"Real psychics don't use Tarot cards..."

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 20 Sep 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Alissa	20 Sep 2002
The other day I caught a news feature on a "psychic" (I think she was based in Colorado, not sure) who insisted she could tell a fake from a real psychic just by looking at them. She included in her criteria for others who are shopping around for "real psychics" to avoid anyone who uses "props," and mentioned Tarot cards as a dead giveaway to shysters. Now, I know we all find Miss Cleo a detriment to legit Tarot study, but isn't this the most ridiculous thing you ever heard? Hmmmm baby with the bathwater, or something here...? I immediately was saddened by the feature, and thought of all the 1000s of people who connect with the Cards on such a deep and meaningful level, and to have them all dismissed as quacks -- well, it didn't make me mad, just sorry to hear such misinformation being touted as news. I don't know, I just wanted to share it with you All since I figured you might understand the malaise it caused. In my heart, I know that one thing like that won't make a dent in the number of people who HAVE had meaningful experiences with Tarot, by themselves or by readers, and who do believe it is a powerful tool to be honored. Not ridiculed.

Kazz	20 Sep 2002
You know, there seems to be alot of this going around lately. It was just a short while ago that I had mentioned to a group of people that I read Tarot cards and one of them said "Oh are you kidding?? you don't actually believe in that do you?" . Well as you can imagine I was quite taken back by that and I felt like some sort of freak for that one moment, but then i came back and said "Yes i do, would you like a reading?"(just me being a smart****) and then the "SO you are psychic" thing came out which bought up this topic of having to be clairvoyant/psychic to read tarot cards. I find that i have to explain in depth of how I can read tarot but I am not "psychic" and that it isn't always about predictions and such. It is starting to become "taboo" if you read tarot cards and i sometimes don't tell alot of people because of this very thing. But as you have said, there are the ones that say "if you are psychic then why do you nead the cards at all" Basically i think most people are very quick to judge something that they know absolutely nothing about. Cheers Kazz :TQC

Liliana	20 Sep 2002
write the show/station and let them know how you feel. most news shows dont mind hearing the other side of the story, who knows maybe you'll get on tv hehe :THP

Royal Cat	20 Sep 2002
I've heard/read this type of attitude as well.... "real" psychics saying that tarot cards will just "hold you back" or that you're using them as a "crutch." It's sad to hear because I feel that Tarot has helped so many people move forward in their lives to become better people. Cat

jema	20 Sep 2002
for me a tarotreader and a psychic are two very different things. i am always very careful to all clients and tell them i am not a psychic. i understand there might be people who are both. personally, i would object a great deal to be called a psychic. and i imagine many psychics would object being in the same category as a tarot reader. they are just two vary different disciplines. sure we have some things in common. still, i so prefer to be called just a tarot reader, without that added title of psychic. i have no training at all in being a psychic, i hardly know what they do or how and would be very uncomfortable being labeled as one. i must say i never heard the word shyster before. i take it it is a "bad" word? if so that is sad. i feel that i am a very good reader (although a bit rusty right now) and i am proud to be a reader and nothing but a reader. actually, part of the tarot ethics i subscribe to states clearly that i am not a psychic.

cjtarot	20 Sep 2002
Hi all, This is a horrible comparison, but here it goes..What she said equates to "just because a deaf person has to use his or her hands (props) to talk, they obviously don't know how to talk"...Their hands are their tools...their key to language ....Our cards are our tools, the key to or psychic ability. You will run into all kinds of people don't let their negative, ignorant attitudes get you down...If you let them get to you, you will loose your confidence and then THEY WIN. I would write to the show..ask them to have a Tarot Expert (you) come on the show and let the people be the judge.... Never doubt your abilities.. Cj

Ladyhawke	20 Sep 2002
For jema.... ;) shyster: n. Slang. An unethical, unscrupulous practitioner, esp. of law. (from The American Heritage Dictionary) Ladyhawke

ChrisTheObscure	20 Sep 2002
Grrr.... Stuff like that makes me angry. It's kind of like what my mother recently said to me, "Christians don't use Tarot cards" (I wish she could talk to Liliana about that. I don't consider myself psychic, but I am beginning to bond with the cards. I've never seen them as one in the same talent, though I'm sure of someone has both, the skills can complement each other greatly. What an utterly uneducated, ignorant thing to say. C.

Mojo	20 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Alissa Now, I know we all find Miss Cleo a detriment to legit Tarot study Alissa, You did exactly what the psychic did - you made a sweeping generalization. There are lots of people in the Tarot community who are thankful for Miss Cleo. I certainly am. When Miss Cleo's commercials started playing everywhere and all the time, my Tarot income increased about 10-fold. All of a sudden, Tarot was hot and everyone wanted a reader. She was so obviously fraudulent that anyone with an ounce of sense (who was intrigued) sought out someone on a more local and controllable basis (i.e. it's much easier to get up and walk out on a reader in person than to manage your time on a phone call where you're being charged by the minute). See how easy it is to assume that everyone thinks like you do? So you need to forgive the reporter and the psychic for being human. If you're still bothered, do something to promote your point of view.

