Tarot For Self-Reflection And Action

Tarot is a tool for self reflection

By reading tarot you can gain the agency needed to follow the path in life you want or need through self-reflection. This self-reflection in turn suggests the course of action most likely to help you. In this post, I will demonstrate how to use the tarot as a practical tool for self-reflection and initiating action when you need guidance.

As with all things I write in this blog take what works for you and leave the rest.

Although many people use tarot as a spiritual tool, it also serves as a very practical tool for self-reflection that really resonates. This means you can reflect deeply on all the aspects of a situation; the insight you gain points the way to what you need to do next.

For much more information on reading tarot for yourself effectively, see the posts ‘Reading Tarot For Yourself – 7 Things to Avoid‘ – which you can read here – and ‘How To Read Tarot Cards – 10 Steps For Great Readings‘ which is here.

Two Parts to Self-Reflection Using Tarot

The first part to using tarot as a form of regular everyday guidance is reading for yourself and spending the time to reflect on the message the cards are giving you. This seems pretty self-explanatory. However, the second part is to think about how you are going to move forwards by taking action.

Action is crucial because nothing will change if you do not act. You have free will to change what is likely to happen if you do nothing, the future is not set in stone.

Let’s take an example situation which can be stressful and lead to feelings of loss of agency and see how a tarot reading can help us think about how to respond to it.

An Example Tarot Reading

I have chosen a realistic example situation which is very current. During the Coronavirus Pandemic, many people are losing, or have lost, their jobs and even their entire careers. This is certainly true here in the UK. It is a difficult time to find new work as job opportunities are greatly reduced.

Being out of work has many disadvantages. As well as loss of income there are some serious health implications, particularly for mental health. Continual job application rejections can leave a person feeling demoralised and helpless.

So, I did the following reading with this issue in mind. The question I asked is ‘What can the cards tell me about how to deal with being out of work and not finding work?’

Intuitive tarot reading for self-reflection
Rider Tarot Deck copyright US Games Systems

The above reading uses the ‘Awake Dream’ method I described in the post ‘How to do an Intuitive Tarot Reading‘ which you can read here.

In short, this is a 3 card spread, the positions being Situation; What I Need To Know; Advice working from the bottom up.

Instead of using just 1 card in each position, I used 3 to create a picture – or painting – which tells a story. I then describe what each picture is saying. With this reading I did not use intuition alone, I also used card meanings to add depth to the reading.

Situation

The bottom row is Situation. Here the Knight of Cups is leaving the Ace of Pentacles behind – this Ace symbolises new opportunities for work and earning money – in search of this opportunity. Being in the desert with his empty cup he is seeking work and a sense of well being that comes from being able to work and earn. However, his path has been blocked by the Page of Swords who looks like he is actively ready to chop the Knight’s head off.

The Page in the Situation position represents potential employers rejecting you. The Page of Swords represents a new path in terms of ideas and mental clarity. It seems to suggest that you, as the Knight of Cups, need to think again about how you are approaching this – to think rather than to act on your need/strong feeling to find work.

It is worth bearing in mind that the tarot court cards can either literally represent people or, figuratively speaking, behaviours and attitudes to adopt. Here, the Knight of Cups represents the actual querent and the Page of Swords represents both the employer(s) and the attitude the querent needs to adopt moving forward.

What I Need To Know

In the middle row, the King of Cups is the largest figure and appears very isolated. The figures in both the 8 of Cups and the 7 of Swords are moving away from him. The King appears to represent the querent and their need to remain calm amidst the chaos surrounding him.

The retreating figure in the 8 of Cups can represent the feeling of isolation and abandonment that can come from continual application rejections. Note, the King appears to be looking directly at the Moon in the 8 of Cups. This can represent the feeling of anxiety that comes from an uncertain path ahead.

The figure in the 7 of Swords is also sneaking away from the King. He is slightly larger than the figure in the 8 of Cups so may be more important. The 7 of Swords figure could represent the diminishing of potential courses of action or the lack of ideas of how to proceed.

