The psychic arts of Tarot cards, channeling, mediumship, meditation, and psychic development, certainly allow you to make contact with another realm. Many people fear that parting the veil that separates the physical from the spiritual opens the door not only to helpful energies and spirits but also to negative and threatening ones.
There are dangers involved in using Tarot cards. But these dangers aren’t what you might think. No demons will descend on you if you shuffle a deck of Tarot cards. You won’t summon negative energy and conjure demonic spirits when you use Tarot cards.
But Tarot does have a dark side. This is because the purpose of Tarot is often misconstrued. Tarot gets unceremoniously lumped in with things like crystal balls, Ouija boards, and cauldrons. While Ouija boards are used to communicate with spirits, Tarot is a tool for self-exploration. Tarot is used to connect and communicate with your higher self, to boost your creativity, and to inspire you. Tarot can help you find answers to life’s questions, receive creative ideas and fresh insights, gain deeper wisdom, and comprehend what’s going on around you.
Tarot cards are filled with symbolism, numbers, imagery, colors, scenes, and landscapes that trigger your imagination and intuition, and open you up to perceive your soul’s whispers. Tarot cards don’t tell you what to do. They help you ask the proper questions so you can figure out your own solutions and answers.
Tarot can help when you feel stuck, and you need to look at your situation from a fresh perspective. It can help when you’re seeking inspiration related to something you’re writing, or a project you’re working on. Tarot helps people acquire new ideas and insights about their lives, and connect with their higher selves.
Cleanse Yourself
It’s still important to be careful when using Tarot. Before you start a reading, you need to protect and cleanse yourself energetically—not to ward off evil spirits, but to make sure that your negative expectations and energies don’t affect your reading.
If you feel tired or anxious when you perform a reading, it can affect the cards you draw as well as your interpretation of them. You wouldn’t show up for a date all dirty, disheveled, and grumpy. Approach your Tarot reading the same way you’d get ready for an important date. Show up at your best!
Here are some effective ways to cleanse yourself energetically:
- Take a hot shower with essential oils like rosemary, lavender, or sage, or an Epsom salt bath. And don’t think about anything!
- Sit quietly and simply observe your breathing for about 10 minutes. Imagine exhaling your expectations and stress, and inhaling pure, cleansing white light into every cell in your body.
- Get moving. Exercising and dancing is a powerful way to put the energy in your body into motion and eliminate any lingering stress.
- Listen to soothing music, such as soft, rhythmic drums or Gregorian chants.
- Light some candles, or burn incense or a sage stick.
If none of these techniques appeal to you, feel free to devise your own cleansing ritual.
Cleanse Your Cards
Cleansing your Tarot cards is another important step. Some Tarot readers believe that cards absorb energy from their surroundings, and if they’re not cleansed before a reading, the reading will be affected. Others simply use cleansing rituals to get into the best mindset for a good reading. To cleanse your cards:
- Gently tap your knuckles on the deck three times.
- Wave your hand over your deck to clear the space.
- Shuffle the cards to break up stagnant energy.
- Set your Tarot deck in the moonlight overnight, or visualize white light shining down on it.
- Store your Tarot deck in a bag of clear quartz crystals.
- Waft smoldering sage over your Tarot deck. This removes negativity.
Set a Positive Intention
Intention is a crucial aspect of doing spiritual and metaphysical work. Your intention dictates the type of vibe or energy you emit, which affects the experience you’ll have.
Set a clear, positive intention for your reading. Know why you’re doing the reading, and what you hope to gain from it.
A negative or impure intention may be something like, “I want this reading to snoop on my boyfriend to find out if he was flirting with that waitress.” A positive intention would sound more like this: “I intend to acquire some fresh ideas for how I can improve my relationships.”
Avoid Misunderstandings
Tarot poses a risk to you when you misunderstand your reading or take it too seriously. Beginners may not fully grasp that each card has many different meanings, so they may turn over the Death card and mistakenly assume that this literally corresponds to death. Or you may get The Tower card and assume that it guarantees disaster. This is scary, and fear can affect your Tarot experience.
There’s also a risk involved with Tarot cards if you take your reading too seriously. Tarot readings are illuminating and can tell you all sorts of interesting things. But by no means are they the last word. Tarot readings are meant to invite contemplation, not obsessive belief.
Don’t believe every word your reader says as if it were absolute truth. Ask the right questions, then question the outcome of your Tarot reading.
Regard your Tarot deck as a good friend. Good friends give you all kinds of advice. Sometimes you don’t even ask for it, and sometimes you don’t take it. Their advice is often colored by their own opinions, fears, and biases. So, it’s wise to take their advice with a grain of salt. There are many different ways to interpret Tarot readings, so we should take advice from them with that same grain of salt.