There is a big misconception out there that Tarot is evil, the work of the Devil, Satan worshiping when we look at the cards, it makes bad things happen, brings evil spirits into play. Tarot is sinful. Tarot cards are associated with divination, Leviticus: “Do not practice divination or seek omens.”
Religion
In the Biblical sense divination means fortune telling and unlocking the secrets of the future by occult and supernatural means. Omens means an event regarded as either good or evil signifying the advent of change. This concept of predicting the future is sinful because what it’s doing is asserting a power that’s greater than God’s. On a spiritual level it means that you are ignoring the present, which is where you can make the biggest changes, and instead, you’re thinking more about the future, and you're living outside of yourself
Tarot an Occult Practice
If one were to examine the definitions of Occult and Psychic one would see that Tarot is not the same as Occult and is no more 'dangerous' than using any other 'normal' card. The Church simply wrapped up everything is one basket and denounced all as satanic practices. OCCULT - mystical, supernatural, or magical powers, practices, or phenomena.
PSYCHIC - relating to or denoting faculties or phenomena that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, especially involving telepathy or clairvoyance.
About the Cards
- Tarot cards are made in a factory using coloured inks and glossy card. They come out of the factory, are put into boxes and then arrive with retailers who sell them to the public. At no stage do the cards pass through a process where people put curses on them or likewise bless them with love. Tarot cards themselves are a product, they are not “bad” in themselves.
- The Tarot is a book of wisdom where each individual Tarot card represents an energy or situation in life. A good deck has cards that readily bring to mind the energy or essence of that card in a way that we can quickly recognise. (I suppose it is possible for someone to paint a deck that is intensely dark and therefore brings to mind a negative way of thinking. Thankfully we live in a world where publishers like US Games and Lo Scarabeo have editors who will refuse anything too unsuitable from making it to the presses).
- Some will mention that there are “bad” cards in the Tarot like Death, The Tower and The Devil that can scare people. When doing a reading I will often explain that these cards are not to be taken literally or be seen as “bad” cards. For example leaving a job is like a death, but then alongside that getting a new job is like a birth. In that sense, death does not need to be unwelcome. Nor does it literally mean there will be a death.
Evolution of Tarot
Tarot has gone through many reinventions through time. The divination system has many origin myths, debated history, and speculation. What was once a card game slowly evolved into the most popular system of divination today.
As it passed through Antoine Court de Gebelin’s hands in the 1780’s it was given more occult influence and deeper symbolism. This repeated again as the system passed through the hands of Etteilla in the 1790’s, Levi in the 1850’s, Mathers in the 1880’s, Waite in the 1910’s, Case in the 1910’s, Hall in the 1920’s, and finally Crowley in the 1940’s.
Each occultist added new layers of meaning and imbued them with their vision of the Mysteries, making the system as rich in symbolism and associations as it is today. However, the earlier Christian spirituality of the Medieval Church is usually swept under the rug. It is fascinating to see just how much influence it had on our modern decks.
The Rider Waite Smith Deck
A. E. Waite, the creator of the world’s most influential Tarot deck, was a spiritual seeker and mystic who supported himself with freelance translation and writing. In 1889, under the pseudonym Grand Orient, he published A Handbook of Cartomancy, Fortune-Telling and Occult Divination, one of the first books in English on how to read tarot. His fascination with the occult scene drew him into membership in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, but his spirituality gradually evolved away from ceremonial magic and toward Christian mysticism. When the Golden Dawn splintered into factions, he created his own order, the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross. In 1909, he created the Rider Waite Tarot in collaboration with Pamela Colman Smith, and wrote the book The Pictorial Key to Tarot.
Trionfi
The most verifiable history that we have is that the cards originated as the Italian card game called Trionfi, which is the origin of both the tarot and our modern playing cards. Trionfi means “Triumph” and eventually originated the word “Trump” in card games. The Trump cards were cards that ranked in power and a higher ranking card would “triumph” or “trump” cards that were lower than it. To understand the Trump cards and why certain symbols were used, we have to understand when they were created, or at least popularized, which was during the Medieval period of the 15th Century in Renaissance Italy.
The Major Arcana
The Tarot Trumps which evolved into what we call the Major Arcana, displayed spiritual messages pertaining to the power of God. The only card which didn’t follow the Trump rules was The Fool card, which was the origin of the Joker in the tarot. The Fool card allowed the player to break the rules and not follow suit, just as the court jester was allowed to break rules no one else was allowed to in the feudal system.
The Tarot Trumps which evolved into what we call the Major Arcana, displayed spiritual messages pertaining to the power of God. The only card which didn’t follow the Trump rules was The Fool card, which was the origin of the Joker in the tarot. The Fool card allowed the player to break the rules and not follow suit, just as the court jester was allowed to break rules no one else was allowed to in the feudal system.
The Juggler (Trump 1) was more akin to a stage magician. Someone who would use slight-of-hand tricks to awe the average person but was a distraction from the spiritual principles of the Church.
The Popess (Trump 2) was based on Pope Joan, a legendary woman who tricked the Church into thinking she was male and rose to the papacy. She, unfortunately was killed horrendously when it was revealed she was a woman. So she had the trickery of the Juggler, but at least working within the realm of the Church’s teachings otherwise.
