[greatdane]

What's the single worst bit of advice you've ever received regarding reading tarot or oracles? Did you know instantly it was bad advice or realize it after it didn't work?

GD

[Toxicmage]

There are a couple that stick out in my mind. The first one happened at a psychic fair..the the reader was using the RWS deck..and the first thing I noticed was that he didn't even know the basic meanings of the cards..or the symbolism for that matter. EVERYTHING he said to me was wrong.

He sort of mumbled his way through the reading. I was glad when it was over. I didn't even bother to ask him a question, as I knew he wasn't ready to take on questions.

Do you mean worst tarot advice from another reader, or info received from your own oracle?

[Sinduction]

That whole thing about keeping the decks in black silk. How boring! And how am I to tell them apart?

And that I had to study books. I'd have been so much better off had I just learned to look at the images earlier.

[shadowdancer]

oh yeah and I still chuckle. I did for many years, look much younger than my real age. Examples to back this up:
being asked for ID when buying glue (I was 25 at the time) and being asked for ID in America buying a beer (I was 38 at the time). Grey hairs now are a give a way but...

I was at a psychic fayre where one of the readers did a little chat to us who were waiting. She asked me to choose a card and asked what I did for a living. I told her (was a policewoman at the time) and she went off on a spiel about how I would not get that promotion yet as I was seen to be too young but one day it would happen, when I had more experience behind me. A couple of things to bear in mind:
a) I had been a policewoman around 15 years by then
b) I hadn't even gone for promotion, being rather happy with the rank I had.

She had made a grave mistake of looking at me and making one huge assumption. My mate (who joined at the same time as I did) was furious but I saw the funny side and realised how some readers operate.

Davina

[Cerulean]

I smiled.

I said I liked to read different decks, like books.

We smiled at each other, agreeing to disagree.

Cerulean

Originally Posted by greatdane

What's the single worst bit of advice you've ever received regarding reading tarot or oracles? Did you know instantly it was bad advice or realize it after it didn't work?

GD

[Rosanne]

Worst advice eons ago.....do not explain any cards to the sitter.

[ncefafn]

Yeah, the bit about wrapping them in black silk got me. I didn't have any black silk. I found a scrap of purple silk, unhemmed, and used that until it got so raggedy I finally threw it away. By that time, I didn't care how I was supposed to or not supposed to store decks. I was never big on rituals anyway. I would make the world's worst obsessive-compulsive. I'm too lazy.

[greatdane]

Toxicmage, Sinduction, Davina, Cerulean, Rosanne, and ncefafn, THANK YOU for your posts! Whether from a reading, how to read or anything tarot-related, I was just looking for worst advice you have ever been given, and boy, you all came through!

Toxicmage and Davina, wow, I'm sure those readings helped your radar when it came to bad readers!

Sinduction, I really get that about both how to store a deck and also the books.

Cerulean, tarot, like life, is certainly up to the individual and how and what we wish to take from it. I liked the smile part and the agreeing to disagree. How can anyone be a better judge about what works best for us, than, well, us?

Rosanne, don't explain cards to the sitter....interesting and strange advice. Obviously you knew that and thank goodness for the querents!

ncefafn, who came up with that anyway? I think most rituals and customs and legends all have, if not a grain of truth, at least a beginning that we could probably all understand. Like maybe someone started wrapping their cards in black silk eons ago because that's what they had! Like so many myths and superstitions, we're the only ones who can give them power.

[GadgetGirl]

Well my bad advice I received only 6 months ago from a friend who told me I should not under any circumstances buy my own Tarot Deck. Yeah right!

[Open Arms]

That you can only use one deck per reading or the spirits(cards/angels/great pumpkin) gets confused...

That one made me laugh - I often do paired readings with the VRG and BGS or a triple reading with the Gilded, Tarot of Dreams and the Divine Legacy. I find each speaks on different planes at times when I do these sort of readings. And even more so when I pull 6 cards from each deck and two or three of the same cards is pulled from each deck - then you REALLY know what the message is!

I had one reading once when I pulled 6 cards from the two decks and four of the cards were the same and fell in the same position so there I was with two rows of cards one above the other. I just looked at the person and said - I hope you are paying attention because someone out there really wants you to listen....