superstitions and Tarot

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 26 Apr 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

cybercat	26 Apr 2005
OK, folks this is a major rant. Lately I have been seeing to many of these superstitions when it comes to tarot. Like you can only deal a certain way, cut a certain way. shuffle a certain way, or store your deck a certain way. You get what I mean. Know I am pagan and an older pagan who knows most of this BS is coming from newer pagans trying to make the tarot sound really mysterious. First off tarot has nothing really to do with religion. Yes, it has religous symbols in it but it in it self is not religion. I think all this stuff about energy is being taken way out of proportion. I have now seen a post about evil entities. Give me a break. All that tarot does is get in touch with your innerself. It opens your mind and intuition. There is no deities invovled for the cards are not religious. If you are reading books saying these things or someone is telling you this stuff please do more research before passing it on. Now one can do what ever they want with there deck and work it any way the choose. But to say that you MUST do this or Evil will come is so much BS. Please open your eyes and ears and look somewhere else for your information. Energy is what you make of it. Mind over matter. Do not let another person brain wash you with there fears or narrow views. Remember Tarot used to be and still is a card game. More use it for divination or inner workings. Some do use it for the ritual spiritual work. But to say that evil deities will come after you if you do not cleanse your card or smudge the room is nuts. Rant off. Cat

WalesWoman	27 Apr 2005
Oh bless you cybercat!!! I was soooo groaning when I saw yet another superstitions and tarot thread. Yours was a pleasant surprise, there should be something like this included inside with every LWB. Warning! The contents of this deck may trigger your subconscious into thinking! A phenomenon which seems to have become a major mystical event to many. LOL

Fairawen	27 Apr 2005
AMEN SISTER! *lol* Sorry, just had to throw one of those in there. I'm getting extremely sick of people saying, "The tarot cards are this... the tarot cards are that..." Enough! The cards are what you want them to be, nothing more nothing less! If you are based in paganism, they'll be pagan. If you're Christian, they'll be based on God! If you're this, then they'll be this too! And that stuff with HAVING to do anything with your cards... well, you've already put it plainly cat. BS. As long as your cards are not destroyed, then you can read with them. Shuffle how you want! Pray if you want! Do the Chicken Dance over them to protect them with the might Spirit of the Chicken if you want!!! *LOL* (No offense to anyone who might worhip chickens...) "Warning! The contents of this deck may trigger your subconscious into thinking! " Oh, *LOL* If I ever get a place to read publicly, thats going to be somewhere on my stand. I'll put your log on name to quote you!!! :P ~Fairawen~

Kaylee Marie	27 Apr 2005
Yes, Yes, Yes to all comments so far on this thread! I'm off to try that Chicken Dance ritual that Fairawen suggested! ;) May Lord Rooster smile on your day.

Annabelle	27 Apr 2005
Allow me to shout out a big AMEN, too....and I'm not even Christian, mind you; I've been a practicing pagan for a couple of years now. Cybercat, I agree with everything you said! Yes, there are way too many supersitions surrounding the use of tarot cards, and I think a lot of them are created/continued by many tarot books. Of course, there are many great tarot books out there that do NOT spout supersition...but I've seen quite a few that do, and it's sad. If it makes you feel better to perform a ritual for a new deck, or to wrap all your decks in silk and to let them sit out in the moonlight, or to smudge or cleanse your deck in some fashion, or to put all the cards back in order every single time, or to store them with a particular kind of crystal, or to only use decks that were given to you as a gift, or to never buy used decks, etc. etc.....then fine, do what feels comfortable to you, and do whatever is necessary to make tarot reading feel "special" for you. But I wish that so many folks didn't fall prey to supersitious beliefs that they "must" do any of these things. Myself, I keep most of my decks in the boxes they came in. Some of them didn't come with boxes (I buy a lot of mine used, after all) and those are mostly in cotton print bags that I make myself. I don't own any crystals or smudge sticks or anything else that one would use for "spiritual cleansing" of a deck, so I don't bother with it. I've never done a new deck ritual. I've never put the cards back in order...unless I was studying a deck and needed to see them in order. I've never left a deck out in the moonlight, or sunlight, or heck, even florescent light (I hate florescent lighting!). And so far, my tarot reading has not suffered on account of any of this. Bottom line...do what feels right for you. Do all the rituals and other things that you wish, if it works for you spiritually. Just don't think that you have to, or else tarot won't "work" for you....because that's just not true! I hope none of this was too harsh....if anyone feels I've said something that would hurt others, please let me know and I'll edit my post. Cheers :) Annabelle4 EDITED FOR CLARIFICATION: Note that I did not have any particular post or user in mind when I was writing any of this. I was not referring to anything or anyone specific. Nor did I mean to imply that doing any of the things that I listed is in any way bad or silly....I only meant to suggest that these things are not required of all tarot users in order to read successfully.

