The Tarot Myths and Misconceptions
Beliefs, Superstitions and Common Sense.
A Tarot deck is a pack of 78 picture cards – yes, that simple. However, the pictures on these cards are worth more than a thousand words – they paint a picture of life. A Tarot deck can also be thought of as a Book of Life, but every time you read this book, the pages are rearranged and it tells a different story.
Over the years, some strange myths have grown up around Tarot and Tarot reading. However weird and outdated these ideas may seem today, there is often some truth in their origins.
• One of the first Tarot myths encountered is that it is bad luck to buy your own deck. - it should be bought for you by someone else. You could wait forever for this to happen and then it may be one you don’t like. Choose and buy your own first deck, examine the images carefully and make sure you can relate to them, i.e. don’t buy a dragon deck if you are frightened of dragons.
• A new deck, or one that might have encountered bad energy, must be cleansed. Please, not with soap and water, but outside, under the moonlight, with a crystal on top. Humm, I live in Northern Minnesota, and with our weather, this would destroy the deck. Some might say to sage the deck, and there’s the problem. There are so many different ways to “cleanse” the deck; who would know which is right? If you have a method that you feel good with, great, go for it. My own belief is that all the energy they absorb while I’m reading with them is a method of learning. In future readings, that energy leads to better understanding and so better readings. Now why would I want to clear that out?
• You have to be psychic to be able to read the Tarot. Many who read the Tarot are psychic, and this will lead to a different type of reading but not necessarily a better one. Anyone can learn to read the Tarot, although, as with anything, some will have more of an aptitude for it than others.
• The Tarot cards must be wrapped in black silk to protect them from "negative forces?" That is entirely up to you, although personally I feel that dust and children’s fingers may be a greater danger. By all means take the necessary precautions to keep the cards clean and in good condition. They are, after all, your tools.
• Never let anyone else touch your cards. This is another personal choice. In a face-to-face reading situation, it can be beneficial to let the querent (questioner) shuffle the cards to impart some of their energies into the deck.
• You should not read your own cards. Some say this is unlucky; I say it can be difficult to read one’s own cards objectively. By this I mean it is easy to see what you want to see in your own cards.
• The "Death" card means that someone around you is going to die. Theoretically, this is possible as we are all going to die, but it is highly unlikely that this card on its own will prophesize someone’s death.
• What the Tarot cards say is always right. Nothing is set in stone – more like written in sand. We all have our own free will, and the Tarot gives us guidance along with choices that we can make in our lives. It is up to us to choose our paths. If we see something in a reading that we do not like, then we have the choice to do something about changing that thing.
• Tarot is evil. Also described as the "Devil’s Picture Book". It is human nature to be afraid of something that is not fully understood or what is viewed as threatening. True, some of the images may be a bit scary in some decks, but so are some great works of art. Some of Picasso’s works come to mind, but they aren’t thought of as evil.
• At the end of the day, they are your cards for you to do what you wish with them. If performing a ritual before a reading makes you feel better – then do it.
Just use your common sense. As long as it harms no one else – do what you wish.