In essence, what you need to know is that you need to remain calm and watch your mental health in the face of receding options and feelings of isolation.

Advice

So, we have an understanding of the situation facing the querent and what they need to understand about their situation. What course of action does the cards suggest?

We have the 9 of Swords which shows the effects of extreme stress and anxiety keeping the figure in the bed awake at night. However, notice that the figure is facing away from the Hierophant and the Ace of Cups. These cards represent what the querent should be considering; ignoring them will result in the anxiety and fear shown.

The Hierophant suggests the need to seek help and guidance as to how to proceed and the Ace of Cups, with the water flowing out of the cup and filling up the lake, suggests the need to find a source of emotional well being.

If the querent was religious the obvious message here is to seek guidance through your faith and the church. More practically, perhaps the church could actually help you in some manner directly or point you in the direction of someone or somewhere that can provide you practical help. Seeking guidance through your faith can bring a feeling of well being; the Ace of Cups clearly symbolising the Holy Grail.

What if the querent is not religious? The Hierophant still clearly suggests a need for guidance and information on how to proceed.

The Hierophant card traditionally represents religious institution but it could represent an organisation that could help you or provide you with information on how to proceed. Here in the UK, the Citizen’s Advice Bureau can provide guidance and information. However, if your mental health is suffering, perhaps the Hierophant could suggest speaking to your doctor or seeking help from mental health services.

The Ace of Cups can still represent the need for emotional well being. If your mental health is suffering, it is important that you do something about it. This could mean focusing your attention on something that improves your self esteem, such as a hobby. Or remaining in contact with friends. Anything in fact that makes you feel a sense of self worth and makes you happy.

The overall advice is to seek help and look after your mental health to avoid unbearable stress and worry.

Gaining Control through tarot Self-Reflection

The above example reading demonstrates how, when faced with a situation, you can use the tarot for self-reflection on what is going on and figure out a course of action to help you gain some control over what is happening.

The example is based on a serious situation but this use of tarot can be applied to most situations you can think of.

Having done the reading, you then need to put the advice into action. I strongly recommend keeping a tarot journal so you can record your readings. Write an entry in the journal about your reflection and what you are going to do. Keep referring back to this entry to remind you to act.

Then act. In the above example, perhaps start a search online for local organisations or services that could help you in this situation. Here in the UK, your first port of call when it comes to mental health would be your GP (doctor) but there are charities you could also contact such as MIND, or the Samaritans if your mental health is in a serious state.

Tarot self-reflection can put you in the driving seat. You don’t have to be buffeted about by the currents of life. You can use tarot to help you steer the path you want or need.

Use tarot to gain control and steer the path you want through life
Tarot lets you steer your own path through life

So, the next time you are facing a situation and you feel the need for guidance, take your tarot deck, do some reflecting and take the wheel!

Happy driving!

Reading Tarot for Yourself – 7 Things to Avoid

Reading tarot for yourself
A self tarot reading using the Centennial Smith Waite Tarot copyright US Games Systems Inc.

Reading tarot for yourself is very rewarding. It is a method of self reflection and considering potential decisions when thinking about what to do. However, personal tarot reading is not easy. In this post I am going to talk about 7 things I have personally experienced that make reading tarot for yourself difficult and how to respond to them. It is because of these issues that some people say you shouldn’t read tarot for yourself; you can read more on that in my post on tarot myths, here.

For more on how to read tarot cards, including for others, please read my post ‘How to Read Tarot Cards – 10 Steps for Great Readings‘ which you can find here.

As with all things I write, take what works for you and leave the rest.

Let’s go!

1. Not Having a clear question

Have a clear question in mind when reading tarot for yourself.

Some people simply lay out the cards without a question in mind to get a general idea of the energies present. I personally find this too vague. Without a clear question in mind, you cannot give the cards a proper context and your reading will also be vague and difficult to interpret. Which is just a waste of time.

