It’s great that you’ve developed an interest in tarot; yet, what can you do if you don’t have a deck of your own? You might be surrounded by a few other spiritually minded individuals who may have their own cards. But is it acceptable to utilize another person’s tarot cards?
You are allowed to utilize other people’s tarot cards. It all depends on the card’s owner granting you permission to do so. Never utilize another person’s tarot cards without that person’s consent. Tarot cards should be treated with the same respect that you would always show for anything else you borrowed without first asking.
Nevertheless, using someone else’s deck might occasionally lead to problems. We’ll discuss what you can do to prevent some problems from occurring and what transpires when things take an unexpected turn in the reading.
The information on what to do if someone refuses to let you use their cards and how to clean your cards after lending them to someone else is also given.
I want to draw your attention to the Related Articles section at the bottom of this article before I go into more depth.
A list of articles that complement this one very well is offered.
In This Article...
Can another person manipulate your tarot cards?
If you have been reading Tarot for years without allowing anybody else to touch your cards and this is how you prefer it to be done, maintain reading in this manner. Do it if it works.
However, if you are new to tarot and unsure about whether you should allow others to touch your cards when reading for them, REST! Others are welcome to touch freely. In fact, I believe that doing this makes a reading seem more genuine. You simply need to believe in the strength of your intention to afterwards purge any negative energy from your Tarot deck.
What are your thoughts on this? I’m interested to know! Therefore, please share your thoughts regarding individuals touching your cards in the comments section below. Do you agree with it? Or do you strictly enforce a no-touch policy?
Is a Tarot deck accessible to all?
These cards are just bits of paper in the end, says actress and reader Rachel True. She claims that the tarot cards’ ability to assist you in discovering your own personal power is what gives them their charm, beauty, and strength.
Questions you don’t really want answered
This may seem obvious, but it’s best to avoid asking the tarot cards questions that you’re not ready to hear the answers to. That’s because answers to these questions can reveal information you’re just not quite ready to hear.
“Tarot can definitely come off as offensive if you’re not willing to hear the truth or consider an opposing point of view. Tarot reading Nicole Fortunaso
According to tarot reader and life coach Nicole Fortunaso, “tarot may truly come out as offensive if you are not willing to hear the truth of the problem or look at an alternate viewpoint.” She advises considering why you’re responding the way you are in order to reflect on the best way to address the underlying cause if you ask the question and are unsatisfied with the response.
Is it possible to read Tarot cards on your own?
It’s normal to be a little clumsy when you first start practicing the tarot. Tarot study is similar to learning a new languageit takes time to become proficient. But what happens if you no longer require the booklet and have intimate familiarity with the deck? Are you able to read yourself? No, except in a few rare cases. Simply put, it’s a horrible idea.
You see, the majority of us turn to astrology or tarot when we’re looking for clarity amid a period of ambiguity. Tarot card interpretation is subject to our consciousness, as opposed to astrology, which is extraordinarily technical. Working with your personal interpretation of the cards, you are not constrained by short- and long-term cycles like the planets’ orbits. It might be tricky to go beyond your current circumstances while utilizing the tarot to better understand a trying scenario. Even if all the cards are spread out in front of you, putting them together requires such a broad perspective that it is all but impossible to fully understand the meaning of each card. Basically, any biases you already have will always be reflected in your tarot reading!
My Tarot deck needs to be cleaned.
There are occasions when you might want to perform something more particular and ritualized rather than simply shuffling the tarot deck to purify and clear the energy of the cards. Cleaning your deck could seem like a nice place to start if you’re just starting to understand tarot.
You might want to clean your tarot deck for a variety of reasons, including:
- beginning with a fresh deck
- readings for other people
- You think you need to recharge.
- Your card readings seem a touch “odd” or “disconnected”
- Your deck hasn’t been used recently.
- Your deck has been handled by others
- You think you’ve been utilizing your deck a lot. A LOT, especially for books with strong emotional content
Why should you cleanse or clear your tarot deck?
Tarot deck cleansing helps keep the energy flowing between you and your deck. To keep the link strong and clear, think of it as a little spiritual hygiene. It’s not necessary, but if you have any of the aforementioned symptoms, try a few of the energetic cleansing techniques listed below and note which ones seem to work the best for you.
How often should you cleanse your tarot deck?
This is another way of stating USE YOUR INTUITION: there are no hard and fast laws. Don’t worry about it if you don’t think your deck need it. Alternately, if you like to cleanse them once per week or once per month, that’s great. If it feels appropriate to you, you can even place your favorite crystal on the balcony each night.
If you frequently place crystals on your deck and store it on an altar while not in use, you might not feel the need to cleanse it frequently because this quick ritual will likely be sufficient to keep your deck feeling nice.
