Is Tarot Reading Safe?

Anything that is a little bit mysterious or magical is often considered evil. For a long time things related to witchcraft, sorcery and divination carried the death penalty in both Europe and America. Practitioners of witchcraft are still killed to this day in various other countries from around the world. It is no wonder that there are plenty of people out there who are terrified of tarot cards and tarot card readers. They associate it with witchcraft and the devil. They believe a tarot card reader is being influenced by demons, and they fear that being involved in that world will plunge them into an afterlife filled with fire and brimstone.

There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 18:10-13

You are probably expecting me to defend the tarot against these Christian fanatics, but the fact is I can’t. They have their beliefs and I have mine. I can only tell you about my own experiences.

When conducting a tarot reading, I have never once felt like I was in touch with something evil. In fact when doing a reading, I feel that a more positive energy is with me, my higher self perhaps. I have never experienced odd happenings around the house after doing readings, I’ve never contacted a ghost or demon via the tarot. Tarot cards have nothing to do with satanism or devil worshiping, in fact, most things that religious people believe is related to Satan has nothing to do with him. Everything from crystal healing to making herbal remedies has been associated with Satan, yet these things sound so harmless and are if anything, only there to help people.

If you’re Christian then I’d advise you not to buy a pack of tarot cards or get a reading done. I’m not saying this because I believe there’s a slight chance of demonic entities being summoned from the use of the cards, I’m saying it because there a numerous references to fortune telling and divination in the bible and it is always condemned. It is considered unholy and sinful. If you are someone who abides by the word of the bible, then tarot cards are certainly not for you.

A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.

Leviticus 20:27

So, what about non-Christians? even non-religious people tend to believe in evil forces and demons. I don’t know if this due to Hollywood churning out demon possession films year after year or whether it’s because it’s an exciting concept. If you don’t believe in God, then why would you believe in demons? that’s something I have never understood. Spiritual people and those with an open mind may believe in ghosts or evil spirits, maybe even inter-dimensional beings and entities that could be mistaken for demons, but reading tarot cards isn’t going to bring you any closer to evil forces, in the same way that playing a game of ‘Clock Patience’ won’t cause you any harm.

Not all faiths believe that fortune telling and cartomancy is evil, but most of the major religions advise against it. I have actually had a few Muslim clients before. I did find this a little strange since even wearing a necklace with your astrological sign is considered wrong in Islam. I have read most of the Bible but haven’t read as much of the Quran so I can’t be sure on the exact rules in Islam when it comes to tarot card reading, however from the limited knowledge that I do have, it seems that divination and astrology is forbidden.

Tarot cards started out as playing cards, they most likely originated in northern Italy during the late 14^th century. The game of Tarocchi eventually spread to other European countries, including southern France, where it was renamed tarot. The cards were not even regarded as mystical until the late 18^th century. Much like the Ouija board, the tarot started off as an innocent game. Our views and opinions changed over time thanks to popular media, films and TV. The idea that these things are evil can in a way be looked at as a form of mass hysteria. If The Victorians were dabbling with tarot cards and performing seances with no negative consequences then why would that suddenly change? the fact is, it didn’t change; people’s opinions changed.

To summarise, tarot card reading is not dangerous or evil, I don’t know of anyone who has been possessed by a demon or ended up selling their soul to Satan after playing around with tarot cards. If for your own personal reasons and beliefs, you wish to stay away from the tarot, then that’s fair enough. For anyone else though, the tarot is a useful tool, it’s like a personal therapist, a stress reliever and it’s also pretty fun!