Arguably, the most important thing to do before you ever get out your tarot deck is have a very clear question in mind. Figure out what it is you want to know. If possible avoid Yes/No questions but rather ask open ended questions such as ‘What do I need to know about…’ or ‘How can I…’

Once you do this it is much easier, in my experience, to interpret the cards and actually gain some practical benefit from the reading. I personally advise against Yes/No questions because these type of questions remove any agency you may have. If you believe that the answer is yes or no then why would you take action if you believe the answer is preordained? I do not believe the future is set in stone so I personally avoid asking yes or no questions for myself.

2. not using the most appropriate tarot spread

You must choose the most appropriate tarot spread to answer your question.
3 card spread using the Tarot de Jacques Vieville copyright Editions Letarot

Ideally, to really answer the question you have, you should create a custom spread for that question. However, I am aware that some people are not comfortable or confident doing that. In that case I do believe that you should take care to find the most appropriate tarot spread for your question. This will give you the clearest answer. Easy, right?

Maybe not. The Celtic Cross seems to have burned itself into the tarot reading consciousness as the only tarot spread available. This 10 card spread (11 if you use a significator) is good for giving an overview of the situation but that’s about it; it’s a general spread so it’s not very specific. Also, if you are a tarot newbie, then a 10 card spread can be overwhelming.

I would recommend a 3 card spread for most situations; 5 cards at the most. The 3 card spread is very flexible. You should not be afraid to assign any meaning you want to the 3 positions. Here are just some examples:

Position 1: Past
Position 2: Present
Position 3: Future

Position 1: Situation
Position 2: Challenge
Position 3: Answer

Position 1: Problem
Position 2: Advice
Position 3: Action

Position 1: Option 1
Position 2: Option 2
Position 3: Advice on option to choose.

And so on. You get the idea.

There are many books on tarot spreads. One of the very best I have come across is ‘Tarot Spreads: Layouts and Techniques to Empower Your Readings‘ by Barbara Moore. This book not only contains loads of different spreads for any conceivable situation but also advice on how to modify existing spreads and on how to create your own spreads. This book is essential reading.

This advice on choosing the best spread really applies only to readings using a Rider Waite Smith based deck. For people using the Tarot de Marseille (TdM) I fully recommend ‘The Marseille Tarot Revealed‘ by Yoav Ben-Dov. This book will show you how to get the most out of your readings using the TdM.

3. Bias due to strong emotions

Strong emotions can bias a tarot reading for yourself

So, when should you not read tarot for yourself? When you are experiencing strong emotions, particularly the more negative emotions: anger, jealousy, hate. However, if you are feeling strong positive emotions such as joy then I also suggest you leave the tarot reading until you are calmer.

When you experience strong emotions these will definitely bias your tarot readings. For instance, if you believe your boyfriend or girlfriend are cheating on you then you may be subconsciously predisposed to read the worst outcome in your reading. Leave the tarot deck alone.

Reducing The Chance Of Bias

Two things you can try to do if you really want the tarot to give you some genuine clarity.

Firstly, try some mediation before you do the reading to calm yourself. Personally, I find meditation challenging but a simple technique I have found works is, first, to find a quiet space. Then, take a deep breath in to the count of 4, then breath out to the count of 4. After that, simply focus on your breathing and nothing else. If something enters your mind and distracts you repeat the breathing in and out to the count of 4 and return to focus on your breathing.

After a few minutes I usually find myself calmer and my mind clearer.

Secondly, and this is a good technique for self tarot reading at all times, is to imagine you are reading for someone else. If you have a pet imagine you are reading for them. Or imagine you are doing the reading for a friend. It may seem silly but it does work because it helps you remain objective.

However, in the end, if you are still experiencing those strong emotions then it’s a good idea to just not do the reading – it won’t be any benefit to you at the very least and may lead you astray at the worst.

4. Not being able to focus due to distractions

To get the most benefit from your tarot readings you really do need to reflect on the reading and focus on what the cards are saying. Tarot cards, particularly the fully illustrated cards of the Rider Waite Smith and similar decks, are a symbolic language. To understand the language you have to concentrate on what is being said.

This is not easy if you are trying to do the reading in an environment full of distractions. Maybe you are a busy parent with young children running around. Or perhaps you live in a shared house and it is difficult to have complete peace.

