Things to Never Do with Tarot Cards: 15 Common Mistakes to Avoid

By Alex Assoune May 29, 2025

Tarot cards are powerful tools for insight, reflection, and spiritual growth. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced reader, how you use your deck matters. While there are no absolute rules in tarot, certain practices are widely considered disrespectful, energetically harmful, or simply unwise.

Understanding what not to do with your tarot cards helps protect your practice, strengthen your intuition, and build a deeper connection with the cards. This article explores 15 things you should avoid doing with your tarot deck — and why.

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1. Don’t Use Tarot as a Substitute for Mental Health Care

While tarot can be emotionally healing, it is not a replacement for therapy or professional help. Relying on tarot for serious issues like depression, trauma, or mental illness can prevent you from getting the support you need.

Why avoid this?
Tarot works best for reflection and guidance — not diagnosis or crisis management. If you’re in emotional distress, always seek help from a qualified mental health professional.

2. Don’t Read Tarot When You’re Emotionally Overwhelmed

Reading tarot while in a highly anxious, angry, or upset state can cloud your interpretation. Strong emotions may lead you to see negativity where there is none, or misread the message of the cards.

Why avoid this?
Your emotional state affects your intuition. Wait until you're calm and grounded before doing a reading for yourself or others.

3. Don’t Ignore Your Intuition

Some readers get so caught up in memorizing card meanings or following guidebooks that they ignore their own inner voice. Intuition is key to a powerful tarot practice.

Why avoid this?
The best insights often come from your gut feelings, not just the textbook meanings. Trust the images, symbols, and your own impressions.

4. Don’t Read for Others Without Permission

Reading someone’s cards without their consent is considered a major ethical violation in the tarot community. It can be invasive and disrespectful to read someone’s energy without their knowledge.

Why avoid this?
Ethical boundaries matter. Respect others’ privacy and autonomy, just as you would with sensitive personal information.

5. Don’t Ask the Same Question Repeatedly

It’s tempting to keep pulling cards until you get the answer you want. But doing multiple readings on the same question — especially back-to-back — can lead to confusion and mistrust of the process.

Why avoid this?
Repeated questioning can cloud the message. Give space for one reading to settle before revisiting the same topic.

6. Don’t Use Tarot to Control or Manipulate Others

Some may try to use tarot readings to influence someone’s choices, make them feel guilty, or get a desired outcome. This misuse of tarot is manipulative and spiritually harmful.

Why avoid this?
Tarot is about insight, not control. Using it to manipulate others creates karmic imbalance and damages trust.

7. Don’t Read When You’re Physically Drained or Sick

Your energy matters during a reading. If you’re tired, sick, or burnt out, your ability to interpret the cards clearly can be compromised.

Why avoid this?
Energy affects everything in tarot. Rest and recharge before engaging in a reading to ensure clarity and accuracy.

8. Don’t Force a Reading on a Skeptic

Trying to “prove” tarot to someone who isn’t open to it rarely ends well. Tarot is deeply personal, and forcing it on someone can lead to conflict or mockery.

Why avoid this?
Let others come to tarot in their own time. Pushing it on others can create resistance or negative energy.

9. Don’t Let Just Anyone Handle Your Deck

Some tarot readers prefer to keep their decks private and don’t allow others to touch them. While this is a personal choice, allowing negative or skeptical energy into your cards can affect their clarity.

Why avoid this?
Tarot decks absorb energy. Be intentional about who handles them, and cleanse your deck regularly.

10. Don’t Read Tarot in a Distracting Environment

Doing a tarot reading in a noisy, chaotic, or cluttered space can make it hard to focus and connect with your deck.

Why avoid this?
The energy of your surroundings matters. Create a quiet, clean, and intentional space for your readings.

11. Don’t Disrespect the Cards

Throwing your cards around, not storing them properly, or treating them like a party trick undermines the sacred nature of tarot.

Why avoid this?
Your cards are tools of connection. Treat them with care — clean them, store them respectfully, and honor the role they play in your practice.

12. Don’t Fear “Negative” Cards

Many people panic when cards like Death, The Tower, or Ten of Swords appear. But these cards often symbolize transformation, release, or the end of a difficult cycle — not literal disaster.

Why avoid this?
Fear distorts meaning. Embrace every card as part of a larger story and stay open to what it’s trying to show you.

13. Don’t Expect Tarot to Predict the Future Exactly

While tarot can offer glimpses of potential outcomes, it’s not a crystal ball. Life is shaped by free will, action, and changing circumstances.

Why avoid this?
Seeing tarot as a set-in-stone prophecy limits your agency. Think of it as a snapshot of current energy — not a guarantee.

14. Don’t Read for Yourself if You Can’t Be Objective

Reading for yourself can be empowering — but only if you can stay open and honest. If you're too close to a situation, your biases may affect the reading.

Why avoid this?
You may unconsciously project hopes or fears into the interpretation. When in doubt, ask another trusted reader for a neutral perspective.

15. Don’t Use Tarot to Justify Harmful Behavior

Some people misuse tarot to justify toxic decisions, harmful relationships, or avoid personal responsibility. For example, interpreting a card as a "sign" to stay in a destructive situation.

Why avoid this?
Tarot is meant to empower, not enable. Use it to seek clarity — not as an excuse for denial or inaction.

Bonus Tip: Don’t Forget to Cleanse Your Deck

Tarot cards can absorb energy over time. Regularly cleansing your deck helps keep the energy fresh and clear. You can do this by using smoke (sage or palo santo), moonlight, sound (bells or tuning forks), or simply shuffling with intention.

Final Thoughts

Tarot is a sacred practice that thrives on respect, intention, and intuition. Avoiding these common mistakes can help you deepen your connection with the cards and build a practice that is ethical, grounded, and empowering.

Whether you’re reading for yourself or others, remember: tarot is not about controlling the future — it’s about better understanding the present. Approach your readings with honesty, care, and humility, and the cards will speak with wisdom and clarity.

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About the Author: Alex Assoune

Alex Assoune (MS) is a global health and environmental advocate. He founded Panaprium to inspire others with conscious living, ethical, and sustainable fashion. Alex has worked in many countries to address social and environmental issues. He speaks three languages and holds two Master of Science degrees in Engineering from SIGMA and IFPEN schools.

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