Tarot across the world, different views from around the world

[a_shikhs]

Well here in India, tarot has become quite famous. There are loads of readers and quite a few tarot classes. Tarot has become really famous since the past few years, though we don't have any bookshops here selling tarot cards besides RWS, Osho Zen and the Mythic Tarot.

 

[May]

Adding to what a_shikhs has written...
I think since in India astrology and numerlogy are already famous, tarot was accepted and believed in easily. We don't get a many decks though we can get them by order at big book shops.

 

[marybham]

Tarot around the world

Another fascinating thread on good old Aeclectic. Well, I'm English, from the Midlands and have read Tarot professionally all over the place.

I started in Birmingham, quickly moved into professional reading in a shop that used to get people spit outside the door at the idea of Tarot and who now happily occupy a major spot in a trendy part of town next to Birmingham's Symphony Hall, Repertory Theatre and numerous art galleries and booming businesses.

They tell me how much attitudes have changed in the last 10 years and I've read for business people, shop assistants, unemployed, part time employed, airline pilots in full uniform, TV presenters, all sorts of people.

We are generally very open and accepting of Tarot and the more holistic aspects of life here although again there are pockets of all types of people.

Some of my oldest friends tell me they "have yet to be convinced" and that I will need "to convince them", while Chambers of Commerce and Banks and Directors get me to speak on Tarot and present to their members. And they refer business to me.

I think that partly relates to the fact that they know me as a businesswoman with a very corporate background.

At first I was wary about telling people in case people thought I'd lost the plot or was "away with the fairies" but it's been the opposite! In my experience it is almost as though people are delighted to hear that there is greater depth to my businesswoman image!

I used to live in Cyprus and my friends were into this sort of thing although their parents may have been less likely to admit it.

On my travels around the world I seem to meet up with people who express lots of interest in Tarot and I always find I can find new clients

Just got back from the Tarot School Readers Studio in New York and I was amazed to learn from some of my colleagues from the midWest that even in the middle of the "Bible Belt" they have the biggest Tarot Meetup group in the world. Isn't that great?

So, I wonder how much of it is "wherever you go, there you are"?

We will always be drawn to like minded people and they to us - which is why a forum like this works so well.

Great thread, thanks for starting it and sharing the various contributons from around the world.

I've just posted onto the NYC Readers Studio thread . . . we are opening up invitations to teleconferences to those who were and were not able to get to the conference. Check out that posting and join in. We will be having monthly calls to share learnings and catch up.

Everyone is welcome, you just need to register for joining instructions with tarot@tarotschool.com Hope it helps.

Mary

 

[EnriqueEnriquez]

My experience accounts both for Venezuela, were I come from, and New York, where I live now.

Here in NY people varies, from the dismissive, to the very open. But I haven’t found yet the kind of aggressiveness other readers friends of mine have faced in other States around this country. Now, as far as I understand, in NY fortunetelling is forbidden by Law, even when the law isn’t enforced.

In Venezuela people is more open to this things. Several tarot readers have morning shows, even when people in general would publicly scorn such practices.

Something curious I have noticed is that until very recently, the deck you found more often was the Marseilles. All the traditional “brujería” (witchcraft) stores, linked with Santería and mediums, offered Marseilles for sale, and perhaps the Spanish tarot, both in the versions printed by Heraclio Fournier in Spain. Now there are several “esoteric” stores, brand new, selling crystals, etc, where you won’t find a Marseilles deck even if you ask for it, but you will find all the other fantasy decks: Bohemian cats, Animal Kingdom, etc.


Now, here and there I find a public rejection of tarot that, IMO, has to do with several things:

- First, the public image of divination in contemporary Western culture has been defined by scam artists. I understand that some people here doesn’t like to talk about these things, but fake readers are abundant. They are the most visible ones, and their offering to the public sets the image, and the expectations, people have when think on Tarot, or any other form of divination.

- Second, there is a generalized tendency in our contemporary society to scorn beliefs. Not only tarot, but religiosity and spirituality are seeing as “weakness” by a culture whose individuals praise their individuality and personal freedom over anything else. Many people seem to think that believing in something, or someone, implies giving away that personal freedom. Cynicism is our preferred way of dealing with pain.

- Third, Tarot and divination doesn’t fit in the image that our culture wants to have of itself. This culture praises itself of being rational, scientifically oriented, technically prosperous. For our culture at large, there is no sense of pride in the intangible.


Since the Contemporary Western Culture’s model is spreading all over the planet, I feel all these factors affect tarot readers and diviners in most parts of the world.

 

[Astraea Aurora]

From Germany

Tarot is kind of divided in Germany.

