Tarot Certification Board of America - a critical appraisal

jmd

The link ribbitcat gives is certainly poorly developed and presented. Yet I am personally as much at ease with it in terms of readings as I would be reading a description such as:
'[name] uses the tarot together with her psychic abilities to give intuitive and empowering readings on life's challenges; her readings offer practical guidance on any question or issue that you may be facing . Readings by post, telephone, email and in person.​
or
'Professional one-to-one psychic Tarot readings in Central Staines using this uncannily accurate method. Fully trained, certificated psychic reader provides insight into the choices ahead of you and the possible changes you may need to make to maximise your potential. Intuitive and with empathy the reader will ensure you are given the information that you need. Life offers many choices, make sure you know what yours will be in advance!'​
Whereas the two examples above have the endorsement of certain individuals who have decided to affiliate with TABI, the reader ribbitcat criticises as 'giving us a bad name' has the endorsement of those who have voted her 'tip-top number one'.

What I personally consider gives us a bad name, more so than the occasional charlatan, poor reader, or media representation, is the claimed legitimacy of endorsement or certification as somehow guaranteeing the reading.
 

cybercat

Keen site

You know this sounds like someone making Fun of tarot readers. Like a teen prank. The spelling I think is what gives it away and the wording. I would have a hard time believing it would be an adult.

Cat

ribbitcat said:
http://www.keen.co.uk/memberpub/homepage.asp?user=Soft-Wind+Mandingo

This is the kind of thing that gives us all a bad name . This is the kind of thing that I oppose . This is the kind of thing that would not get through TABI's Endorsement process .....

And yes - this person is not certificated , is even proud that they have not "learned" tarot . And this person *is* an inferior reader to one that has been certified or Endorsed . I accept JMD's *theory* that non-certified/Endorsed readers *may* be as good as those who are certified/Endorsed ....BUT .....what a shining example this is .

ribbitcat
 

Rusty Neon

jmd said:
What I personally consider gives us a bad name, more so than the occasional charlatan, poor reader, or media representation, is the claimed legitimacy of endorsement or certification as somehow guaranteeing the reading.

In my humble view, extortion schemes, such as where a charlatan tarot reader extorts thousands of dollars from a gullible client on the pretence of acting to 'change' the client's fortune, do more to give a bad name to tarotists in the public's eye than the endorsement of a tarot certification body given to a fumbling but honest card-reader. The charlatan might be charged and convicted, but the extorted money is long gone by then and the charlatan can't make the money good.
 

jmd

Actually, talking of 'shining examples' of non-certified and non-endorsed readers, I would list MeeWah, Major Tom, TemperanceAngel, Umbrae tmgrl2, tarotbear and Diana as people known on these boards that I also happen to know do readings professionally.

There are of course others, but I have no idea whether they are 'endorsed' and certifiable.

To pick someone that even ribbitcat does not know whether or not her readings are superb of terrible as a 'shining example' says no more than she personally places no confidence their reading skill, and this, more out of a sense of a poorly constructed website and poor grammar - and of course, this likewise affects my own impression of the person, but not of her as a potentially excellent reader.
 

jmd

Rusty Neon, you may very well be correct that 'in the public's eye' a money scam by a charlatan may give Tarot users a bad name. Yet I am confident also in the general intelligence of the public in recognising that such a character is in fact a charlatan.

The charlatanism of certification of divination, however, is couched in such terms as gives the public an appearance of legitimacy simply not intrinsically there.
 

Free Flight

JMD

I think it sounds all kind of pyramid scheme -esque.
I like the idea of certification as I am the sort of person who feels a sad sort of pride in seeing pretty certificates with my name on them :)

However it is very expensive to get to the top and in order to that you need to drag other people in. Screams pyramid scheme of the tarot world to me. They are everywhere really.

On another point I wonder how one would go about proving that one is a recognised reader on an international/national level..?
Could you merely give a link to this site and say look I am recognised here and hey there are quite a few nationalities that frequent the boards here. Bingo I am internationally acclaimed...Somehow though I dont think they would accept this..
Also given that there are so many accreditation schemes out there...which one do I choose.....My answer none....
 

Deana

The worst part (besides the fact that it does sound suspiciously like a pyramid scheme) is that they don't offer courses or training. So you learn on your own anyway and then pay $$$ for someone to tell you that you actually learned. If I wanted a pretty certificate to go along with my Tarot readings, I'd get a degree in psychology or even metaphysics. They at least offer courses to teach you something other than what you've discovered on your own, as well as signifying to the client something about your approach. If you're teaching yourself anyway, you might as well spend the money you would have spent on certification on books or decks instead.
 

