Tarot Certification Boards - Are the standards valid?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 21 Jan 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

divinerguy	21 Jan 2002
I'm writing a book on Tarot, and it made me look at some of the biographies of major authors. On some, it indicates "certification" by some official sounding organization. Levels such as "Grand Master" and "Professional" are offered by the groups. The groups have official sounding names, and facially, they seemingly bestow legitimacy. It made me think about how one gets "certified" and why. Doubtless, such organizations will label me pariah or a charlatan for questioning their bona fides. But frankly, I see some (not all), as 21st century pharisees. Curiously, they all charge a fee - some are big fees. In one case, $300 US dollars for certification. Another is $150 to be a "professional." These are examples. My assertion is that money is charged because it limits the people who obtain such certification to those who earn a living from Tarot. They are closed groups and have no wish to see higher certification levels for those who practice tarot on a non-commercial basis. Certification equals income, period. Here's my challenge - give your testing and certification for free, or make it free to members of your group. Finally, make membership fees commensurate with the benefits received. Testing is required of all of the groups. But it begs the question ... How can you test on a subject having no right or wrong answers? How can you say an answer is right or wrong? Who determines the correctness of a position or answer? (There's gotta be a Grand-poobah to decide, either self-titled, or elevated by like-minded persons). I'm sure the people who began these groups had good intentions. There is a lot of fraud in Tarot. Those who defraud with tarot demean all of us. However, none of the certificaation standards of these groups have an official requirement of good character - none. Its time to rethink the purpose of certification, and how its done. Here's my proposal. It requires scholarship, good character and experience. 3 levels only; apprentice, reader and master. The Apprentice level requires the commitment to study the tarot, using whatever method the student deems proper. A one thousand word essay describing a plan of personal study, a personal code of ethics, and a commitment to adhere to both. A $5 dollar (US) fee to cover the cost of recording the information in a database should be sufficient. The Reader level would require the performance of 75 internet tarot readings or 50 in-person readings (or a combination thereof). In-person readings tend to be more detailed and more stressful on the reader, hence the difference. The completion of a two thousand word essay on a tarot related topic of the reader's choice. And finally, two letters of reference, attesting to the reader's good character. The essay should be evaluated solely on scholarship, and not on dogmatic "truth" or any method which would tend to make a value judgment on the reader's method of divination. A $10 dollar (US) fee would cover the costs of database entry, the time to read the essay, and an internet search of the essay to weed out possible plagiarism issues. The Master level would require the submission of another two thousand word essay on a topic not related to the previous essay. The same essay evaluation standards would apply. Completion of a total of 150 internet readings or 100 live readings (or a combination thereof, cumulative with prior readings). Finally, a promise to adhere to the previously stated code of ethics. A $10 dollar (US) fee would cover the database entry, reading the essay, and the internet plagiarism search. A waiting period between Reader and Master is suggested, as a safeguard the reader has devoted time to the study of Tarot. Am I volunteering to be the next Grand-poobah? No, I don't think so. I'm just offering an alternative to certification which gets a little closer to the purpose of certification, and hopefully, minimizing the accusations of self-interest which follow any endeavor of this type. Sincerely, Gary

Ginny	21 Jan 2002
Great Topic! I know a few readers who got or "bought" certification, and I do have issue with how expensive these "tests" are. I have studied tarot for years, but at this time cannot afford to test for the title of Professional Tarot Reader" and do not want to test to be an "Apprentice" for a cheaper price just because I might be able to scrape up some cash. Right now, I take the feedback from my (few) clients and the feeling that I get when I read as my "certification", as these credentials are out of my pocketbook range.

Jewel	21 Jan 2002
Interesting. Personally I have not looked into this, then again I am more of an academic than a reader per se. I do know someone that is certified (to teach) and is required by that certification to teach in a certain way, or point of view really. When she told me that I lost interest in certification. Love & Light,

tarotbear	21 Jan 2002
As someone who started such a process and did not 'finish' (LOOOONG story) my question is " Yeah, I'm certified. So What?" WHO is impressed by being 'certified' ?? The average Joe who doesn't understand Tarot to begin with? If you feel you MUST be 'certified' to be considered 'legitimate' -- go ahead and take the time and effort to become so...me- I disagreed strongly with what created this certification' and decided I was not going to finish merely to live up to someone else's standards. Yes, it makes me sound very bitter...and i admit it.