Avoid distractions when reading tarot for yourself

What I do to ensure I can focus on my own readings is find a quiet time – either in the evening or early in the morning – where disturbances are minimised. If you live in a busy household, try to find a quiet spot, dedicate it to tarot readings, and let people know you do not want to be disturbed. It is well worth it to make this effort.

5. Asking the same question again and again

Sometimes you do a reading and you may not be sure what the cards are saying. Or, you want confirmation of what the first reading is saying – just to be sure. Perhaps you were not happy with what the cards had to say the first time. So you do another tarot reading on the same question. And then maybe another. Repeat.

This doesn’t work. The tarot is effectively a mirror reflecting your psychological state and situation back at you. All you do if you repeat the same question again and again is get the same answer back from the cards. The cards may be different or they may be the same but you will interpret the reading in a similar way. What is worse, with repeated readings, you may even end up confusing yourself with slightly different reflections. Like this guy here:

The tarot is a mirror. Repeating the same question again and again results in different yet similar answers that may confuse you.

Whether or not you understand the reading the first time, even if you don’t like what the cards have to say, do not repeat the reading. Instead you have to try to understand and reflect on that first reading and understand the message it is giving you. The tarot never lies but it does require time to interpret.

Of course, after a suitable period of time you may want to repeat the reading on that specific question. Maybe the situation has changed or other factors have become important. Then absolutely do another reading. I personally try to leave at least 3 weeks to a month before I repeat questions. This is plenty of time for things to have evolved and then it is worth doing another reading.

Talking of reflecting on readings leads us to the next problem with reading tarot for ourselves.

6. not making a note of the readings

Making a note of tarot readings is important for learning the cards and reflecting on the readings.

As I mentioned in the last point, it can sometimes take time to reflect on readings. This is especially true if the reading didn’t really make sense. I have lost count of the number of times where I forgot to make a note of the cards in the reading so that I could reflect – after a few days I have just completely forgotten what cards were drawn and I have to repeat the reading again.

The answer to this is simple and very worthwhile. Make a note of your tarot reading in a dedicated tarot journal so that you can look back over the reading in the days, weeks, and months ahead. It doesn’t really matter what type of journal you keep; it could be a good old paper journal or an online journal. Maybe even just take a picture of the spread with your phone.

Personally, I prefer a nice hard copy paper journal. I like the tactile feel of the pages and I can absorb information better reading from a page then I can from a screen. The benefit of making a written note of the reading over just taking a picture is that you can make detailed notes of the what the cards were saying to you; any questions or issues you had; things you want to look out for as time passes.

In general I would recommend a tarot journal for any tarot reader, especially if you are new to tarot and you are learning the cards. A journal is great for noting down your interpretations of a card, maybe after a daily single card draw. This helps you understand what the card means for you and this is invaluable for intuitive tarot reading. And talking of intuitive readings…

7. sticking to the card meanings

This is one of the hardest problems to overcome when reading tarot for yourself or for other people. This is particularly true if you are learning the tarot and you are relying on card meanings. The true power of tarot is being able to use your intuition when reading the cards, even if this means you move completely away from what the cards actually mean.

Practice is the only answer but how do you do it? While the subject of reading tarot intuitively is something I want to talk about in another post there are some things you can try to do fairly easily.

Intuitive Tarot Reading Tips

After making sure you have a clear question in mind – see point 1 above – you probably want to choose a small spread if you are new to tarot. No more than 3 cards say. Layout the cards and then completely ignore what the actual card meanings are. Don’t look up card meanings or just pretend the card is a painting and put the meaning out of your mind.

Then simply describe the card literally. Take your time and look at the picture and just describe the picture to yourself and think about it in the context of your question and the position in the spread. Do the same with the other cards. I’m not going to pretend it’s easy – it’s not but this is how you can start to learn to read intuitively.

