Misconceptions about using tarot cards

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 10 Nov 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Rusty Neon	10 Nov 2003
Here are some to start things off: (1) You can't buy your first deck (It must be given to you.) (2) You have to use reversals. (3) There is one correct and specific way of using tarot cards (4) The Death card means that someone will die. (5) You have to be psychic to use tarot cards. (6) Tarot cards are used only for fortune telling and predicting the future.

HudsonGray	10 Nov 2003
Here's some more: 7. You have to wrap them in silk & have a special box or pouch for the deck. 8. They have to be cleansed of all vibrations if you get a used deck or they won't work for you. 9. They are magic in and of themselves. 10. NOBODY can touch the deck but you.

lark	10 Nov 2003
1. People who read tarot cards dress like gypsys and keep a crystal ball in the middle of their kitchen table. 2. People who read tarot cards will go to hell. 3. People who read tarot cards worship Satan. 4. People who read tarot cards can read your mind. 5. People who read tarot cards are scam artists. 6. People who read tarot cards have neon signs in there front windows.

Star Spirit	10 Nov 2003
1. Tarot is a form of witchcraft. 2. Psychics are fake, and therefore so is tarot. Hmm you guys covered most of it.

Majecot	11 Nov 2003
How 'bout these.. 1) you must have a figurine of a witch on the table while reading tarot. 2) you must burn a white candle 3) you must shuffle the cards 7 times. 4) you must recite the card placements of the cc 5) and place the deck on the left after the deal. 6) you should only read on a wooden surface. "it's all in the 'terpatation of the cards" :D

Rusty Neon	12 Nov 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Majecot 4) you must recite the card placements of the cc Yes, that old Celtic Cross. After I battled the guilt away about not using it (as I found it a needless straightjacket, at least for me), the Golden Dawn Opening of the Key reading method took over as the apparent must-do thing I felt bad about not doing.

Major Tom	12 Nov 2003
Another thread got me thinking. :eek: "A tarot reader always carries her/his deck" Although I do carry my deck with me everywhere I don't think it's necessary. :laugh:

Khatruman	12 Nov 2003
another misconception: Tarot is anti-Christian

Kiama	12 Nov 2003
"You have to read your cards on a granite table" "A Tarot reading 'fixes' the future" "Doing a Tarot reading will invoke spirits and invite them into your house" "Tarot is difficult" "You can only have one deck" "You must sleep with the cards under your pillow every night." "You can only use the cards to divine the future on a Monday night." (Monday is the 'Moons day' and supposedly best for divination.) "Tarot decks are all the same, aren't they?" "The more cards in the reading, the better." "You must not play games with the cards" "If you are creating a deck, you must not change the images in any way." "Tarot readers will manipulate you." "Catholics/Christians/Buddhists/Muslims/Hindus cannot use Tarot" Kiama

Shade	12 Nov 2003
you can't read for yourself you can't read about others never read during a dark moon never read during a full moon only read during a dark or full moon ask the question out loud never ask the question out loud never ask specific questions the cards are from Egypt the cards are from Atlantis the cards were brought by the gypsies that anyone knows the true origin of the cards the cards can't be used for divination only psychoanalysis the cards should be read based only on the Kabbalah the cards should be read based only on Astrology the cards should be read based only on your own intuition and no reference to esoteric sources you should always say "I see a mayn a daaaaark mayn coming tovards ju" I regard divination of any kind as magic and any time you ever use the words never and only or other absolutes with magic I thikn you are missing the point.

Chronata	12 Nov 2003
You can not do a reading for someone unless they are sitting right in front of you. You must keep a quartz crystal on the deck when not in use to cleanse the negative vibes and foreign energy. You must cut the cards with your left hand only. You can not use tarot in conjunction with any other oracle or divination method. Tarot readers must be certified by the state, or they are not real readers. You must memorize the true hidden meaning keywords for every card and use them exclusively. Tarot readers who charge money are not going to be accurate. (with the exception of the last one...which one of my young tarot students told me, the rest came from a group I once took classes with many many years ago. And they either really believed it, or were trying to gain some weird control over the students in the group. Thankfully, I had already studied with several other good teachers, so I could take everything they said with a grain of salt!)

Mystic Zyl	13 Nov 2003
Querent must face the east during reading. Readers should be paid, because it is a gift from a divine power.

Rusty Neon	13 Nov 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Mystic Zyl Querent must face the east during reading. Readers should be paid, because it is a gift from a divine power. The other way around as well: "Readers should not be paid, because it is a gift from a divine power."

The Misconceptions about using tarot cards thread was originally posted on 10 Nov 2003 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.