Should Tarot be Mainstream?

Major Tom

This thread is inspired by the following quote taken from Gayla's thread on whether or not tarot is occult:

Dark Inquisitor said:
I don't think it's bad that Tarot is considered to be occult . Sometimes things are secretive for a reason . Sometimes it's better that they not be too mainstream . If you want to pursue the tarot , you will have to deal with public pressure among other things . And that can be a nice test of maturity and dedication . Not everyone should read the tarot . Some people aren't ready , others would abuse it or are mentally ill and better off without it .

There are many people in the world working very hard to help make tarot more mainstream - more open and available for everyone to use. In many ways, that's exactly what the Aeclectic Tarot Forums do - make tarot more readily available. I personally think that most people would benefit from the use of tarot, far outweighing those who might be harmed. Indeed, if we compare it to other things that are mainstream, television for example, tarot use would seem considerably more beneficial. Shall I use tarot to examine my options or spend the next couple of hours in a vegative state in front of the TV? Hmmm, that's a tough one. :rolleyes:

What do you think?
 

Disa

I agree that most people would benefit by using the tarot, if they could open their minds a bit and leave behind the preconceived notions they've aquired by whatever means.

A universal language of spirituality could be achieved if everyone used the tarot for self reflection and personal growth, as well as to gain insight into the human experience of others. If people could look past a person's physical shell and see into their souls. If the general masses would realize that every person goes through the same trials and tribulations at some point and also realize that probably the common thing about all of us, no matter where we come from, is that we all want to love and be loved.

The problem is, once things become mainstream, they sort of lose their importance. They morph into something that that is trendy, cute, and materialistic. Something that appeals to the general masses.

The path of the tarot is not for everyone, to be sure. We are all on different paths. A person cannot see what they do not want to acknowledge. If a person can't look inside themselves for fear of what they see, then the tarot is probably not for them.

I think the internet, and this forum, are the most wonderful tools for getting people of like minds together, so that we don't have to be "underground" hiding in secret all the time.

I have to admit the secret world of mysticism, etc has always intrigued me. It's always set me apart from others and made me question whether I was born in the wrong place and time. By being online I have met the most wonderful people who have helped me so much on my path and I have learned more to accept who I am, and study what I love. The greatest thing about the online communities is, of course, to learn that we are not alone in our thinking. Though the mainstream is not accepting of our beliefs, our beliefs are not wrong. We should pursue them, and let our souls soar.

Just my opinion of it all. ;)

Disa
 

Glass Owl

Major Tom said:
There are many people in the world working very hard to help make tarot more mainstream - more open and available for everyone to use. In many ways, that's exactly what the Aeclectic Tarot Forums do - make tarot more readily available.
This is what makes this place so wonderful :) We are changing the world and its view of Tarot, one person at a time and AT is helping in that endeavor. It may be in small steps, but I think that is the best way. Aeclectic doesn't intrude, it doesn't proselytize. And Aeclectic isn't a place that people are going to stumble into without a reason or by accident anyway. You have to be looking to find it and I think that is one key to its success. ATers, for the most part, are here for the same reasons and found it pretty much in the same way. It is a safe haven where we can share information in a caring, nonjudgmental, and open environment. For some, it is the only place they feel comfortable sharing their interest in Tarot as well as their thought on other topics.

Major Tom said:
I personally think that most people would benefit from the use of tarot, far outweighing those who might be harmed.
I agree, however, trying to convince a lot people of that (and for them to actually admit it) might be a tough, if not impossible, task. As for the US, I don't know if Tarot will ever be mainstream (accepted by the majority) because Tarot is so closely linked to religion and the fact that Tarot is "evil" and "the Devil's game." But we are gaining some ground as more and more people are challenging what our society has deemed "proper" or "acceptable."

When I look at the popularity of things like the Da Vinci Code book, Oracle cards, yoga, Harry Potter, anime, Pokemon, etc I would like to believe that some people are starting to come around and realize that 1.) Having some adventure, creativity, magic, mystery, myth, spirituality etc in our lives is of vital importance--for kids and adults alike. 2.) we shouldn't blindly believe what we have been told by others in positions of power and influence 3.) we owe it to ourselves to do our own homework and do what we feel is right for ourselves and our families.
 

Gayla

Disa said:
.
The problem is, once things become mainstream, they sort of lose their importance. They morph into something that that is trendy, cute, and materialistic. Something that appeals to the general masses.

Disa said it very well...perhaps the Tarot does not belong in the mainstream. However, it would be nice to see the fear of it lifted a bit...but then it would loose it's mystic, would it not?

So...as I continue down my path of understanding and enlightenment, it is becoming more and more clearer to me why Tarot really resides under the label 'occult'. It really has nothing to do with the old ideas and fears passed down through time about the Tarot...it's about the mystic of it all.

Perhaps it is the 'occult' which would benefit our community more if it found more acceptance in the mainstream...but to get something 'accepted' in the mainstream..it requires a lot of 'marketing'...

I see the Tarot as is a tool of enlightenment...and when used properly and wisely, it help's people. And when I say used properly...I mean the reader should be well versed and educated in the Tarot. If I could go back and redo my undergraduate studies, knowing what I know now about my love of the Tarot, I would have chosen a different major, like psychology.

Check this out, I Extracted this from an article by Bonnie Cehovet called “The Power or Tarot in Your Life”.

What can the Tarot be used For?

§ A tool for personal exploration.

§ A tool for personal growth, and achievement of self-knowledge.

§ A focus for meditation.

§ A tool for seeing the choices available to you.

§ A tool for problem solving.

§ A tool for clarifying goals.

§ A tool for seeing into the past.

§ A tool for understanding the present.

§ A tool for creating the future.