Kalin	21 Jan 2002
Yes, sure is a great topic. As someone who has and will pay for readings, my take on a reader who advertises him or herself as being certified would be that the reader has made the time and effort to study and learn to read cards, but I wouldn't necessarily assume the certification validates them as readers. I've had too many good readings from people who learned from their grandmother who learned from THEIR grandmothers, etc., etc. Personally, I'd be interested in hearing whether any tarot school offering certification has ever denied it to anyone who completed the prescribed course, and if so, under what circumstances were they denied? Kalin :)

tarotbear	21 Jan 2002
O.K. - you asked. A few years back I was interested in becoming 'certified' to show my possible clients I was 'legitimate'. I joined the American Tarot Association. I had to make tapes of readings, supply them to a 'board', had to write articles for a newletter (the ATA Newsletter or an acceptable alternative). I was assigned a 'mentor' and had to start at 'square one' and work my way up. The entire time this was happening, the rules kept changing and changing about what was 'required'. I got tired of the rules being changed. I got tired of the rules being change again. It led to several conversations with John Gilbert of the ATA who informed me that my distaste was with the 'board', not the ATA...as though we are supposed to be able to differientiate between them. The killer blow (for me) was about a year after I had passed the 'apprentice' level, I finally (after much writing and bitching) received my certificate for it...and it had a EXPIRATION DATE on it. I mean, how does knowledge expire? During the process the ATA moved, and PC problems , lost it's data base, and had many other problems, including an agrument with the national certification board that told them no one has to start at the bottom and work up- if you want to take the Master 'test', all you have to do is take it. This did not set well with the ATA, who uses the money you pay for the tests to run the organization. As a result, I left..uncertified. Mr Gilbert has tried to persuade me to rejoin several times, but after such a bad taste..... To me. some of the requirements were word-games that did not test your knowledge. Sometimes the things you were required to 'do' were not even on the 'final'. There was much emphysis on Quaballa, which I don't use to read. Then there were 'ways' to get past it all, and one of the alternatives to becoming a Master( instead of testing) is to write your own book and get it published. What better way to prove you have knowledge than to write a book about it? I set out and wrote my own book (still searching for a publisher). To me, getting it on the shelf at Barnes & Noble is all the 'certification' I need. Sorry, Mr. Gilbert.

catlin	22 Jan 2002
I am also very sceptic about tarot certification because I still have not found any organization on the web which does not sound fishy. Aren't most of them created to pull out the money of your pocket and what do they offer to you in exchange? I also thought about joining a tarot association just to have a possibility to learn more and to get a certificate to show ppl that tarot is a subject to be taken earnest.

Diana	22 Jan 2002
edited

Major Tom	22 Jan 2002
If there aren't any truly legitimate certification standards for tarot - perhaps we should create our own. }> I think anyone who manages to make 100 posts in this community is certifiable. :D :D :D Solandia could e-mail a certificate for $ to help with the costs of hosting the community. ;D

Jewel	22 Jan 2002
Major Tom you crack me up :) But I do like your idea considering I have over 300 posts like you ~giggles~ I know there was a thread about B.O.T.A. and I am reading the Paul Foster Case book that was recommended (very good by the way), and have the BOTA Tarot so I can color it when I get to that point ... I know B.O.T.A. has a Tarot course, do they also provide certification? Tarotbear, good luck with getting your book published ... if you do let me know the name as I would love to read it! Love & Light,

