10 Tarot Myths and Misconceptions

10 Tarot Myths and Misconceptions

Written by Rebecca Birrell founder and creator of My Inner Witch

There are so many myths and misconceptions about Tarot, I am going to shed some light on the top 10 misconceptions about Tarot cards.

1. Cards are not evil and the Tarot is not a gateway to the devil.

Not only do most Tarot readers and spiritual people not believe in the ‘devil’ as personified by the church, but the Tarot is actually exactly the opposite.

The Tarot deck is a series of artworks on cardboard with imagery and symbolism that shows every possible human experience. It provides a connection to your higher self through your own subconscious through metaphor and symbolism. It is a map of the universe and our own spiritual path and can provide us with clarity of thought, process and purpose.

Tarot, is however a gateway to more Tarot decks.

2. You do not need to be gifted your first deck.

This myth largely came about during the time when there was no internet, limited metaphysical shops and very little access to Tarot decks, they were often passed down or given to people. I have bought almost my entire deck collection (and it is not small!).

Also don’t steal a deck thinking you can’t buy your own, that is really bad karma.

3. There is no need to be scared of any card in the deck.

I am not sure why the only card ever to show up in movies is the Death card, but it certainly has contributed to fear mongering. Card XIII Death in the Tarot can mean a number of things, spiritually it can refer to a shedding of the ego and a realisation that we are all the same, no matter our position, none of us will escape death at some point. Death can also refer to things ending to make way for new experiences, can you imagine a world where nothing ends? It would be terrible, there would be no change and no growth, we would stagnate. Death symbolises an ending. Also the transformation that comes with that ending. Death represents change, as it depicts the end of a phase.

Every card in the deck will have positives, resources, lessons and challenges.

4. There are no rules

It is not essential to keep your deck in a silk bag, cleanse it after readings, put it in the moonlight or never let anyone else touch it. You can definitely do those things if you want, rituals are lovely to have in place to focus our minds, but there are no strict rules to follow. This is your deck and your experience, do what feels right for you.

5. You are not a charlatan

The secret to being a great reader is to learn the system and the card meanings. Uncover the story by reading the cards in interaction with each other. Then add your intuition and insight on top. Always be able to justify what you are seeing in the cards that have presented, and what cards have not presented. The cards never lie, it’s our interpretation, or if we haven’t connected the story that can produce an inaccurate reading.

6. The Tarot did not originate in Egypt or from any one culture

While there is evidence of many versions of playing cards that form the basis of decks, filtering down through history, the Tarot deck as we recognise it today came from the game Tarocchi from Italy circa 1455. It is not a closed practice and you are not appropriating any culture by using it.

7. You don’t have to be psychic to read Tarot

I personally think everyone has psychic ability and like a muscle the more it is developed the stronger it is, but, like running, some people will always have a more natural ability than others. Reading Tarot is an art and a science. There are also many different ways of reading. Some psychics don’t need cards to read, some readers will only read the structure and meaning of the cards without using intuition. Some people read as a life coach, some people read predictively. Finding your voice and your technique is your way to read and it will change over time as you evolve and learn more. 

8. You will never know everything there is to know about Tarot 

Even in several lifetimes you will never know everything there is to know about Tarot. It is literally a life long study of discovering more and more, getting deeper and more fascinating as you learn more and connect more of the mystical universe within them.

9. The future is not fated and we can definitely change it

I believe, the most powerful way to use Tarot is to uncover where we are, where we are heading and the patterns and potential trajectory and possibilities ahead. Then if we don’t like what we see we can use the deck as a map to show us how to get where we do want to be.

10. You can read for yourself

You can and definitely should read for yourself!

Imagine having direct contact at any time to someone who completely understands you without words, calls you out when you are going in the wrong direction, shows you where you are, where you are going and how to get where you want to be. That is your Tarot deck. It is a direct line to your own higher self and a map of the universe.

If you read for yourself regularly you will become aware of patterns of behaviours, archetypal influences, things you need to learn and how to achieve what you want for your highest good.

You can find Bec at https://www.myinnerwitch.com/