stella01904	27 Apr 2005
MM ~ I posted awhile back about smudging, cleansing, etc. after reading for clients - I really hope it is not my post you are referring to, as I was talking about negative energy from clients attaching itself to a reader (we are, sadly, often a last resort for people with all kinds of problems and no other ears to pound on). Therefore it is important to shield, cleanse, etc. I am a Witch, also, and don't believe in a devil or "evil entities". There are, however, entities, energies, and people who will drain you dry if you allow them to. BB, Stella

Fairawen	27 Apr 2005
Don't worry Stella, we're just stating that there have been rumors floating around that if you don't smudge or cleanse, that you can't do tarot, or that it's dangerous, or whatnot. Not meaning to offend Stella. :) ~Fairawen~

Gwynne	27 Apr 2005
Such a timely post.... I was in the shop yesterday talking to the clerk. I was not scheduled to read, I was just there to pick up some incense and check out the new stock of decks that had come in that morning. She asked me if someone came in if it would be ok for her to tell them I'm available or if I had to do anything special before I could read. It struck me as odd! "Nothing special, just need a deck and a table... though I've been known to read on the floor..." Apparently the other reader in the shop (haven't met her yet) does this huge thing before reading. She fasts the entire day (I'd pass out without food...) and then does a huge ritual and smudges the entire store with sage before even setting up her table to read. I can't stand the smell of sage smudge!!! It smells like pot when it burns! No way would I do that in a mall! People would freak out. Now, if that's what she needs to do to put herself in the right frame of mind, that's fine. But apparently she's stated that "No one can read without the proper cleansing and preparation before hand." Ugh... If I had to do that everytime I was going to sit down and read? I'd quit reading....

cybercat	27 Apr 2005
Stella only if you believe they will drain you or leave behind bad energy. Again mind over matter. Just walking outside for a few minuets helps clear the air. No shielding or smudging needed. I am one who does not Need to go thru all this prep work for many reasons. One can clear a room by thought trust me I have done it. Ones own energy should be enough to counter act others if need be. That is not what this rant is about per say. What it is about is people believing what they are told as the LAW of Tarot. Books are just the opinion of the author they are not law. Many here are SO set in the way and have such a closed mind that they can not see what is beyond the book. Also those that have teachers or so called mentors that are not checking out the information they are getting from them should not postulate until they have check with other sources. It is OK if it works for you because You need to do it for it to feel special. What is not right is to put out your opinion as law. That if you do not do it this way you are wrong. Now if you noticed in the cleaning of a deck of mildew, post I did list putting out in the sun. Reason mildew gets burned off by sun therefor it would kill what you missed in cleaning the deck. Now if you Choose to or believe in energizing your deck that is fine. If you want to smudge because You think it will help clear bad energies that is fine. Just do not get caught into the trap that IT MUST BE DONE LIKE THIS OR THE TAROT BOOGYMAN WILL GET ME OR MY DECK. If you have been told that you can only shuffle this way and no other WAKE UP. If you think that someone touching your cards will change their energy WAKE UP. If you think you need to circle the room 3 times with incense to clean it WAKE UP. This only matters if you believe it will it is not LAW. Rant off. OK now I am starting to sound like Blue Collar comedy club. Heres Your Sign. Cat

