Banned?!!!

Wicca is considered a religion.
Many of us do consider the tarot a spiritual tool and much more than scrabble. So I respectfully disagree with Sinduction on that point.

rabidwolfie said:

The ultimate insult came to me at work the other day. They tried to ban my tarot.
I know the first thing you're going to say is that a place of business is not the best place for a tarot reader, & ordinarily I may agree with you, but it's been almost two years & no one has had a single problem with me reading. In fact, most people there beg me to do readings for them. So why the sudden ban?

Because cards of any kind are not allowed on the work floor (understandable) I went to one of our designated break rooms where they ARE allowed. A highly superstitious old woman comes in & sees me doing a reading for a friend of mine. We were sitting near the back of the room, being quiet, both of us minding only our own business, when she starts a VERY LOUD rant about how evil tarot is. Not in the mood to argue, I told her off & ignored her. Not 5 minutes later a supervisor who KNOWS about my reading, comes up & tells me I'm not allowed to bring my cards into work AT ALL because thye make people feel weird.

ong story short I waged war on my place of employment & my cards are no longer to be persecuted s long as I keep doing what I do now, keep to myself & not force anyone to be involved. That REALLY infuriated me. If it was for a better reason than the willfu ignorance of a co-worker, I wouldn't be so upset, but when I am not harming anyone, not pushing them on anyone, & almost no one else has a problem with them, thn I will fight for my right to read!

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Allow me to play Devil's advocate here. Why do you feel it's necessary to do readings at your place of employment in the first place? Couldn't you just as easily arrange to do them at your home or someplace else a little less confrontational? Perhaps you secretly enjoy the negative attention?

I imagine the site of tarot cards frightens some people. I know it would have frightened me at one time. I find people who bring their Bible's/Korans/ religious literature to work annoying. It irritates me just watching them read. It might irritate or frighten other workers- whether they tell you to your face or not. People are famous for saying one thing to your face and then reporting you to the boss.

Sinduction said:

Is there any religion that recognizes the tarot as a holy object?

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I do. The Major Arcana form 22 of the pages of my "Volume of Sacred Law," along with a few other selected writings. But I realize and accept that very few other people would recognize it in that way.

Bottom line, though, is that employers do indeed have the right to regulate their workplaces as they see fit. Even in the good old USA, "freedom of expression" stops at the front door of any business, at least where the employees are concerned. It may not be remotely fair, but as my mother-in-law used to say, "Fair is for games."

I'm glad things seem to have worked out in this case. My employer is pretty tolerant about such things too, so I'm lucky. (We had a receptionist several years ago who, I swear, raided Stevie Nicks' wardrobe! )

Sinduction said:

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

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What if it was? If two people are on their break, sitting quietly in a corner discussing their shared religion and someone barges in and tells them it's evil (hers is right and theirs is wrong?), then the person barging in is the one committing both an intrusion and religious bias. But tarot isn't a religious tool, as far as I know. Though I think some pagans use it in their practice in some way, I've never heard it mentioned as a holy object. But again, what if it was? If a person who's Catholic has a rosary and uses it in the break room, would they be violating any religious rules in the workplace? I think not, as long as they aren't overtly disturbing others -- by being too loud or preaching, etc. I used to have a coworker, another supervisor, who paused to pray silently before she ate, at meals shared with coworkers in a break room. No one ever gave her a problem over that. I have once, though, broken up a heated religious argument that was so loud it carried into work areas.

The woman was off base, and it's possible the supervisor sees that, but doesn't want to deal with her, because she'll just raise a bigger stink. In this case I think it's likely the supervisor has nothing against tarot, but does have something against this woman causing more trouble over your tarot. And maybe he already cautioned her. Privacy rules would likely preclude him discussing that with other employees.

Maybe she'll show herself to be unreasonable elsewhere, so the supervisor is forced to deal with her as the problem. I think if I were you I'd avoid raising any stink. Let her be the only, er -- stinker.

Nevada

In my religion, Tarot (as are other oracles) is a religious tool. And, since I am clergy in my religion, and the employer, I consider there to be an extra level of pressure perceived by my employees in seeing me actively employ my religious tool.

