Top Tarot Myths Debunked for Beginners

While Tarot may be more popular than ever now, and more people are learning about it, unfortunately, there are still some misconceptions floating around out there. Every so often I get questions from people that show me there are some false ideas that continue to make the rounds for those looking to get into learning tarot. Below are the top 5 ones I hear most frequently. 

1. Your First Tarot Deck Must be Given to You. This false idea is probably the one I come across most often. The idea is that you can't buy your own deck, that someone has to give it you as a present. If you are interested in getting into tarot, please don't wait around hoping someone will intuit that you want one. Go out and buy yourself that deck! I think this idea came from in the past when tarot wasn't as common or acceptable. That way someone who knew how to read would pass on their knowledge to you. It was also a way of gatekeeping and controlling who had knowledge and who didn't. I personally do not believe in gatekeeping. If you want to read cards, please go out and find yourself a deck you love and a book or other resource to guide you. Don't hold yourself back.

2.You Must Take a Specialized Course or Certification to Read Cards. This is nonsense. Its said by those who either want to control who has access to tarot or want to sell you their course. That being said there are some great courses out there, and some people learn better from guided study than on their own. But you don't HAVE to take a course. There are plenty of inexpensive books, and free online resources to learn from. And if you want to take a course, do your research, find someone you trust, and avoid overpriced scammers.

3. You Must Store Your Deck in an Oak Box, Silk Scarf, Facing North etc. Of course if you want your deck to last a long time, storing it where its safe and protected from damage is sensible. But you will come across people who say that you must store it in particular fabrics, woods, facing a certain direction etc. or they won't work. This is just not true. Your cards will work just as well whether stored in a elegantly carved box or a cookie tin. 

4. You Can Only Read For Others and Never Yourself. I'm really not sure where this idea came from, as the way almost everyone learns is by starting by reading for themselves, then slowly branching out to read for family and friends. Its a great way to learn the cards. I often suggest starting with pulling one card a day, looking up its meaning and making note of how it played out for you. Or you can do a weekly reading and again make notes to refer back to. When you get more comfortable you can move on to others who are open to you practicing on them.

5. Tarot Cards are Portals to the Spirit World/Hell/ the Devil etc. This one comes from horror movies and poorly researched paranormal TV shows. It has no basis in fact and is based on superstition and fear. I even heard someone claim that each deck was a portal to Hell and opened the user up to demons. If so there would be a hundred demons in my house right now! After 26 years of reading cards, and owning dozens of decks, I can assure you, no demons have appeared. Tarot cards are a tool to help you access your intuition and are nothing to be scared of.

I hope that this post encourages you to pick up the cards, if you are interested in reading them, without fear or worrying about barriers. What other ideas have you heard about tarot? Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about getting started.