Tarot Lesson 5

 Debunking the Myths, Part 1

Okay, so there are SO FUCKING MANY myths and straight up bullshit going around about Tarot cards, reading them, owning them, using them at all, etc. that I just can't possibly cover them all in one lesson. It would go on fooooorreevvverrr. So I'm going to hit some of the main ones about the cards themselves this time and in the next lesson, I'm going to talk about misconceptions that surround owning and using them (which are the ones that really get me hot under the collar, so I need time to prepare!)

And there is a very good chance that I'm going to end up doing a few more debunking posts as I go, just because I am always running across new dumbass things that people say.

The Tarot can see the Future! – Okay, so this is a yes and no sort of thing. The Tarot shows us where we are now and what direction we are pointed in. If we change nothing, then our direction won't change and it will seem as if the cards told our future because we walked right into the shit show that they warned us about. However, the cards (and by extension the reader) aren't really able to see the future. And anyone who tells you otherwise is full of shit or thinks you're stupid. The future is always changing, ever mutable, never set in stone.

So remember when you see an outcome that you don't like, you always have the choice of changing it.

Getting a reading will “fix” my life! – Again, this is yes and no. You can get all the readings you want, in any format you desire, but not a single one of them will do anything to “fix” you if you aren't willing to put effort in to change your life yourself.

Tarot can tell you where you are and what direction you're facing. You get to decide if you go that way or if you make the changes that will help you go a different direction.

Each card has only one, predetermined meaning! – Well how fucking boring is that?

Each card relates to a general concept and is full of esoteric symbolism and interesting archetypal language, however the cards relate to your current mental, spiritual, emotional state so there are no set rules. What a card means to you today may be vastly different from what it meant to you a month ago and what it will mean to you a month from now.

Also, Tarot cards relate to each other in a reading and may shift meaning depending on what position they are in. For example, getting the Empress (a card generally associated with fertility and motherhood) doesn't automatically mean a pregnancy or child are in the mix. I have seen the Empress mean someone's creative impulses, with their art being the child in the symbolism. I've also seen the Empress being a strong indication that someone needed to find their own sovereignty, their own power, and learn to stand on their own two feet. There was also one time that the Empress reminded the girl I was reading for of her best friend, who she was secretly in love with and had put up on a pedestal. 

So yeah, learn the basic meanings but be flexible as you read the cards, being aware of the situation, position, etc. But I will do an entire lesson on this soon, as we start getting into reading, especially for other people..

I got a bad reading and now I'm DOOMED! – Like I've said already, the future is not set in stone. A reading does not somehow lock in your future. If you received what you consider a “bad” or “negative” reading, then maybe it's time to look at the issues pointed out in the reading and do something different about them. This could lead to a series of readings, or loads of journalling or therapy maybe. Whatever you need to do to adjust your trajectory and make the outcome "positive". 

OMG, the Death card! We're all gonna DIE! – The Tarot is not literal. The Death card does not mean physical death, the Tower doesn't mean your house is going to cave in, the Devil doesn't mean a monster is under your bed. It's all philosophical, emotional, spiritual language that while it can seem very, very scary (especially in the older, more traditional decks), it's just trying to get your attention to focus on some part of your life you need to work on. 

So when you see these scary, seemingly negative cards, those are the places where you are wounded or need to focus your work so that you can move forward.

Tarot Cards are the tools of the DEVIL!! He's even in the deck!  - Ok, so no. Tarot cards are pieces of cardboard with pictures on them. They are mass produced all over the world, with thousands of copies of the same deck being sold. There's no way that every single deck could be infused with evil or be the tools of the devil. They are just cards. Neutral items with no meaning until their user gives it to them.

Now, if you believe they are the work of Satan (or whatever you call your embodiment of evil) and are not able to change that thought in your mind, then perhaps Tarot is not for you. If you still want to work with card divination, maybe look into Angel Cards (a type of Oracle deck) or at the various Oracle decks that are out there. Or there is a system of using playing cards to read with that I have found to be very accurate but extremely hard to learn. Having pictures to jump off of with Tarot and Oracle decks is much easier than trying to memorize the meanings of 54 cards (they use both jokers) and how they interrelate with no real clues in the cards themselves.

I think that covers the main myths about the cards themselves, but as always if you have any questions or concerns or things you want to know if they are true or not, you can drop a question on my pinned Facebook post or slide into my DMs if you're too shy to post your questions publicly. 

And you can find the rest of my lessons and other blogs over here.