I agree with Lillie. Entirely - in terms of the substance of her posts.
Where I perhaps disagree with a point of expression is in assuming that there may be no moral or ethical ramifications to a specific reading - in that I consider that every aspect has an ethical dimension.
Still, this is quite distinct to the false sense of 'protection' that is claimed for lists or 'codes'. They are not only not ethical, but no more protects the 'public' than producing no such thing. The effectiveness of so-called 'regulation' of some professions (such as the medical or architectural), where useful and successful, have nothing to do with ethical considerations, but rather with, in their specific instance, formal education required in order to understand how to use building materials or drugs and the functions of the human body. Their various 'ethical codes' do nothing to actual and true ethical considerations those professional individuals must face in the day-to-day engagement.
In terms of
reading tarot, an open-ness to the reading at hand is what is required. For this, even more formalised education about tarot may at times hinder, unlike the professions mentioned. A person may know much about the historical development of tarot, about the specific meanings any symbols incorporated are supposed to allude, and about the various allegories reflecting also various philosophical traditions. This, and life experience, and empathy, and knowledge of human nature, and a developed narrative skill, may all add to the wisdom the individual brings to the situation at hand, but the
reading itself, as act of
divination (rather than psychological tool for interactive session), transcends those limits.
One can have personal preferences (such as not reading for a minor), and there may also be various local legal constraints (that are often very local - such as, again, reading for a minor in some parts), but neither of those are ethical decisions without looking at the specific situation at hand. For example, reading for a ??? y.o. regarding an exam situation (or even about pregnancy, to use the earlier example) has its own ethical dimension - the age of the recipient brings with it certain individual characteristics, whether they be 15 or 72 year old, but that does not make it unethical to either read or not read for someone of either age. The ethical dimension remains specific to the instance of the situation (
contra Kant's claims).
Personally, I am totally opposed to so-called codification of ethics, and consider it one of those oxymorons that has infested modern society and to which clear criticism has not yet been publicly subjected. I seem to have been linking to the same Newsletter of late on related matters, but if inclined, do have a look at my '
On certification, the codification of ethics, and reading Tarot'.
