Tarot Demystified

The morality of asking certain types of questions

Any Tarot reader needs to know inside them what kind of reader they want to be, who they want to be as a reader and who they want to be as a human being in their interactions with others. What we want to put out into the world and how we want to affect the world around us. The answers to these questions are personal, but they affect so much of what we do as readers and how we do it. And of course, even our view of Tarot, how it works, and it's basic purpose affects how we read.

As we are all different inside, and the answers to these questions vary from person to person, there are many different kinds of readers out there. Good readers come in all different types, with different styles, Which is a good thing as the people who come to us for readings also are individuals with different tastes and that helps ensure that they (the querent) can find someone with a style that matches their tastes.

And then we come to the question of moral values and what part they plays in readings. What we are willing to do or not do as readers has a connection to that at times. One part of the answer is that, as readers, people come to us with all kinds of questions, but we have to decide inside ourselves what is appropriate or not. Which kinds of questions we are willing to answer and which we will not answer.  if something does not feel appropriate to us, we really shouldn't be doing it. This can, and usually is, a subjective thing. And since I have no intention here of telling others what their moral values should be and I would not do so, for the rest of this discussion all I can do is tell you my views on this.

 

 

Some types of questions where our beliefs/moral values come up are:

• Medical or legal questions, or any questions normally handled by someone in another profession. Those don't feel ethical me and if I get a question like that I would refer the person to the appropriate professional
• Questions asking what the querent should do in a situation.  I personally see Tarot as a tool to help us decide but not a tool to make decisions for us. That would rob us of important life lessons we need to learn. While the cards can tell us the potential outcomes of different decisions we might make, the choose still has to be ours.
• Any question asking how to harm another person, I wouldn't touch that will a 10 foot pole.  Eg "How can I best take revenge on X?"
• Any question on how to make someone feel or do anything feels immoral to me. And I have gotten these questions in the past. People ask tings like "How can I make X love me?"  X has free will and has the right to do and feel what he is inclined to. As my number one life rule is to treat others as i would like to be treated,  this question just makes me think how I would feel if someone tried to make me/force me to feel something and that just makes me cringe inside. I might ask for someone "What can I do that will increase the chances that X will naturally feel love for me?" But that is as far as i would go with that.
• And then comes the famous question about 3rd party readings and if it is moral or not for one person to ask a question about another. Opinions vary greatly on that, But my view is a firm "It depends"  To me some of those questions feel moral and some don't. It really depends for me on the nature of the question and why it is being asked. If there is anything catty or gossipy or if there is other reason for asking than curiosity, no I would not read on that question. But if the person is asking for an unselfish reason and really trying to benefit the other person, yes that is fine for me and even a good thing. If the question is something like "How can I help X to feel less angry?" or even "What is X feeling right now?", if that knowing will deepen the connection between the two people and help what they have grow.or "What can I do to help X not feel depressed anymore" ...to me, personally these are all good and very valid questions.
• I personally will not answer questions with a negative bend. Like "What is wrong with X?"  The very question shows that the person does not really want to understand. They have already made up their mind and don't want to change it. If their true desire was to understand if would be better to ask what is right with X as if you remove the anger behind the issue, there is a valid/understandable reason for everything people do. And understanding comes from connection not separation. Asking what is motivating X is act as he does is fine, but I would never read on a negatively phrased question.

The above are all questions we might get as good readers that we personally have to decide if we are willing to take on,. depending on our personal moral values.

In the end, to me, Tarot is a spiritual tool and is best used as such. The motives of a good reader should be sweet and giving and sharing. A reading,for me, is a celebration of life.It should be a positive pleasant experience for all concerned. Tarot should ideally be a tool used only in positive ways to lead to positive results.

Coming next month: What you should expect from a good reader (and what not to)