Gwynne

There is no central certification agency! There is no protection against scams, a certificate does not guarantee ethics, and in fact may encourage scam artists.

If a reader has a certificate on a wall, that may very well inspire false confidence and give the client a sense that they don't need to check, this person is "educated..." They won't feel the need to get personal recommendations because our society trusts certificates WAY too much.

If someone with one of those certicates scams a client, or several clients, what is they certifying agency going to do? Nothing. They have no legal grounds to do anything at all. Revoke the certificate? Ooohhh that hurts.... the person can still keep it on there wall. Sure a couple of people may check them out, but for the most part they won't. No real money lost there. Yeah, I know I sound cynical, but I work on a daily basis with people and it's the masses of people swarming in the mall who are in for a quick fix that make me cynical. I've spent the past three years doing readings on the phone and if I had a dime for every time I heard "the last reader I called...."

No matter what kind of certification process you have it's not going to work. Scam artists will find a way to get around it. You see it in EVERY profession, right up to doctors!!!! People who faked certificates, or stole identities or whatever and screwed people over.

If certification is emphasized in Tarot it will be the downfall of the profession.

Imagine this:

Your a twenty year old young woman and you walk into a bookstore and notice a beautiful pack of Tarot cards. You've always been interested, ever since that reading you had done a couple of years ago, and you decide to take it to the front counter to buy it. "I need to see your certification" the clerk says.... Certification? To buy a deck? It could seriously happen.

How are people going to learn then? Hmmm? And imagine just how much it would start costing to get a Tarot reading? If a person has to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars for "classes" and "certificates" just imagine what their rates would be. After all, you can't go to an "amateur" as they aren't allowed... Imagine spending upwards of $200 for a reading. Just because somebody decided to get uppity and say that someone without a certificate isn't good enough.

I'm a good reader. I know that not because of any classes I took or any books I read. Not because of a piece of paper on the wall. I know I'm good because my clients come back.

That "certified" reader that was working at the shop I work at? She got fired this week because too many people were complaining to the store owner about her readings. She was rude and boring. So much for that certification. The one she got from the very group that's in question in this thread.

Sorry, I'll go to an uncertified reader anyday. And I certainly won't be spending the money to get myself certified.
 