There are numerous ways to cleanse your cards, just as there are numerous reasons why you might desire to do so.
Different ways to cleanse your tarot deck
Use holy smoke. Light a dried rosemary, lavender, cedar, sage, or palo santo cleansing wand until it begins to smoke. Hold the smoke a safe distance below the deck while holding the burning herbs in one hand and the deck in the other so that the smoke drifts upward onto the cards. Turn the deck so that the smoke covers it from all angles. Next, safely put your deck to the ground and put out the fire.
On the deck, set a selenite stone (or a black tourmaline or a transparent quartz). Although an hour would suffice, I prefer to let it rest like this for the entire night.
Set them on display during a new moon. The New Moon is energy of a blank slate; you can purify the deck by setting it on a window sill on a new moon night. At this moment, you can also make a brand-new intention for your deck.
Place the cards in a salty dish. A strong and stabilizing cleaner is salt. My preferred choice for a thorough cleansing is this. Allow it to sit anywhere from one to eight hours in a dry area.
Shuffle in chaos. Spread the cards out on the ground, then shuffle them around like a child playing in dirt. This method’s freedom and randomization serve as an excellent reset.
the shuffle and sort. Set up the deck in rows of seven cards across, commencing with the Major Arcana numbers 0 to 22. Then lay out the cards Ace through King for each suit in this order: Swords, Pentacles, Cups, and Wands. View the deck in this configuration, then mix everything up (like the chaotic!) and shuffle it thoroughly.
How are Tarot cards smudged?
White sage is the most popular smudging plant, but others like desert sage, cedar, sweetgrass, or a combination of them, may also be employed. Even though sage is the traditional smudging substance, you are free to use your chosen incense. To draw in good or protective energy, lavender, copal, and other herbs are occasionally included.
These herbs are offered for sale in dried bundles known as “smudge sticks,” which when burnt smolder like incense. The object you want to cleanse is then covered with the smoke rising from the smudge stick.
How to Do It
The cleaning procedure is really straightforward. You can purify your entire house, just your tarot cards, your reading space, or any combination of these, as well as your entire household. If at all possible, the cleaning should occur during the daytime in both scenarios. Alternatively, simply the ones in the space where you are smearing can be opened. This will provide the bad energy a quick way out.
There are only five steps to smudging:
- Open all windows and doors
- Activate the smudge stick.
- Waft the smoke over your object or environment as you focus on cleansing and rebirth.
- Shut off the smudge stick.
- By (carefully) clinking a spoon against a glass, you can ring a bell or create a chiming sound.
Home Smudging Walkthrough
- Start with the front door of your house. Although not often the front door, this entrance gets the greatest traffic.
- Holding your smudge stick over a flame will light it; blow softly on the lit end to make it smolder. Keep a lighter nearby so you can restart the stick if needed.
- Concentrate your will on the notion of purification and rejuvenation. Some people like to say a quick prayer of appreciation or thank the herb for aiding them.
- To clear negative energy, smudge the door by sweeping smoke counterclockwise around the doorframe.
- Smudge the entrances just like you did at the front door, going counterclockwise through your home and each room. Many individuals only smear windows and doorways. Mirrors, reflective surfaces, and even electrical outlets are examples of additional objects that act as thresholds and, as a result, as energy entry sites.
- After you’ve completed your circuit, go back to your primary entry and re-smudge it. You might make an affirmation or a prayer here, or you can ask for good energy to enter your house.
- Put your smudge stick out in a heat-safe container like an ashtray or ceramic dish. The lit end should simply be stubbed out like a cigarette. The majority of smudge sticks naturally burn out, so you might opt to do the same.
- The last step is to chime a bell or click a spoon against a glass to create a sound. This harmonizes everything by spreading a vibration of sound energy throughout the area.
You may reset the energy in your house or your tarot cards using smudging, and you can do it as frequently as you wish. Smudging helps remove any negative energy from readings before you read them again because readings might disclose some truly unpleasant things. Between each reading, some tarot readers smudge their equipment and workspace, while others do it on a weekly or monthly basis.
How are Tarot cards charged?
Leave your deck in a sacred location where you can “knead (shuffle) it each hour, giving it your magical power with your hands, for one waking day, much as you would a loaf of rising bread.” The greatest time to use this charge is when you’re taking a day off at home or in a retreat.
What occurs when tarot cards are read?
According to her, “Tarot cards do not predict the future; rather, tarot is a tool for spiritual guidance and allows the reader to connect to his or her inner wisdom.” “Tarot readings assist a person in learning the information required to make sense of a specific circumstance. As readings provide a person with insight into past, present, and future occurrences based on their current path at the time of the reading, decks are best utilized as a tool of inner wisdom and guidance. The cards don’t always predict what will happen; rather, they help a person analyze a situation and choose the best course of action based on what is already known and what the cards indicate.”
