Keep your mitts off my cards

Sulis said:

I'm quite happy to let people handle my cards if they want to so long as they don't bend them, rip them or get them dirty (so the same as any of my other belongings)..

Your cards weren't made in a vacuum so loads of people will have handled them by the time they get to you.


Could I just ask, why do you think that her energy will 'mess them up'? Is this something that you've found by personal experience or have you read it in a tarot book?
I ask because there is so much nonsense written about tarot - we even have a thread here about tarot superstitions and myths - things like 'you can't buy your own deck' and 'you need to keep your deck wrapped in black silk'.... Unless you have personal experience of someone's messing up your deck, just by touching it, I'd say this is one of those myths.

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Hi Sulis...I had read it in a number of books and believed it. I guess I made a rookie mistake. Because of everyone at AT I'm beginning to realize that there really are no rules and that what I believe is what matters.(what a freedom!)

I still don't know if I will let anyone read with my cards, I'm still kinda touchy about it. But the next time someone asks I just might let them.

Actually I'm feeling rather silly now, I behaved as if I were "powerless". Well I'm now gonna take back my power, choose for my self, and not listen too much what the books have to say.

I prefer my cards to be handled by the person I am going to read for and I have no problem letting others read with them. Really the sitter to some degree does read with them every time you ask a question to them based on a card. "What draws your eye in this card? colour, shape, object"... I ask these sort of questions if I get "stuck".

Ferne said:

Hi Sulis...I had read it in a number of books and believed it. I guess I made a rookie mistake. Because of everyone at AT I'm beginning to realize that there really are no rules and that what I believe is what matters.(what a freedom!)

I still don't know if I will let anyone read with my cards, I'm still kinda touchy about it. But the next time someone asks I just might let them.

Actually I'm feeling rather silly now, I behaved as if I were "powerless". Well I'm now gonna take back my power, choose for my self, and not listen too much what the books have to say.

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Hi Ferne,

Lots of people don't allow others to touch their cards because they just don't feel right about it and that's fine. Some people have just one deck that they keep strictly for themselves and are happy for others to handle their other decks. If you want to keep your cards so that just you handle them then do that but don't feel as if you have to do something because you read it in a book..
Question things you read - if it seems as if there's no real reason for something, there probably isn't.

keep your mitts off my cards

Thanks for your feedback Crowned One and Sulis. I have decided that I am uncomfortable letting others read with my cards, I'm not going to deny the way I feel. Next time this situation comes up I won't feel so paniced(sp?), and powerless...and know that I have a choice.

As for books...take what is best and leave the rest.

I feel much better and more sure of myself. Thanks you guys.

I kinda like people handling my cards Anything that gets the sitter involved in the reading makes the reading that much more fun for me. I love having them shuffle, asking them to tell me about what they think they see in the cards or what they're thinking about what I'm saying. Nothing is more boring to me than a sitter who just sits and goes "Hm. Mhm."

As for reading with my cards, the ones that I use for face to face readings are pretty fantasy-based and the last time I read I had my boyfriend jokingly making his own predictions based very solidly off the artwork. While it irked me a bit (Because his friend was seriously asking me for a reading) I just laughed it off. It didn't really change the way my deck felt.

Honestly I'd love to have someone who we could pass an afternoon giving readings for one another with the same deck. I think it'd be interesting to see how another person views the same cards.

So I'd say unless deep down you feel that someone else working with your cards doesn't work for you, loosen up and enjoy the experience! Tarot is like any other hobby. There's different ways of going at it and the beauty of the experience is finding your own special mix. Don't be afraid to try things.

Sulis said:

I'm quite happy to let people handle my cards if they want to so long as they don't bend them, rip them or get them dirty (so the same as any of my other belongings)..

Your cards weren't made in a vacuum so loads of people will have handled them by the time they get to you.


