Banned?!!!

As a small business owner, with 22+ employees, I would not want my employees to read tarot cards at work. If however, we had a break room that was separate from the customers (which we do not), I wouldn't care what they read with.

Tarot cards being evil is an oximoron. They do work, don't they? That scares people.

Hey, when I had the jewelry/art gallery I used to sit right there and play with my cards all the time. No customer dare say boo about them!

However, the corporate world still sucks! It's backwoods and horrible in so many ways. Meanwhile, the JW's sit there with their WatchTower (The Tower, ha!) and it's over looked.

I give you a lot of credit for standing up for yourself. Good for you.

I worked for many years and while reading a Bible by myself would have normally been tolerated- engaging in Bible study with another person would not have been. This may be part of the area of concern. So I disagree with the sweeping generalization that Bible readers etc would always be accepted. In many places they are not. People who like to read on their breaks do it alone and don't involve others.
Generally on my break I could read what i pleased, however the last few years I worked I wore dream catchers and other type jewelry . I was denounced by a fellow employee as being involved with the devil. I understand very Fundy religions and their thinking on this issue- having been one of them most of my life. The terror runs deep.
If it was me I'd worry about keeping my job. If you have good relationships there and are otherwise happy I would not bring my cards to work again. If you are willing to risk your job then you could feel it was your right to bring a book on tarot to work and read by yourself. The problem with the cards are that they invite others to join. A book does not usually do this.

All in all, I'd try and keep my job. The employer does not have to allow anything at all. I once had a job were no reading was allowed. It was probably due to complaints about not being allowed to read certain things so they just banned all reading. That could happen to you.

I don't understand the problem here. You were on break. You weren't doing anything illegal or wrong.

Would it have been different if you had a simple deck of cards?

Tansey does make a good point though. The right to read cards on your break may be lesser than keeping your job.

I *own* my place of work and have been banned from reading Tarot cards....

My General Manager (who is an excellent manager) has told me that it makes some of my employees uncomfortable. All of my employees are terrific people--we've spent a lot of time getting a good crew--and because I am the owner weren't comfortable bringing it up with me, so they told him; I don't even know which employees they are. And I consider that appropriate; it is his job to mediate between The Owner (me) and The Workers (them).

As no-one else has proseletyzed in the workplace, it appears on the Introducing Religion Into the Workplace Meter, I am the worst offender. It has added impact because I am The Owner. The emotional comfort of my employees is important to me. I appreciate that they work very hard, are honest, want to take responsibility and learn new skills, take responsibility for one another and volunteer to help one another, and genuinely enjoy one another's company. I want them to feel secure and appreciated in their jobs, and I want to be able to offer them careers as the business grows. They all know that I am a Wiccan; any who are uncomfortable with dialogs with the Otherworld have already made a great step in working for me and I appreciate that very much. Keeping the workplace bounded away from spiritual energies at their level of comfort seems to be a reasonable request to me.

I do use Tarot to evaluate business situations, and also to refresh my brain from intense periods of rational/logical thinking in analyzing finances, regulations, cash flow, blahbitty blah blah. I can always do that on my office computer if I have an immediate question...

I am just offering this as a very different viewpoint to consider in the larger question of spiritual tools and the workplace.

Now, this thread is also dealing with one person (was she an employee?) getting her spritual needs met (banning deviltry) at the expense of the dignity and sense of worth of an employee, and that the workplace policy concerning religious materials and the workplace is not being well thought out or communicated. This is not being handled well (probably by Avoiding Dealing With It Until There Is a Crisis). If ownership/management has a sincere desire to make employees feel appreciated, they would want to deal with this appropriately. If they don't, they just want it to go away.

This leaves the employee with two options:

*To Make Waves
*To Not Make Waves

Which decision is best is going to depend on individual circumstance. Yes, there is the issue of What Is Right and Everybody Should Be Tolerant of Others. There is also the matter of keeping one's job or just keeping a conflict-free workplace. We don't know who the complainer was-- a visitor? employee? consultant? big shareholder? temp?-- how similar issues with other religions/spiritualities have been handled, etc.

It certainly sounds like the "ban" was an ill-thought out knee jerk reaction, and through dialog, Rabidwolfe has achieved a fair resolution--she gets to use her break time in the break room as her time to read as long as she doesn't "force" anyone to participate. Which she wasn't doing in the first place. RW has a better deal than I do! The process of the dialog could use some improvement however.

I suppose this has a lot to do with where you live. Right now I am in the Berkshires, in Mass. Here there are 2 huge Metaphyical shops and Kirpalu (where all the great masters teach) and The Kushi Insitute (macrobiotic foods, and metaphyicsl health/cancer center), the Noah Center (another wholistic place) and other new age/yoga awareness places.

So people are a little more aware of new age stuff. I think where one might live might make a difference how people relate to things like carrying Tarot cards.

As an example, I can see that sitting in a JC Penny break room with Tarot would not be a good idea in any city or town. However, here someone might get away with it.

That's frustrating Rabidwolfe, and you have every right to be upset. Sounds like you handled it well, no sense giving people who are against readers anything more to rant about! She's just intolerant and ignorant and I'm sure that eeks out into all areas of her life. Hopefully people will know soon enough what she's all about.

it is sad that they have to ban your cards, as long as you were only reading them for others on your OWN time--ie: lunch break. however, i'm not surprised. maybe you can find another area in which to read the tarot comfortably during your own time on the job, that is okay?

HeavensVault said:

As an example, I can see that sitting in a JC Penny break room with Tarot would not be a good idea in any city or town.

Click to expand...

I can't help but chime in about this. I actually did work at said place for quite a while. I don't think it matters where you are. Why would it?

Tarot is not a religious tool. Is there any religion that recognizes the tarot as a holy object?

This is not a religious rights issue, other than this other person is bringing her religious issues into the work place.

If you and a friend were reading tarot in the break room, there is nothing wrong with that and I doubt very much it is against any policy in your employee handbook. What about playing scrabble or rummy with a friend on break? It's not like you're juggling cats! Which may or may not be illegal but is surely morally questionable.

Of course though, I am one to make waves.