Can't decide whether to use Tarot or not...

[Anguisette]

The spiritual world has always been present in the life of my family, and has had both negative and positive affects on our life. That being said, I am also a very emotionally sensitive woman. I am very interested in learning tarot, however am afraid of evil presences clouding my intuition and/or judgement in reading tarot. I also want to have a balance between understanding the cards and practicing my own free will, so as not to become mislead/misguided/obsessed by my practice of reading the cards.

I used to embody the Christian faith, but over the years have come to realize that I recognize a single higher power, but do not affiliate it with the God of the bible. I have found myself spiritually wandering and am searching for a sense of grounding.

I feel as if Tarot will either give me that spiritual connection, or further distance me from it (based on my emotional vulnerability). Tarot has also been very interesting to me for some time now, and I am intrigued by its nature and practice.

Any thoughts on whether I should pursue Tarot?

 

[lalalibra]

Hello Anguisette, and welcome to AT!

I think that the answer depends on your view of Tarot. You do seem to express that Tarot will give you opportunities to become more receptive, and I do think that's true. But you're fearing that Tarot will make you receptive to "evil" or "lower" energies that will cloud your readings. I do not think that this is necessary to worry about. I think that Tarot is a reflection, very much like looking in the mirror. The cards can't bring out what isn't already present in you. I personally believe that it doesn't matter if we label some energy as outside of ourselves or not; it doesn't change the fact that what matters is what we can learn about ourselves. If anything uncomfortable should arise, it is something that was already lingering under the surface, and needed to be worked on. Coming to know your fears is crucial in the process of liberating yourself from them, to see above them, and I think that is key to nurturing a spiritual connection.

The Tarot contains cards with names such as "The Devil" and "Death." If you don't feel comfortable with those subjects, then you may not be well prepared to looking at them more objectively in relation to your life experience... The Tarot reflects the human/spiritual experience, and it would be incomplete without those cards.

If that makes you nervous, then perhaps you can start out with a deck that you're more comfortable with? There are plenty of non-Tarot oracle decks that you could start with to get used to using cards in general. But I do say that Tarot is just as wonderful of a starting point. I started with Tarot myself...

If you feel it's necessary, many people do say prayers before they read as a sort of ritual. For example, to ask that the reading come forth from a place of loving wisdom and for the highest good, and so forth. There are plenty of resources out there that teach methods for grounding/protecting your energy. It's all about your intention.

I'm an empath, so I'm a very sensitive person myself, but I don't think it makes me any less able to stomach life. If anything, your sensitivity is a very useful trait that could actually really help you. It's not a limitation unless you make it so. You can handle anything. There's no reason to hide from that which you're attracted to; you could just end up missing out on a life-changing, enriching experience.

Once again, it's all about your intention... If you want to grow, then the Tarot will certainly help you. In my experience, Tarot has been a wonderful tool in my spirituality, which I personally define as the pursuit of self-knowledge.

 

[ravenest]

If you are 'emotionally sensitive' and feel the 'spiritual world' can have a negative effect on you and your family, are 'afraid of evil presences', think it possible you may " become mislead/misguided/obsessed by my practice ", are an ex-Christian and say you have "emotional vulnerability" I would not recommend it.

 

[werewolfmoon]

If you are 'emotionally sensitive' and feel the 'spiritual world' can have a negative effect on you and your family, are 'afraid of evil presences', think it possible you may " become mislead/misguided/obsessed by my practice ", are an ex-Christian and say you have "emotional vulnerability" I would not recommend it.

I would agree with Ravenest on this one, perhaps try to get in touch with your spiritual side, commune with nature and develop your intuition first before you try the Tarot.

I'm a practising Wiccan and I've found the Tarot to be an invaluable tool on my personal path, I follow the light and the Lady and haven't had anything negative happen at all. I do abide by the Wiccan Reed and also Buddhist teachings as well. It has been very empowering for me as a woman.

 

[Richard]

The spiritual world is no more intrinsic to Tarot than it is to a can opener. The only spiritual 'presences' in a Tarot deck are those which you put there yourself. If you are uneasy about how you will react to Tarot, maybe you should leave it off for awhile, at least until you gain more confidence in yourself.

On the other hand, Tarot can mirror your true (or higher) self, which in turn is a mirror of the universe: 'As above, so below.' I believe that understanding one's inner self is what spiritual development is all about: 'The kingdom of God is within you.' Tarot can be a great help in one's spiritual quest.

Take up Tarot only if and when you feel ready for it.

 

[Alta]

I agree. If it worries you this much, then now is probably not the right time to take it up, if ever. You have to take care of your own peace of mind above all and clearly you find the idea too disturbing.

 

[Chimera Dust]

I don't think there's a single right or wrong answer to your questions, and some of them seem more dependent on your own beliefs on the Tarot than anything else. We can give you our own opinions based on our own experiences and beliefs, but it's ultimately your choice.

I'll start with the easiest part, your fear of evil presences.

Personally, I see the Tarot as a tool like any other. When you write a story or read a book, you can get things wrong -- make grammatical mistakes, for example, or accidentally skip a word and not understand a sentence very well. That doesn't mean that you were momentarily possessed by evil spirits, just that you were distracted, inexperienced, etc., and also that as a human being you won't get everything right all of the time in your life.

If evil presences are a part of your belief system, I assume that good or neutral ones are too, and that they are as capable of communicating with you through the Tarot as well, no? Maybe it would help you to focus on that. It could also help you keep your peace of mind if you do whatever you personally believe will protect you, whether that's saying a prayer or keeping an amulet around.

