While anyone with an open mind and dedication can learn to read tarot, reading your own cards is not necessarily a good idea. In fact, even many of the most experienced psychics and tarot card readers do not do their own readings.

If you have considered forgoing a professional reading in favour of DIY tarot, discover three reasons why you should reconsider.

Learning tarot takes time

When you purchase a beginner’s tarot deck, it will likely come equipped with an instructional booklet. This booklet will help you learn how the symbolism behind each card in the deck to read a tarot spread. Of course, while instruction booklets are a huge help in learning tarot, do not make the mistake of thinking they are all you need.

To perform the most accurate and personalised tarot reading, you will need to look beyond the written meanings of the cards and develop your own interpretations too. Every reader has their own unique relationship with each card, which means they may hold meaning beyond what you find in your booklet.

With 78 cards to interpret and understand, gaining true insight into your tarot deck can take quite some time. As such, this makes it very difficult to read your own tarot cards with accuracy and precision when you are just starting out.

Staying objective is difficult

While reading your own tarot cards is most difficult when you are a beginner, it is not necessarily recommended for experienced readers either. One of the main reasons behind this is that being objective is hard.

While you need to find your own subjective meaning in each tarot card, you should also form an objective view of what they might mean for you at the time of your reading. Most people are susceptible to confirmation bias (unconsciously interpreting information in a way that confirms your existing beliefs), and this applies to tarot reading too.

As such, if you already have thoughts in mind about your situation, you may misinterpret your reading in a way that confirms those thoughts—whether they are true or not.

Imagine, for example, that you suspect your partner is cheating on you. If you draw the two pentacles, which indicates split attention, you may take it to confirm that your partner is cheating on you when the actual meaning is about time management or life balance.

Asking the right questions may be hard

Finally, whether you are an experienced tarot reader or a complete beginner, you may not ask the right questions when you try to read your own cards.

Sometimes, when you are too emotionally close to the concern at hand, you may not be able to find the right way to consult the cards. Many who attempt their own tarot readings ask the deck the questions on their minds rather than the questions that will lead to the right answers.

Others have a tendency to consciously or subconsciously tweak and adjust their questions to push a certain outcome, which can result in an inaccurate reading.

A professional tarot reader will have a sense of clarity that comes with an objective outsider’s perspective, allowing their insightful mind to see which questions the deck should truly be asked during your reading.
Ultimately, while reading your own tarot cards is not dangerous or unlucky, consult the services of a talented and experienced reader instead. Get in touch with our tarot readers at Grace’s Psychics for help in gaining clarity, finding peace and improving relationships—all over the phone in the comfort of your own home. We look forward to helping you.