Know the Tarot card meanings!
It should be clear by now. But even those annoying court cards must be easily readable by you! without pausing or consulting a book. Your intuition and experience will develop with time, and your individual relationship with the cards will flourish. But first, you must comprehend the subtleties of significance for each card in respect to various topics and positions. The cards do have their own unique meanings, which should be respected even though you are there to interpret them.
You rarely draw a blank when doing a reading.
Hey, sometimes even the smartest among us struggle to link two cards, or we might utilize a card incorrectly. Although you should be past the point where it frequently occurs, it will still happen. When those blanks do happen and you have a client on the phone or in front of you, you need to have your own approaches and strategies ready to go.
You need to have at least three spreads that you can comfortably work with.
Knowing about the Celtic Cross alone is insufficient. I can say from experience that not every circumstance calls for spread. You should have a variety of spreads in your Tarot deck, ranging from intricate designs for in-depth analyses of lengthy readings and challenging queries to quick, three-card spreads for analyses of 15 minutes or less. As the session is just getting started, you also need to determine what spread will be acceptable at that precise moment. People will ask you these kinds of questions, therefore I also advise keeping Yes/No spreads handy.
You must be able to synthesize the cards.
When the reader uses every card in every position to convey the tale of the layout in relation to the question, that is when a reading truly embodies the art of tarot. This goes much beyond simply listing each card’s meaning without connecting them. Not a reading, that A laundry list it is! Your intuition and card-reading experience will combine in the synthesis to help your client see the bigger picture of their inquiry. There are no exceptions; this is true for all spreads!
Know how to do an entire reading.
Again, this sounds like common sense, no? But even the most experienced Tarot reader can overlook the fact that a reading actually starts the moment a potential customer contacts you or sees your website. If you plan to practice this professionally, you must have a system in place for enrolling clients and answering their initial inquiries. The reading comes next. How do you welcome your customers? Do you ensure their comfort? Identify the root of their problem? How do you end a session after reading the cards? Maintain contact? Respond to follow-up inquiries? How do you handle it if your client is upset as they leave? The most prosperous readers approach their work as professional Tarot readers as a business.
Know what kind of Tarot reader you are.
Understanding your underlying relationship with the cards is necessary for this. What sort of readings are your favorites? You might thrive at reading for difficult subjects or at reading quickly and efficiently. Do you believe in fate, free will, a blend of the two, or some other concept that others don’t? Do you wish to discuss particular subjects, such as pregnancy, disease, or demise? You must capitalize on your own reading strengths in order to draw the kinds of customers who are a good fit for you.
Have strategies for difficult and disappointed clients.
Despite our best efforts and sincere desire to please our clients, you will encounter problematic clients in your practice. Tarot readers occasionally draw irate people as well as a fair amount of doubters who enjoy disproving others. You can also find someone who has a vested interest in hearing a particular response. They might lash out at you if they don’t get that response. If there is a volatile person sitting across from you, you must have your own strategies for maintaining composure and controlling situations. Although it won’t happen frequently, you must be prepared to handle it.
Practice with strangers.
It is a significant and crucial step to practice reading aloud to strangers after reading for your friends and family. Find a way to give free readings and record the time you spend doing it for unrelated strangers. You can determine what kind of reader you are (or aren’t) by doing this, and it will also help you build confidence and intuition. This will help you comprehend people’s inquiries and reactions. Try reading aloud at a holiday party, cafe, or street fairjust be sure to acquire permission first!
Professional Tarot reading is fulfilling in ways I can’t adequately put into words. If you heed the advice above, you will get the self-assurance necessary to become a fantastic reader who earns a good living from their work. And without a doubt, spend money on expert readings from others. You will pick up a lot of knowledge regarding reading preferences, your own, and client interaction techniques. Why not consult a Tarot reader today on Keen?
You *Just* Had a Tarot Reading
Unless the reading is about a completely new and specific subject, I suggest waiting at least three months between professional tarot readings. Before returning to the cards, let things develop and alter.
You Want a Redo
I frequently observe people attempting to “chase the right answer.” People will visit several tarot readers or ask the same question repeatedly to the same tarot reading until they receive the response they desire (which, by the law of averages, does happen eventually). Kind of useless, this!
Your Question Is About Someone Else
Tarot readings are not the solution if your entire line of inquiry is about another person’s thoughts and actions (such as what your ex is up to). Tarot is meant to help you gain understanding of *yourself,* not other people. (A better option would be to reconsider and rephrase your query as if you were looking for help on how to move past your split.)
You’re Looking for Medical Advice
Simply said, neither physical nor mental health concerns can be diagnosed or treated using the cards. Some things are better left in the hands of medical specialists rather than tarot readers!