Secular Tarot Uses and Popularity?

[Ammers]

I was just wondering how common it is for people to use tarot as an entirely secular practice for the purposes of mindfulness exercises, meditation, self therapy, mental health, shadow work, creative inspiration, etc, with no relation to spirituality at all. I'm agnostic myself and I of course respect all beliefs, and I even completely understand and can teach how to use tarot in a spiritual context. However I feel like there is a TON of untapped potential in tarot for all kinds of uses such as psychology and therapy. For instance the Root Lock Radio podcast has a GREAT learning series of episodes and he is a practicing psychotherapist who uses tarot with his clients. Another example: Lisa Freinkel, the author of Mindful Tarot, is a PHD who implemented a tarot-based stress reduction program for students at a college in Oregon. I've personally found it especially useful when talking to my cousin's kids about their lives. Looking at the pictures while talking helps them explore their feelings and articular themselves. I'm curious about the community's thoughts on this topic?

Edited February 25, 2020 by Ammers

[geoxena]

Well, I'm an agnostic non-theist and don't see tarot as anything other than a tool to gain insights and help me tap into my intuition.  I don't attach any spiritual beliefs or meanings to the cards at all, and use them for self-reflection and self-growth when reading for myself.  My hopes when reading for others is that they gain those things from it like I do, but if a sitter attached religious or spiritual significance to the reading, that's their perspective and I allow room for it but I generally couldn't comment on it.

 

It was interesting when, recently, I was asked to do a reading for someone wanting to renew their spiritual practice.  At first I felt I would be quite inept at reading for something like that, but then I realized they were asking what they needed to focus on to get back into it, not about spirituality itself, so I felt I could do that kind of reading.  To me, it would be the same as asking what to focus on to get back into a yoga practice, or art-making, or an exercise routine, etc.  The feedback I got was positive, so I think I did alright!

 

 

Edited February 25, 2020 by geoxena

[Ammers]

@geoxena Thanks for sharing-- Self insight is another big one for me too. I like your comparison to yoga and other personal hobbies that have a bit of ritual-ish or spiritual vibe. Glad to hear that reading went well!

[and_it_spoke]

Amen to both of you.

 

I believe that the best one can be is agnostic (none of really 'know') but Tarot can fill a psychological and spiritual need, often simultaneously.

 

The images on these cards, aside from being very Jungian and archetypal can do the religious job of what I call "knocking you out of your head" for a minute. It's the same formula utilized in traditional religious ceremonies practices. But instead of incense, chant, altered lighting and iconic imagery you get a flip of a card impacting your subconscious with an archetypal image that knock you out of your head for a split second. That alteration in perception, that mental sudden gear-shift, can give you a new perspective on the situation at hand.

 

Whether it be personal, spiritual or material.

 

So using tarot for secular pursuits is just as legitimate as using it for spiritual or divinatory or whatever uses. That moment of a forced perspective shift can open possibilities on just about any mental endeavor.

[Grandma]

5 hours ago, Ammers said:

I was just wondering how common it is for people to use tarot as an entirely secular practice for the purposes of mindfulness exercises, meditation, self therapy, mental health, shadow work, creative inspiration, etc, with no relation to spirituality at all.

For me, all of these things, far from having no relation to spirituality at all, are of their very essence spiritual, in that they strengthen and inform my conscious connection with Spirit that lives within me and within which I live.  I also believe that when I read Tarot I am connecting with Spirit in the way that a musician connects to Music and an artist to Art.

 

5 hours ago, Ammers said:

However I feel like there is a TON of untapped potential in tarot for all kinds of uses such as psychology and therapy.

Absolutely, no matter what one does or does not believe! My therapist doesn't use Tarot himself but he is interested in my experiences and I often show him my readings. His mother read Tarot so he grew up knowing about it and its value. His father was a surgeon so science was a big part of his life as well. He says this led to many interesting dinner table conversations!