MercyMe	27 Apr 2005
Mind you, I just got finished reading/posting in the Christian + Tarot thread and I was thinking about legalism within that framework. I've noticed that within just about any group there are fundies. I've found them in every movement or group I've been involved with. There are homeschooling fundies (and not just Christian ones, no!), there are feminist fundies, there are vegetarian fundies...and so on. It doesn't surprise me in the least that there are tarot fundies as well. Fundies are fundamentalists who feel it is their duty to inform everyone else that what they have learned is correct and everyone must adhere to this form of correctness or they are not a REAL (practitioner of) _________. Sigh. It really is tiresome. Suggestions are great. Talking about what works for you is wonderful. Insinuating or outright stating that if one doesn't do thus and so then you can't possibly be an effective tarot reader is nonsense. ~Mercy

stella01904	27 Apr 2005
Fairawen wrote: Don't worry Stella, we're just stating that there have been rumors floating around that if you don't smudge or cleanse, that you can't do tarot, or that it's dangerous, or whatnot. MM ~ No offense taken! I was just trying to get some clarification. Now I see you're talking about the people who are trying to sensationalise it, like Ouija. I'd thought of that, too, just wasn't sure. BB, Stella

stella01904	27 Apr 2005
cybercat wrote: Stella only if you believe they will drain you or leave behind bad energy. Again mind over matter. Just walking outside for a few minuets helps clear the air. No shielding or smudging needed. MM ~ I want to say first that this is purely my personal experience, I'm not laying down the law for anyone else, but I do believe in subtle energies. When I started working with the crystal ball years ago, I didn't believe moonlight really could "charge" it but trial and error showed me the truth of the matter. As Issac Asimov said, "The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it's stranger than we can imagine." Sometimes walking outside is enough. Most people I've read/talked to who do psychic work, however, recommend cleansing, shielding, etc. Quote: I am one who does not Need to go thru all this prep work for many reasons. One can clear a room by thought trust me I have done it. Ones own energy should be enough to counter act others if need be. "Shields up" is thought! And not much prep work, takes only a few seconds. Maybe we are talking about the same thing and don't realise it... Quote: That is not what this rant is about per say. What it is about is people believing what they are told as the LAW of Tarot. I wonder about people like that. Do they really believe all that, or are they just trying to get us to believe it? Kind of like the people who used to try to convince others that Elvis is still living...;) BB, Stella

bladeraven	27 Apr 2005
Funny you have this thread..great thread..I don't think it's to ostracize or run people down... I know for myself...when people find out that I read Tarot they would ask me different things like...Is it true you can't buy your own cards? *Uhm if that was the case I would have been waiting a long long time to learn..had to buy my own deck* or I was told you can't touch the cards *I sometimes includes the cards taht my child pulls when I'm doing a reading* I feel that how you treat cards is more a personal thing and not a this is what everyone should do...My cards have their own bags (I call it dressing the Tarot) and I keep them in a metal lockbox but only because if I didn't..I would wake up in the morning to my cards being scattered everywhere........... It's great to see people treat their cards with reverence...ie...smudging, silk, etc or even using crystals to magnify the energy...but it's not a set in stone....goodness..my are rubber band and carried in my purse..I've fallen asleep on them..coughed on them..sneezed on them...and why is everyone backing away from me and giving me that strange look???

Ankou	27 Apr 2005
When I first learned about tarot I heard alot of "rules", most already mentioned. I think for some people its good to start with a sense of respect for their deck and the possibilities it holds. But I once had a friend fall out of his chair to keep from touching my deck and interupting the energy, I thought that was quite silly.

