5 Common Myths About Tarot

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Tarot cards are one of the popular forms of divination in the modern culture. They originated in the 15th century AD as playing cards. However, soon enough they gained popularity as a form of divination as it represented some symbolic meaning for the recipient. First recorded evidence of tarot came into Europe from Egypt during the reign of the Mamluk dynasty in Egypt. Later references of tarot have been seen in countries like Italy, France, and Russia where tarot cards were used as playing decks. Today, the art of tarot reading is known as ‘taromancy’.

A tarot reader spreads a set of cards and chooses a select few of them to do a reading for the intended recipient. The different cards and positions denote the answer to the question being asked in that session. A tarot session is not a fortune telling session, in fact, the aim of tarot is to provide the key insights about yourself. Through these insights, you can work through your issues or reach critical decisions.

Below we have mentioned 5 of the most probable myths you may come across about taromancy.

1. Tarot Card Reading is an ‘Evil’ Practice
Critics of the art of tarot reading often suggest that it is an evil practice. Logically speaking, tarot cards are pieces of paper with signs and symbols on them. Labelling pieces of paper as evil does not make any sense. It is assumed by many that the death card in the tarot deck means a bad omen. It is not true. Contrary to this widespread belief, the death card means a period of change. It could mean an end to an existing situation. It may indicate a change in job or an end of an old relationship so that a new one can begin! Therefore, it may be said that the death card or the tarot cards are not evil.

Tarot readings claim that the main aim of tarot is to do harm. They believe that putting any curse or spell on a person will, in fact, harm the person doing it. Tarot readers say that the aim behind tarot is to help people on a path to enlightenment. Most of the tarot readers are educated professionals working in different fields. Critics also called tarot reading as an ‘occult’ art. While the true meaning of occult is ‘hidden’. It does not mean something ‘bad’ or ‘evil’ which is a word that is generally treated as a synonym for ‘occult’.

2. Tarot Readers are Fortune Tellers or Psychics
It is a common perception that tarot reading is an art of fortune telling and tarot readers are psychics who are gifted with a magical power. This magical power allows them to see the tarot card and deduce the future of the person concerned. The experts of this art say that they are not gifted with any special powers. They are driven by a passion to help people and in doing so they learn how to read the cards. Tarot reading requires formal training and lots of practice. There is a whole variety of tarot card decks available with different themes and a person can choose the card deck that they feel is most suited to them.

3. You Cannot Read Tarot Cards for Yourself
It is a common argument that tarot readers cannot read the cards for themselves. This is untrue. A tarot reader can read his cards for himself as long as he can do that job objectively. Tarot readers claim that every school that initiates its students into tarot reading require them to do a self-reading first. The main idea is to remain detached from the responses and ensure that you are impartial while conducting a session for yourself. Some experts say that several tarot readers use this tool for daily guidance. In fact, it becomes easier to learn and remember by practicing to draw cards every day by yourself. It is said that by handling your tarot cards more often, you energize them more. The risk in reading for oneself is that you can read the outcome that you ‘want’ to see. As long as you have mastered not to do that, it is okay to draw cards for yourself.

4. Tarot Card Deck Should Never Be Bought
There is a myth that tarot cards must only be gifted and never bought. Several tarot readers believe that there is nothing wrong with buying your own set of cards. In fact, they mention that it is a good idea to choose your own deck of tarot cards. This is because then you will be able to intuitively select the one that speaks the most to you. A gifted tarot card might not always be the right one for you since you did not choose it for yourself. It is like buying a sweater for yourself versus someone gifting it to you. There is nothing wrong with being gifted with a sweater, but there is a greater chance of your sweater being well-fitted if you bought it yourself. Therefore, the thought that tarot cards should not be bought doesn’t make sense at all.

5. Reversed Tarot Cards Are Always Bad
When you shuffle a deck of tarot cards, some of them end up being upside down. These are called ‘reversed cards’. Some people believe that they represent negative outcomes. However, experts clarify that reversed cards in a tarot spread have alternative meanings which are not necessarily bad. By ignoring the reversed cards, you can deprive the recipient of a complete reading. ‘Reversed’ cards do not mean the ‘opposite’ of ‘upright’ cards. In fact, in combination, both of these cards give a deeper insight into the reading.

The tarot card world can be full of mystery, but it is important to debunk the myths around it. Next time you hear someone saying these, you know what not to believe!

Images taken from here and here.

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