I should also note that you don't have to use the Tarot for spiritual purposes like divination. You can use it as a tool to learn more about yourself or simply as something new to learn about, by doing more "mundane" readings or using the cards as a starting point for reflection. There are also things like storytelling spreads. How you use the cards is really up to you.

Next: your fear that you might let go of your free will and get stuck doing something based on an erroneous reading. That's completely understandable. You can do a variety of different things with the cards, not just read about your future. When I do that, I don't really see the cards as telling me what WILL happen, but what is most likely to happen based on the present. I find it helpful to add to my readings something about different possible outcomes based on different courses of action, as well as asking for advice on how to change a possible outcome. All of this depends on how you think of the cards and what you do with them. There's no right or wrong answer because it's a personal thing.

Finally, your concern that this will be a negative experience for you because you're a very sensitive person. My usual rule is to not read about things I don't want to get answer for or if one of the possible answers is something I wouldn't want to hear. That might help you. You're also free to do more lighthearted readings that won't shake you up very much emotionally. Lots of people feel like their readings with certain decks also sound rather blunt or harsh. Maybe you could take that into account when choosing your deck(s); not what others think of them, but how the artwork and imagery feels to you, and what you believe would be best for you right now.

If you're very susceptible to things or are afraid of becoming anxious or scared over something, maybe you should reconsider. In my opinion, there's nothing particularly scary about the Tarot. However, if it scares YOU, then maybe it's not your cup of tea.

Based on your post, maybe you should wait until you're more comfortable, but it's a short post on a forum and it doesn't make me an authority on your life. If your fears are coming across as being stronger than they really are and you're more comfortable with it than you sound, get into it slowly. Work at your own pace, set your own boundaries and decide whether to stick with them (stop if you're feeling seriously uncomfortable or unwell), and so what feels right to you. It could also help to find someone reputable in your area who can give you feedback, find an open-minded friend who can snap you out of it if you start getting too caught up in it, or, if none of these are possible, you can always post here if you're afraid of something and we'll tell you our own experiences and help you out.

There's so much within the world of Tarot that it's hard to tell whether it's for you or not. I don't want to lie and pretend that any of us knows what's best for your own circumstances.

EDIT: Another idea, it might be easier for you to decide if you learn about the Tarot as much as possible beforehand. Read a few threads here in this forum, for example. It's probably less daunting to figure out whether it's for you if you know a bit about what it entails.

 

[VGimlet]

Some readers find it has a spiritual side, but I am one that sees it as a tool, with only as much spirituality as reader gives to it.

If you are nervous, I would say no, at least for now.

 

[Nemia]

I don't have to add much only: maybe you should look out for oracle cards, preferably with an iconographic background that you view as positive, empowering and reassuring, i.e., angels. Or you might like images from the natural world.

Death and Devil in the Tarot are metaphors and cannot take over your life. But if you Christian upbringing has left you with fears and superstitions about the cards, you should avoid them until you can see them objectively for what they are. Cardboard pieces with reproductions of works of art, where artists have expressed their personal interpretation of traditional archetypes. These archetypes are present in our lives anyway but seeing them expressed in the traditional language of the tarot might disturb you - for now.

If you find a lovely, non-threatening and non-tarot-traditional oracle deck, you might get to know the work with cards and the many opportunities they offer - without the negative associations.

Our inner mind, our dreams and our information-receptive system all work with pictures and images. Why do many people prefer a graph to a list of numbers? Because images give immediate insight, and at the same time, offer a wide field of associations. It's called visual communication.

By working with images rather than words to explore your inner world and your relations with the outer world, you simply widen the scope. Oracle decks and tarot cards are tools of visual communication - with yourself, the world and other people.

Just look through the oracle deck section of AT and wait until a deck of cards looks interesting to you and resonates with your experiences or inner images. That would be my advice. You may also wait for some time and return to the cards dilemma later.

Using tarot cards when not ready for tarot might put you off forever. And that would be a pity.

 

[Apollonia]

The spiritual world has always been present in the life of my family, and has had both negative and positive affects on our life. That being said, I am also a very emotionally sensitive woman. I am very interested in learning tarot, however am afraid of evil presences clouding my intuition and/or judgement in reading tarot. I also want to have a balance between understanding the cards and practicing my own free will, so as not to become mislead/misguided/obsessed by my practice of reading the cards.

I used to embody the Christian faith, but over the years have come to realize that I recognize a single higher power, but do not affiliate it with the God of the bible. I have found myself spiritually wandering and am searching for a sense of grounding.

I feel as if Tarot will either give me that spiritual connection, or further distance me from it (based on my emotional vulnerability). Tarot has also been very interesting to me for some time now, and I am intrigued by its nature and practice.

Any thoughts on whether I should pursue Tarot?

Three thoughts. Reading through your post, my first recommendation would be that you learn more about working with your empathic abilities before studying Tarot, as being so open as you describe yourself to be is just not a good place to start any type of metaphysical study from. A book on empath empowerment such as "Become the Most Important Person in the Room" by Rose Rosetree might be helpful.

My second recommendation is to work on raising your energetic vibration, because the higher your vibration, the fewer low entities want to mess with you; it's just not a comfortable place for them to linger (kind of like a barfly having to endure a night at the opera). Working with angelic energy is a great place to begin, so if you are interested in working with an oracle, an angel oracle might be very appropriate.

Third, if you do decide to study Tarot, I would recommend working with a very solid, down to earth mentor or teacher when you are first learning, preferably someone who has read Tarot for a long time and seems to have experienced no ill effects from it, because I feel that given the questions you posted, you might continue to have some misgivings about working with the Tarot as you go along, and it would be helpful to have an ally who can address your concerns as they come up.