Another good method of practising reading tarot intuitively is to get your tarot deck and start to make a story with the cards. Turn over the top card and describe the card. Then turn over the next card, describe it, and add it to the story. Keep going. This way you are not thinking about the card meanings but describing the cards in the context of the story you are creating. For instance, with the Fool, Magician and High Priestess I might create the following story just from the pictures alone:

‘I’m taking a walk along the cliff path with my dog and i’m carefree and not looking where i’m going. I fall off the cliff and land in a nice garden where a wizard points up to the cliff and points at me on the ground and says “I can help you get back to the top with magic.” His sister, the High Priestess, is also in the garden near the beach and says “look be quiet, I can’t hear myself think and i’m trying to hear the sea and it’s night time now”‘

Just an example to give you an idea of what i’m talking about.

Of course, if you feel you need to know the card meanings then go ahead but try to read the card intuitively first, then look up the meaning.

For much more on reading tarot intuitively, including an easy method for intuitive reading, see the post ‘How To Do An Intuitive Tarot Reading‘ which can be found here.

Anyway, I hope some of this has been helpful for you and that you find it useful in your personal tarot readings. The tips i’ve talked about in the points above have definitely helped me so give them a try for yourself.

9 Tarot Myths – False…or True?

Tarot Myths: False... or True?
Bohemian Gothic Tarot copyright Alex Ukolov and Karen Mahony

Here we are in the 21st century with tarot accepted in the mainstream and yet certain tarot myths surrounding the cards seem to persist. Or, at least, I keep hearing them come up again and again. These days, stories and ‘facts’ about tarot circulate in social media and spread; even now on tarot forums I see tarot newbies asking about these tarot myths. Hmm. I’ve picked up on some of the tarot myths that I keep hearing about and I want to talk about them from my own experience. After all, if the myths were true, then shouldn’t I have discovered this over the years?

On this blog I want to encourage people to pick up and use tarot; some of these myths might put the tarot curious off so i’m going to talk about them from my personal perspective.

Lets dive in!

1. You need to be gifted Your first Deck

This old chestnut is still around. I have absolutely no idea where this comes from, probably from the dim and distant past. Lets put this one to rest.

If I had waited to be gifted my first tarot deck all those years ago, I would never have got into tarot in the first place. I suppose I could have asked to have a deck as a Christmas or Birthday present but what if I received a deck I didn’t like? Nope, I bought my first deck. Hated the deck. Lesson learnt there, research your deck before you buy it.

Back in 2004/2005 when I was looking for suitable learning decks, Amazon was incredibly useful as was the Aeclectic.net tarot database which has many, many decks you can get a sampling of. The Aeclectic site is still there although the excellent forums shut down several years ago; You can access the site here. These days, pictures of cards from just about any deck you’re interested in are a short click away from Google; YouTube; Pinterest: Instagram – you name it.

So yeah, you can buy your own deck – being given your first deck is nice but buying your first deck won’t affect your ability to use the tarot. You can read more on buying your first beginner tarot deck in ‘Choosing and Buying a Beginner Tarot Deck‘ which you can find here.

2. You need to be Psychic to read Tarot

Do you really need to have psychic abilities to read the tarot? I’m quite certain there are people in the world with genuine psychic abilities. They might be very rare but i’m sure they exist. I’m not one of them. I would not, in any way, describe myself as psychic yet I am able to read the tarot with no problem. Before our current coronavirus pandemic, I often attended Tarot Meetups here in London and I haven’t yet met another tarot reader who would describe themselves as psychic. I doubt genuine psychics even need to use a tarot deck. Intuition is what’s important so if you’re not psychic then don’t worry, you don’t need to be.

To learn an easy technique to help you read tarot intuitively, see the post ‘How To Do An Intuitive Tarot Reading’ which can be found here.

3. only Witches can read tarot

I’ve seen this mentioned a few times. I’m aware that many witches, whether they are Wiccan or follow some other path, read tarot as part of practicing the Craft. So, some witches are tarot readers but not all tarot tarot readers are witches. I have met some excellent tarot readers who are not witches. One works in the Civil Service, another works in the legal profession, another in television. One tarot reader I known works in the London Underground. Myself, I work mainly in the UK National Health Service and I am definitely not a witch of any kind. But I can read tarot. So there you go.

