Insane Tarot Myths...

Curiosity always gets the best of me, but this evening I was killing time just doing open searchs on tarot and tarot cards. I come across Yahoo!'s Answers..their new thing with users asking other users their thoughts and opinions on different things. I use Yahoo only so this caught my attention. I read through several of the posts and left me completely dumbfounded!

Questions don't bother me, honestly we all had to start somewhere. But reading some of the answers just floored me. The myths of tarot and tarot readings are so strong. That is fine however you should see some of the answers that they come up with!

To give examples:
One asked is using tarot against God? The answers were interesting to say the least.

Another asked if she could have a reading only to be told that no she can't because she has to be able to have the reading in person. (after that I quit reading)

Have you ever read or heard anything being bias to tarot that it just makes your teeth grind!?

Yes, there is quite a body of superstition surrounding tarot. See Umbrae's fascinating discussion :

Tarot Myths and Legends (A rant)

The question is what, if anything, is classified as a "superstition" and what is accepted in "mainstream Tarot."

Everything we do here is some what based on a certain leap of faith. We "believe" that Tarot works for us, and we use it in our lives in order to grow as people and mayber help a few others on the journey. We "disbelieve" that certain rituals or rules will help us be better Tarot readers.

However, what is to say that we (so-called "modern" Tarot readers) are right and people who believe that reading Tarot at midnight during the equinox wearing red knickers and yellow sandals will bring ghosts into your house are wrong?

Tarot is not a system, it is a kind of faith, even if it is not your religion. I would advise people to be forgiving with people who have the wrong ideas about Tarot, even if they condemn it as devil worship, since that is what they believe. In essence, as my signature says, that is their truth...

But then, I'm falling into my own trap, when I say "wrong ideas"

I agree completely with you, closrapexa. It is our own beliefs that makes us do and believe what we do. But reading through some of those answers that was supplied to someone that was seriously LOOKING for guidance was odd. True some of the questions were mostly part of her belief but yet no one person suggested that to her. They all just gave flat answers without pointing that things we do come from within.

It is the people's responds that had me so annoyed more then their belief.

ah, I've seen the argument that its akin to dividation and magick, which is 'anti god', and knowing the future is also.

I'd like to see though if anything works.

also I heard that tarot reading was a kind of game/past-time in the Victorian days.

tabi, I suppose it all comes down to stating absolutes where there is no warrant for them. If she had asked anyone on this forum, she would probably get an answer that would be something like "Do what you feel is right, even if you feel that this or that rule or ritual makes you feel good." Any belief is valid, as long as it stays in the realm of belief and no one tells you that there is one right way to do things. At least, when you are talking about spiritual matters such as TArot.

I know when I was just starting, I ordered two decks at once. A friend at work, who was a reader also, told me that you can't own more than one deck as a reader. That you need to work only with one, dillutes your energy and all that. So as soon as the second one arrived I gave it away. It was the Celtic Wisdom deck. I still wish I had it today. But my collection is not complete and I have exactly the number of decks I want and am happy with them, so that's it. But I wish I had not listened and keep it.

Imagine that fellow Tarot addicts, if you could only have and use one deck in your lifetime! What a bunch of rubbish. I benefit so much from having so many.

Babs

A bus-driver I was friendly with once took me to the end of his run, & pulled out his Tarot deck. What he said, I remember, generally turned out to be true. However: On the bus, there was a "bible-thumper" - her & her son, the only ones left on the bus. She started a mumble that turned into a rant; BOY did she light into us!! I'll never forget THAT experience. I had to get off of the bus MILES before my stop literally because of her.

That said, I can only say that it all makes me rather sad, that pieces of paper should have such power to make some of us so unhappy.

It seems that whenever I talk about tarot to believers and non-believers, alike, they always say something along the lines of, "What if the Death card comes up? Doesn't that mean I will die?" Perhaps a "normal" reaction.

KK

yep we do have to be tolerant here. I have just burst out laughing when I heard the French footie coach had apparently said he would not have any Scorpion (birth sign here, not animal...lol) playing in his team. He apparently had tarot cards read on each of his players at various stages. I first off thought 'hats off to the guy' for being so open about his beliefs and practises... and then found myself laughing at the ridiculous notion that he would ban a player from playing, just because they were born in a 30 day period. What gave me the right to say he was wrong and I was right in laughing at this notion? His team, by the way are about to kick off in a world cup final.

I really had an intense and open discussion about this with my partner and he did show that my reaction was no different to the reaction I often get to the fact I read tarot cards.

As an aside, the Spiritualist church I attended actively ran tarot classes. They had Christian beliefs, hymns and outlook etc, but with the Spiritualist slant. Certainly no devil worship. I asked if I could do some readings a few years ago at a Community centre that had been consecrated so as to hold Christian services within that part of the community. I was told I would have to do the readings outside of the consecrated area, as it was not acceptable practise to the Church. I am still scratching my head that I was almost seen as something that went against the ethics of the Church, and yet I was welcomed with open arms at another Church which at similar beliefs and ethics.

I guess it shows that tolerance does go both ways. I accepted the fact I was not welcomed and bore no malice. I did wonder though if those who said no, really understood what I was about and why.