Alissa	20 Sep 2002
Mojo -- Oh wow, GOOD point. I appreciate that feedback, because yup it's easy to make sweeping generalizations. "Judge not," etc etc. And there are always many sides to an issue. I was speaking from my dislike of those who trivialize the Cards, but your point made perfect sense. Those who really are seeking usually know enough to not call a 900 number anyhow. I wish I could remember where I saw this, but it seems it was on a cable channel that I don't remember. It was a moment of landing on the channel while surfing long enough to hear that story, then turning it feelin disgusted. I would definitely write to the station, if I did remember. You don't know how it warms me inside, though, to post this thread this morning feelin blue about it, and then to come back the same afternoon and already find such thoughtful replies from all you Aeclectians. Thank you ~! Namaste (which includes Miss Cleo too :D )

DarkElectric	20 Sep 2002
Wow! I'm glad I saw this thread, I wonder if this was local news coverage of that particular broadcast area, or Nationwide? This will help me deal with people who may now say to me... "I saw this Psychic on TV and she says you aren't real because you read cards." Great. Just as I start to read publically! This woman overlooked the obvious fact that not everyone who reads tarot is a psychic too. I happen to be. But a lot of really terrific readers aren't psychics. And they don't claim to be. But they're absolutely fabulous readers. And I have known quite a few "Psychics" who don't read cards, but could be considered charlatans. Like, they charge $100.00 for a reading, and are wrong just about every time. Not just for one person, for a lot of people. These are the ones with NO repeat business. We have some like that around here. They are the one shot wonders. We have a joke that when they see cilents, they are always wearing "GUESS" jeans! This "Fraud Finder" psychic person is obviously just trying to increase her own clientele, and chop out any possible competition. But when there is this lack of unity among the people who are supposed to be part of a greater metaphysical community, it makes it easier for us to be attacked and discredited by those who have a specfic agenda to supress us.

evangelion	20 Sep 2002
Personally, the Tarot has opened up many doors for me in a number of ways, as I'm sure it has for all of us enlightened people. But to those who don't understand, or just don't want to understand, I say "Every one of us is psychic to a certain extent, but everyone opens up to their gifts in different ways." For me, and so many others, the Tarot has opened up this door. Without it, my feelings and the omens and things I see everyday are just "there", I dont trust them completely. After I started learning the tarot I started to recognize more of the little things that to everyone else are just "coincidence" or "normal". Just like yoga or meditation create such a simple link between mind, body, and spirit for some people, the tarot created that link for me, and it's grown by leaps and bounds ever since! So be true to youself, be true to others, try to forget about the negatives and focus on and reinforce the positives. And always remember this, you have such a great gift because you unlike so many others, you understand.

Sea Sprite	20 Sep 2002
No matter what negative things the media spreads about psychics and tarot readers, it will not deter true seekers from consulting with psychic/tarot readers. After all, this isn't anything new. There are those unscrupulous people out there like Miss Cleo from way back when, and the fear driven ignorant people who in the name of Christianity or whatever, wants to put a stop to the practice of anything that they don't understand or condone. So whenever I see things like that on tv, me and my friends just laugh cuz obviously the reporter is biased and we know that we are believers and will continue to consult with a psychic/tarot reader no matter what picture the media paints. :)

napaea	20 Sep 2002
shows like that wouldn't bother me if they would show both sides of the picture. hmmmm, these people think tarot is bunk, while this group over here goes to a reader 4 times a year! i can see what she is saying though, if a true psychic only uses cards because they don't believe in themself, then yes, they are a crutch. but you can't deny the fact that tarot works! for a ton of people, because it draws on our subconscious! i, too, am psychic, but only now starting to learn how to deal with this. the cards help me tune into people a lot. but i also get "messages" from out of nowhere, or leaves, or whatever. but until i get better at that, the cards are a huge help. and you don't have to be psychic for tarot to be valid! you have to be a person with a subconscious. she obviously knows nothing about Jung. i wish people in this type of profession would phrase it differently: "if you use tarot, great! i don't, i'm a psychic who does blah blah blah" instead of bashing a completely usable technique. grrrrrr....hate mail to her!!!

Laurel	20 Sep 2002
I'd never claim to be a psychic, but even when I ~was~ a phone tarot reader for PRN, I gave it my 100% and gave the best information I could for every querent I had, regardless of their own personal mindset. Even if Miss Cleo was a sham, its very possible she had some bona fide psychics on those phone lines doing their best. As for personal experience, there's a difference between a sham, a crutch and a tool and a sacred tool. I've seen some phenomenal exhibitions of psychic skill with no tools, with tea leaves, astrology charts and the Bible. *I* couldn't do it with any of those things- but I wouldn't say that these people weren't psychic just because their tools don't work for me. Laurel

Minderwiz	21 Sep 2002
Like Jema and some of the other posts I don't think there is any necessary connection between Tarot reading and Psychic ability. I have a passing acquaintance with the TV Psychic, Derek Acorah, and he insists that all of us have some level of psychic ability- the differences being in the extent to which we try to make use of these abilities and develop them, together will some innate differences in levels. Whilst Tarot readers may subconsciously be using their psychic ability (at whatever level it is), I think most of us would not claim that we are primarily engaged in using these powers but are interpreting the cards. Some 'Real' psychics may well want to use Tarot, or other 'props' as an aid to focus, others may use chakra visualisation techniques or other meditative techniques in order to increase their focus and still others may simply find that it comes naturally without trying to prepare. Are we going to say that all those who use chakra visualisation or similar are not 'real' psychics? There is much discussion on the accuracy of psychics and whether they are picking up 'broadcasts' from our own unconscious or genuine messages from the other side - I have seen enough to feel that the latter can by no means be dismissed but I would be hard pushed to define what a 'real' psychic was. Perhaps we should view those who see this as an easy question to answer and say so on TV programs as 'shysters'. Best wishes Minderwiz

WhiteDrag0n	23 Sep 2002
It seems to me that the "psychic" on the show is an eliteist. They want to set themselves apart, saying "im better than you". That is narrow shortsightedness, and close minded thinking on their part. Also it seems to me that any "psychic" saying tarot is a bunch of hooplaa, they are the actual shysters.

The "Real psychics don't use Tarot cards..." thread was originally posted on 20 Sep 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.