Mojo	22 Jan 2002
Tarot is an art. How can you possibly certify art? And besides, Tarot has always been associated with the fringes of society... gypsies, gamblers, scallywags and shady types of all shape and hue have tossed cards for fun and profit since the very first time anyone put the images to paper. Personally, I love this shady history and am proud to be a practitioner of this ancient art. "Legitimizing" it would take away the mystique and the magic. I also sincerely believe it would have a really negative impact on my income! I think people are drawn to Tarot because of it's less-than-sterling reputation. There's a hint of naughtiness and a sense of taboo, and I think that is appealing to people who otherwise plod through a predictable and "safe" existence. By seeking answers from the cards, people are offered a bit of an escape from "reality" - which is one of the reasons I have such a hard time when people start ranting about "ethics" where Tarot is concerned. Tarot certainly does not come from an ethical heritage at all. To try to apply 21st Century standards to it is just plain silly in my opinion. I will read anywhere and anytime for anyone on any subject they want. I will even tell people what they want to hear if that's what they really want. And I will profit from my talents without any guilt whatsoever. Keep your silly certificates and your inane standards. I revel in the dubious side of the Tarot and I don't apologize for it!

jmd	22 Jan 2002
About two years before the Tarot Guild of Australia was formed, a friend of mine and I discussed the possibility of forming such an association. We discussed it at length over several months, and also did some research on the two major Astrological associations in Australia. We both had, I should add, substantial Tarot reading and teaching experience. We decided against the idea for a number of reasons: Quote: 1) it would inevitably lead to politicisation, as it would be localised (in Victoria, Australia, in our case); 2) given the various 'traditions', and even if this were acknowledged, any kind of 'certification' which would inevitably be asked of the association would lead to some kind of 'demonstrable testing'... an idea we both found appalling 3) we foresaw that the association would slowly deteriorate to a form we did not like... a kind of outdated unionism It is interesting that not long after the formation of the Guild, many shops in Melbourne which had Tarot readers were approached by various people asking whether the readers were 'properly certified' (by whom? the Guild of course!). Further, at least one shop that I know of was told they should only use readers who were members of the Guild (I was behind the counter when this interchange took place, in case some Guild members read this). To me, this was confirmation of the potential negative effects which this kind of unionism can have against individual freedom. On the positive side (and there are many others), the Guild has provided interested people an association to join, and they have organised a Tarot conference in Melbourne (though when I offered to give a paper, I was told that as I was local and had not supported the Guild by joining it, I was not welcome... the quality of the paper was not relevant!). In consideration of an Association I think the only way it can legitimately work is if the following are met: Quote: 1) there are three levels of (complementary and non-exclusive) membership (I would show this in circular form if I knew how to on this forum, to show that none is above another): Quote: a) learners-researchers (ie, what each of us can only do individually, even when with others: investigate); b) diviners/readers/counselors(ie, using the Tarot as a tool to assist others in understanding their peculiar circumstance); c) teachers-authors (ie, providing one's own researches for the benefit of others) 2) the association is international, so that local issues do not mar Tarot ones (at the level and organisation of the association) 3) membership facilitates communication amongst people interested in Tarot With the question regarding BOTA, they do not provide certification, as their use of Tarot is different to either the ATA or the Guild. So to go back to the original question, are the standards valid? I would say they are not! Any standards must be those which individuals adopt at each moment of their activity... at times, these will be better than at others. The times which will be the most elevated are when one is permeated by reverence, humility and thruthfulness. Any externally applied 'standard' is illusory at best, and delusional at worst.

Major Tom	23 Jan 2002
Mojo - Send Solandia a fiver and I'll e-mail you a certificate to prove you're a Scallywag in Tarot. }> JMD - As always a very well thought out and well written post. I agree with what you say regarding standards. I wasn't really joking when I suggested any citizen of this community should have a certificate. Any profession regulates itself. I'd be quite willing to provide a certificate to prove anyone with 100 posts is a {fill in the blank with a title] in Tarot. After 1000 posts, and payment of an appropriately larger fee (say a tenner), I'll provide another certificate. Call it fraudulent if you want - where will that get any of us? I believe the people of this community practice tarot with "reverence, humility and truthfulness."

