In the modern world, people from all walks of life are starting to turn to tarot.
You will find so many people using tarot in their daily lives for guidance, support, clarity, and even self-discovery.
However, there are still many people who wonder whether tarot can ruin your life.
They read all sorts of misconceptions and negative experiences of people with tarot and so, they are filled with doubts about this practice. So, what is the truth?
How or Can tarot ruin your life?
Probably not. However, you must really understand that tarot is a spiritual tool. And as with any other tool, what matters is how you use it. For instance, a knife can be used to cut fruits. But it can also be used to wound others! So, it’s upon the people who use it to make sure they do it properly. We will discuss each possible issue below.
With that thought in mind, let’s talk about some potential scenarios where tarot might do you more harm than good.
1) When You Base Your Future On It
A lot of people are attracted to the world of tarot when they learn that it can provide hints about the future.
I mean, to be frank, I don’t blame them! I am one of them hahah
It is human nature to want to know about the future and how things will unfold. And if there was a way to see the future, we would all probably use it.
When it comes to tarot, yes, the cards can give you hints about the future.
But they do so based on your current energies and the current path you are walking upon. It is important to remember that time is volatile and it can readily change based on your actions.
So, the predictions of the cards can change based on your actions and decisions.
Therefore, if you base your entire future on the tarot cards, it might do more harm than good.
A better option would be to use your best judgment when you’re making important decisions relating to your health, finances, career, and relationships.
As for the cards, you can take their messages as advice to help you along the way.
2) When You Ask The Same Questions Repeatedly
During a reading, some people ask questions, while they already have their preferred answers in their minds.
And when the tarot cards tell them something else or give them “undesired” answers, they keep doing readings on the same topic repeatedly.
For example, you might ask the cards, “Will I meet the love of my life soon?”
And then, you might get an answer that basically tells you to wait for a while and focus on your career instead.
Now, since you wanted to hear “yes,” you will obviously not be satisfied with the answer. And then, you might keep asking the same question again and again. And each time you would get a different answer.
Needless to say, this reduces the accuracy of your readings.
Typically, it’s the first answer that is the right one.
But when you don’t want to accept the answer, you end up following an “advice” that leads you nowhere.
Again, this can do you a lot of harm since you can go off in a completely wrong direction.
3) When You Indulge In Card Favoritism
Card favoritism is exactly as it sounds.
Some people, especially when they are beginners, tend to prefer some cards over others. It is hard to blame them.
I think we all do the same at the beginning… ( and still now I guess hahaha)
For example, you might like the Major Arcana cards more than the Minor Arcana cards. For some reason, you might consider them to be more powerful or more important which is true in away but we tend to ignore the minor arcana cards.
If you approach the tarot cards with this attitude, your readings are obviously going to be inaccurate.
Let’s say you are doing a five-card spread about your career.
Out of the five cards, you receive one Major Arcana card and four Minor Arcana cards. Now, your favoritism might lead you to focus on the meaning of the Major card only. However, the accurate way of doing the reading would be to take all the cards into consideration and combine their meanings. ( Of course the major cards have more weight but the minor cards have to be included too…)
So, if you indulge in card favoritism, it is only logical that you will get the wrong guidance.
The cards are not to blame here, and they will definitely not be the reason if any harm comes your way.
It’s our own lack of understanding of how to use them properly that will be the reason.
4) When You Allow It To Create Self-Doubt
This happens way more than you know.
We all know that tarot can serve as a great way for people to discover themselves.
Tarot cards can tell you about your innermost desires, strengths, weaknesses, values, and so on.
They can even reveal those aspects of you that you keep hidden from everyone else.
Now, most of the time, this is a good thing.
After all, self-discovery can lead to all sorts of benefits.
However, there are times when this might backfire.
For example, if the cards tell you that you can’t fully utilize your strengths because of your lack of conviction in your goals, this can lead to self-doubt and a lack of confidence.
Look, different people react differently to feedback.
Some people use negative feedback to become better versions of themselves. And some people let these feedbacks get to their heads.
In cases like these, the tarot cards can definitely do more harm than good.
5) When You Depend Too Much On It
This happens to a lot of people, and I certainly don’t blame them because I was one of them and if I am totally honest with myself, I would say I am still a bit too dependant haha. It is getting better though…
Tarot cards are a great way to get guidance from time to time.
When faced with a difficult decision, for instance, you can certainly consult your cards and see things more clearly. They might even tell you what the right decision is.
But in the process of consulting your cards, you might start depending on them too much.
There is nothing inherently wrong with this.
But if you base all your decisions and insights on the cards, you might not learn how to handle life on your own. It’s like always asking your parents or friends what you need to do next in life. You can certainly do that, and your parents or friends won’t mind, but ask yourself: is that the best way to live life?
Therefore, it might be a better idea to consult your cards on a weekly or monthly basis.
And you can use them to make the more important decisions in life.
Another thing you can do is, you can incorporate the advice of the cards with your own, instead of only doing what they suggest. 🙂
6) When You Become Obsessed With It
Take the above scenario and multiply it by 1000.
This is what I mean by obsession.
Some people are so addicted to their cards that they are always holding on to them.
Even if something trivial happens, they immediately start shuffling their cards and doing a reading. ( that was me a few years ago…)
It’s not that using your cards often is a problem.
It’s the addiction and the total lack of faith in yourself that is the problem.
Addiction of any kind is bad. Even if it relates to a good thing.