Users of Tarot are such a diverse lot (hurray for all of us! hurray!) that it makes it difficult to agree on the public image of Tarot that we want to present. I try to present it as a religious tool *for me* but also to let others know that it isn't necessarily so for others and there is certainly no restrictions on it to be the exclusive property of any one religion. As a psychological tool, it is wholly secular.

It's very confusing for someone not familiar with it. What other spiritual tool has been so widely used by such a wide range of spiritual perspectives? Don't most religions attempt to keep exclusive and restricted use of their books, symbols, liturgy, etc.? Add the confusing level that Wicca is a religion that will use anything from any religion that isn't nailed down...

There's always the option of using the Tarot specifically designed for workplace use: Mark McElroy's Bright Idea deck. "Oh, we are just brainstorming."

Where I work, the only cards that are allowed are special playing cards made by the company that has a "safety motto" on each card. No religious stuff, in particular. The company routed around a policy letting everyone know that they aren't allowed to have anything that isn't directly work related out on their desks, either. No magazines, cards, novels, bibles, etc.

There has been some push back on the policy because the company "forgot" to build in break rooms for the employees... too busy building large offices around the perimeters of both floors so the management offices not only have all the space, but the windows, too. So all we have are our cubicle spaces for breaks and can't do anything break-related in our cubicles.

I haven't been asked to read cards by anyone at work, but I wouldn't if I were asked just because I am at work to work... and work sucks. I don't want sucky job cooties all over my cards

I say, good for you for standing your ground, rabidwolfie! I am glad to hear that things have worked out for you!

valeria

I, and most tarot users (readers and querents) don't see Tarot as a religion or strictly speaking, as a religious tool - at least, any more than it is a tool for business, romance, home buying or gambling. In other words, it's a tool which can be turned to many purposes, including religion. We might as well say that stem glasses should be banned because some use them as religious items (chalices). (Though I support the banning of knives from the workplace - it's not because I and some others use them as religious items).

Pagan X - since you are the boss, you can, of course, decide what constitutes a religious tool in your own workplace. But for my part, I would say your decision has more to do with conciliating your employees and keeping them happy that any strict dogmatic decision (and as such, it is to be commended).

Out of curiosity - in a quid-pro-quo, and in order follow a coherent policy, would you ban people wearing crosses, yarmulkes, scarves or turbans btw? I don't know the law in the US, but in many countries this would land you in hot water with the anti-discrimination enforcers.

This has similarities to preventing sexual harassment. One person's perception can be the difference between your being labeled an offender or nothing worse than the office flirt. It takes people with an open mind and special training doing an investigation to distinguish the two when someone makes it an issue.

To avoid any potential discrimination many things are banned from the workplace. Work is for working so you have no business complaining (pun intended). People get crazy in the US over "rights." We do not have the same rights to religious freedom in the workplace as we do on our private time away from work. A break during your shift on company property is not entirely personal time nor is it personal space. In the same vein company email accounts, a locker or company vehicle can be searched. They are not your personal property.

Anyway....come on.....there are plenty of things that would seem a little weird to you. As cool as you would like everyone to think tarot is I doubt anyone is that out of touch not to see it as a little weird to most people in a work environment......unless you work in a book store.

Tansey said:

I know it would have frightened me at one time. I find people who bring their Bible's/Korans/ religious literature to work annoying. It irritates me just watching them read.

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What possible harm could they be doing you if they are just there minding their own business during their break?

Where does intolerance of other people's business end? Should anything apart from eating strictly company-approved food be banned? Is an employee who eats a halal or kosher sandwich during his break going to frighten others, or will they be frightened and make a fuss at the sight of bacon in their cubicle neighbour's sandwich?

I think there needs to be some kind of common sense in all this. Tarot cards are not harmful weapons, neither are Bibles, Qu'rans, the Baghavat Gita or rosaries. A secretary with a scarf on her head won't mess up the hotel reservations any more than one with peroxide hair. If non-work related items (apart from clothing) are not used on company time and there is no proselytising, then I don't see the problem. I do see a BIG problem with intolerance and putting one's nose in other people's business.

ps - I used to bring my cards at work all the time. During break times, lots of my colleagues asked for readings. They'd go an buy me sandwiches and coffee in return . I never had any complaints or problems - even my boss liked a reading occasionally. But that was in London. The UK has no Constitution and there is no separation of Church and State. Things appear to be different in the US, where freedom of religion and expression are guaranteed by the Constitution