Blasting the myths on Card Reading
You must cleanse your cards.
Oh no, don't buy your own cards!
You must sleep with your cards under your pillow, wrap your cards in silk, bang your cards to get rid of the energy…
In this blog I will blast some of the myths of owning, looking after and working with Tarot, Angel and Oracle cards.
Cartomancy is the art of reading using cards and has been around for many years and is still used by people across the world. It is not limited to Tarot cards, there are many types of cards that can be used in cartomancy - oracle cards, fairy cards, fortune cards and even the well known four suit (spades, diamonds, hearts, and clubs) playing cards, including many others which I am sure you have heard of.
The Rider Waite deck is one of the most popular and well-known Tarot decks for Tarot card reading. Originally published in 1909, they were created by Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Colman Smith. A.E. Waite was a mystic, magician and occultist known for his writings, and some of the books he wrote are still in print such as The Holy Kabbalah, The New Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, and the Book of Ceremonial Magic. Pamela Colman Smith was an artist, known to her friends as “Pixie” and kept company within A. E. Waite's circle of company. She caught the eye of A. E Waite and under his precise instructions and direction, she was in charge of illustrating the full deck of Tarot cards for him. They consist of 78 cards and were the first deck to fully illustrate all 78 cards. The name of the cards comes from A.E. Waite and the publishing company Rider, however, the Tarot deck is also sometimes called the Rider-Waite-Smith deck.
Cartomancy itself has been around for centuries, with the earliest firm evidence of reading cards in the form of cartomancy, dating back to the 1420s. There are some earlier examples from before this time, but do not offer clear evidence. The first documented Tarot deck used for Cartomancy comes from an anonymous manuscript from around 1750 which documents rudimentary divinatory meanings for the cards.
The popularisation of esoteric Tarot started with Antoine Court in Paris during the 1780s, using the Tarot of Marseilles which was made up of 56 cards. It was popular and is still used today, however over time the French Tarot players abandoned the Marseilles Tarot in favour of the Tarot Nouveau around 1900, with the result that the Tarot Nouveau pattern is now used mostly by Cartomancers.The Tarot card deck we are using, Rider Waite Deck, is considered one of the most commonly known decks and holds the original imagery of the Tarot Nouveau.
It's important to say that in my research, the Tarot goes way further back than what we have covered here and the use of cards in many forms for Cartomancy can be traced back to before Christ. Angel cards can be traced back to the 19th century in France. The first Angel card deck is said to have been developed by Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand (Madame Lenormand). Then, in the latter half of the 20th century Angel cards began to spread and become quite popular. The Angel cards you see today are an expansion of Madame Lenormand's cards.
Because of the deep history of divination cards they have come with many superstitions, people believed in these superstitions due to many factors that relate to availability of Tarot card decks, lack of education, enforced beliefs from religious groups and curiosity of the mystical card decks. Today there is no need for these superstitions, however, of course it is still important to treat your cards with respect.
Cards are beautiful, expensive and used to give gentle spiritual guidance so these superstitions can be used but they are not necessary.
Some of the most common questions are:
Can I buy my own cards? - Yes of course you can. If you are drawn to a deck, buy them and love them. In the past cards were handed down in families, this is where being gifted your own deck superstition comes from.
Do I need to cleanse my cards? - No you don't. Of course it's nice to clear the energy of your cards between readings but as long as your intentions are that your cards clear themselves then there should be no need to cleanse. It's a nice practice to pass your cards through incense smoke and ask for the highest brightest energy to work with them.
You can't read your own cards! - Of course you can read your own cards, the only issue with this is you might not trust your own guidance.
You need to know the cards before you read - Obviously training is important so you can give accurate guidance and work responsibly if you are taking money from people, so seek out some training from a reputable training provider. We also have a Training Academy you can check out.
You can't take money for readings, it's a gift - A card reading from a reputable, well trained and very intuitive reader is a gift in itself but why on earth would you expect someone to give their time for free? Would you ask an artist for a free painting or the local butcher shop for a free steak? The work we do is tough and comes with massive responsibility, and the reader should always have an energy exchange. It doesn’t always have to be financial, I know many readers who like to exchange goods or other services rather than money.
Your cards need to be wrapped in silk or kept in a special bag - Like I said before, your cards are beautiful and why wouldn't you want to wrap them in silk with dried flowers and nice things, the truth is that it's not necessary, of course it will be lovely to look at and your cards will feel way more special if you treat them well.
Your cards will tell you the future - This is the most common misconception, any form of intuitive reading is like taking a snapshot of your life and where you are at right now, a reader should give you information that inspires you to go away and take action to lead you to your desired path. They should equip you with the tools you need to be amazing, and because you have free will, I'm afraid nobody can tell you your future. All they can do is give you guidance based on the decisions you are making now and a potential outcome based on these decisions!
So, if you are thinking of buying your very first card deck, do some research and get excited! There is nothing to be afraid of!
From my soul to yours
Steven
