2 hours ago, Akhilleus said:

There's this local belief that divinatory pursuits held on Tuesdays and Fridays are more potent. 

 

🐷🙃😒

4 hours ago, fire cat pickles said:

 

🐷🙃😒

 

Lol IKR? Although, hmmmmm, I do find myself a tad more confident when I read on Fridays. That may just be the TGIF effect tho. 

16 hours ago, Akhilleus said:

There's this local belief that divinatory pursuits held on Tuesdays and Fridays are more potent. 

 

I wonder where that belief came from. Astrologically, they are days ruled by Mars (Tuesday is "Mars-Day" in many languages) and Venus (Friday is "Venus-Day" in many languages). Why did we get rid of most of the Roman /planetary names in English 🤦‍♂️. Perhaps it was thought here that Mars and Venus energy was good for divination. Possibly, it's just a local thing. I know in some countries, days of the week have different importance, for example in Thailand, they all have different colours associated (people wear on that day for good luck) and some days are more auspicious than others.

 

I have not heard that one before. I suspect in the West, not reading on Sundays is linked to Christianity and the special religious day should be preserved. There are still places where shops don't open and you cannot buy alcohol on Sundays. I could see how divination could be frowned upon then.

2 hours ago, DanielJUK said:

Astrologically, they are days ruled by Mars (Tuesday is "Mars-Day" in many languages) and Venus (Friday is "Venus-Day" in many languages)

Here it is Týr and Freyja, respectively. Traditionally though, practitioners of folk magic and divination would prefer Thursdays (the day of Thor), but Fridays would surely be a good day for divination too. However, I don’t think any of this has to do with modern tarot myths, it’s rather based on folklore. 

5 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

Here it is Týr and Freyja, respectively. Traditionally though, practitioners of folk magic and divination would prefer Thursdays (the day of Thor), but Fridays would surely be a good day for divination too. However, I don’t think any of this has to do with modern tarot myths, it’s rather based on folklore. 

We have something similar in Astrology. Tuesday / Mars might be a good day to read on conflicts or enemies. Friday / Venus might be a good day to read on romance or marriage. I personally avoid reading on Tuesdays if I can help it. I consider it a good day for physically active pursuits. But to go back to topic ...

There's one about stealing your first deck ... which a friend of mine was relating how her backpack got stolen and there was a deck of tarot inside. We had a little laugh if that myth was true ... the theif's's life was about to change ...

I have a sort of explanation for it @DanielJUK though of course I can't confirm its full veracity. See, occult practices here existed even centuries ago, when the Catholic Church held full sway. They still hold considerable power and influence now, especially spiritually with even benefic/white path practitioners weaving strains of Christian beliefs in their practices and rites. 

 

Folk occultists here regard Good Friday as the day when their magick is at its strongest. Their reason is that God begins his three-day "sleep" on this holy occasion, so in a way there's no one preventing them from exercising their full powers. 

 

In the Holy Rosary, Tuesdays and Fridays have always been associated with the Sorrowful Mystery, which chronicles the building climax of the Passion of Christ on Good Friday. I guess that's why locals who indulge in occult divination and cartomancy have always regarded these days as particularly potent as regards their craft. 

Thanks for explaining a possible reason for those ideas @Akhilleus, really interesting 🙂 

I enjoyed learning where the names of the days came from too. Was surprised to know more than half of them came from Norse Mythology. TIL. 

1 hour ago, Akhilleus said:

I enjoyed learning where the names of the days came from too. Was surprised to know more than half of them came from Norse Mythology. TIL. 

It gets more intense ... SEVERAL languages name days after the planets or gods.

English = Norse gods [Wednesday = wodens day]

Spanish = Latin planet names / gods [Miercoles = Mercury's day]

Hindi = Sanskrit planet gods [Budhavaar = Mercury's day]

It is amazing how many of the days and I believe even months are linked to other belief systems. It also reinforces that the English language is b*****d love child of many of the languages it came in contact with . . . 🤔🙂😆 (In 1986 I remember watching on PBS, The Story of English presented by Robert Mac Neil (The Story of English) and it showed how it morphed and developed)

Back to certain days potent for readings I would have thought Wednesday would be one. Didn't Wotan / Odin sacrifice an eye for the ability of prophecy? and isn't he associated with the hanged man? . . . I apologize if my memory is off.