Fairawen	27 Apr 2005
*lol* Well, I haven't sneezed on them... yet... though I have coughed on them. That happens when your immune system is terrible. You end up coughing on everything at least once. I slept on mine once, but once cause I didn't know they were in my bed... So what I'm saying is... LET'S ALL STARE AT BLADERAVEN!!!! *stares* Actually, rubber band. Good idea! Now, just to find a rubber band in this child-ridden house... HA! I know what you talk of blade. My cards were scattered about my room more then once by my little brother. Thankfully he didn't know what they were or he's be angry at me to... :P Ankou- Fall out of his chair? Oh, well, that's kinda pathetic. As for all of this "have to be given the deck or it won't work" or whatnot... I made my deck. Twice. And it's worked for me perfectly. And I haven't had any cursed readings or whatnot... what a silly tradition. Most of the people here on AT would never have started if they had to have been given a deck!!! Ok, that's it. I'm starting a thread on here. I want to see if the really good readers bought their deck or if it was gvn to them, just to abolish this rumor but good. :) Off to start a thread! ~Fairawen~

bladeraven	27 Apr 2005
*sneezes on Fairawen* ooooooooo...do I owe you feedback??

Fairawen	27 Apr 2005
*lol* If you mean for this weeks COS, I still have to post your reading and my feedback for you! So, yes, I am at fault. *dodges tomato* HA! MISSED! *splat* YUCK! Why tomatos? Why is it ALWAYS tomatos?!? I'm actually finishing writting it up right now. Be posting in a moment... then you'll owe me feedback. :P Oooh, sorry. Breaking thread. I'M AGAINST CHICKADEES! Ooops, wrong forum... ~Fairawen~

bladeraven	27 Apr 2005
no biggie *sneezing really hard on Fairawen before throwing a fish at her* An interesting superstition I heard about Tarot cards use too was that I couldn't sleep with the cards...kinda conflicted with the advice I was given I had to sleep with the cards...hmmm..if you're married and you're sleepign with your cards too is that considered as cheating??

Phoenix Rising	27 Apr 2005
:laugh::laugh::laugh:Yeah I have been thinking for a long while about all these rituals and superstitions attached to tarot, and every thread I've replied to, for one of these non-sense rumors, just makes me laugh. Tarot isn't the only thing, there is alot of new age, airy fairy mumbo jumbo, out there too. Gives spirituality a bad name. So better to kick all the crap out right from the beginning, even though it may offend some people at first, but we'll be doing them a favour!

WalesWoman	27 Apr 2005
Maybe the ritual and all that are a mental preparation, to get in the right mindset and more than anything to impress the querant or client with the depth of the reader's spirituality and connection with the Otherworld. Sort of the smoke and mirrors thing, maybe it is to appease the Spiritworld as well. I'm sort of thinking of shamanism or what I've seen so far, the ritual we did before entering a sweatlodge and the ritual of the sweatlodge, offering sage and tobacco in the 4 directions and sky and earth, greeting our ancestors, singing and praying. Making an appeal to the 'other" for lack of a better word, for guidance and illumination to live better, to think better, to walk in beauty. So if this is why some people do something like this before reading, that is fine and cool... taking this seriously in order to really get into it and have that spirit flowing through them. In a sense then the reader is the instrument of the cosmos. But I think many people do this because they have been led to believe it has to be this way. In the Sacred Rose Tarot, the author does almost exactly this, saying to shuffle the deck in a precise way for 9 times in order to reach the numerical awareness and comprehension... darn can't think of the word I want... too lazy to run upstairs and look it up. She says a lot of other stuff I thought was pure hooka as well. It's freaky enough that Tarot can be so accurate without adding all the other mystical trappings. Personally I think some readers do it for show, as an act to impress the querant and blow them away and make them want to come back because it may feel a lot more special and reverant or something... just adding to the aura of mystery. Do tarot readers need to look like they just stepped out of a gypsy van? Of course not, but for some reason that stereotype sticks and lots of people I know who do read... sort of dress that way. What ever floats your boat... if it feels right for you, go for it, but the real power of Tarot comes from within yourself, I really do believe that. And that I find is the hardest part.

tarotbear	28 Apr 2005
If anyone bothers to do a search we once had a thread about 'Tarot Absolutes' where we posted what we were told vs. what the truth of the matter is. It's gotta be lurking around somewhere... :smoker: Personally, I think people who go around screaming 'THERE ARE NO TAROT ABSOLUTES' can be just as obnoxious as those who go around screaming that there are ... I think 'Live and let live' is a more appropriate response. ***** edited 4-29-05 to add -- the thread I was looking for is called "Tarot Beliefs" and I just bumped it up.

