i need advice

ok so i am a somewhat experienced tarot reader but my mom does not approve, she recently took away my cards and all my books i am worried i might loose my touch what should i do?

other problems,
my mom is a unsevere cathloc and thinks the witchcraft is evil, she does not allow me to practice my magic nor wear my penticle she told me to throw away all my stuff and i had to hide it at a friends house , i'm feeling lost because of it, the only things i have left are my crystals

Online tarot software. Create your own deck. Find a better hiding spot. Ask your Mom why she feels as she does. Provide real information to help quell her fears. Keep reading at Aeclectic and other tarot sites.

OR

You can decide to let it go for now and pick them up at a later time.

BTW, what was your mom's reason for taking away your cards?

~Mercy

Edited because I now see the reason your Mom chose to do what she did. Well, just as you would want her to respect your spirituality and religious choices, you may choose to respect hers. She fears for you and is responding out of that fear.

I don't know if it will help or not, but you may be able to show her that tarot is not witchcraft, though it can be used in spellwork. Like candles. They're used in many ways, not just for spellcasting.

It appears as though you may have to "go underground" with your spiritual practices as long as you are a minor and/or living in your mothers home.

she thinks i'm going to go to hell for using them...she told me that untill i moved out i was christian and tried(i wouldnt go) to make me go to church
and all of my things are hidden at friends houses,
she wont listen to me... she is pig headed,

as of recently i have been practicing crystal magic and meditation i know she will not respect my choices because she beleaves witched to be evil because of a movie she saw...

That must be so hard... {{{azuremoonchild}}}

Find what spirituality you can in the things around you. Christianity is packed full of it so you can still draw parallells in your mind when you listen to "the sermons".

Also, you can take mini steps to get your mother to see it differently.

God created everything, right?
As such, showing reverence to the earth and what she carries is showing reverence to his creation, right?
So, if you want to have an altar with say a crucifix and a few crystals and candles in your room, that would be okay, right? Even if you don't join her in church..

Mainly thinking that Christ on the cross is a pretty good analogy for the hanged man, a position you might want to take for a while til your mom calms down a bit.
Could help you through it a little to find alternate meanings for things..

i understand where both of you are coming from and really apriciate you thoughts.
right now my only comfort is that i will be 18 in 4 months and 6 till schools out then i can move.

Hi AzureMoonChild,

Breathe. You have your entire life ahead of you, and your mother's perspective is that she has very little time left to influence you ... parents love their children the best way they know how.

You cannot lose touch with your true self. Tarot cards, pentacles, stones, crystals, athames, candles, books, incense ... none of these make a witch, a Wiccan or a Pagan. And a witch "needs" none of these things to practice.

You already know your Tarot cards - you have a mental Tarot deck in your head. And you can recognize the themes and the archetypes, both Minor and Major, in the world around you, if you keep your eyes and your arms and your heart wide open.

Both you and your mother are reacting out of fear - she fears for your soul - and that is a very REAL fear to her. And you fear for your spirit. Breathe.

Think of what your mother's church looks like. Imagine sitting inside and look around at what is hanging on the walls and on the alter (if there is one). Imagine the pastor standing at the alter with arms raised ... hmmm. That looks like the Magician to me. Imagine an elder standing at the lecturn reading a passage from the Bible. Oh, there is the Hierophant. Imagine folks walking up the aisle to pronounce their Savior. Ah, the Six of Wands. Jesus? Well, the Hanged Man, of course. And folks gathering for coffee and donuts after the service? I always see donuts as pentacles for some reason ...

This is an opportunity for you to experience the cards, because the symbols (lions and fish and angels, oh my) are archetypal and speak to persons of many faiths.

You see things from your perspective; your mother sees them from her perspective. A good Tarot reader learns many perspectives. So, breathe, open your eyes, and know that your time to make personal decisions is coming.

Breathe,

Mnemosyne

Greetings, azuremoonchild!

You will absolutely, positively not lose your touch. It is a part of you and it will be expressed, sooner or later, somehow or other. I once put my cards away for a year. I was very trepidatious when I picked them up again--would we be able to begin again? Well, from the first reading it was better than it had ever been before.

You may find that now that you don't have your decks at hand, your natural abilities may begin to express themselves more in other areas. For example, looking at the sky and discovering what the cloud people have to tell you.

As someone who went from Christian to Pagan, the one thing I found only after leaving the religion of my parents was that angels (or whatever name you choose to give them) do exist, and they are not the sole property of the Christian religions--they are nondenominational, and they are available to assist us in our endeavors. They can give great comfort, and they might be able to help ease things up at home (or maybe not, if this is one of your major life lessons and you need to work through it yourself.)

But in any case, rest assured that you will come out of this stronger and just as in touch with your abilities as before, if not more so. I wish you great joy and great learning on your path.

Blessings,
Amanda

Join the club!

You are now experiencing what we call 'living the lie.' I am a 50 year old man who has to hide my homosexuality from my 83 year old father. Do you think this is easy?

What you have learned is now deep within you; it cannot be lost, only misplaced. If you have to hide your 'stuff' at your friend's houses - so be it. If you have to lie to your Mother about what you 'do' - so be it. She has reasons for behaving the way she does and you just have to accept that aspect of things and work around it. She will be very aware you are possibly lying to her, but what you do outside her house is not under her control, so just kiss what has to be kissed, practice what you feel you need to far from her disapproving eyes, and remember- even if you have to completely 'give up' reading tarot for a year or so ... you will never forget what you already have learned.

It's a hard thing to have to lie to one's parents; it becomes as 'do as I say not as I do' kind of thing. Be true to yourself.