Tarot: Tool of Satan? or Intuitive Lightworker's BFF?
Actually working up the courage to apply for the class was not an easy decision, though. I knew how my family and the fundamentalist Christian community would react, but for a year leading up to this, I saw sign after sign that tarot can be used as an invaluable tool for the intuitive and reflective life. Days before course registration closed, I surrendered myself in prayer and left the decision in God's hands: If tarot could be used as the tool of light that I had been searching for, then I would somehow find myself in the class. Otherwise, I asked that the opportunity float on by.
As you may have guessed, things aligned perfectly and I ended up in the tarot course after receiving a scholarship, but of course, my core social circles didn't see this development as such a good thing.
"Disturbed and disappointed,
"Concerned for my spiritual safety,
"Tool of the Devil,
"Knocking on the door of evil," were a few phrases I heard from well-meaning family members and friends who heard that I was delving into tarot. I certainly understood where they were coming from. The Bible notes that fortune-telling divination is to be avoided by those seeking God. However, I reminded them that the Bible makes no mention of tarot cards.
Falling into the trap of judging a tool as either good or evil is pretty short sighted. Consider a weapon, like a bow or a gun: It's a dangerous tool, yes, and it can be used for great evil. It can cause tragedies. It can enable lost souls to bring chaos and terror into the world. But the gun itself is not evil. A gun--wielded responsibly--is a very helpful tool for hunting and protection. It can defend boundaries. It can make the carrier feel safer and more autonomous. Regardless of politics, the tool itself is not evil; it is the intention with which a tool is wielded that determines it's energetic trajectory. By setting strong personal boundaries as to how I use tarot, I have no fear of spiritual danger.
With these arguments in hand, I tried to quell the concerns of my loved ones. It didn't work, but I stuck to my guns and attended the Introduction to Tarot course openly regardless of their disapproval. For 8 weeks I showed up in class, I did all of the homework, and I fully committed to the process--and now that it is finished I feel it's time to report back from a more informed and experienced place. So if you are a person of faith or a skeptic intuitive who is unsure whether or not tarot is a possible tool for you, I hope that these little insights can point you in a healthy direction.
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1. Since the Bible is clear about avoiding fortune-telling, how can someone of Christian faith use this tool?
Tarot is a tool that can be used in totally individual, personalized ways. You do not need to be a psychic or fortune-teller. Everyone practices differently!
Personally, I have made the decision to avoid using tarot readings for fortune-telling purposes, or for prying into the secret lives of other people. Instead, pulling cards gives me an opportunity to reflect on my own energy in the moment. I like to do daily card pulls or tarot spreads as prayer prompts, journal prompts, or as indicators of the upcoming challenges I *might* face in my day. Rather than assuming that the cards are predicting my future, I take them as a personal challenge or encouragement, answering the questions, "How can I be my best self today?" "How can I best address the problems that are on my immediate horizon?" and "What should I remember to be grateful for today?" To me, tarot is a great tool for personal reflection and guidance as I journey toward my Higher Self and become more like Christ.
2. Why can't you just pray like a normal Christian? Why do you need to add the cards for prompts?
Well, I don't need to, but it's pretty helpful! It's not always easy to remember to pray throughout the day, and sometimes my prayer life becomes stagnant. Using tarot to connect to the Divine in simple, tangible, day to day ways brings both structure and ease to my prayers.
Besides, how does a quote-un-quote normal Christian pray? Catholics and Protestants pray differently. Many people like to pray outdoors in the presence of God's creation while others only pray within the four walls of the church. Some prayers are songs. Each person has a different walk of faith and that is a beautiful thing. Taking our faith practices into our own hands is how we truly get to know both God and ourselves.
3. Aren't you concerned about contacting evil spirits or communicating with the Dead by accident when you ask tarot cards for answers?
Nope. Personally, no, not at all. The reason why is because I am very clear about who it is that I am asking. The Bible says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." Being clear about whose door you are knocking on is key. I do not vaguely ask the cards to provide me with insights. Instead, I pray to Creator God, Jesus, the Holy Ghost, several Saints who are close to my heart, my Bright and Well Ancestor Guide, my Higher Self, and my Guardian Angels before each and every tarot reading. I am asking them for guidance, not a vague spiritual presence.
For those who choose to use tarot in other ways, it is certainly possible to commune with other spirits including the Departed and possibly even demonic forces, but that is not a part of my practice. Once again, intention is key.
4. If you are involved in other intuitive practices already, why get into tarot as well?
As an intuitive, tarot is profoundly grounding. Maybe it's just me, but as powerful as they are, I find that dreamwork and shamanic journeying can leave me floating around in high-vibe space at times. I have been traveling down a road of spiritual awakening for several years--scooping up one practice after another--and out of all of them, tarot is the most grounding and tangible practice I've found. It brings the ethereal into the physical world and elevates the mundane into the hands of God.
Tarot has stabilized my intuitive practices in a way that allows me to flourish without flying further and further into space. I still love visioning, and dreamwork has always been my bread and butter, but now I add a tarot spread chaser to crystallize everything and bring my revelations into reality.
Want to know more about tarot? Laurel Flynn is a great teacher and I can't recommend her enough. Additionally, check out Brittany Muller's work as @blessed.vigil on Instagram and read some of her posts about Tarot & Christianity. She was one of the first people who really opened my eyes to the beautiful tool that is Tarot.
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