So I Bought my Cards....Am I Ready for Predictions?

Sadly, one is not prepared after the deck has been purchased.  Also, it is important to note that the deck needs to be given to the new mystic.  It must be a gift!  Consider if it was a present, please.  Did you borrow the money?  Was the packaged wrapped in shiny paper or tied with a floppy bow?  Did your friend pass to you a bag from the New Age shop with the receipt still encircling the stack?  All of these ways are acceptable.  If you purchased the cards with your own money, then it is not a set of purity.  Tarot must be a gift because it is tradition to receive the opportunity of knowledge from someone else.  To alleviate the issue of stunted cards, return them to wherever they had been acquired and ask someone to grant a new deck to you.  Thankfully, this will not alter your empathic abilities so do not worry.