Learning tarot can (and should be!) fun and rewarding. Whether you want to read for yourself, offer readings to friends, or eventually build a professional practice, enrolling in a tarot course where you can learn from a teacher alongside other students can speed up your learning process and help you build a solid foundation in the craft.
Sadly, the world of tarot and spiritual wellness is plagued by sketchy individuals who are in it for the quick cash grab and to manipulate people to feed their thirst for power. What an irony for a space meant for healing and knowledge sharing, no?
So if you’re looking for a tarot course or mentor, you have to be more discerning before handing them your trust and your cash. Here are a few red flags you should watch out for.
Jump to section:
- 1. Insisting their method is the ONLY right way
- 2. Promises of immediate “mastery”
- 3. Hyping up “hidden secrets”
- 4. Fear-based marketing
- 5. Airs of superiority
- 6. Overpromising big financial rewards
- Choose a tarot course or tarot school that actually supports your growth
1. Insisting their way is the ONLY way
Tarot is a rich tool that can be engaged with in many different ways. That’s why it’s so universally appealing! A truly helpful and empowering tarot teacher will help you understand different perspectives, encourage you to develop your own intuitive connection to the cards, and be open to learning from YOU, too. A good tarot mentor will teach you the fundamentals and give you the foundations to think critically and develop your own reading style.
2. Promises of immediate “mastery”
Learning tarot takes time. It’s not something you can master in just a single workshop/course, or by memorizing a list of definitions! With so much symbolism and nuance embedded into each individual card, a lot of your learning will come from a steady, long-term practice. Watch out for courses that offer quick and immediate mastery of the tarot.
3. Hyping up “hidden secrets”
While every reader brings their unique personal insight to the craft, the core card meanings and historical frameworks are not proprietary secrets. Be wary of marketers who claim to sell “hidden secrets” or exclusive knowledge that only they possess. This tactic creates an artificial sense of scarcity, tricking you into believing that missing out on their course means missing out on crucial spiritual truths.
4. Fear-based marketing
If a course creator relies on fear tactics (such as telling you that reading tarot without their specific protection ritual will invite “negative entities,” or warning that bad luck will follow if you don’t follow their rules)… run. Spiritual manipulators use fear to keep students trapped in a toxic dynamic with them.
5. Airs of superiority
Some instructors position themselves as the infallible authority over their students, superior to anyone and everyone else. Watch how a teacher treats dissent, questions, or alternative views in public, and ask students about it how they handle them in private. Problematic teachers dismiss questions or even accuse students of betrayal for seeking clarification.
6. Overpromising big financial rewards
While it’s entirely possible to earn income as a tarot reader, it’s not as easy as some existing courses or sound. Be cautious around courses that promise you’ll make thousands of dollars once you’ve completed their paid course or given them money to access their learning materials. Given how saturated the tarot and spiritual space is now, it’s not going to be easy to make money so soon after learning the basics of tarot!
Choose a tarot course or tarot school that actually supports your growth
Don’t just rush into the most popular course, or the first one you see via quick Google or social media search! Before enrolling in any tarot course or buying learning materials from a tarot teacher, take time to research them and their background as best you can. Read their blog, browse their social media pages, look for reviews, or reach out to their students or colleagues to ask about them to determine they’re good or exhibit one or more of the red flags I listed here. Take your time and be discerning; it’s YOUR tarot practice, after all!
El is a self-taught intuitive tarot reader from the Philippines who has been reading tarot since 2005.
- El
- El
- El
- El
