So,
Let's talk about tarot.
Not scary tarot,
Not doom and gloom tarot,
Just tarot.
Because tarot has somehow ended up in this weird cultural space where it's either treated like a crystal ball that controls your fate,
Or like something you should whisper about so no one thinks you've joined a cult.
And neither of those are true.
Here's the thing I like to start with.
If tarot were actually dangerous,
It wouldn't be sold next to journals and candles at Barnes and Noble.
That alone should calm everyone down.
Most of the fear around tarot isn't about tarot at all.
It's about conditioning,
Religious fear,
Cultural fear,
The fear of being wrong,
The fear of being seen.
A lot of us were taught,
Explicitly or subtly,
That looking for answers outside of authority was bad.
That trusting your own inner voice was suspicious.
That curiosity itself could get you in trouble.
So when people see tarot cards,
What they're really reacting to is this idea of permission.
Permission to ask questions.
Permission to reflect.
Permission to sit with uncertainty instead of avoiding it.
And that makes people uncomfortable.
But here's what tarot actually is,
Stripped of the drama.
Tarot is a mirror,
A symbolic mirror.
It doesn't tell you what to do.
It doesn't override your free will.
It doesn't summon anything.
It doesn't decide your future.
It reflects patterns,
Emotional,
Psychological,
Energetic,
That are already present.
If you've ever journaled,
Gone to therapy,
Talked something out with a friend,
Or stared at the ceiling replaying a situation for the 400th time,
Congratulations.
You already understand tarot.
The cards just give your intuition something to talk to.
And honestly,
The artwork helps.
Another big taboo is this idea that tarot is about predicting the future,
Like,
Am I doomed?
Is this going to happen?
Is the card mad at me?
No.
The cards are not mad at you.
They don't even have emotions.
They're paper.
Tarot doesn't say,
This will happen.
Tarot says,
If you keep going the way you're going,
This is the vibe,
Which is actually empowering,
Because if you don't like the vibe,
You can change it.
That's where tarot gets misunderstood.
People think pulling cards means giving your power away,
When in reality,
Good tarot gives your power back.
It says,
Here's what you're carrying.
Here's what you're avoiding.
Here's what's asking for your attention.
What you do with that information,
That's on you.
And that's also why tarot works,
Even when you don't believe in it.
You don't have to believe in metaphysics to respond to symbols.
Your brain already does this all day long,
Dreams,
Movies,
Songs that hit way too hard at the wrong moment.
Tarot speaks the same language,
Metaphor and archetype.
It bypasses the part of the mind that wants to be in control and goes straight to the part that already knows what's going on.
Another thing I really want to normalize,
Tarot is not a spiritual shortcut.
It doesn't replace discernment,
It doesn't replace responsibility,
And it definitely doesn't replace living your life.
Healthy tarot is guarded,
Curious,
And flexible.
Unhealthy tarot is when people use it to avoid decisions,
Outsource authority,
Or stay stuck.
And that's not a tarot problem,
That's a boundary problem.
You don't blame the mirror if you don't like the reflection.
So let's remove this idea that tarot readers are mysterious gatekeepers with secret knowledge.
Most readers are just people who are good at noticing patterns,
Asking better questions,
And sitting with uncertainty without panicking.
Honestly,
That's a life skill.
And finally,
Here's the biggest taboo I want to gently dismantle.
You don't need tarot,
And tarot doesn't need defending.
Tarot is optional.
It's a tool,
A conversation starter,
A way to slow down and check in.
You can live a full,
Spiritual,
Grounded life without ever touching a deck.
And you can use tarot casually,
Intuitively,
Skeptically,
Playfully,
Without it defining you.
Lighting a candle doesn't make you a witch.
Pulling a card doesn't make you irresponsible.
And being curious doesn't make you dangerous.
So if tarot resonates with you,
Great.
If it doesn't,
Also great.
The goal isn't belief.
The goal is self-trust.
And tarot,
At its best,
Is just one more way to practice that.
Very low stakes.
Very human.
Very chill.