Could I just ask, why do you think that her energy will 'mess them up'? Is this something that you've found by personal experience or have you read it in a tarot book?
I ask because there is so much nonsense written about tarot - we even have a thread here about tarot superstitions and myths - things like 'you can't buy your own deck' and 'you need to keep your deck wrapped in black silk'.... Unless you have personal experience of someone's messing up your deck, just by touching it, I'd say this is one of those myths.

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Oh THANK YOU for clearing this up Sulis! I spent a fortune looking for purple silk to "give those good vibes" and waited for people to gift me decks as per "tarot tradition". But since, I am still a student, and yet to start earning, every deck is technically a gift (from my parents) Are there any threads here on famous tarot superstitions and myths debunked?

As for the experience of people messing up decks, I have sometimes had that experience. I don't know how. Even if it is my first reading for the day, somehow reading for certain people has me all drained out and the cards turn up reversed/negative and I can't understand why, because these were very good friends of mine (unless my cards sniffed out their ulterior motives or something )

Just be clear about your boundaries, whether with cards or anything else and you will be happy Good luck!

Chiming in

I feel the same as sulis. I let my friends and clients shuffle the cards themselves and pick out their own cards as well. I understand what you mean about the energy aspect and sometimes I do feel a clogging of energy when I pick up my cards. So what I do is sit down with them and hold them in my hand while I let my mind go blank or I will think one word like peace or happiness. After about five minutes I start to shuffle still keeping my mind blank. I will continue to shuffle till I feel the cards are "flushed" of the energies that are stuck to them. I think it's a personal choice on whether you let people touch your cards or not. I think you need to find out what works best for you and then explain your reasoning to your friend. If she is truly a friend she will respect your wishes.

keep your mitts off my cards

Thanks for your replies Tree leafe and Girl archer...

Based on all the feedback that I had gotten I have made a decision. I know I feel uncomfortable with someone else using my cards to read with, thats the way it is for me. But next time I will handle the situation calmly...maybe even let them try.

Thank you everyone for all your good suggestions, it gave me pause for thought, and now I feel more confident and in control which is something that I lacked, or I would not have felt so threatened.

Case closed...You all have been a real help.

Chiming in on this too lol

Girl Archer said:

Oh THANK YOU for clearing this up Sulis! I spent a fortune looking for purple silk to "give those good vibes" and waited for people to gift me decks as per "tarot tradition". But since, I am still a student, and yet to start earning, every deck is technically a gift (from my parents) Are there any threads here on famous tarot superstitions and myths debunked?

As for the experience of people messing up decks, I have sometimes had that experience. I don't know how. Even if it is my first reading for the day, somehow reading for certain people has me all drained out and the cards turn up reversed/negative and I can't understand why, because these were very good friends of mine (unless my cards sniffed out their ulterior motives or something )

Just be clear about your boundaries, whether with cards or anything else and you will be happy Good luck!

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I have to put my two cents in on here too. I consider myself an empath. I feel people's emotions like they are my own and I can feel them in my cards too. I haven't learned how to completely turn this off yet but one thing I have found that helps is when I am doing a reading I silently ask the cards to show me what the person I am reading for needs to know but to keep their emotions and feelings in their personal space. I did a reading once for an emotional woman going through a breakup. She had been with the man for several years and was extremely upset. After her reading I wanted to cry for several hours later. One thing someone suggested to me is telling yourself that those emotions are not your own and its ok to let them go and scatter them to the four corners. I hope this helps.

PulchraElectri said:

I feel the same as sulis. I let my friends and clients shuffle the cards themselves and pick out their own cards as well. I understand what you mean about the energy aspect and sometimes I do feel a clogging of energy when I pick up my cards. So what I do is sit down with them and hold them in my hand while I let my mind go blank or I will think one word like peace or happiness. After about five minutes I start to shuffle still keeping my mind blank. I will continue to shuffle till I feel the cards are "flushed" of the energies that are stuck to them. I think it's a personal choice on whether you let people touch your cards or not. I think you need to find out what works best for you and then explain your reasoning to your friend. If she is truly a friend she will respect your wishes.

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I'm gonna try that next time..it's simple and effective. Thank you Pulchra Electri.