Junia	28 Apr 2005
Yikes, MercyMe, hope I'm not a fundie in the Christian thread! I qouted the Bible quite a bit (umph understatement of the year). Although, once in a while, I have to do a real hard assessment of myself. My, The Wonderland Tarot Deck, is the only one that I had on the shelf for so many years (because I collect "Alice in Wonderland and Through . . ." stuff). In reading this, and any other thread, I sometimes think to myself, when I get too serious (which is less and less often these days), "You're nothing but a pack of cards." Got a match anyone?

bladeraven	28 Apr 2005
well..the only type I wanted to get superstitious when the girl I gifted with the Haindl Tarot threw them away...*Crying like a big baby*...They were my pride and joy and I wanted to share that with her....She could have at least gave them back........ Felt like telling her...throwing tarot decks away in the trash results in vicious leprechauns kicking her shins.......

Fairawen	28 Apr 2005
*lol* You should have bladeraven. I still think that's horrible that she threw them away. Especially with the prices today! She probably didn't want to hurt your feelings by giving them back, so she just tossed 'em... *sigh* tarotbear- Yeah, yeah, we get it... it's just we need to blow off steam once in a while, you know? Give us our one thread against their millions... :P Wonderland Tarot??? WHY HAVE I NOT HEARD OF THIS?!? Someone has been keeping me in the dark about Wonderland tarot... O_O I do actually love Wonderland quite a bit! Drat! Just finding out about this now. :P That's ok, at least I know now. ~Fairawen~

bladeraven	28 Apr 2005
I feel like it..I actually emailed her and said if she wasn't interested may I have them back..guess that was a faux paus but they are wonderful cards...and that's what I got for being nice......

Junia	29 Apr 2005
Fairawen - Yes, it is Alice herself and all of her friends. There is a sample here under decks at Aeclectic and www.Tarotgarden.com. The Jabberwocky is the Devil and The Red Queen (Off with her head) is Death. I don't want to give everything away, but the whole deck is fun references to Alice. You'll want the Wonderland Tarot Deck created by The Abbeys. Nothing scary at all in this little gem. It is really fun, and like they say, "buy a deck and support Aeclectic"! Your parents might even go for this one. Nothing offensive here and the LWB is created uniquely for this Deck (or, of course, refer to Thirteen's little gem here online for more detail). Happy reading!

zombi00	29 Apr 2005
ok i know i'm not pagan... or older... and i've only been doing this off and on for 10 years, and i've only made like 9 posts, so i apologize if my comments do not bear enough credence. However, doesn't there seem to be a Popeye effect for all Tarot readers? Just as Cybercat said, 'All that tarot does is get in touch with your inner self. It opens your mind and intuition.' That is completely true, but it seems to me that if you put into place barriers or catalysts for how effective your readings are, either advertent or inadvertent, those barriers & catalysts are completely effective. If someone believes that wrapping their cards in a Ziploc bag and storing in a cedar chest full of sea salt helps their readings, doesn't it?

Junia	29 Apr 2005
tarotbear wrote: edited 4-29-05 to add -- the thread I was looking for is called "Tarot Beliefs" and I just bumped it up. Someone needs to rub Silly Old T-Bear's Tummy and get him a pot of honey! Hey, Christopher Robin. Where are you? Rib, Rib, Nudge, Nudge the TarotBear. Oh, and gosh, now I know who has that match :smoker:

stella01904	29 Apr 2005
zombi00 wrote: If someone believes that wrapping their cards in a Ziploc bag and storing in a cedar chest full of sea salt helps their readings, doesn't it? MM ~ Auto-suggestion does have some effect, but it's not the whole show. ;) BB, Stella

Vadella	29 Apr 2005
I just place mine back in the box and put them away. I don't really think about all of this. I have enough on my mind to worry about. :P

zombi00	29 Apr 2005
stella01904 wrote: MM ~ Auto-suggestion does have some effect, but it's not the whole show. ;) BB, Stella well don't leave me hanging:) tell me about some of the rest of the show.

