Mythbusting Common Tarot Myths and Misconceptions
Can it tell the future? Is it only reserved for witches and psychics? There’s a lot of myths surrounding tarot and I’m going to give you my opinion on some that I’ve heard since I started researching tarot, and even some that I believed before I knew much about it .
Myth: You can’t buy your own first tarot deck
Is it true? No. You absolutely CAN buy your own tarot deck. This is one I’ve heard so many times, but by the first time I heard it I think I’d already bought my own first deck. It seems like it’d be a nice tradition for people who want to pass down their love of reading tarot, or those who come from a background of readers, but for the most part it excludes people who don’t have anyone who would buy a deck for them. So if you want to start reading tarot, go out and buy your own cards.
Myth: You have to be psychic to read tarot
Is it true? No, you don’t need any special powers or talents to start reading tarot. You don’t need to come from a magical background or have grown up in a forest talking to spirits. I believe that everyone has the capacity to open themselves up to their intuition and read people in their own way, and the more you flex this muscle the stronger it gets. So you might find if you start reading tarot you start to be more open to psychic abilities.
Myth: You have to memorise 78 cards
Is it true? Not necessarily! The way I learnt to read tarot began with immersing myself in learning about each of the cards because that’s how I work, but I know people who didn’t look at any traditional meanings before reading the cards, and used only the imagery and their intuition. I think it’s helpful to have some knowledge of at least the Major Arcana and the four suits, but there doesn’t need to be tonnes of studying or memorising involved.
Myth: Tarot can predict the future
Is it true? This one depends heavily on your beliefs. I personally don’t believe that we have a set future, and I believe that any one of our actions can affect the course of the future, so in that sense, tarot can’t tell us what is going to happen. What often happens in tarot readings is that we’re able to see the bigger picture, so we might get a sense of what could happen further down the line of a particular mindset, action or situation. And I have had readers tell me things that have turned out to happen. Whether this is the present situation naturally playing out, psychic prediction or just a self-fulfilling prophecy, I personally don’t think it’s beneficial for us to attempt to predict future outcomes when there’s so much to understand in our past and present.
Myth: If you get the Death card, you’re going to die
Is it true? No. I might write a whole blog about the misunderstanding of particular cards, but Death is by far the most infamous. Following on from tarot not predicting the future, it also can’t tell you when you, or anyone else, will die. There are some difficult cards that reflect the pain and challenges of life, and Death can be one of them, but in the way that Death often represents and ending, it is always followed by a new beginning. It also doesn’t necessarily relate to something that’s going to happen, but might be calling your attention to something you’re holding onto or currently experiencing.
I hope that cleared up some common tarot myths. Tarot is really personal to each person reading it and every reader has their own beliefs, not of which are right or wrong. These are based solely on my own beliefs and research, so if it doesn’t feel right for you, follow your own path with what you believe.
Let me know in the comments if you learnt anything knew or if there’s any other tarot myths you’re curious about!
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