 

2 hours ago, and_it_spoke said:

I believe that the best one can be is agnostic (none of really 'know')

The whole point of faith is that it is belief without proof.  You get to decide what is important for you, but please don't tell me that I would be better if I were an agnostic.  The more deeply I understand my connection to Spirit, the more I move toward my best self.  I don't presume to suggest that others do the same.  Now perhaps I am being unfairly harsh.  Maybe you meant that the most practical one can be is agnostic, or the most pragmatic.  I won't argue, but I personally find a life of practicality and pragmatism less joyful than the life I have.

 

I don't want to hijack this thread.  There have been many discussions about spirituality in the forum and there will be many more.  I just felt it was important to say.

 

 

[gregory]

I have never used tarot in any non-secular way. Nor shall I. I don't believe in any kind of god, end of.

 

And I absolutely agree that those who have such a belief get to decide that that is important to them, Grandma  We all do our own thing, with whatever beliefs we may bring to it all.

[Arania]

I can never be non-spiritual, as especially meditation, but also therapy and self exploration is all spiritual, as per definition it affects our minds (or souls if that's a better word for some) and so it can't be separated. Tarot is more a tool for self development for me in any case.

 

Tarot can be completely removed from any religion, of course. I think for the majority of people it is.

[and_it_spoke]

5 hours ago, Grandma said:

The whole point of faith is that it is belief without proof.  You get to decide what is important for you, but please don't tell me that I would be better if I were an agnostic.  The more deeply I understand my connection to Spirit, the more I move toward my best self.  I don't presume to suggest that others do the same.  Now perhaps I am being unfairly harsh.  Maybe you meant that the most practical one can be is agnostic, or the most pragmatic. 

You are 100% correct. My comment was more towards the semantic side.

 

I am very spiritual, and strive to connect more deeply the what connects us ('Brahman' is my preferred nomenclature). But when it comes down to it, none of can say we know for sure. I would not presume that my path is 'known'. In fact surrendering to not knowing has brought me much more spiritual fulfillment then times when I was a part of a community that claimed to know the way.

[sixdegrees]

I would say that I approach tarot from a mostly secular perspective. In essence, when people ask how tarot "works," I tell them that people see what they need to see and hear what they need to hear in a reading. It's like an inkblot. Different people will gravitate toward different details in the same spread of cards, and that's fine because that's what they need to do to find and experience a different understanding of their situation. It's simple, really.

[geoxena]

9 hours ago, and_it_spoke said:

So using tarot for secular pursuits is just as legitimate as using it for spiritual or divinatory . . .

This gave me a chuckle because your statement would only hold true for those who consider spiritual or divinatory usage as legit.  Obviously, not everyone does.  I don't need to compare secular usage of the tarot to anything else to know it is legit for me.

 

 

Edited February 26, 2020 by geoxena

[Raggydoll]

13 hours ago, Ammers said:

@geoxena Thanks for sharing-- Self insight is another big one for me too. I like your comparison to yoga and other personal hobbies that have a bit of ritual-ish or spiritual vibe. Glad to hear that reading went well!

I just wanted to make a note that yoga, in it’s true sense, is not about postures or exercise. In the Yoga sutras, the topic of asanas constitute 2 percent of the text. It’s a spiritual belief system and a spiritual practice. And the postures are done entirely for spiritual purposes 🙂

[Arania]

13 hours ago, Grandma said:

The whole point of faith is that it is belief without proof. 

 

 

Just to point out, spirituality does not need to be based on faith. It isn't for me. Faith, as in believing something blindly without proof, will never work for me. I'm Buddhist, too, and the Buddha clearly stated to never trust only what others say, but rely your own experiences.

 

So, "my Tarot" is not at all faith based despite leaning heavily towards the spiritual side. But as I already said, meditation and self development count as spiritual for me.

[Raggydoll]

1 minute ago, Arania said:

Just to point out, spirituality does not need to be based on faith. It isn't for me. Faith, as in believing something blindly without proof, will never work for me. I'm Buddhist, too, and the Buddha clearly stated to never trust only what others say, but rely your own experiences.

