posted December 18, 2011 12:27 PM
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE TAROT AND TAROT READINGThis is an introduction to the Art of Reading the Tarot. I will try to cover as much ground as possible, but not necessarily in great depth.
As with any introductory class, a lot depends on the willingness of the student to "apply" himself/herself, learn and follow the basics, use their minds to think through the material presented, and keep an open mind and a positive attitude.
The primary target audience of this presentation are complete beginners in the Art of Reading the Tarot. So I will address pretty basic questions. If you are a beginner and you have a question, please feel free to post it here. 
Let's start with common misconceptions about the Art of Reading the Tarot. Very often people are curious about the Tarot but their curiosity seems a bit misguided because it is motivated by certain common "myths" about the Tarot and Tarot Reading.
So, what are these common myths?
1. "You can only read the Tarot if you are a gifted psychic"
No doubt you have heard that a lot. And it's true to a point. It is true that in order to become a Tarot Reader (TR) you need a well-developed intuitive skill and the ability to put your intuition into words that appeal to the Querent (Q).
However, in theory at least anyone can read the Tarot. It's an Art. This means that some degree of friction with it is definitely in order if you wish to practice it. But you already have all that you need in order to get started. We all have intuitive skills at our disposal. It's a matter of being willing to and interested in developing those further.
So, no, you don't have to be a gifted psychic before you can read the cards. You can start developing your intuition and tarot reading skills right now if you wish!
Just be honest with the Querents about your level of skill. Start small so you can become confident in what you're doing. It's OK to be a "work in progress". We all are -in various degrees and levels.
NB: I will help you get started in my next string "Basic guidelines for tarot reading: how to get started, how to ask a tarot question, etc."
2. "The Tarot will fix your life problems"
Well, wouldn't that be nice!
In truth, the Tarot won't do anything of the sort. No one can fix your problems but you!
The way the Tarot helps is by showing you your life, your emotions, your overall situation as a reflection outside of you coming from the eyes of someone else*.
This "mirror view" can help you discover your options, any hidden alternatives, possibilities, and hard-to get-at realizations.
Besides, the Tarot will appeal to your right brain, that of creativity and imagination.
When the logical mind (left brain) is done (over)analyzing the situation, it is the right brain that comes to the rescue. It will play out your situation in a novel way you never had thought of before and thus increase your awareness of the situation and ability to see a way through. It's like using a panoramic view camera where you were previously only using a narrow focus.
Tarot Reading is a tool. How you use this tool and its panoramic view to your problems, is entirely up to you!
Most talented tarot readers (TRs) are not trained in offering real-life advice to your question (q). This does not make them "bad" TRs. A TR is not your counsellor or your therapist. Consider yourself lucky if your TR is able to also give solid real-life advice based on (and beyond) what they see in their cards.
The TRs skill lies in:
a. intuitively picking up the "right" cards for you and your q
and
b. deftly interpreting these cards in a relevant resonant way that helps you figure out things on your own.
*For the importance of "ethics" in tarot reading, please see misconceptions #7 and #10
3. "The Tarot will see into your future like a crystal-ball"
More often that not, Querents wish to hear predictions about their lives in the next X days/months/years etc.
The concept of time is highly abstract.
A gifted psychic is able to use extrasensory perception (clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, etc.) and be specific regarding time-frames in future telling.
However, not everyone who is reading the tarot is a gifted psychic. Any TR is able to come up with ways of "telling time" in a reading (with dubious results) and there are quite a few techniques for doing so. Some TRs use their astrological skills to help pinpoint a time that goes in tandem with their tarot reading. It's good to be able to use any/all skills you have in order to help the Q.
In most cases though, the Tarot will simply depict the past and present energies of the current situation. The goal is to help you see your past and present thoughts, beliefs, words, emotions, behaviors, actions more objectively and from a distance. This way of approaching your problems can make you aware of the potential/future results of your present thoughts, beliefs, words, and actions. Your future is created by your present thoughts, beliefs, words, emotions, behaviors, actions and can be altered any time you decide to change these thoughts, beliefs, words, emotions, behaviors, and actions.
4. "Each Tarot card has one specific predetermined meaning"
If that was the case, obviously, we would all be able to read mechanically. Just push a button, display a card and the card meaning associated with it. Wouldn't that be a bit “robotic”? Readings like these would lack the nuances of a personalized reading that a skillful tarot reader is able to provide. Humans intuit via their emotions. A machine will never has an intuitive feeling about a question.
In reality, each Tarot card is rich in symbolism. Not all parts of this symbolism is always relevant or pertinent to the specific q that the Q asked.
Cards -like words- will change meaning in different contexts. You can look up a word's meaning in any dictionary but most good dictionaries will list a number of possible meanings for the word. A talented wordsmith knows how to pick the right meaning of a word in a specific context. Similarly, a talented tarot reader knows how to pick and focus on the right nuances of a given card in the context of a specific query.