 

Jim

Edited April 24, 20242 yr by nord_drache

On 4/24/2024 at 12:57 PM, nord_drache said:

It is amazing how many of the days and I believe even months are linked to other belief systems. It also reinforces that the English language is b*****d love child of many of the languages it came in contact with . . . 🤔🙂😆 (In 1986 I remember watching on PBS, The Story of English presented by Robert Mac Neil (The Story of English) and it showed how it morphed and developed)

Back to certain days potent for readings I would have thought Wednesday would be one. Didn't Wotan / Odin sacrifice an eye for the ability of prophecy? and isn't he associated with the hanged man? . . . I apologize if my memory is off.

 

Jim

It makes sense for the Latin gods too; Mercury is all about communication, and what is a reading but a means of communication? 

One of the tarot myths I remember is that you are supposed to be gifted your first deck - if I had waited for someone to buy me a deck, I would still be waiting.

Also decks should be wrapped in black silk, supposedly to stop outside influences.

There was a great plea by Mary Greer on her Facebook recently that we should start a new myth to buy our first deck for ourselves. As an act of self-empowerment.

I think that is great idea and how I got my first deck originally.

On 9/27/2026 at 11:51 AM, DanielJUK said:

There was a great plea by Mary Greer on her Facebook recently that we should start a new myth to buy our first deck for ourselves. As an act of self-empowerment.

I think that is great idea and how I got my first deck originally.

I too bought my first deck . . . twice.

The first time around I was too young, college age and bought for the wrong reason - not doing readings.

Since 2000, things were happening that started me using some rune stones a friend gave me, years previous approx 15 years later I bought my first deck after lurking on a number of sites . . .

The rest as they say is history.

On 9/27/2026 at 1:47 PM, Emily said:

One of the tarot myths I remember is that you are supposed to be gifted your first deck - if I had waited for someone to buy me a deck, I would still be waiting.

Also decks should be wrapped in black silk, supposedly to stop outside influences.

On 9/27/2026 at 4:51 PM, DanielJUK said:

There was a great plea by Mary Greer on her Facebook recently that we should start a new myth to buy our first deck for ourselves. As an act of self-empowerment.

I think that is great idea and how I got my first deck originally.

I knew nothing about any sort of Tarot myths when I first got interested and began studying it.

And ABSOLUTELY NOT all decks should be wrapped in black silk!

They should be wrapped in ALL KINDS of the most colourful silks money can buy - purple, fuschia, bright gold yellow, patterned with roses, emerald green... the list goes on.

Because then - when you pull them out to read with them it feels (physically and visually) like you are unwrapping something special and magickal, and the colours are so pleasing to the eye you're immediately in an amazingly good mood 😁😇😃. And if your sitter goes "Oooh - what a beautiful silk that is!" - you're off to a great start.

Self empowerment ROCKS. I have a 100-deck strong collection of self empowerment!!!

14 hours ago, Tanga said:

I knew nothing about any sort of Tarot myths when I first got interested and began studying it.

And ABSOLUTELY NOT all decks should be wrapped in black silk!

They should be wrapped in ALL KINDS of the most colourful silks money can buy - purple, fuschia, bright gold yellow, patterned with roses, emerald green... the list goes on.

Because then - when you pull them out to read with them it feels (physically and visually) like you are unwrapping something special and magickal, and the colours are so pleasing to the eye you're immediately in an amazingly good mood 😁😇😃. And if your sitter goes "Oooh - what a beautiful silk that is!" - you're off to a great start.

Self empowerment ROCKS. I have a 100-deck strong collection of self empowerment!!!

I was 15 when I got my first deck, which was the 1JJ Swiss, I had been reading playing cards and the ladies in the shop recommended the 1JJ Swiss because of that. I vaguely remember seeing the RWS and the Thoth but went with the deck they recommended, I also had the book to go with it by Stuart Kaplan. I never took to the deck but I do remember knowing about the black silk. My Nan actually gifted me a piece of black silk from her remnants box. That deck is still around, in storage at the moment, wrapped up in the black silk for all these years. Unfortunately, it didn't help me bond with the deck. Oh well.