With endless decks sold online alongside digestible booklets, anyone can learn to read tarot cards. However, this accessibility also means many people will end up misreading them. Tarot cards are believed to tell you about the forces impacting your past, present, and future, and incorrect handling or interpretations can lead to unnecessary worries or missteps.
To help guide less experienced tarot readers, I asked psychic Deborah Graham, a tarot reader and host of the podcast The Psychic Connection With Deborah Graham, about the most common tarot mistakes people make. Here they are, below.
1. Not connecting with the cards energetically
Graham believes that using tarot cards opens you up to communication from different spirits, positive and negative. To ensure you only get the positive, she recommends visualizing yourself surrounded by white light before you pull the cards. Wearing red and lighting a white candle also help provide you with spiritual protection, she adds.
“It’s actually you who holds the energy, not really the tarot,” Graham explains. “It’s the energy you put into the tarot that makes it so powerful. It’s very important that you’re grounded before you ever start doing a reading on yourself or someone else. I always recommend people hug a tree. Ask the guides and the angels to protect you.”
2. Seeing someone inexperienced
If you’re having someone else read tarot for you, make sure it’s someone who’s experienced and highly regarded by clients. The best way to find someone is through a referral, says Graham — but if not, at least read the person’s online reviews.
“So many people are doing tarot cards now, especially online,” Graham explains. “You go on Tiktok and they’re pulling tarot cards. It’s super important to find somebody who’s highly trained and knows what they’re doing. Some people are connecting with a dark energy. I always say, go to somebody through a referral.”
3. Shuffling incorrectly
Before you start the reading, Graham recommends shuffling the cards nine times, moving them from your right hand to your left, as it’s the left hand that best receives energy. “You’re receiving their energy, so you shuffle into your left,” she says. “If they’re going in a circular motion, they should go clockwise.”
4. Misinterpreting the death card
One card that tends to freak people out is titled “death” and has an image of a skeleton or a grim reaper. Graham cautions against taking this card literally. “A death card doesn’t always mean death,” she says. “It can be death to the old and new beginnings. Some people think someone around them is dying or something bad is about to happen, but that’s not even the case.”
5. Misinterpreting the swords card
Another card that trips people up is the swords card, which displays someone holding one or more swords. “Whenever people see the swords, they automatically make you think someone is backstabbing you,” says Graham, but “sometimes it can be the sword of power, the sword of strength. I love the swords.”
6. Being dishonest
If you’re reading tarot for someone else, make sure you tell them what the cards say, not what you think the person wants to hear. And similarly, if you’re reading for yourself, be honest with yourself about what the cards mean rather than engaging in wishful thinking.
“When I’m reading somebody, whether I’m always being very direct and very blunt and honest with the person,” says Graham. “Never let your emotions be involved in your reading. Just get straight to the point and never hold back.”