First, there is this huge group of Tarot e.V. with lots of well-established people, like Hajo Banzhaf and others, and a forum.

Second, people here have a great interest in esoteric arts, mostly in Lenormand and other oracle cards. We even have a 24 hours TV channel with readers, giving live readings and saying people can call and have their cards read without anyone hearing what it's about. They also have astrologiers, rune readers, shamans and all kinds of gifted people. This TV channel has its own magazine too.

Third, the church is quite powerful here. With Benedict XVI coming from Bavaria all this hype (sorry, no offense to any Catholics ... I'm just not Christian myself) has risen.
Although I have Christian friends who know about me being into Tarot and are fine with it I have to take care whom I tell ... going to a school in Bavaria. (Trust me, Bavaria is the most religious part in Germany, at least from my point of view).

Overall people seem to be frightened and at a distance but the esoteric arts have now become main stream. One hasn't to be frightened of burning crosses but you have to test the waters before going to swim ... Just to get sure.


Astraea Aurora

 

[Roewyn]

Wow! Awesome thread!!

Personally for me, my father is devout Christian and says any sort of divination is flat out wrong.

I have come to my own belief that God has given all of us gifts, and why would he give them to us if we were expected not to use them, especially if they are for the greater good rather than harm. Even my dad's bible says that God gave us gifts... so hmmm.. go figure.

Here in Arizona we are a pretty diverse community.. especially Tucson and Phoenix. They're all pretty open to most anything, which is cool.

I am curious how other religions view divination, such as say Muslems, Jews.. I know where Christianity stands.. although just because one is Christian does not mean they will beat you with a stick because they find out you read Tarot cards.. lol.. its just something I've always been curious about.

 

[Raya]

In Minnesota, where I'm from, people fell into three categories: interested, not sure but curious, or skeptical. But no one had any prejudices against it, not that I did a survey or anything.

In Chile, where I lived for 7 months, although it's a very Catholic country, outside the cathedral in Santiago there were TONS of people doing tarot on the street for money. The book stores sold lots of tarot cards, and there were little tarot shops around. On daytime TV, they had this talkshow where "normal" people would come and tell about some awful affair or painful break up they had, and a tarot card reader normally appeared alongside a Dr. Phil type.

Now I'm in Taiwan, and being a largely Chinese population, they LOVE fortune telling. They also love Western culture. My Taiwanese friends tell me I could make a bit of money doing Tarot (Western fortune telling) here, but I'd have to play into the stereotypes the Taiwanese have, put out lots of candles and crytals and only use decks with "old" looking art, eg Robin Wood or Mythic and not anything like the World Spirit or Voyager.

 

[Yurikome]

Well, I'm from Poland and here too, like Germany, everyone is very religious. Seriously, the Church influences practically everything and with the two f*@#$ing idiots running the country it's getting worse and worse (like old grannies and priests taking a stand against abortion, come on. I understand people can see it as wrong, but women way over their reproduction years and guys that don't have children anyway?).
So my point is, tarot's not popular. Maybe not as much "evil" nowadays, but definitely for the weak of mind. "Oh... you're into tarot... um... (god, and she seemed so smart)". I know of only one place in Warsaw that sells tarot decks (and even there you don't get literature any better than the typcal "dictionary" type, "ace of wands means this and that"). And one online store, somewhere up north.
Yeah :/

(sorry if this comes up twice, my connection timed out)

 

[rissa]

I imagine that the view of the Tarot in Canada is much the same as that of the northern USA.

No one really cares what you do, and I'm unlikely to be called "evil" or some such thing. Still, I am careful who I mantion it to, or where I pull out my cards and books. Why?
Publically, Tarot is thought of as a parlour game, at best, and flat-out foolish at worst. People are likely to think of you as flighty, or silly, or into "old-hippie" stuff (as one poster so hilariously put it). The fact it, you'll get a raised eyebrow and an amused "oh yeah?" , or maybe even a less polite snicker. Derisive, for sure, though never mean or fearful.

Yurikome summed it up with

"Oh... you're into tarot... um... (god, and she seemed so smart)".

What is interesting is that when I am dealing with friends, or even friends of friends, there are far more believers than non-believers. When someone speaks to me in a private, non-judgemental, "safe" environment they usually admit that they think divination of this sort is possible. They often beg me for readings.
So I'd say that the public attitude is vastly different than the attitude of individuals in private.

Anyone else come accross this?



Great thread, BTW.

 

[EnriqueEnriquez]

"Oh... you're into tarot... um... (god, and she seemed so smart)". )

Brilliant!