Tarot is Painfully Misunderstood

Sometimes, it’s frustrating to hear the way people talk about Tarot. Harsh words are often thrown around, especially on the internet. “It’s woo-woo stuff for freaks.” “It’s so weird.” “It’s complete nonsense only idiots believe.” The list goes on. We’ve even had people try to tell us it’s devil worship!

These kinds of comments come with the territory. To be fair, outside of sports or widely accepted mainstream hobbies, it’s typical to have your craft misunderstood by people. And that’s okay–not everybody is going to “get” it or care. But Tarot gets a particularly bad rap. Even though people have largely become more understanding in recent years, there are plenty of individuals who carelessly demean the activities of others. And they do it even though our practice is harmless and interferes with them in no way whatsoever.

So the first question is:

Why do people put down Tarot reading? 

Well, anything that’s different or unusual is subject to criticism. Small-minded people attack whatever they’re unfamiliar with as a defense mechanism. It’s natural; that’s not going to disappear overnight. Throughout the history of Tarot, there have always been opponents to its use and popularity. Sometimes the fundamentally-zealously-religious-crowd will be especially abrasive, but to quote the bible, “They know not what they do.”

 This leads us to our second question:

What do we do about it? 

To start, what we need to do is find confidence in our practice and within ourselves. Think of all the good things Tarot has brought into your life. Not just the guidance you’ve received from readings. Think of the fun times you’ve had with friends. The struggles it’s help get through you. Even places you’ve gone and people you’ve met that you otherwise wouldn’t have. It’s a wonderful activity with an even more wonderful community. Maybe you’ve made thousands of dollars reading, maybe it’s an intimate personal hobby. But no matter what it is to you, take pride in Tarot as a contributing aspect to your life.

Now let’s dig a little deeper.

What can be done to change the outlook on Tarot?

Is there any way to show the world Tarot’s beauty?

That depends on each one of us. Sometimes people, in any community, tend to gatekeep. We want to do the opposite. Be welcoming; show people the basics and invite them to understand Tarot in a way that makes sense to them. Usually, with the right explanation, people will respond with “Oh, I didn’t know that, I thought it was XYZ. That’s actually really cool!” The issue is mostly that Tarot is poorly understood, not that it is something objectively valueless.

People, us included, pretty much only care about the aspects of something that benefit us. If you’re trying to assure someone of the value of Tarot, illustrate the ways it can improve their life. Distill the experiences you’ve had with readings into clear takeaways. Has it guided you out of a toxic situation and into a better place? Has it been a fun social activity for you in your friends? Has it been a source of income for you? This will help you illuminate the positive nature of Tarot to whoever you converse about it with.

All of us are not only practitioners of Tarot, but custodians of its social reputation. It won’t happen instantly, but if we collectively highlight the wonder of Tarot, we can show the world what it is truly about. Even though it won’t be for everyone, we as a community can at least be properly understood. Plus, we’d argue that there’s never been a better time for us to make this push. As the world finds itself in disarray, the intuitions and practices that have dominated society are making way for something new–like Tarot–to emerge.

The Future of Tarot

 We genuinely believe that Tarot will move more into the mainstream. A big reason why is prevalent on social media: as we navigate through increasingly difficult times, it becomes unclear where to turn. Some choose substances, others engage in degeneracy, but the best case is to find healthy outlets. Tarot is one of them. It offers a powerful means of breaking the cycle of self-sabotaging behavior and creating a brighter future. It provides a deep feeling of hope and understanding that a lot of people would truly benefit from.

 With this in mind, it’s not out of self-interest that we seek to spread Tarot, but a heartfelt desire to make the world a better place. With all the mental health challenges haunting our society, the support of Tarot could make a difference. Of course in some circumstances it may only be a “band-aid over a bullet hole” but for many people it could enable them to make a drastic positive change in their lives. On a personal note, that’s exactly what it did for all of us here at Intuitive Souls!

Imagine a future in which esoteric beliefs such as Tarot are celebrating by a widespread, mainstream audience. Instead of being the subject of ridicule, Tarot was a popular and well-received craft. Wouldn’t that be lovely? Well, that future is certainly within reach. It won’t happen tomorrow, or next year, but perhaps within a decade it’ll come to fruition. That of course depends on all of us as members of the community, so it’s a worthwhile thing to keep in the back of our heads.

So with these thoughts in mind, consider being more open about your practice than you normally would. Tell someone new about it. Express yourself. If someone makes a nasty comment about Tarot, don’t take it personally, just brush it off and talk to someone else. We’d wager that you find a few people in your life who are surprisingly enthusiastic about Tarot even though you’d never expect it. There are plenty of people out there who love Tarot, but everyone has to be lowkey about it given the stigma that is at the focus of this discussion. If we find each other, and collectively bring Tarot out into the open, we can start to change that. And what a wonderful world it will be once we do.