cybercat	29 Apr 2005
This is OK if you choose to do it. What I am refering to is those people that think they Have to do it, because either they read it or someone told them they had too. The take it as tarot law. The they preach to others that they are not doing tarot right. That is must be this this and that. The ones I Really have problems with are them ones that do this to their students. It can be just a tarot course or a wicca course about tarot. It is just wrong. Cat zombi00 wrote: That is completely true, but it seems to me that if you put into place barriers or catalysts for how effective your readings are, either advertent or inadvertent, those barriers & catalysts are completely effective. If someone believes that wrapping their cards in a Ziploc bag and storing in a cedar chest full of sea salt helps their readings, doesn't it?

bladeraven	30 Apr 2005
is that just as bad as using a cattle prod on the people you read for?? I was posting on another thread when it hit me it was another form of superstition thread...Not reading for yourself.. I can't think of how many times when I needed to know something or didn't have someone to read for...when I was 13..it was pretty limited on having people to read for...and now...if I can't get on AT..the only other person here is my son and 1. I can't read for him....tired of the you have cookie monster in your future outcomes I keep getting and 2. goo goo gah gah is about all he can tell me about my future and I'm freaked out enough by Lewen, White Raven and Huredriel about the Empress card I keep getting...No guys, don't you dare go there..*holding up my child* back back I say...or I will have you change his diaper for me....

MercyMe	30 Apr 2005
Junia wrote: Yikes, MercyMe, hope I'm not a fundie in the Christian thread! I qouted the Bible quite a bit (umph understatement of the year). Although, once in a while, I have to do a real hard assessment of myself. Omigosh, Junia, you are the farthest thing from a fundie! :D No fundie Christian would be caught dead on a tarot board except to spy and evangelize. Bible quotes do not a fundie make! I was just saying that I had been posting on those Christian + Tarot threads so my mind was fresh from remembering my dealings and interactions with rabid fundamentalists of various stripes. Not YOU, my dear! :) Most people here on AT seem to be very accepting of others ways and methods. I really haven't noticed too many tarot fundies here at all, honestly. ~Mercy

stella01904	02 May 2005
zombi00 wrote: well don't leave me hanging:) tell me about some of the rest of the show. MM ~ Being aligned with "energies" who can see a bit further than we can in our physical state, for one thing! Now here is something I do, it's not for everyone but I am offering it as an example: Hecate is usually depicted with torches, she illuminates, and stands at the three way crossroads shining light on the past, the present, and a couple of possible futures. So I've taken her as a patron diety for my divining, I always ask her to "light the way". Someone else may be more comfortable with a different archetype, but what I am trying to say is, by linking your own energy to that of something older and more powerful than oneself, one gets better results. You can get into a big philosophical debate over what dieties are, whether they are real, whether they exist outside of ourselves. I think on the one hand, from the point of view of the diety, there is no separation, but we in our current state see them as "out there" or "up there" (shrugs). My point is (convoluted, but I am getting to it) you can put yourself in a place where all of these things (Gods, spirit guides, etc.) are real, or none of them are. That is where this conversation will go if it continues as it has been going. If there is no "astral grime" that gets on uncleansed cards and confuses a reading, does that mean that there is nothing that cannot be percieved by our five senses? The Brazilians have a beautiful spirit who is the patron of card diviners. Her name is Pomba Gira Cigana Cartomante (Crazy Dove Gypsy Card Reader, something like that). She whispers the cards meanings in the diviner's ear. Sometimes it is helpful to have a spirit when you're not sure whether the three of pentacles is alluding to a new job, or just training, or something else altogether. BB, Stella

mike gorth	02 May 2005
In some ways I completely agree with you and in others I find you oblivious to energy. ENERGY IS HUGE!!!! Tarot has energy, you have energy, hell the keyboard i'm typing with has energy. Energy isn't what you make out of it, it IS there. you just may not realize it. By using tarot you are opening yourself up. That means to EVERYTHING. Bad and good. Since I'm Christian, that means I believe in one God, I ask him to sheild me with his protective orb. I, just like you, can't control spirits. That is why I ask God who can control it to help me. On the other hand, there are some stupid things like shuffling or cutting that is just stupid. It doesn't matter. IT IS A PREFERENCE!!!!!! Tarot is not evil. It's a tool. Can you call a knife evil? It could spread warm butter over your toast or you could kill someone. It's the intent behind it. Tarot I find has just about as much to do with religion as the pope. Religion is your beliefs, usually about God but nonetheless, your beliefs and if you didn't use that for tarot then I wouldn't know what tarot is good for.

