Debunking The Myths of Tarot Reading!

What is the first reaction you have when tarot is mentioned? Is it to scoff or scorn, as many a good skeptic does? Perhaps your reaction is to make the sign of the cross to ward away the evil that is brought to you in the form of a deck of cards? Or, maybe, you are interested in seeing what all the hype is about? Can these humble pieces of cardstock really tell your future? If your immediate reaction isn’t to sprinkle me with holy water, read on to debunk some of the myths that surround tarot reading.

1. Tarot Cards originated in Devil worshipping

Tarot cards do not have any origination in devil worship. Tarot cards were actually introduced in Italy in the 14th century as a game called Tarocchi. Over time, as fascination with the occult grew, tarot became a fortune telling device thought to be influenced by the Romani and originating in Ancient Egypt. Tarot cards were not considered a fortune telling device until the mid 1700s.

2. The Cards are Magic

The cards themselves are about as magic as a monopoly board. They are literally just paper with pretty (or not so pretty) pictures printed upon them. The reality of tarot is that it relies on the belief and inner spirituality of the reader and the querent (person asking the question) If you are a skeptic and don’t believe that you will receive an accurate reading. You most likely will not receive an accurate reading. The cards don’t hold the power, but rather the spiritual forces around the cards and those you invoke while shuffling.

3. Tarot Cards tell the future

Tarot cards won’t show you the exacts of what is to come. The future is forever changing and the cards can only show you what happens if you stay on the path you are on. If you stray from that path, things will change. Most of the time the cards won’t actually tell you what is to come. They will only give you advice for the situations you are walking through.

4. Tarot Cards will give you specific answers

The cards don’t show you what you want to see. They show you what you need to see. If you are asking about a budding romance or the next move in your career they won’t show you exactly what will happen with that. Instead, they will smack you in the face with the truth. “That guy is no good.” “You feel stagnant in your career” just for example. Though hopefully, you will have a tad bit more positive of a reading than that.

5. Your first deck must be gifted to you

Some people firmly believe that your first tarot deck must be gifted to you. Well, I’m here to tell you this isn’t the case. If it were, there would be a lot fewer people who can read tarot in the world. Tarot is about intuition. If you find a deck you like, by all means, buy it. If it's calling to you, it probably means something.

6. There are some cards that you never want to see in your reading

While there are cards with negative connotations, no card is explicitly bad. There are situations where even the most unhappy of cards (Like The Tower) Don’t mean the world is going to come to a fiery end. Perhaps it's just the end of a situation you're going through. The Tower means rebirth. The end of an era and the start of an age, so to speak.

7. You need all kinds of tools to do a reading

Cloth, candles, incense, and more. These are things that are commonly used in spiritual practices. While it’s nice to have them, the power for the reading does not come from all of those. The true power comes from you. If you need these things to feel validated in your reading then by all means do whatever you have to do to realize your intuition. However, all you really need to read tarot is a deck of cards and the knowledge of what the cards mean. If you have trouble remembering them all that is completely okay. 78 cards is a lot to memorize and then you have the reverses to memorize as well. I have been reading tarot for 10 years and I still find myself looking up definitions sometimes.

8. Reversed cards are bad

Reversed cards are cards turned upside down during a reading. Reversed cards aren’t bad. They just mean the opposite of what the card is upright. If you look at a card like The Nine of Cups (also known as the wish card) which is one of the happiest cards in the deck and it is reversed. It may mean that your desire isn’t going to happen. However if you look at a card like the Three of Swords (a rather unhappy card) and it is reversed, it could mean the overcoming of the negative aspects of your life. Which is definitely not a bad thing.

9. No one else can touch your deck

While it is true that other people touching your deck can tamper with the energy, it is more than practical for others to touch your deck. Many people believe it should be shuffled by the querent themselves so that they can have a more accurate reading. Your deck should be cleansed regularly. (Cleansing is the practice of removing negative energy) Especially if used for multiple readings of different people. Think of it like restarting a slowish computer. It’ll run faster once you delete some files and reboot. Putting your cards out under the full moon or saging them, are just some of the ways that your deck can be cleansed.

10. The cards mean exactly what their titles are

There are cards in the major arcana that sound pretty straightforward. The Lovers, The Devil, Strength, Judgement, just to name a few. Don’t judge a book by just the cover. The Lovers often point to a romantic relationship but really they can mean any kind of partnership. Work, Financial, really anything. When the Devil card shows up it doesn’t mean you're going to hell. It, most likely, means that you feel chained to a situation and that you need to break free (Pending the other cards in the reading) Strength isn’t about how strong you are physically but more about the mental strength you have to keep pushing. Judgement doesn’t just represent a judgement in an issue but could mean that a resolution is found; or maybe it just means you shouldn’t be so judgmental of others. There are a million different situations that can come up in tarot. Don’t just rely on the names.

11. Every deck is the same

There are a thousand and ten different decks out there all of which have different art, different stories, and different meanings. While the gist of the cards are going to be the same (The Fool will always be the beginning of the journey. The World will always be the end) There are so many different tarot decks that it's not possible for them all to mean exactly the same thing. I practice with the standard Rider-Waite deck (One of the more generic decks) But I have also owned a deck based on the Fae. I know people who own steampunk decks or vampire decks, decks with mermaids or cats. There are so many different decks out there you are sure to find one to meet your needs!

In conclusion, everyone reads a bit differently. For the inexperienced reader, there are many things that might be confusing to you. I hope this article was able to debunk some of the myths and give you a basic intro into Tarot. Light and Love to all of you!