MythFirst, the myth that you should be the only one to touch your cards. That is fine, if you ignore the fact that they were made in a factory and handled by many people before they reached your hands!
For people who believe this, ritual cleansing and other rituals can be performed to make the cards "your own". Following this old tradition is personal preference, but it is important to recognize the cards for what they are -
inanimate objects- which hold no special power other than what you give them. The "power" of the cards come from your mind. YOU are the source of that power. When you or the individual you are reading for shuffle the cards, you/they are putting into pictorial form what you subconsciously already know will happen in your future. Then when you lay the cards out, you interpret the pictures on the cards to form a "story". Although the Tarot Cards are an excellent method of developing your psychic abilities, you will give a very accurate reading if you read exactly what the cards "say".
Second, it is not necessary for the individual receiving the reading to think of a question first. In fact it's better if they don't, but to keep their mind clear and clutter free. If they ask a question, they will tend to think of the answer they "want" to hear. You want to avoid picking up from their subconscious mind what they think and believe will happen. What you should be reading is the order of the cards that the subconscious mind has influenced. Afterall, what will occur in your life lies in your subconscious mind and what it is saying is the message you want to interpret.
Third, that the Tarot Cards should be read "in reverse". "Reverse" means that the picture on the card is turned so as to be seen as "upside down" or "reversed" to the reader. The readers who read in this manner give a different meaning, usually negative, to the card when it is in this position. Even though a persons' life may seem upside down sometimes, the cards were not intended to be read in reverse--this is a modern interpretation and, frankly, a waste of time. There is enough symbolism in the cards to indicate when you will be going through difficult times without inventing more.
Fourth, another misconception of modern-day interpretation is that the cards will give descriptions of people. Although you may psychically pick up descriptions of people as you read the cards, the cards themselves were not meant to furnish descriptions of individuals. In the original meanings, a dark-haired person was one who "did not see the light" or
situation and the light-haired person was one who did "see the light" or
situation. Not Myth- some common sense and recommendations
In order to understand the Tarot Cards, it is necessary to have some knowledge of Astrology and Numerology. For those of you who have not studied either of these, I've posted the Colors and Astrological Correlations for Tarot as a basic guide. I'll later post some correlations of numbers with the individual cards.
Doctors have spent many years perfecting their Craft--let them use their abilities. If you feel the reading shows that the person will have, or does have a health problem, the best way of handling this is to tell the person you feel they should see a doctor. This would also apply to a reading in which you believe you see a death. It is very difficult to pick up death in a reading without many years of experience. If you feel sure of what you see, the best approach is to say only that someone they are close to may be seriously ill. Remember, even for a friend, they take everything you say into their subconscious mind. Although you may have stated, quite emphatically, that you are not yet a professional and are only practicing, you will find that many of them will believe what you say and act upon it, even though they know, consciously, that you have not yet perfected your accuracy.
Use common sense when you tell anyone about a difficulty they may be facing in life. I do not mean that you should lie. To have a good reputation as a reader you must always tell the truth, but you must avoid making a difficult time seem like the end of the world.
Another thing to keep in mind is that when you are reading for someone who is going through a difficult time, stress the good things you see in the reading. Nothing is ever so bad that there isn't some good to be found. Also, whenever possible, point out the end of the difficult time period. In other words, use a little psychology when dealing with others and remember, they will subconsciously retain everything you have told them.
(Updated 2006, All rights reserved.)
