Do you keep your Tarot doing a secret?

Horse_Warrior said:

If his father told him the rules of the house was to go steal from a neighbor does he have to follow them? He's learning to read not to become a satanist. I've seen really good kids with talents and gifts being taken away from them because it didn't fit the parents image. Reading is a gift and not bad. My advice kid is keep reading even if you have to do it away from the house. Try going to the local library and hide the cards somewhere in the stacks. I allowed my family to steal my gift from me for too many years. When I took back my power I became more grateful and happier with the divine/my life and they still are a bunch of miserable blokes.

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I doubt Nisaba was suggesting squashing his talents or giving away his power - but rather, was more on the lines of what you have proffered here.

As has been discussed at length, and with some heat in this thread - compromise and full self expression, when one is living under someone elses roof, or working in an environment where sticking your head up means it could get chopped of - this can be a lot trickier than we'd all like it to be (and perhaps know it should be).

Im fairly new to tarot but I have been open to my husband and kids plus extended family and all have been supportive also most of them have asked for readings or I've asked them if i could practice read for them and they love it. Ive only told close friends which they have no problem too. My dad is the only one against it so I don't really discuss anything tarot or even spiritual to him as he gets a bit annoyed as its all a "load of rubbish" but at the same time he doesn't tell me to stop and just sees it as part of me and my different personality and interests plus I don't live with him so there isn't much he could do about it anyhow I don't have tarot friends local or at all so its nice to read about it here with you all as I dont mention it to other people outside my family/close friend circle but I think its more fear of not knowing what their reaction will be or them seeing me as some crazy woo woo lady . If you were to come in my house though you would see my cards as i don't hide them.

My mom knows all about it. She's the one that got me into tarot in the first place. She's read for years and I've always wanted to learn from her and develop the skill for myself.

My fiancé knows I've been getting into tarot and learning from my mom. He thinks it's cool. I haven't asked to read for him as I am still learning and I get the impression he's happy I have a hobby that really interests me but probably inst interested in it for himself.

I don't discuss it with co-workers or other people unless they were to ever talk about it first. I get the feeling people who aren't "into" tarot view it as fortune telling, a joke, or even witchcraft. I'm more than happy to enjoy my craft privately than open it up for ridicule from those who don't understand it.

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My little secret

Learning and reading tarot is my little secret. I only read for myself, and strangely enough, they're usually spot on. I enjoy it especially when I feel the calling to read or life becomes hectic - I find shuffling a deck relaxes me.

I sure do; the Aquarius-Virgo that I'm with threw my first set of cards away.

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Yes and no. My family thinks it's utter nonsense - not evil or anything, just new-age wackadoo. I'm open about it with my friends, and will read for them if they ask. I'd like to be more open about it, to find a place to sit and do readings, but right now I live in the sort of conservative 'christian' town that would probably disapprove of exposing themselves to the woo-woos.

barefootlife said:

My family thinks it's utter nonsense - not evil or anything, just new-age wackadoo.

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If you change "family" to "most friends & acquaintances" this is pretty much the situation I'm in.

My life is absolutely filled with very (wonderful!) rational, scientific, strict-materialist, down-to-earth empiricists, so I play the part of the same in my daily life. Heck, I AM the same much of the time, when I'm not giving attention to my esoteric interests and therefore suspending disbelief. They'd just think I'm a bit looney or uneducated or gullible if they knew the extent of my pursuits.

I tend to emphasize my tarot collection ("I love the artwork", "what fun history!"). Or I give a practical blurb about how tarot isn't magic, but the "magic" is how our brains are forced to think outside the box and make new connections between ideas based on a random fall of cards. About how much of a psychological self-help tool it can be.

All true, right? And yet...

Barleywine said:

Is there anything more smug and condescending than the dismissive "I'll pray for you"? My fundamentalist sister-in-law uses it on my wife when they disagree on a religious topic, and it makes my skin crawl. She is convinced that we use tarot or astrology to make every decision in life, and has no clue about the subtleties; if the Bible says it's wrong (or she thinks it does, anyway), case closed. There can be no dialogue when one party is convinced of their moral superiority.

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Haha. Fundamentalists are rubes; they're totally divorced from their mystical roots and they don't even know it.

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tapasr_57772aeb7 said:

I sure do; the Aquarius-Virgo that I'm with threw my first set of cards away.

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That's really mean! I can understand how some people don't like or understand that tarot but to throw out someone else's belongings? Ugh, that makes me so mad. And considering how some people have vintage and hard to find decks, they could be irreplaceable.

I wouldn't exactly call it a secret really. It's more like I have no reason to disclose it. It's my business, and no one else needs to know it unless I feel like sharing it. We all have things about ourselves that we keep in our own confidences, which is a good thing. We can't go telling everyone everything. This would just cause problems. I used to be of the mind that it is inauthentic to not share things that are important to oneself, but then I just had continual pointless repetitive problems. If someone is prejudiced against something, and I know this, it is just causing drama to reveal it to them unnecessarily. That's different than being in denial about it. If the topic comes up and they were to be calling it evil, I would present my side of the story, but not really indicate my full involvement or interest. I will just leave them to wonder and make their own assessments. They have a right to their own opinions, but so do I, and I don't need to open myself to senseless problems.

I guess that's one of the things I have learned in my life, people aren't always ready to hear something. When they aren't ready or open to it, often needless drama is generated. That understanding sort of tempers that desire for complete disclosure and authenticity in all moments. It's a fine value, but untempered by others it leads to trouble.

This doesn't really press upon my mind much as tarot is a much less controversial aspect of my life and knowledge base that I keep, in comparison to a plethora of others. I think people often feel pressured to share secrets because when you share them it is possible for you to get new ideas, opinions, and reactions from others. It sparks creativity and growth, so we often want to share secrets to create and move forward. The problem is that when you know that those opinions, ideas, and reactions are going to be negativity, hate, confusion, fear, etc., its just better to not share for your own good and for the good of those around you. It's just not worth it.