People are still incredibly superstitious about tarot, and that’s a lot to do with how it’s portrayed in the media. You usually see someone getting the death card and then being told that they’re going to die!
But I’m here to dispel some myths for you, and to show you that tarot isn’t the big scary thing it’s portrayed as. And who knows, it might be something you’d enjoy too!
1. Tarot Can Only Predict Your Future
The age old myth about tarot! This is a complicated one, but in short, no tarot can’t predict your future.
The idea of predicting the future is that we’ll get a play by play account of events that will occur, and it will all be laid out in black and white. And that once we see our future, it’s set in stone and we can’t do anything to change it.
But this isn’t what tarot is about. In fact, tarot shows us how to be more comfortable with the uncertainty of life, and how to relinquish control over things that are outside of our control. Which is at odds with the idea that future looking is definitive and can’t be changed.
What the cards show us instead is the outcome of our current actions over the next few months. As the cards follow the trajectory of our actions, once we understand what’s going on in our lives, we have the power to make better decisions.
2. Getting the Death Card Means you will Die
Ah yes! The typical card you see whenever someone goes to a reader in any movie or TV show, and my least favourite myth.
To summarise no, getting death does not mean you will die. In fact, this card is part of the death/rebirth cycle that our soul experiences along our evolution. It’s when a part of our old conditioning has to die in order to make space for a new part of our soul to grow.
I like how the death card looks in my deck, because we see this hooded figure blocking off the path and signalling there’s a new way. There are rocks on the ground to symbolise the challenges we will face, but a butterfly leads the way to show that it will be one of transformation and growth.
We can only grow when we are challenged to move outside our comfort zone, and death is usually the wake up call to nudge us along our path.
So don’t be afraid when death comes along your path, because it might just be signalling new exciting times are ahead!
3. Someone needs to buy your first tarot deck
This is one that stopped me from getting into tarot for a while, as I really wanted to honour the “right” way. But in reality, buying a tarot deck is a very personal experience, and if you leave that up to someone else then you might not gel with your deck.
It’s also an unnecessary block because there’s no higher spiritual power you get from someone else buying it for you as opposed to you getting it yourself.
A lot of reading tarot comes from interpreting the symbols and images on the cards, so it’s important that you feel connected to your deck. If you’re stuck on where to start, here’s a blog post to help.
So go out there and get your first deck!
4. You have to be psychic to read or enjoy tarot
This is one I’ve been asked about a LOT! The short answer is no, you don’t need to be a certified psychic to read or enjoy tarot.
Tarot is inherently spiritual, and this spirituality is believing there’s a power greater than ourselves who wants the best for us. And the cards are a way to connect back into that power and find more peace and acceptance in the world.
Tarot is more of an intuitive practice. When you read the cards, you use your intuition to understand the symbolism and to follow gut hunches. Often, I’ll be guided to a symbol in a card, and it’s only when I’m starting to read all the cards together that it starts to all make sense. Trusting your gut instinct with tarot is much more important than psychic abilities!
Everyone has an intuitive sense, so in my eyes, as long as you’re open to something a bit different, you’re open to tarot!
5. You can’t read for yourself
I’ve had people ask me in the past if they are allowed to read for themselves. And my first answer is “how else are you going to learn!”
Reading for yourself is definitely a different process to reading for other people. Firstly, you can’t be objective about what’s happening about your emotional world, so it’s harder to see the blind spots. This is unlike going to a reader, where they can be more objective about the cards.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t read for yourself. You just need a bit more patience with your cards, as well as a slightly different approach. I like to read a maximum of 5 cards for myself and leave them out for the week so I can reflect on them everyday.
If you get stuck, I’d recommend either reading out loud to yourself what you see or write down. That way, you start getting the creative juices flowing!
Plus, what’s so enjoyable about reading for yourself is seeing a card follow you around spreads, and knowing that that’s what you need to integrate into your life.
I hope this has helped make tarot more approachable for you, and dispelled some of those common myths we hear too regularly!
If you’re interested in a reading from me, you can book here.
Until next time,
Jess x