stella01904	02 May 2005
mike gorth wrote: In some ways I completely agree with you and in others I find you oblivious to energy. MM ~ How is that? Please clarify. Quote: ENERGY IS HUGE!!!! Tarot has energy, you have energy, hell the keyboard i'm typing with has energy. Energy isn't what you make out of it, it IS there. I have to disagree, energy can be harnessed, directed, and used for a desired purpose. That's what happened when you flipped the light switch on. This would apply to "non-physical" energy as well. As above, so below. Energy manifests according to what you do, or don't, "make out of it". Quote: By using tarot you are opening yourself up. That means to EVERYTHING. Bad and good. Since I'm Christian, that means I believe in one God, I ask him to sheild me with his protective orb. I, just like you, can't control spirits. That is why I ask God who can control it to help me. I fell no need for protection when reading. To each his own. Quote: On the other hand, there are some stupid things like shuffling or cutting that is just stupid. It doesn't matter. IT IS A PREFERENCE!!!!!! Agreed. People can get a bit OCD about these kinds of things. BB, Stella

mike gorth	02 May 2005
To the very confused stellarella, I never said that energy couldn't be harnessed or directed, I said it's in everything. I hate it when people put words into my mouth. There are spirits and other energies that you can't harness. Can you make the world spin the other way? that sure as hell is energy but you can channel your own energy and of other things. there are limits. Hope I enlightened you on your quest of the 8 of swords Mike Gorth aka the king of pentacles :):):):):):):)

stella01904	02 May 2005
mike gorth wrote: To the very confused stellarella, MM ~ No need to project. ;) Quote: I never said that energy couldn't be harnessed or directed, I said it's in everything. I hate it when people put words into my mouth. Words like "energy isn't what you make out of it"? BB, Stella

mike gorth	02 May 2005
I Simply Said It Was There!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nebula07	02 May 2005
superstition involving tarot is a VERY confusing subject for me! i'm fairly new to tarot (1st deck last december), and when i tried to buy my second one, the clerk informed me that i had to bury my 1st one, or it would get jelous of the new deck... i have since decided to just believe what i felt was right, and that didn't feel quite right!but is there any grain of truth to her advice?

mike gorth	02 May 2005
hmm... let me think a second... NO!

cybercat	03 May 2005
Nebula I think I would find another store to shop at. That is the first I have heard that one. LOL Cat

bladeraven	03 May 2005
just read about the clerk...wow...talk about burying your competition.

Emeraldgirl	03 May 2005
I have heard about the burying your deck but I have never done it. Cybercat Thank you. There are so many threads lately on myths and superstitions and it all boils down top the same thing if it feels right it probably is.

stella01904	04 May 2005
Nebula07 wrote: i'm fairly new to tarot (1st deck last december), and when i tried to buy my second one, the clerk informed me that i had to bury my 1st one, or it would get jelous of the new deck... MM ~ I don't buy into that but I am curious as to the origins of it! Has anyone else in 'Bama heard that? I am familiar with burying stones (say you use a bloodstone for healing, you might want to periodically bury it so that the earth can cleanse and rejuvenate it) and there are several methods of consecrating a ritual blade that call for it to be buried for a time, but I have never heard of burying a deck. Does this originate with some southern Hoodoo practice, I wonder, or is it just the latest urban legend? Curiouser and curiouser....BB, Stella