This flexibility to successfully assign resonant meaning to a card depending on its context is a significant sign of a good reader. To acquire this flexibility you need experience i.e. practice with various Tarot decks and with many different types of Queries and Querents.
5. "Tarot cards are responsible for your life/mood/future"
Ha! You wish! 
You cannot blame the Tower card for the current upset in your life. It's the other way around. The cards will simply reflect or re-create your world. They cannot create it for you though.
It's there in the first place and it's a direct consequence of your thoughts, beliefs, words, emotions, behaviors, and actions.
Use the Tarot as a way to think about yourself and see your problems objectively, calmly, and from the inside out. Blaming your reader for a vague reading is not going to solve your problem. Garbage in garbage out. The cards will simply indicate what-is. Take a hard-to-hear reading the way you would take constructive criticism.
6. "The Tarot is read by non-Christians/Atheists/Agnostics"
The Tarot is not a religion. It bears no position about the preaching of Buddha, Christ, Mohammed, etc. Tarot reading does not make anyone agnostic or atheist.
Studying the tarot is a highly spiritual practice in the sense that it utilizes universal archetypes and natural principles and laws that are in the makings of many/all of the world's organized religions.
7. "The Tarot is dangerous"
When you trust a tarot reader with your query, you essentially trust a person with their spiritual view of your intimate problems. Choose your reader wisely. If for any reason you don't trust your reader for his/her benevolence, please do not ask for a reading from that person. Trust your intuition at all times -even if you do not understand it or can't explains it logically.
A tarot reading is never dangerous unless you choose to make it so! If you are prone to take other people's opinions and views to heart, it's best to be wise in choosing your tarot reader.
8. "Tarot Reading is looking up the meanings of individual cards I drew when I was bored"
Experienced readers care to prepare and focus the intuitive mind for fruitful tarot reading.
Many readers use meditation, prayer, incense-burning, or other rituals for getting "in the groove".
With practice, you become familiar with the special state of mind that allows for successful tarot reading.
Tarot reading can be a pleasant pastime but it still is and requires a special state of mind in order to be done intuitively. When a reader's mind is preoccupied with anxiety or boredom, it can be harder to "tune in".
Practice also will help you read without the help of books or online sites for the card meanings. Think of a poet; they rarely use a dictionary when writing a poem, all they need is the proper mindset and inspiration!
Of course to reach this point of reading intuitively, you need to start by taking small steps. In this series, we will explore the classic Rider-Waite tarot deck and the basic meanings and general symbolism of its 78 cards. With practice you will learn to evoke an intuitive selection of the appropriate nuances of each card in context.
9. "Tarot Reading means I can pull a few Tarot cards in random and then ask someone else to interpret them"
Reading the Tarot includes both the process of intuitively picking the right cards for the query and the Art of intuitively interpreting those cards in a cohesive and coherent manner.
If person X (other than the reader or the Querent) picks the cards and a third person C is interpreting them, there is a danger of "mechanically" reading the cards too close to their encyclopedic meanings.
That is why asking a third person's opinion about a reading provided to you by a reader is not going to be very helpful. If you have follow-up questions about your readings, you are encouraged to ask your reader while the energy of your query is still fresh in their mind.
It's best for cohesion and for accuracy that the same Reader-Querent pair work on the reading (both for picking the cards and for interpreting them).
10. "Anyone can become a Tarot Reader; just pick a deck and start telling people what you think about their affairs"
As you see in misconception #1, you do not need to be a gifted physic to read the Tarot.
However, the opposite is also not exactly true. Not everyone can be a reader without the proper tarot reading education, and without the proper ethics code motivating his/her offer.
In misconception #7 I explained the danger that your reader is not the right for you or that they provide a reading to you for the "wrong" reasons. Readers are people and so what motivates them can vary.
In general, check that your reader is:
1. honest about their level of skill and/or experience with the tarot,
2. not promising things thay cannot deliver,
3. is motivated by a benevolent will to help you understand things rather than by other ego-driven reasons e.g. money, reputation, etc.
4. is not passing judgement on you or your circumstances but objectively present you with the messages s/he intuitively gets from the cards
5. is not delivering threatening or otherwise extremely negative messages purporting them to be "fated" messages coming from the cards
6. is not just telling you what you want to hear
Compassion, kindness, honesty, a deep understanding of human nature, and benevolence are what one truly needs in order to be(come) a successful reader of the Tarot.
Next up:
Basic guidelines for tarot reading, e.g. how to get started, how to ask a tarot question, etc.
Lindaland
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posted December 18, 2011 12:27 PM
posted December 18, 2011 01:12 PM
posted July 14, 2014 02:03 PM