So, yep. You can read tarot without needing to be a witch.

4. Only women can read Tarot

Tarot Myths: Only women can read tarot
Ancestral Path Tarot copyright US Games Systems

Oh boy, i’ve seen this one come up pretty often. The rationale is that women are more intuitive than men and, therefore, men cannot read tarot. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

I would say, browsing social media and the internet, that there appear to be more female tarot readers than male ones. However, apart from myself – male if it wasn’t obvious – I have encountered in person quite a few male tarot readers. A few of them have been some of the most skilled tarot readers I have ever encountered.

As for myself, when it comes to intuition, I will admit that when I started with tarot many years ago I found it difficult to use my intution with the cards. I had to fight against years of conditioning where I had been focused on rationality and believing that science has all the answers. The more I used tarot though and the more I was exposed to the realm of metaphysics – as well as a very frightning personal experience with the paranormal – I began to realise science does not have all the answers. This allowed me to open up and relax, allowing me to exercise my intuitive ‘muscles’. In fact, I believe that tarot has actually helped me to become more intuitive – the tail wagged the dog.

All of this is to say that men can read tarot just as well as women. Men might read tarot differently from women but, in my experience of having had readings from both male and female readers, both genders do just fine. This myth is a load of old cobblers and deserves to fade away.

5. to bond with your tarot deck – sleep with it under your pillow

I’ve heard this a lot as well. The idea is that you can attune the deck to your energies (or the other way around) by having it under your pillow when you sleep. Getting used to your tarot deck through osmosis basically.

There is only one thing guaranteed to happen if you try this. You will have a very uncomfortable night’s rest and probably wake up with a sore neck. Of course, you could try it with a very thick pillow – memory foam is probably better – but, still. You also run the risk of damaging your deck – not exactly what ‘imprinting’ your energies into the deck is supposed to mean!

If you really want to attune to your tarot deck, to get really familiar with it, then play with it regularly – every day even. Do one card readings, study the cards, whatever floats your boat.You will get used to your deck more easily this way and learn all its nuances. As with most things to do with tarot – and life – there are few shortcuts. Memory foam pillows are very comfy but keep your deck somewhere safe, not under the pillow.

6. It takes years of study to become good at tarot reading

What is true about being a tarot reader is that you will never stop learning something new. I have been reading the cards for many years and I am constantly learning new things that I add into my practice. However, constantly learning doesn’t mean you can’t read the tarot relatively quickly.

There are some key approaches to learning the tarot. One, you learn the meanings of the cards first – we are talking about the Rider Waite Smith system here – and then learn how these meanings apply to your reading with intuition guiding you. With this approach, it can take a long time to become familiar with reading the cards and personally I don’t recommend it. Why? Because this is the approach I took when I started learning to read and it wasn’t easy. I wouldn’t try this if I was a tarot newbie now.

A much better way is option two: you don’t worry about what the cards are supposed to mean, instead you become familiar with your deck by studying the pictures on the cards and figuring out what they mean to you. Some tarot readers are purely intuitive, they never learned what the cards are supposed to mean. Instead they let the pictures guide them in the context of the question. This approach doesn’t have to take that long but, again, you will need to practice, practice, practice.

This approach will get you off the ground and reading the cards fairly quickly but I still encourage learning the card meanings and suit elemental energies later on. It is good to have the knowledge to hand to flavour the readings and, if you get stuck during a reading, you can fall back on the meanings to help you. However, don’t be put off picking up tarot reading because it looks like years of study lie ahead, it doesn’t have to be that way.

7. Tarot Cards are Evil

Devil Card from Bohemian Gothic tarot
Bohemian Gothic Tarot Copyright Alex Ukolov and Karen Mahony

I fully respect the religious and spiritual views of other people. However, I do have to take this myth down. Hard. The myth is that reading tarot cards will unleash demons – or something similar in tone. Any truth to this? Have I ever experienced this in my many, many years of tarot reading?

