11 Things to Never Do with Tarot Cards That Could Disconnect You From the Reading

You bought the tarot deck, and now you sit down at your kitchen table, and you shuffle. You shuffle and ask a question, but then… nothing. You feel nothing. The cards just don’t speak to you. The reading feels hollow and disconnected, like a conversation with someone who’s halfway out the door. So what went wrong?

Tarot reading is a conversation between your conscious mind and the deep, strange well that lives below it. But that conversation works when you're present and honest. So let’s talk about the things to never do with tarot cards, which might disconnect you from your reading.

1. Treating Tarot Like Google

You ask, “Should I text him?” and pull the cards. You don’t like the answer, so you reshuffle and ask again, and again, until the answer says what you want it to say.

This is one of the worst things to never do with tarot cards for beginners. When you treat tarot like a vending machine (insert question, expect desired snack), you miss the point entirely. You disconnect from the reading because you’re not listening. You’re negotiating.

2. Reading When You're in Emotional Chaos

Wondering what not to do with tarot cards? Reading tarot when you’re spinning out, mid-panic, rage-texting your ex, or crying over a frozen pizza is like trying to meditate while your apartment is on fire. You can’t hear your intuition when your nervous system is screaming.

Pause. Breathe. Get quiet. Only then, pick up the cards.

3. Reading for Other People When You’re Not Centered

Sure, you want to be helpful. But reading tarot for someone else when you’re not grounded is like giving someone directions from a city you’ve never been to.

Before you lay out a single card, check in. Are you projecting? Are you over-identifying with their question? Are you hoping the cards tell them what you think they should do? The moment you step out of your center, you disconnect. The reading becomes about ego, not truth.

4. Using the Cards to Avoid Doing the Work

For example, you know you need to have that conversation, leave that job, or stop texting that person. But instead, you pull a card. You keep pulling because it feels like you’re doing something. But really, you’re stalling, and the cards know it.

5. Asking Questions You Don’t Want Answered

You ask, “What does the future hold?” But you mean, “Tell me it’ll all be okay.”

You ask, “What does he feel about me?” But what you want is permission to keep waiting.

When your question isn’t honest, your reading won’t be either. The disconnection starts the moment you ask something you’re not emotionally ready to hear the answer to.

6. Reading in Spaces That Feel Distracted

Tarot doesn’t demand candles or crystals, but it does need your attention. Reading in a loud café is a bad idea. Find a space that makes you feel quiet inside. Light something if it feels right. Turn off your phone. Be present.

7. Reading Without Intention

There are days when you pull cards because you’re bored. That’s human, but when you approach tarot casually, the reading often returns the favor.

Sure thing, you don’t need a crisis to pick up the cards, but you do need to have a reason at least, because tarot works best when you approach it with humility and curiosity.

8. Ignoring the Cards That Make You Uncomfortable

You pull The Devil, or Death, or the Five of Cups. And you think, nope. You put it back, reshuffle, pretend it didn’t happen. You tell yourself you want a “clearer message.” However, that card showed up for a reason.

The uncomfortable cards are often the most honest. When you skip over them or mentally erase them, you cut off an entire conversation that’s waiting to be had.

9. Reading Without Cleansing Your Deck (Ever)

When tarot cards don't make sense, ask yourself when was the last time you cleaned them. Energy lingers. If you never clear your cards, they become saturated, like a sponge that absorbs every anxious question you’ve ever asked. You deserve clarity, so does your deck.

10. Using Tarot to Validate a Decision You’ve Already Made

Let’s say you’ve already decided to quit the job. But instead of moving forward, you shuffle the cards, hoping for something, but as a result, you are left to guess why tarot cards don't work.

Tarot isn’t a stamp of approval. If you’ve already chosen, the cards don’t need to be dragged in afterward to bless your certainty. Trust yourself enough to own your decision.

11. Reading When You're Spiritually Burnt Out

If you've been reading every day (for yourself, for friends, for clients, for your neighbor’s cousin), you might hit a wall. When that happens, tarot cards don't work. Not because they’ve abandoned you, but because you’re tired.

Tarot is a dialogue, and you can't hear anything when you’re spiritually fatigued. Permit yourself to pause. Reconnect with stillness before you reconnect with the cards.

Conclusion

Tarot connects you to yourself, the moment, to something larger. When you disconnect from that, by forcing it, faking it, or rushing it, you miss the point.

So the next time you sit down with your deck, do it like it matters. Ask something honest, make space for an answer, and listen.