Timothy Lake

Tarot Certification Board of America- a critical appraisal

Hello Folks,
I am the Executive director of the TCBA and I also run a metaphysical shop in Schenectady, NY and operate an Art Gallery(opening soon). I am also a poet, priest( Assistant Pastor of the Astral light Temple (Correllian Nativist Tradition)and Pastor of the Schenectady Pagan cluster), Irish Musician and activist. I wear many hats. I was asked to come to this forum to provide info on the actual certification process and to answer any of your questions. I have read your concerns and will attempt to get to all of them. Should I miss any be sure to let me know. I encourage all of you to also contact me directly at therev@capital.net or at our 1-800-872-0556 toll free number. I will be happy to discuss the process with you.
The TCBA was founded in the early 1990's and at that time was attached to the ATA( American Tarot Association) . John Gilbert was president of both organizations. John made some arrangements with folks in other countries to certify folks in those areas for us under our granting authority. Hence The Canadian Board, The Korean, the Japanese and the European Boards were founded. Today those folk still operate under our imperium. Several have changed their policies slightly. A few years back before my time as ExD, there was a turmoil amongst alpha personalities in the TCBA and portions of the ATA. The disgruntled folks formed a separate organization that is not under our imperium (ATCB). You will know folks who operate under our imperium by the proprietary terms of our seven levels of certification(copywritten).
We are not a certificate mill. There is a discernable process to follow--step by step. Each level tests different levels of aptitude and understanding. No you can't just get a certificate by paying for it. The candidate sends her test materials to me. I critique them and give feedback and may ask the candidate for more detail and likewise offer more detail. Then they pay and George Heisler sends the certificate. Then we go on to the next level. One at a time. You can of course do the first three levels ( up to CPTR) at the same time but it is a bear to grade that expanse of material and I don't recommend folks to do that. We are a testing board and do not offer classes or mentoring. However, The board wishes to instill a high degree of professional capability and ethicality in our candidates.
Rules will vary by locality. However, at this time, there are no Federal regulations for Tarot practitioners. In the States of NY and CT, there are local laws which place Tarot reading under the public entertainment and nuisance codes. This is an ancient codification that has not been challenged. We are currently looking into that legal challenge with certain lawmakers for the betterment of the Tarot Community. We do however insist that no matter where you are in the World ,that if you are certified through us, that you use the standard disclaimer "This reading is for entertainment purposes only. " before each reading. A woman recently was fined in Saratoga county of NY 50,000 dollars for not using it. If you are trying to make a living as a professional psychic counselor, use the disclaimer and you will be safe. Under the maxim:"Better safe than sorry." I personally say the disclaimer and then smile widely, breathe deeply...and then say" So, I hope you are highly entertained." The clients get the point and get a smile too. I recommend to our candidates and my students that they also have a hard copy in their physical location of the disclaimer , their personal code of ethics(which includes all of our standard code and any other points that they feel are important) and their professional referral list(list of experts in fields in which we do not have expertise.) The standard Code can be found at our website and at the ATA site. This has been hashed out over the decades by some of the greatest minds in Tarot. Of course, it is not the end all in the matter. This is why for the CPTR we ask the candidate to add to and also adhere to the standard Code.
I test folks on their understanding of process, their grasp of mechanical and iconographical meanings--mainly standardized over the years, the flow of their reading style, the rapport that they build with their clients, their ability to work with different layout forms and create their own to suit the individual case and many other areas of skill. I can not and will not test people on their intuitive ability and link to deific source of choice. I will however make suggestions on how to expand the candidate's knowledge of the Tarot complex and the meanings of the cards. I agree with JMD that each reader will have different meanings for the cards in each case. I further agree with him that each reader will add his own sense of personality and flare to his reading. I will suggest however that their are fairly standard/mechanical meanings which have been developed over the years that can be used as a foundation to grow our further knowledge of the Tarot. By linking the Tarot to other paradigms, we can expand the information given in a reading. For instance, if we get some birth data from the client, we can reach into the astrological material for some more corresponding information to back up and flesh out the reading. We might also choose an oracle card or a rune stone or pendulum swing to verify and strengthen the reading. This is why in one level we ask for the candidate to work with tarot and another paradigm. When counseling, you need to provide direction and advice to your client. Any set of tools that enables you to facilitate the healing process should be explored and embraced. We emphasize creativity and diversity of tactics in our counseling level.
Why do deck and book reviews? If we are attempting to create a professional body of readers and to better develop the leadership of the Tarot community, we better know what sort of people and products/tools there are in it. We should be able to critique the existing work and know where we currently stand on issues that are of importance to the tarot community. We should also be developing an understanding of the literature in the field so that we can represent it in the best light. When you are giving professional readings, you represent to that client the Tarot community. How can we best prepare somone to do that effectively? Have them explore the material.
Every reader from the novice to the certified, to the Masters is constantly changing and growing their understanding of themselves and their place in the world. Likewise, we are constantly evolving our understanding of our chosen divinational tool.
As it is 12:15am and I need to be up tomorrow for early shop hours and then preparing for a 24- hour Earth Day Event on Saturday replete with rituals, drumming, belly dancing and bands, I should probably go to bed. I hope this answered some of your questions and sparked the inqusitive nature of some. Good Day!
Tim.
Executive director of TCBA.
 

jmd

Glad you have posted :)

A few points and questions.

The person who you say 'A woman recently was fined in Saratoga county of NY 50,000 dollars for not using [a sign that says "This reading is for entertainment purposes only"]'.

It is of course terrible that anyone be fined any amount or have to present such signage. It would of course be very good if such legal (and local) requirements were altered by the respective legislative bodies - though of course this is totally independent of 'certification', and were existing draconian requirements be replaced by 'certification' ones, it would move from one form of unacceptable legislation to another form of unacceptable legislation.

There is also no question that we can each assess, in our individual ways, the reading made by another. We can further evaluate how this seems to fit in to interpretative meanings expounded by others in their books, in posts, etc.. The problem lies in assuming that one can in fact 'certify' a reader as reader. Quite a different angle taken, and of course one may give the false appearance that the certificate is somehow a deeming feature of effective reading for future situations. And this, of course, cannot be the case.

But instead of the broader feature, and since Timothy Lake has wonderfully decided to engage in this discussion, let us take some of the points singly.

Firstly, the easiest ones.

Have all the individuals listed as 'Tarot Grand Master' and 'Certified Tarot Instructor' undertaken each and every requirement as listed as requirements for those levels by the TCBA, or have most, some (or indeed any) been 'offered' these as 'honorary' titles (nothing wrong with the latter, but the site gives the impression of there being no such things, and one would, whilst reading the requirement of each level, presume that the rule for that level has in fact been applied).

Also, what is the difference between being a member of the TCBA (and how does one become a member) and being 'certified'. If there is a difference, are all the individuals listed in the 'members' link actually members, and do all those people in fact know they are members, and that this is so out of their request to become such?

I will ask quite precise questions such as these before moving on to the broader ones of certification per se.