Jewel	23 Jan 2002
Well put JMD! makes a lot of sense. If you think about it ... other than the fact that Major Tom is not printing out certificates for us on Solandia's behalf we have much of what you described right here in our International Aeclectic community. But I agree with you and Mojo ... how do you test or measure Tarot? ... as I said in my original response to your post ... very interesting subject. Love & Light

tarotbear	24 Jan 2002
SCALLAWAG IN TAROT -- I LOVE it!!! Can I get a 'scallawag' certificate? To hang next to my ATA one that has an expiration date on it?? :P

divinerguy	24 Jan 2002
The Scallawag thing looks cool - can I hav one too? I'll hang it next to my internet minister ordination certificates. By the way, anyone wanna get married? I'll marry you real cheap and I'll throw in plastic flowers fer nuthin (Cause I'm a scallawag, a fake minister (X2), and an uncertified tarot reader). Gary

kayne	24 Jan 2002
There goes Major Tom... bragging about his 100+ posts again... :P I really like what people have said and I agree - how do you measure such a thing? JMD - perhaps somewhere on those three levels could be those who have created there own original deck... not judged on artistic merit or even if it is published but on the ideas and meanings behind it... K.

divinerguy	24 Jan 2002
I posting this thread, one of my intentions was to make a point to those who annoint themselves as Tarot oracles. I'm reminded of the Greeks and their dalliances with the topic of hubris. "Hubris" is essentially an undue sense of self-importance. As a practicing attorney in Southern Californa, I'm no stranger to the subject of hubris. Everyday, I see lawyers with an entourage of assistants and briefcase holders. Makes you want to laugh, except when you note that they bill $600.00 per hour. (Comparatively, my hourly rate is laughable). This is brings me back to the basic study of Tarot -- its a fool's journey. Tarot certification, in whatever form, simply illustrates that point. Gary

MeeWah	24 Jan 2002
To echo some of y'all: this is an interesting topic! Personally, I do not see Tarot as certifiable (no pun intended)! "Tarot certification" has a nice ring to it, particularly in a society that relies on & is impressed by documentation such as in a "diploma" of knowledge. While certification may confer the cloak of knowledge, expert &/or respectibility, it does not mean one is learned in the subject (of Tarot or whatever) nor that one is/will be honorable in the practice of same. Or if it means one is learned in the subject, it does not also mean one can actually wield that knowledge. One premise does not always follow the other. (As an extreme example, I refer you to all those professionals regardless of profession who fail to deliver, who are poor representatives of their professions & give their fellows a bad name.) In this case, it does not mean one can *read*! Merely that one can apparently meet certain "requirements" set forth by a body or organization. For certification to be valid, it needs to be based on some measureable criteria or standards. It is my contention that this is not possible, given the nature of divinatory work. Whether it is with Tarot or playing cards or any other form of divination, those activities are based on the intangibles or the accessing of same. Intangibles are conceptual qualities that defy logic & reason. That is, 1+1 do not necessarily add up to 2 in the divinatory world but could add up to 3, or something other than 2. For the finite mind & eye--indeed, in this finite world--intangibles are subject to variables. Those variables may be described as to consist of an invisible, intricate interplay between the reader & the client that involve the multi-layered influences from the emotions to the spiritual that permeate our lives. Those qualities brought to a reading are not predictable & thus incapable of measurement. As is said, the proof is in the pudding. I am more interested in "validation", & that from my clients or whomever I read for. The reaction I get after a productive reading validates what I do. That is priceless, something no certificate can represent nor give.

tarotbear	25 Jan 2002
I have a program that can design certificates- I wonder if i can design a 'Scallawag In Tarot' certificate and email it? Probably not-- I'm lucky I can even still get email at this point. That could be our 'Aeclectic Certification' - our exclusive clique- "The Scallawags" !!! YES!! Who needs the ATA???? It could be like 'The Bonemen' at Yale- so exclusive that you don't join it-- it joins you instead! Oh! OH! OH! OH!