Junia	05 May 2005
Nebula07 wrote: superstition involving tarot is a VERY confusing subject for me! i'm fairly new to tarot (1st deck last december), and when i tried to buy my second one, the clerk informed me that i had to bury my 1st one, or it would get jelous of the new deck... i have since decided to just believe what i felt was right, and that didn't feel quite right!but is there any grain of truth to her advice? It sounds to me like the clerk is using a marketing strategy to get you to buy more decks and not resell yourself those you no longer use. I think that if you feel the need yourself to bury a deck so the other won't get jealous, wrap it up in a handkerchief and stuff it in your underclothes' drawer. Personally, all of my decks conspire wonderfully on a shelf together with books ranging anywhere in theme and title from "The Bible", "Out of Africa" and "Religion May Be Hazardous to Your Health." I think they have all, books and decks, agreed to disagree. ;-) Oh, and whether you do or don't OCD your rituals--I don't think that there is a "Tarot Police" (wink, wink to the Moderator here) to give you a citation anyway. Now, why is the Universe smacking me in the back of the head for saying that? OUCH???!!!

Sinistar_Phoenix	07 May 2005
Why is it that lots of people think that Tarot cards are evil??? I've heard some of my friends say, "Oh Ray, no, get your money back!" or, "Please don't curse me..." and they all seem to think that I pose some sort of threat to humanity in owning cards... When you really think about it... What can they do? They are nothing more than highly decorated pieces of paper that help you get in touch with your innerself... The only harm I've seen them do... Is give me a paper cut. *Replaces bandaid once more* SINISTAR PHOENIXXX

Sinistar_Phoenix	07 May 2005
Nebula07 wrote: superstition involving tarot is a VERY confusing subject for me! i'm fairly new to tarot (1st deck last december), and when i tried to buy my second one, the clerk informed me that i had to bury my 1st one, or it would get jelous of the new deck... i have since decided to just believe what i felt was right, and that didn't feel quite right!but is there any grain of truth to her advice? Alrighty then. If that's the case, Ray has a question for the clerk... "If this is true, how is it that so many Tarot deck collectors have, gee I dunno, multiple decks???" Okay... I'm sick of these superstitions and fears... SINISTAR PHOENIXXX

jmd	07 May 2005
I suspect if a clerk or store salesperson said what was said, I may have replied something like:[indent]'better that my existing deck gets jealous, then suffocate! ...and by the way, how do you know all this?'[/indent] :)

LittleGoblin	08 May 2005
not ness tarot but.... Seems to be in my nature that I do this. whenever I find something works I find myself doing it over and over ritually until it transforms into a superstition in my head. For example-- In high school I had to put my right hockey skate on before my left one, I was afraid that I would mess up somehow during the game if I didn't. And--I have to lift my dog to the lower right corner of the bed, not the middle of the bed, not the left--otherwise my baby will wake up during the night. Actually that doesn't work; she still wakes up. I am just afraid that if I don't do that she wake up 7 times instead of 2 or 3 *yawn* just 2 cents

stella01904	09 May 2005
MM ~ If I put on a certain shirt and have a terrible day, that shirt is unlucky forever! Not the pants or skirt, jewelry, underthings, shoes, but the shirt. I won't wear it for a long time. Then finally I'll think "That was a long time ago, what upset me then has no bearing on now, it's just a shirt, it's nice, it's clean, and I'm wearing it!" And I will put it on - and go out - and the day will go badly! Irrational? Yes! But it's happened many times. I've taken to smudging and throwing a bit of sea salt and angelica in the wash water. BB, Stella

Statickitten	09 May 2005
My belief in Tarot is this. To me they are not just pieces of cardboard with pictures. They are much more than that. To look at a card you are reminded of all the energy that the artist put into the cards. When we use them from day to day our energy becomes infused into them. It is my belief that the subconcious cannot predict the future, only what has happened in the past and in the present. So I believe that the Tarot are tools that we use to access the akashic records. I am unable to use my Tarot cards if they are not cleansed and charged periodically. This is not because of what some guy said in a book or on a website. This is because I don't feel like my cards are working right for me if I don't do this. The cards tell me when they need to be cleansed and charged. The cards don't feel right to me if I don't do this. But this is all just in my opinion of course. I don't think that what anyone does is the wrong way. You must do what feels right to you. -Static

The superstitions and Tarot thread was originally posted on 26 Apr 2005 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.