The Devil card above, from the fantastic Bohemian Gothic Tarot, probably shows one of the most evil depictions of the Tarot Devil i’ve ever seen – seductive evil, intoxicating, addictive. But, it’s just a card. Tarot decks, whether they are published by large publishers or by independent deck creators, all come off printing presses (mainly, it is possible to get them printed on demand) in their thousands in the case of many mass market decks. They are cardboard and ink and they are no more inherently evil or capable – in and of themselves – of summoning evil spirits as anything else made of cardboard and ink.

So, no, tarot cards are most definitely not evil. In all my years of reading tarot, whether for myself or for others, I have not once summoned evil entities. I’m sure I would have noticed.

A better question to ask is whether tarot cards can be dangerous. In my personal experience they can be but not because of unleashing evil spirits. Tarot, as with all things in which people believe strongly, can create problems. This is a worthy topic for another post so I will leave this for now.

8. you must not read tarot for yourself

Another tarot myth that still appears regularly. One version of this myth i’ve heard is that reading tarot for yourself will result in bad luck. Really? I think the many thousands of people who read tarot for themselves would beg to disagree and so do I. Have I experienced bad luck from reading tarot for myself for 16 years (as of writing this post). Well, i’ve certainly experienced bad luck over the years but then so does everyone else!

It’s inevitable that unfortunate circumstances will happen to people, that’s just the law of averages. On the other hand, reading tarot for oneself can bring many benefits – understanding where you stand in a situation, reflecting on circumstances, helping to creatively think about where and what to do next and the list goes on.

Is reading tarot for yourself difficult? Yes, it can be. The problem with reading tarot for yourself is that you can bring bias to your reading – you can see in the reading what you want to see. It is difficult to be objective about your own readings but it can be done.

This is worth expanding on in a post of it’s own but there are two things you can try to be objective. First, learn when not to read tarot. Yes, that’s right, you heard me! A definite no-no is reading tarot when you are experiencing intense emotion, for example when you are upset or angry at someone or a situation. If you want to read about this situation then wait until you calm down or practice meditation to calm yourself. Another simple technique is to imagine you are reading for someone else; it takes practice but this really works at helping you be objective.

So, let’s put a stake through this myth and burn it. You aren’t going to experience bad luck reading tarot for yourself – that will happen any way because of Life. However, reading tarot for yourself can certainly help you deal with this bad luck in a positive manner. You see, it’s all good!

You can learn more about the problems of reading tarot for yourself – and how to deal with them – in the post ‘Reading Tarot For Yourself – 7 Things to Avoid‘ which is here.

9. Avoid second hand tarot decks

The final tarot myth I want to cover here is this one. The myth goes like this: if you use a second hand tarot deck then you will not be able to get an accurate reading because the energy of the previous owner will create interference. This is mostly untrue in my personal experience.

I am not a collector of tarot decks but I do own quite a few old and vintage decks, mainly for their aesthetic qualities rather than their financial value. These old decks have wonderful papery card stock, more interesting colouration, or just simply resonate with me. Many tarot decks are out of print – if you happen to really like one then you don’t have any choice except to buy it second hand.

I use these old decks quite regularly and with one exception I have never encountered anything out of the ordinary with any of them. The one exception is an old deck that was last published in the 1970s. What makes this deck different is one simple, tiny thing. A previous owner and, for all I know, the only previous owner, marked the back of the 5 of Pentacles with a blue dot in felt tip. If you are familiar with the Rider Waite Smith 5 of Pentacles then you know this card depicts poverty, illness and just sheer material worry.

That tiny blue dot on the back of the card tells me how anxious this previous owner was about that card and I can feel this person’s energy in the deck. However, it is a warm energy, this owner obviously cared for this deck as a valuable divination tool – it is in pretty good condition for a decades old deck. This energy doesn’t interfere with my readings but I am aware of it.

In conclusion

So there you have it, tarot tall tales that have absolutely no truth in them at all – except for one. So don’t let them put you off picking up a tarot deck and beginning a wonderful journey down this metaphysical path. I don’t know why these myths continue to appear, they probably circulate by word of mouth. Ignore them, they are (mostly) a load of BS.