Myths About Tarot Card Readers

Even with the emergence and popularity of yoga, mediation and other holistic modalities, divination in general still has a lot of negative stigmas attached to it. When people come to see me at a fair or festival, they come up to me and say things like "Hey tell me my future!" or "Read my mind!", when that is not what we do. Now every tarot reader is different, but here are some myths people have about us:

-All Tarot Readers are psychic.
One thing people don't seem to understand is that being a tarot reader and a psychic are not interchangeable. You can be one or both, but they are not the same. I asked Google what the definition of "psychic" and she said (for some reason I imagine Google is a woman) and what I got was "relating to or denoting faculties or phenomena that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, especially involving telepathy or clairvoyance." Not all tarot readers "hear" or "see" anything at all. Some of them use the cards from a very textbook standpoint and just tell you wants happening based on meanings and combinations. Also, because of the stigma that comes with it, many readers don't like to call themselves "psychic" anyway. 

-All Tarot Readers are Witches or Pagans.
 Tarot being a form of divination is usually associated with the occult. Because of that, many other people involved different occult practices such as people in nature-based religions and different forms of magic and shamanism study tarot. But tarot is similar to mediation in the fact that it is a practice that doesn't subscribe to any one religion or faith. It can be practiced by anyone and is practiced by people from all different backgrounds. 

-Tarot Readers are all about the money.
HAHAHAHAHA. Why am I laughing? Because this is non-sense. Now, you have some tarot readers who definitely are scam artist (refer to my article about "How to Spot a Con Artist") but that happens in just about any profession. Real ethical tarot card readers don't do it just to get paid. They actually do it because they want to help people. But then (for some reason, I don't know why) people ask, why do we charge? Because just like everyone else, we need to make a living. And why should we not get paid for our talents? And actually, I know more tarot readers and other spiritual practitioners who donate their time and/or money to charitable organizations than any other profession. 

-Tarot Readers are uneducated/can't do anything else in their lives.
HAHAHAHAHA. Oh look at me, I'm laughing again! Why do you have the giggles this time, Ashley? I'll tell you why! When I started meeting more and more tarot people, I started realizing how freakin' smart they are. The amount of tarot readers I know who have Master's degrees is ridiculous. I know a few who have Doctorates and most have some type of college degree. And beyond traditional education, I know some tarot readers who are just brilliant people. Business people, authors, podcast hosts, teachers... the list goes on. These are tarot readers. Also, if your a tarot reader, you know that tarot is a never-ending learning process. Tarot involves studies of religion, spirituality, psychology, art and literature.There is always something new to find out or learn, so having a love of learning is kind of a must.
  
-The less you tell us, the better.
So imagine you are feeling really sick. Like your feeling horrible. So you decide to go see a doctor. The doctor asks, "So what are your symptoms?" And you say, "Well your a doctor, figure it out!!!". Does that make sense? Not really. That is how your tarot reader feels when you sit in silence and then expect them to just come and tell you every detail of everything you have ever wanted to know. I always tell my clients, if you have a specific situation you need to ask about, let me know. The more I know about the problem, the better I can help you answer it. Of course you don't have to tell us everything, but don't sit there tight lipped thinking your so clever getting one over on us. Darling, it's your money, so being honest and opened will normally get you more help and a more enjoyable experience. 

-Tarot Readers can read minds.
No, we can not do that. Telepathy is very different than being a reader. When we lay down the cards, they tell us what is going on in relation to your issue. Also, being honest is the best way to go about your reading. Coming into your reading and lying to try to "prove" something is only hurting yourself.   

-All Tarot Readers tell fortunes.
Not all readers are predictive. Many readers use the cards to clarify a situation, not to tell the future. If you want a predictive reader, make sure to ask before you purchase a reading. 

-Tarot Readers lean on tarot as a crutch and are therefore not as good as psychics, mediums, etc,.
This is a statement I can't stand. I find it is just a way of practitioners to put other practitioners down. There is no "better" way to do readings. There is nothing wrong with using tarot cards, clouds, shells, a pendulum, runes, animal innards (even though that's kind of gross) or nothing at all to do readings. This is what we use and this is our craft. No one says a sculptor is better than a painter because it is harder to carve marble than to use paint do they? Of course not. Because they are both trying to create something, and regardless of how they do it, it will be interesting. Same thing with us spiritual folk. No matter what tools you use, we are all working towards the same goal, to try to make things better and easier for our clients. 

Any myths I missed?! Let me know! 

---