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Tarot Reflections

 October 15, 2003

Lisa's bio will be featured here shortly. Please check back soon.

How many of you have ever mentioned Tarot to a friend and heard this line:  “Whatever works for you”.  Or this one:  “With tarot, any card can be the right answer so it really doesn’t matter which one you get!”  And one more:  “That sounds like an interesting experience”. 

If you are a tarot reader, I’ll bet you’ve heard comments along these lines more times than you’d like to remember.  As a beginning tarot reader, it’s a little bit like coming out of the closet, or admitting you’re an alcoholic.  You hope that your loved ones and associates will be supportive, maybe even proud of you for taking that step, and instead they look at you like you’ve just said, “I’ve been communicating with Queen Elizabeth through my magic 8-ball”.  They treat you like you’re going through a “phase” and need to see a mental health professional.

My “favorite” experience was when a friend spent fifteen minutes on the phone relating the story of a scientific researcher who did an experiment to disprove the tarot.  His technique was pulling a card every day and deliberately doing exactly the opposite of what the card told him to do.  His “proof” was that nothing bad happened to him. 

Of course, to myself, and any tarot reader, I’ve already formed a list of rebukes, the primary one being:  The Tarot does not tell you what to do!    Yet I didn’t try to explain why this experiment does not prove anything. I didn’t want to argue, or even change his mind. The point is: why did my friend need to disprove me?  Why couldn’t he say, “Wow, Lisa, I’d love to hear more…esoteric consciousness is absolutely fascinating!”  Not one person has ever said this to me.
 

After my tenth week of tarot classes, I started to spend time with friends and not be able to have a conversation.  I couldn’t handle all of the polite non-committal responses and awkward silences that had become a standard reaction to the mention of Tarot.  They would ask me what was new in my life, and I couldn’t say, “When I did my Celtic Cross last night my soul card appeared in the significactor position with 10’s in the crown and in the root!” 

Instead it would be, “Oh….nothing much, just catching up on my reading.”  And the whole time my mind was reeling with major arcana, court cards and reversal interpretations.  I would have to compromise for the basic movie talk, car troubles, the latest episode of such and such, why my boss is cheap, etc. etc. ET CETERA!  Other times I found I had started to make fun of myself or downplay my interest, telling friends that we we’re working on our gypsy accents in class.  They weren’t used to me being serious or spiritual and so I played up to their expectations.

I realized I couldn’t keep on like that, suppressing my interests just to keep my social life comfortable.  When you start to study a spiritual system like the Tarot, your relationships with the people around you start to change.  You see yourself differently and your self-development puts your friendships to the test. Lucky for me, not all the response has been rude and demeaning. 

I told my father that I was studying Tarot and now he holds hopes that I will read for the Stars, perhaps someday being a personal consultant for Terrence Stamp or Ian McKellan.  Just recently, in applying for a new job, I put Tarot on my resume under “interests” and talked about my studies during the interview.  I was expecting my interviewer to choke on her latte and write me off as a spacey new-ager with too many dream catchers.  Instead her eyebrows perked up at the thought of having an in-house tarot reader who could double as the gift shop manager.  Now I’m a two for one special.

At some point in your tarot life, you have to make the decision:  How long are you going read cards in your bedroom with the doors locked and the shades drawn, hiding issues of the ATA quarterly under your mattress?  What I’m talking about is tarot attitude, Tarot pride, even, although that can be a serious XV Devil card issue if you know what I mean. Instead of letting all the negative feedback stand undisputed, I’ve been working on my retorts.  This first one I learned from my mentor:  “Actually, I’ve been told I’m a very good reader”.  This inspired me to make my own list of subtle comebacks:

• Yes, Tarot has been mainstream in Europe for years.  Unfortunately, Americans have yet to reach this level of sophistication.
• I wonder why the tradition has grown so steadily since the 15th century?
• I guess I should explore the odds against pulling the same one-card reading three days in a row.
• I didn’t realize you were going to feel threatened by this subject matter.
• Sometimes you can be such a 4 of Cups!
• Jung didn’t think so.
• Would you like me to give you a reading?

Feel free to use these and make them your own.  And I saved the best one for last, for Tarot acceptance can only come from experience.  When did my curiosity turn into a passion? I don’t remember, but I know that the feeling becomes stronger and more complicated with every card I turn over. 

Next time someone says, “I read in Skeptical Inquirer that Tarot is a bunch of baloney”, whip ‘em out for a one card reading.  Here’s the question:  What do I need to know about my attitude towards Tarot?  I’m sure it will be an interesting experience.

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