 

So, "my Tarot" is not at all faith based despite leaning heavily towards the spiritual side. But as I already said, meditation and self development count as spiritual for me.

This. I would not classify myself as buddhist but I have the utmost respect for Buddhas teachings and I very much agree that its important to not just go by faith. But I do understand that this is not the way most organized religions work. Hence I do not belong to any organized religions. 

 

But to answer the actual question: I use tarot for both secular and spiritual purposes. For myself and others. And I know many atheist or agnostic readers. Its all good 🙂

 

 

[and_it_spoke]

10 hours ago, geoxena said:

This gave me a chuckle because your statement would only hold true for those who consider spiritual or divinatory usage as legit.  Obviously, not everyone does.  I don't need to compare secular usage of the tarot to anything else to know it is legit for me.

 

 

 

I'm saying that if it is a usage that brings personal satisfaction and meaning to an individual, it is a legit reason.

 

To deem usages as "not OK" based on spiritual/supernatural/scientific/psychological/etc. views that you might not share is silly. You don't have to agree with it or endorse it. For example, iif someone finds tarot cards to be the best for card house building... that's a legit use to me. Regardless of how I use the deck.

 

Please bear I mind that I am talking about uses for the deck that do not involve intentionally fraudulent or harmful behavior. I would assume that to be obvious, but y'know… Internet.

[katrinka]

3 hours ago, Arania said:

Faith, as in believing something blindly without proof, will never work for me.

This. 
And I do use the cards in a secular manner - but not for any kind of psychological, Jungian-type stuff. I'm a fortuneteller. The two are not mutually exclusive.
There is no faith involved in what I do. I've seen it work again and again. It "shouldn't" work, but it does. I suspect it has something to do with the nature of time. There are some interesting theories on time. 😉

[devin]

To me, divination (in the generic and modern sense of the world) and fortunetelling are entirely secular and have been for a long time (in the west, anyway). Maybe you mean not so much secular as psychological? If so, this has been big since at least the eighties - Mary Greer, etc. Or maybe you mean a tarot practice entirely free of woo? Then perhaps we should call this materialist or positivist tarot? If so, Jung might have to be thrown out with the bathwater. 

Edited February 26, 2020 by devin

[Grandma]

5 hours ago, Arania said:

Just to point out, spirituality does not need to be based on faith. It isn't for me. Faith, as in believing something blindly without proof, will never work for me. I'm Buddhist, too, and the Buddha clearly stated to never trust only what others say, but rely your own experiences.

I don't believe anything blindly and I rely on my own experiences.  I'm not talking about faith as accepting an organized dogma.  I'm talking about my personal connection to something within and around me.  I can't prove it but I believe it.  I hope that you did not mean to sound condescending, but the addition of the word "blindly" completely changed my meaning.  And I never said anything about trusting only what others say, or anything at all about what others say.  

 

Much of my spiritual belief system is based in Buddhism and my teacher is Buddhist, by the way, but long before I discovered these teachings I learned never to trust anything only because someone told me I should.  And it should also be noted that a conviction that there is no higher power is also based on something that cannot be proved.  Everyone gets to decide for themselves and calling people blind is not helpful or respectful.  The same word is often used to convince others that there is a god and I don't care for that either.  

 

My use of Tarot is completely separate from any religion, which is different than saying it is not spiritual.  For me it is.  For some others it is, and for some others it is not.  All fine with me.  I was not trying to start a debate.  I was just trying to answer the question: 

On 2/25/2020 at 10:40 AM, Ammers said:

I'm curious about the community's thoughts on this topic?

Edited to add that I did not mean to suggest that everyone who accepts an organized dogma does so blindly.

 

Edited again to add that my use of the word "dogma" is incorrect.  Sorry.  I meant an organized set of beliefs, dogmatic or otherwise.

  

Edited February 26, 2020 by Grandma

[2curious]

I think folks are getting hung up on the word faith. Faith, for me anyway, is synonymous with belief. If you believe something, you have faith in it irrespective of religion. 

