. Things predicted by the Trumps can be harder to change than things predicted by the Pips, but it often can be done.
On the other hand, don't take this as "Free Will reigns supreme" (another popular catchphrase you hear around cards). As you probably know from experience, some things are just out of your hands and can't be changed. But many can.
7) Tarot is evil
One of the earliest mentions we have of cards is from around Dante's time, sermons against the cards. This is because the philosophy of the cards cut through a lot of dogma and encouraged independent thought. There are no "evil spirits" involved. See #3.
8) Never let anyone touch your cards
Plenty of readers allow clients to shuffle, cut and/or pick out cards. It's totally up to you if you want people handling them or not.
9) You have to let the client shuffle in order for the cards to pick up on his/her situation
Again, not necessary. Any Keen reader will tell you that, we read over the phone!
10) You shouldn't buy your own deck, it has to be a gift
More hogwash. The decks I bought myself work as well as the ones people gave to me.
11) You shouldn't do third party readings
If someone is affecting your life, that makes it your business. Third party readings are perfectly acceptable in many cases, as long as your intent isn't to be malicious or simply nosy. Tarot ethics are no different than regular ethics.
12) Tarot cards don't predict death
Very rarely, they do. I've had it happen. HOWEVER, the Death card alone doesn't indicate an actual death, it takes a whole cluster of icky combinations and it doesn't always happen. Sometimes we're "meant to know", sometimes we're not. Also, it doesn't predict death on demand: best not to ask when someone is going to die, you'll probably get nonsense for asking a question like that.
13) Tarot is (Christian, Jewish, Pagan, Atheist, insert belief system here)
The oldest known Tarots came from Christian Europe and used Christian symbolism, but the Tarot expresses a universal philosophy that can be found in many times and places. Some people see Kabbalah in Tarot, some see Gnosticism. It's like a mirror. I have a Buddha Tarot deck in my collection, the Tarot structure lends itself to Buddhism beautifully. But the Tarot isn't any of these systems, or "based on" any particular dogma. If it had a true link to Kabbalah, it would be a part of the studies of Hebrew scholars. If it were Buddhist, it would be studied in the Buddhist monasteries. If each religion is thought of as a pearl, Tarot can be considered a thread that runs through all of them, but the thread is not any one pearl. Tarot belongs to all of us.
14) All Tarots have 78 cards
Not true. The Minchiate has 97. The Thoth has 80. As with anything else, exceptions exist.
15) You can't read when...
...it's raining, the moon is dark, you're having your period, etc. etc.
Of course you can. The only time you shouldn't read is when you're under extreme stress about something, and even then you can get a reading from someone else.
16) Never poker shuffle a Tarot, that's for games and will ruin your deck
Many readers use shuffling methods other than the poker/riffle shuffle, usually because they have small hands and Tarot cards tend to be larger than regular playing cards, making the poker shuffle difficult for them. Also, some decks are quite expensive and their owners don't want to risk bending the cards with a poker shuffle. But there's no reason not to use any shuffle you're comfortable with.
17) You need a birthdate to read someone's Tarot cards
You need a birthdate to cast an astrological chart, not to read cards. Knowing someone's birth sign might help the reader pick up something in the cards that they might miss otherwise, but it's not necessary.
18) You have to bond with a new deck
It helps to practice with it, yes. But there's no reason to sleep with it under your pillow or haul it around everyplace you go.
19) Tarot originated with Egyptians/Gypsies/take your pick
The earliest known Tarot decks are from Italy. The earliest cards of any kind that are known, are from China. No one knows exactly how, when or with whom the Tarot started. Anyone who says they do is fibbing or mistaken.
20) All Tarot readers are frauds and con artists
As with any profession, we have a few dishonest characters. But I would be inclined to say that the most and the biggest rotten apples are in politics, not card reading. Most of us will simply read your cards WITHOUT trying to convince you that you are cursed, and the only way to remove said curse is to empty your bank account. Many of the people who say we're ALL crooked make their living as professional skepics and debunkers. It is good to be a little skeptical, but taking it to the wall can be as blinding as the opposite extreme of believing everything one is told.
21) You have to use reversals when reading Tarot
No you don't. Each card has multiple meanings, shades of meanings, and different meanings when combined with other cards. Adding reversed meanings often only muddies the water. Again, it's a matter of personal preference.