Let’s bust the myth of “The Scary Cards”, shall we?

If you ask any Tarot reader what misconception ranks high on the list of out-of-date ideas they’d love to dispel, the notion that the deck is full of scary and ill-boding cards is up there at the top!

So what’s the deal with some of these cards and images that make people cover their eyes and ears and run screaming from the word Tarot, back to the safety of their childhood Magic 8 Ball’s and folded paper Cootie Catchers for guidance?

While it’s understandable that cards like ‘Death’ and ‘The Devil’ sound undeniably awful, learning their true meanings and interpretations in a Tarot reading will put your mind at ease and help you see the valuable guidance these timeless archetypes offer. So let’s take a quick look at each one in the order they appear in the Tarot deck…

The Hermit

No, the Hermit is not telling you that you’re destined to wander the earth alone for the rest of your days. The Hermit grabbed his lantern and his walking stick, and took himself to the mountain top to get some much needed alone time and do some serious thinking. One of my favorite images of him can be found in the ‘After Tarot’ deck. In this deck we see that he really isn’t alone - he’s brought his best friend and trusted thinking companion along.

When the Hermit card comes up in a reading he’s telling you it’s time to remove yourself either physically or mentally from the day-to-day chaos of life, and do some serious self-reflection, inner-work, and deep thinking. Sometimes we let the thoughts and opinions of others steer us, when what we really need is some time alone to know our own mind better, and to let our true self be our guide.

The Hanged Man

Take a look at the Hanged Man card. Now turn it upside-down. What do you see? This fellow is just hanging out - pun intended. He is hung by the ankle, has one leg crossed, and his hands are resting comfortably behind his back. His face is serene, and he has an ethereal halo of gold around his head.

Someone has put him in a clever time-out, and he has decided to relax into it and make the most of the new perspective. He’s forced to be still and think about his situation in a new way. He’s not going to act just yet, but when he does, all he needs to do is rise and untie his ankle. Once he gets the feeling back in that foot, watch out… he will be ready to act with certainty and a fresh new perspective on things.

Death

Oh boy, this is the one that freaks everyone out until they learn the true meaning of the card. And it’s completely understandable - if I knew no more than that there was this unusual deck of “fortune telling” cards, and that one of them called DEATH could turn up in my reading - I would be apprehensive too. I may just avoid the whole reading altogether. But here is where you learn the truth, and all the scariness disappears - the Death card only means CHANGE.

Yep, that’s it. Change.

This could be a really big change, depending on the placement in your reading. The kind of change you weren’t expecting or have to be kicked by the white horse to see. This could also be the change that comes from one chapter of your story closing (dying… death… get it?), and now leaving you free to start a new chapter.

It’s only about change, my friends. I promise.

The Devil

Sounds scary, but just look at him. No disrespect intended toward the art of Pamela Coleman in the RWS deck, but nothing about her depiction of the devil is scary. It’s rather childish. Even when we step it up a notch to the more mature artwork of the Golden Art Nouveau deck, we can still see that the chains that bind the man and woman to the Devil can be slipped right over their heads.

These humans can escape if they wish, but they choose to stay. It’s this choice that defines the Devil card. You are your own worst enemy. By your own demons do you be driven. This card is calling you out on the evils you do to yourself. Addictions, obsessions, abusive relationships, belittling yourself for financial gain… the list goes on and on of the awful things we do to ourselves. The devil card is here to tell you to knock it off.

The Tower

When I first learned the meaning of this card it hit me hard. I instantly recognized the last Tower moment in my life, and it was a doozy. We just learned that the Death card means change, or the closing of a chapter in our lives. The Tower is change on steroids.

In Melissa Cynova’s book ‘Kitchen Table Tarot’ I found her analogy of the Tower card describing the moment life pulls the rug out from under you spot on. This is not just change, but UPHEAVAL. A situation that comes out of nowhere and turns order into chaos.

Depending on the position of the card in your reading this may mean a Tower moment is coming, you’re in the midst of the chaos now, or you have already come through the storm. The beautiful thing is that any time you survive a Tower moment in your life you become so much stronger. Life, by it’s very nature, is full of Tower moments - so there’s no use fearing them. These events are your ultimate teachers.

The Three of Swords

The imagery of this card is so universal that you already understand that it means heartache. This doesn’t always mean romantic heartache, it can be the absence of a loved one, the loss of a career opportunity you wished and hoped for, or it can also point out lack of love for yourself and a state of depression. In whatever way, you are feeling heartsick.

So how can this ever be a positive card? Well, fist and foremost it acknowledges your pain. Many of us walk through life in pain we cannot express, or do not want to show to the world. But just the Universe acknowledging your pain is a step towards healing it.

The Three of Swords is a big hug and a shoulder to cry on from the Universe. I see your suffering and I got you. This too shall pass… or at least lessen in time. You will get through this. You will recover. You will smile, and laugh, and thrive again.

The Ten of Swords

What is it with these swords?? Ten swords in the back seem like the worst it can get, right? But again the swords cut right to the point - you just got your ass kicked. You’re not dead, but you’ve hit rock bottom in some area of your life.

The position of this card in your reading will help show you where it’s all going so wrong . Good news is that from this sorry state, there is nowhere to go but up. Take a serious break while you’re down there and rest, then get up, regroup, and get on with doing whatever you need to do to get your life back on track.

The suit of swords are nothing if not honest and to the point - and the pun is still intended. We all need to be told at times, with brutal honesty - “This is not working”. Only once you realize it can you go find out what does.

No Scaring, Just Caring

The Tarot and it’s archetypal images are still relevant and revered in this day and age because they depict Universal truths. Fashions and technology may change from one decade to the next - even one century to the next, but human nature remails fundamentally the same.

The advice you receive from the Tarot is like being with that one friend that is always real with you - they’re the one who tells you when you have lettuce in your teeth, when you need to stop being a whiny brat, and the only friend who knows you well enough to deliver bad news, but then stay up with you all night while you cry.

So be not afraid fellow seekers… know that there are no scary cards in the Tarot, only knowledge.

• Sabrina