Tarot addiction can also take your focus away from the other important aspects of your life such as work, relationships, health, and personal growth.
Also, another important fact to consider here is that when you are addicted to tarot readings, you essentially become compulsive in nature.
And that is not the state you want to be in when you’re doing readings.
That’s because your energy can disrupt your readings and you may receive odd or unusual suggestions.
7) When You Use It As A Crutch
For centuries, tarot cards have helped countless people find more meaning in their lives.
They have helped people learn more about themselves and solve some of the most complex challenges they have faced.
In fact, it is this nature of tarot that attracts so many people to this spiritual tool.
But, at the end of the day, you must realize that tarot is not a substitute for anything in life. It is more of a complementary practice that can augment your life. But you shouldn’t totally rely on it for things like mental health or even companionship.
So many people tend to turn to tarot when they are suffering from mental health issues.
It’s understandable because tarot cards might provide solace to them in many different ways.
But this should certainly not become a habit.
Mental health issues need to be dealt with in a certain way and they need proper care and attention with professionals. Tarot, if it becomes an unhealthy coping mechanism, will only make the matter worse.
8) When You Read In A State of Fear
I referenced this point above when I talked about reading tarot cards in a compulsive state.
But let’s explore this further.
You know tarot cards connect with your current energies and your subconscious mind.
As such, the cards you pick or get are a direct reflection of your inner world.
So, if you read in a state of fear, anxiety, or depression, and if you ask important questions in these states, you might receive answers or suggestions that might not be correct.
For example, if you’ve gone through a breakup recently, and if you’re constantly focused on the absence of your partner, the cards may reflect a lack of love or loneliness in your life.
This might make you feel that it is in your destiny to be alone. Or some other negative thoughts might come into your mind.
The point is, if you’re doing tarot readings, you should do them in a calm and peaceful state.
That is when you will get the most accurate readings.
9) When You Read For Others
If you do readings for other people, whether they are loved ones or strangers, you need to be extra careful.
You need to make sure that you are properly trained and have a good understanding of the meanings of the cards.
That’s because, when people come to you with questions, they seek accurate and sincere answers.
Also, some people might have really serious questions related to their health, relationships, finances, or about some serious challenges they might be facing.
In times like these, if you are not able to provide them with the correct interpretations or if you make mistakes, it might have a serious impact on their lives. You obviously don’t want that.
Also, if you’re doing a reading for a friend or a loved one, wrong interpretations or suggestions might even strain your relationship with them. Even though you wanted to help, it might end up doing the opposite! So be careful….
10) When You Have An Inherent Bias
Tarot reading is an art.
It involves tapping into your intuition and making sense of the querent’s energies. It also involves figuring out the messages of the cards in such a way that they can really help the querent out.
Now, as a tarot reader, if you have an inherent bias in any manner, this can come in the way of your practice. It could lead you to wrong interpretations and that will certainly not help the querent.
In fact, it can make matters worse.
Let’s take an example to understand this better.
Let’s say you are a very optimistic person. Now, when you do a reading for someone, let’s say you get cards that show imminent danger. In this case, if you allow your optimistic bias to interfere with the reading, you might tell the querent to keep a positive mindset and that everything will be fine. You might play down the dangers in their future and that leaves them no time to prepare!
This worsens the situation for them.
11) When You Interpret The Meaning Wrongly
While the above point was about bias coming in the way of your readings, this one is about inexperience.
As I mentioned above, tarot reading is an art. And you can only learn this art with experience. I guess this is true of any other skill in life.
Also, tarot cards can sometimes get confusing.
Sometimes, you might get cards that seem to contradict each other. Sometimes, you might receive a very odd question from a querent. And you might not have the faintest of clues about what the cards are telling you in that regard.
That happens to me sometimes and I prefer to be honest with the querent and let them know about it.
Similarly, you might get into all sorts of questions where a lack of experience might hurt you.
Therefore, make sure you have enough practice before you start doing important readings for yourself or other people.
12) When You Are Not Ready To Work With Tarot
Tarot is a little different than other spiritual practices.
While practices like meditation and mindfulness can be done by anybody, tarot requires a certain level of mental and emotional maturity to get into.
Sure, you can start learning it if you are interested, but you will require some understanding of human nature and the various aspects of human life to interpret the meanings of the cards correctly.
This is because tarot cards portray deep themes like love, sexuality, death, suffering, ego, spirituality, and so on. And different people perceive these things differently. So, you have to have a deep understanding of the subjective nature of the most important facets of human life.
Otherwise, you might not be able to do readings meaningfully.
Imagine helping someone move on from a breakup using tarot, while you don’t even know what the pain of a breakup is!
This is just an example but I am sure you get the point.
13) When It Gives You A False Sense of Control
There is no doubt that tarot can give you insights into things that you just couldn’t have on your own.
This might help you solve your challenges much more easily and make decisions more smoothly.
In a way, tarot can make your life easier.
However, if you allow this to give you a false sense of control, it can be dangerous.
We all know how volatile life is. Things can change at the drop of a hat. The truth is that we don’t have as much control as we think we do. Even the predictions of tarot cards can change based on the infinite variables that are at play at any given moment.
So, do not let yourself fall into the trap of ego or control.
Know that tarot cards are more indicative in nature and do your best to prepare for any unforeseen challenges
So to the question how or can tarot ruin your life?
Yes, as we saw it, there are some instances where we could get sidetracked and let tarot take control of our life…. Instead, we need to remember that it is a tool. We are in control and the creator of our own destiny.