The Empress (Trump 3) was lower in power in Trumps because she was still female, but at least had “legitimate power” in the eyes of the people, but didn’t have as much power as The Emperor (Trump 4) who overpowered her. Both represented the power of law and land.
The Hierophant (Trump 5) was the male Pope. His divine power as a representative of Christ on Earth and of the Church gave him more power than the Empress and Emperor because heaven’s law was greater than the land’s law.
The Lovers (Trump 6) which represented Christ’s assertion that Love was the greatest law (1 Corinthians 13:13).
THE VIRTUES - The next set of cards are heavily influenced by the writings of Thomas Aquinas, who was deeply influenced by Plato. Though their ranks of power are interjected with the next series of cards, the virtues are indeed there. Anthony Louis writes in Tarot Beyond The Basics that
“Aquinas viewed Prudence as ‘the cause, measure, and form of all virtues … the auriga virtum or the charioteer of the virtues.'”
The Chariot (Trump 7) the first virtue is Prudence, which opened the way for his other virtues, Justice (Trump 8), Fortitude as Strength (Trump 11), and Temperance (Trump 14). The Hermit (Trump 9) embodied the life of a monk following the virtues and living a life or prayer, introspection, and meditation.
The Wheel of Fortune (Trump 10) represented things that were beyond our power, things that were delegated to the power of the stars and to God.
The Hanged Man (Trump 12) represented the surrender to God as well as the sacrifice of Christ hanging upon the cross, who also surrendered to the will of God as a sacrifice.
Death (Trump 13) whom we must all surrender to, whether we are a Hermit, an Emperor, a Juggler, a Fool, or a Hierophant.
The Devil (Trump 15) is an obvious Christian symbol as well, representing the things that tempt us away from “salvation”. The Devil is beyond life and death in his power and is referred to as the “God of the world” in the Bible.
The Tower (Trump 16) is the Tower of Babel which God struck down, representing the Devil’s influence in making men think that they can reach God through their own arrogance.
The Star (Trump 17) is the Star of Bethlehem which heralds a sign of hope for the birth of Christ so that people can gain salvation.
The Moon (Trump 18) represents the Virgin Mary often represented with lunar imagery and she will give birth to The Sun (Trump 19) which represents the Christ Child, the light of the world.
Judgement (Trump 20) refers to the final Judgement after Armageddon, when Jesus comes back to judge the souls of the dead who have been “slumbering” in their graves.
The World (Trump 21) which represents the New Jerusalem that will be built afterward, the new Eden.
Being Psychic
Your first thoughts are the most psychic ones, before your rational mind interferes.- Felicity Carter 2019
Any tool can be used for good or evil— it’s all up to the person using it. A hammer can be used to build a beautiful house, or to bludgeon someone to death. Tarot is just a tool, it’s up to you how to use it.
- Anon 2020
Tarot was designed to tell a conventional Christian story using images from late Medieval popular culture. Associating tarot with Cabala, the grail legend, alchemy, or other divination systems is an artificial overlay. Tarot was not invented with any of these systems in mind, but these associations work well in the realm of the imagination and can add depth to one’s understanding of the cards.
- Sherryl Smith 2011
MORE ABOUT EVIL TAROT
I was excited about my new tarot cards. I didn’t think much of it, and my inlaws began to message me saying how it’s evil and it’s not God it’s the Devil. I am spiritual, I do believe in God, I go to church. So they’re acting like I’m a witch from the Salem witch trials and they’re the prosecution!
My Mom isn't religious, but enough that my practicing tarot was a shocker and led to some talk about 'finding God' one day..
The Word is a Living Word because the meanings can shift depending on the day, message, and what is being sought e.g. comfort, advice, etc. She spends her mornings searching for passages that 'speak' to her. It's the same concept in tarot. I am using a living tool to help me find center, advice, comfort, ect. One's a card, one's a book. They are very much what you make of them.
Ignore them and be yourself. Lead by example. Keep growing, healing and doing good things for others. Allow them to see you shine, remain positive, kill them with kindness. Might take a long time but they will eventually see that there is nothing evil about you and find they may have come to the wrong conclusion about Tarot.
Steps to limit the chance of a bad reading
- Say a prayer before you read or are read for and ask that all that comes from this reading will be for your greater good. Picture it going well.
- If you get a bad feeling that you shouldn’t go ahead with a reading then don’t do it. You need to trust your instinct.
- Try to get a recommendation from someone who has already seen that person. Then ask how did they present information and was there anything that worried the person about the reading.
- Be careful what you ask for. Are you ready for all the possible answers to that question? What will you do with the answer?
I love the Tarot and have been studying and using it for more than twenty years and most Tarot readers will have only your best interest at heart and will hopefully weave a wonderful picture that is empowering.
Tarot readings can be really useful to help us see our lives more clearly and personally and I think it is really exciting.
Source
BUY
The Bible: The Truth About Psychics & Spiritual Gifts
God's Purpose for Psychics...and everyone
How to Be a Christian Psychic: What the Bible Says about Mediums, Healers and Paranormal Investigators
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