Major Tom	25 Jan 2002
Quote: tarotbear (25 Jan, 2002 16:28): That could be our 'Aeclectic Certification' - our exclusive clique- "The Scallawags" !!! YES!! Who needs the ATA???? It could be like 'The Bonemen' at Yale- so exclusive that you don't join it-- it joins you instead! Oh! OH! OH! OH! *sighs heavily* Tarotbear: Though sometimes I enjoy the devil's advocate role - in this case, in this thread, I actually agreed with everyone else that proper, measurable standards for tarot certification would be impossible to establish - I think we could safely extend this to ATA certification. I mean if someone wants to call themselves a Grand Master in Tarot and gather a group of people around themselves to somehow validate the claim to the title - there's absolutely no reason why this community couldn't also. I love every member of this community sufficiently to want to support them where I am able. If a member of this community needs a title for whatever reason - I will support their claim to it. Thus we arrive to my offer to provide a certificate for Scallawag in Tarot. I find the idea of turning it into an exclusive clique repugnant. I guess I will have to design that certificate now - anyone who wants one send me an email. }>

Scorpion	25 Jan 2002
Yep, a very interesting thread! Major Tom, I don't think Tarotbear's at all serious in that last post - am I missing something, but isn't that his point entirely? It's a bit early in the morning for me, but I see him as saying something along the lines of anything started here is in danger of degenerating into just the sort of thing most people are trying to avoid. My other main interest is photography, which I run as a part-time business, and I find the same problems there, although for different reasons. You are meant to join all sorts of "professional bodies" before you can go out and take, say, wedding photos. As long as the customers like what I'm doing and recommend me on, I'm happy. And that's how I feel about Tarot. I agree with what most people have said and am not particularly concerned at having letters after my name. However, I guess these associations do fulfill a purpose for people who prefer to have something to study towards - I imagine it provides a structure for them to measure themselves against.

bec	25 Jan 2002
:D I would be proud to be called a Scallawag of Tarot certified by the Aeclectic Scallawag Association :D Has a great ring to it - bringing it all down to earth - I´m not all that, merely a scallawag having one heck of a time ;)

Michelle	25 Jan 2002
Hello my friends - and many thanks for a good laugh !! This thread is hilarious (btw...can I be a Scallawag too?) I just joined a Tarot class - don't think I'll ever be certified - but I will at least gain Tarot knowledge, for me that's enough. Tarotbear- certified Master or not - your name makes me want to hug you. (Smile) Love and Light, Michelle

tarotbear	25 Jan 2002
Oh Major Tom - LIGHTEN UP !!!!!! Can I get a scallawag certificate, too? ;P ;P ;P

truthsayer	25 Jan 2002
for those of you who want certification in being a scalliwag tarot reader, my computer has a program where i can easily design such a certificate for those interested. this kind of this shendig is right up my alley! truth, attorney at farce! :p :P :p

Major Tom	26 Jan 2002
Quote: tarotbear (26 Jan, 2002 03:18): Oh Major Tom - LIGHTEN UP !!!!!! Can I get a scallawag certificate, too? ;P ;P ;P My apologies Tarotbear (early morning post earlier). :( Of course you can have a certificate. I was talking to Solandia about giving them to people who make a donation to Aeclectic - watch this space. ;D

DeLani	31 Jan 2002
I have to agree with everyone here. these "certification boards" are nothing but money-making machines. I looked into them as well, and the amount of money you had to spend on the classes, and the fact that they *expire* made me want to vomit. My gypsy foremothers didn't need no stinking certificate! It's just our society. We feel like *everything* has to be regulated and licensed - and always for a fee. Not being "certified" is almost an act of civil disobedience. No certification board can judge if I'm a good reader; if I'm ethical or not. My clientele and my community do that. So there's my 2 cents worth! (I'm working towards my 100 posts! :) DeLani

zander770	31 Oct 2002
. . . i think that there's a Big Difference between a mere "certificate" and what, say the g.:d.: (or o.t.o., a.:a.:, et. al.)offer through the degree levels (not that anyone's said that there wasn't). 770

The Tarot Certification Boards - Are the standards valid? thread was originally posted on 21 Jan 2002 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.