The Cat Ate My Tarot Card and Other Weird Things

A reader says, “I found a deck of Tarot cards that I had forgotten about, and one of the cards looks really weird. It’s got a tear across one edge and it feels strange. Maybe my cat got hold of it and nommed on it. Maybe my toddler did, because he’s three and eats everything. Okay, honestly I really don’t know what happened to it. Can I use it?”

You win the Internet today, because I don’t think I’ve ever gotten an email before with the Tarot equivalent of “the cat (or the baby) ate my homework,” and yet here we are. There’s a first time for everything.

I’ve used cards before that were worn with age and use–I’ve still got my first deck (Tarot of the Cat People), which I’ve had since 1987, and it’s fine, even though I’ve done a couple of hundred readings on it. It feels soft and comfortable in my hands. However, you mention that your damaged card “feels strange.” That, to me, might be a sign that I wouldn’t want to use it. Another thing to consider is that you really don’t know what happened to cause the tear in the card.

While I’m not in any way suggesting that there are Tarot-shredding entities lurking about your house, randomly ripping things up (because really they’ve got better things to do), just the fact that the source of the damage is an unknown factor is another reason I might veer away from using it. More importantly, just on a technical level–and I’m all about practical technical stuff–I’ve found that cards with noticeable rips or tears tend to jump out during a reading, which can often alter the results and give a false impression.

It doesn’t mean they don’t belong where they are, but sometimes they throw the whole thing off balance, and there’s no way to tell if the problem is real, or if it’s just because of a wonky card. It’s like when you’ve got one tire out of four out of alignment. You just don’t know if the issue is with the whole car, or just that single wheel.

On the other hand, if it’s possible to physically repair the card, you might try doing so, and seeing if it makes a difference in the way the card “feels” to you. If you do decide to use it after all, you could go ahead and do a cleansing, not just on that card but on the whole deck. If it still feels off-kilter, then ditch it, and use another deck instead.

So, what should you do if you decide not to use it?

Some people believe you should never throw away a Tarot card. Others believe you can dispose of it, but only if you tear it into little tiny pieces and then toss it in a fire. Really, the choice is up to you–just from a practical perspective, I don’t see any reason not to dispose of it like you would any other ritual tool. Or, if you’re feeling really creative–because now you’ll have 77 other cards that no longer are a complete set, and where’s the fun in that?–you can turn them into craft items, or even use them in spellwork, based on your purpose, and the cards’ symbolism.