Tis the season for spooky, and what better way to celebrate a holiday where the supernatural comes to life than with some good ‘ol fashioned fortune telling? Tarot cards get a bad rap these days. Reactions I've gotten to pulling my deck out range anywhere from calling me crazy to trying to perform an exorcism on me. But at the end of the day, tarot cards are just that: cards. Fun cards at that, once you've gotten past all the myths and misconceptions spread about this popular form of divination.

Myth: Tarot cards summon demons/ Satan/ evil spirits

Fact: In all honesty, if I was Satan I would feel like I have a lot more important things to do than harass some kid playing with cards. You're in more danger of getting a paper cut than of being possessed. Some belief systems call upon the spirit of the cards or the spirits around them to aid in divination, but it's not a requirement. Many people don't use spirits in tarot at all, which leads me to my next point:

Myth: Tarot is only for witches/new-age hippy weirdos.

Fact: Despite my being a self-professed new-age hippy weirdo, many people who use tarot are not. In fact, some therapists have begun to use tarot in sessions with clients; the idea here being that the client meditates on the meaning of each card, and whatever conclusion they come to will provide some insights into the way their mind works. I found an interesting paper on tarot in psychology here if you wish to check it out

Myth: Tarot can tell me what will happen in the future.

Fact: People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect. But actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it’s more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey… stuff. Doctor Who references aside, tarot is not going to be able to you when you'll get married or what grade you’ll get on your finals. It can tell you, however, what one outcome of a decision may be-- “may” being the key word here. In my opinion, it's more worthwhile to ask tarot questions about the present. “What about myself am I trying to deny?” or “What am I not realizing about this situation?” for example.

Myth: Drawing the “Death” card means you are going to die.

Fact: Settle down there, bud. Drawing the death card isn't a omen of doom and gloom. On the contrary, Death can actually be a very positive thing in a reading. Death represents the destruction of the old to make way for the new. It’s kind of like setting a controlled fire in a forest to burn the underbrush. It’s going to be difficult, and maybe it will hurt-- but it will be for the better in the end. Some decks, like the classic Rider-Waite above, show this by having a little sun peeking out from behind the reaper. My personal favorite, the Shadowscapes Tarot, portrays death as a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Myth: Nobody can touch a tarot deck except for it’s owner.

Fact: I can see where this one comes from. Many believe that if someone else touches your tarot deck, their energy will stick on it. While there may be some truth to this, you don’t have to throw away your deck just because your mom moved it off the table. I’ve never really prescribed to this myth, and I’ve never had any problems with my deck. If you are worried that your deck is energetically “dirty” though, there are many ways to cleanse them, from passing them over a flame to covering it with crystals.

Myth: You can not do a tarot reading on yourself.

Fact: Well, this one is both true and not true. Many say that if you read for yourself, you run the risk of only seeing what you want to see. Alternatively, tarot can be a valuable tool of self discovery. I personally read for myself a lot. If you’re worried that you may be biased, you can always have other people read for you until you feel you are experienced enough with tarot to not have a biased reading.

Myth: Tarot is a very serious thing.

Fact: Sure, candles and crystals and an air of solemnity can can make for a nice reading. But that doesn’t make a reading done over pizza in your best friend’s dorm with Parks and Rec playing in the background any less valid. You can have a deep and meaningful answer from a reading, or you could literally just get “The chariot says you really need to stop procrastinating”. I’ve done a spread inspired by Mean Girls. There are decks that feature Hello Kitty and Legend of Zelda. Some might say that this is making light of a serious art, but to that I say: Tarot originated as a game. It is fun. And cracking jokes doesn’t make my readings any less than a serious one.