[2curious]

To me, the cards are nothing more than pictures on cardstock that allow us to communicate in a universal way. We think in pictures, not words. I can tell someone I have a dog, and, that person will think of a dog, not the word d-o-g. 

[katrinka]

On 2/26/2020 at 6:58 PM, 2curious said:

We think in pictures, not words. I can tell someone I have a dog, and, that person will think of a dog, not the word d-o-g. 

Actually, I do get words popping into my mind, not just pictures. Printed and spoken words, bits of songs...it's a jumble.
It's fairly uncommon for people to think ONLY in pictures.
 

 

[Raggydoll]

On 2/27/2020 at 1:58 AM, 2curious said:

To me, the cards are nothing more than pictures on cardstock that allow us to communicate in a universal way. We think in pictures, not words. I can tell someone I have a dog, and, that person will think of a dog, not the word d-o-g. 

I think both in words and in pictures, and I don’t think that’s especially uncommon. About 2-3 percent of the worlds population also lacks the ability to visualize (the condition is called Aphantasia). That means that 140 million+ people won’t be able to picture a dog when you say “dog”. So it’s complicated, and people are only trying to convey how they see or think about faith. 

 

[geoxena]

One reason I was a spelling bee champion as a kid is the fact that I saw the words spelled out in my mind.  I'm also very visually oriented and see pictures, but words, too - probably equally as much.  For example, if someone with an unusual name introduces themselves, or I learn a new word in a foreign language, I immediately picture how it's spelled and I must know how it is spelled before I try pronouncing it, or I get frustrated.  With languages, if I can see the roots, suffixes, and prefixes in my mind then I can make sense of it.

 

And yes, I "met" someone on another forum recently with aphantasia.  She said she always thought the term "mind's eye" and whenever people talked about "picturing something" in their head, that they were talking metaphorically.  She was absolutely shocked to discover that other people actually can visualize and see pictures in their minds because she cannot and never could.

[DanielJUK]

Using tarot for self-help or self-analysis and decision making is very popular right now and it's totally a secular usage of it!

But I came to tarot as totally an atheist and using it a personal tool has made me find my spirituality which was a bit of a revelation! You can use tarot and divination to fit your beliefs (or non beliefs), just make it fit around you and find methods that work for you and don't repeat things that don't. I used it in a self-help way for myself and it really helped me connect with my sub-conscious and intuition, which I had repressed all my life. Because of this I found my metaphysical side and thankful for that. I don't think it's a journey that will happen to everyone but didn't expect that to happen for me 🙂

Edited February 29, 2020 by DanielJUK

[stephanelli]

On 2/27/2020 at 12:58 AM, 2curious said:

To me, the cards are nothing more than pictures on cardstock that allow us to communicate in a universal way.

I totally agree with this part.

 

I use tarot for any use.  Mundane daily activities.  Creative inspiration. Spiritual guidance.  I think a lot of our friends on how you personally define the difference between spiritual uses and secular uses.  It's a complicated line and I think it varies for everyone.

On 2/27/2020 at 12:58 AM, 2curious said:

We think in pictures, not words. I can tell someone I have a dog, and, that person will think of a dog, not the word d-o-g. 

I can't think in pictures.  I have never seen a picture in my mind.  I think it's why I take many photographs of places I've been so don't forget them.  I think in sounds mainly.  That is I hear the words and music in my mind, not a picture of the word.  If I close my eyes, its only ever darkness.  Whenever someone says 'minds eye', I've always thought a better name would be the 'minds ear'.

[Marigold]

16 hours ago, geoxena said:

 

 

And yes, I "met" someone on another forum recently with aphantasia.  She said she always thought the term "mind's eye" and whenever people talked about "picturing something" in their head, that they were talking metaphorically.  She was absolutely shocked to discover that other people actually can visualize and see pictures in their minds because she cannot and never could.

That was maybe me. Am Diana on the other forum and I posted about this condition and did a reading on it so see how it's affected my outlook and vision on life.  When I close my eyes and try and picture something, there's nothing there. 

Edited February 29, 2020 by Marigold