§ A tool for accessing our unconscious.

§ A tool for helping us come into our own power.

§ A tool for accessing the knowledge of our ancestors.

§ A tool for understanding and working with the Elemental energies (Fire, Water, Air and Earth).

§ A tool for enriching our lives.

§ A tool for helping create and give power to personal affirmations.

§ A tool for practicing the ancient sacred art of story telling.

§ An oracular tool, dialoging and personal insight in its highest form.

§ A tool for helping you to access and develop your psychic powers/abilities.

§ A tool for helping understand dreams.

§ A tool for help in "creating" dreams.

§ A tool for working with journaling.

§ A tool for developing characters, plots and story lines for writers.

§ A tool for developing a personal profile through the use of birth cards, personal day and year cards.

§ A tool for whatever you want it to be!
 

Papageno

it's a moot point

the major publishing houses are already going with the trend by marketing artistically pleasing tarot cards with broader appeal.
I wouldn't complain too loudly.
it makes sense from a business perspective and helps alleviate the negative perception that tarot cards are "spooky" "unsavory" "satanic" and "to be avoided" by mainstream consumers.

the road to greater acceptance is paved by a strategy that recognizes the need to conform. unfortunately this gives rise to the spectre of homogenization, so if this becomes unpalatable, the (more) serious and dedicated aficionado should look (increasingly) to the small and independent press for more esoteric offerings when pretty doesn't fill the bill.

I don't agree with the idea that tarot does not belong in the mainstream

tarot was mainstream in the 16th century amongst the gamblers and the elite before it entered the realm of esoterica. I see no reason why it shouldn't continue it's evolution and come full circle to occupy a place in the Sun along with every other medium as a vehicle for showcasing the works of gifted artists.
 

stella01904

Conservative fundamentalists are anti-Tarot, (at least publicly - I've had people like this ask me for readings) but Tarot is already pretty mainstream in the general sense. There are a lot of watered-down, commercialized decks out there. We don't have a Jessica Simpson Tarot yet but I can feel it coming...arrrrgh...

TdM will NEVER be mainstream: "Ewwww, it's UGLY!" "It doesn't even have PICTURES!" etc.

While the rest of the world is studying their Malcolm In The MiddleTM Tarots, we weird types will be perusing our TdM's, secure in the knowledge that we are not, and will never be, "mainstream."

Kinda works for everybody, doesn't it?
 

Papageno

stella01904 said:
Conservative fundamentalists are anti-Tarot, (at least publicly - I've had people like this ask me for readings) but Tarot is already pretty mainstream in the general sense. There are a lot of watered-down, commercialized decks out there. We don't have a Jessica Simpson Tarot yet but I can feel it coming...arrrrgh...

TdM will NEVER be mainstream: "Ewwww, it's UGLY!" "It doesn't even have PICTURES!" etc.

While the rest of the world is studying their Malcolm In The MiddleTM Tarots, we weird types will be perusing our TdM's, secure in the knowledge that we are not, and will never be, "mainstream."

Kinda works for everybody, doesn't it?

the fundamentalists are anti-almost everything so there's no point in adding them into the equation, however, your observation that many people "sneak a reading" is sad but true. hypocrisy at it's best.

In spite of the proliferation of blatantly commercial decks inspired by cable mini series and the like, I have a feeling that those decks are still sought out primarily by tarot enthusiasts looking for something quirky.

I seriously doubt that tarot will ever succeed in achieving moral majority mainstream acceptance. The day you see Disney publish a set of publicity tarot cards then you will know that day has arrived. Don't hold your breath.
You'll get more satisfaction out of watching grass grow.

but I think the important thing here is to dispel the negative connotations associated with tarot.
just look at the numerous threads dealing with how to tell your friends and family, what should I say to my fiancee, I don't tell my roomies and a plethora of other "in the closet" issues arising from the fear of ridicule and stigma.

that's just absurd
 

Kobarot

Does it matter?

When ANYTHING goes "mainstream," that still doesn't invalidate its original meaning. When a band "sells out" that doesn't change their previous albums. And so if we start seeing Disney decks, that doesn't change the old TdM or RW or Thoth decks. It is the reader, not the available tools.

I have never had a problem with being persecuted for reading Tarot. My mom knows and vaguely disapproves, I think, but that's about the extent of it. I try to keep it on the down low not because I'll get in "trouble," but just because I don't want people making assumptions about me or what I believe and so on.
 

finaflight

MST3Kakalina said:
Does it matter?

When ANYTHING goes "mainstream," that still doesn't invalidate its original meaning. When a band "sells out" that doesn't change their previous albums. And so if we start seeing Disney decks, that doesn't change the old TdM or RW or Thoth decks. It is the reader, not the available tools.

I have never had a problem with being persecuted for reading Tarot. My mom knows and vaguely disapproves, I think, but that's about the extent of it. I try to keep it on the down low not because I'll get in "trouble," but just because I don't want people making assumptions about me or what I believe and so on.

I kinda of learned that the hard way. If you step out of what people think is "the norm" you have to be willing to defend what you believe, or at least they expect you to.
This sort of thing is hard to defend, weather it is cards or other parts of the forum. Sometimes I have the energy for it, but it just seems to be hard to discuss something with someone who has the "majoity" set opinion
Now, more than before, I usually keep my comments and thoughts to myself.
Except here thoug...I just keep going - and going...lol
 

firemaiden

I suppose Tarot can go mainstream to the degree that it can be divorced from "fortune-telling". Brain-storming yes, inducing creativity yes, introspection, reflexion, exploration of the hidden psyche, yes... I can explain those things to my non-tarot friends and relatives and almost calm their fears about me going over to the dark (read: non-scientific) side. But it is the fortune-telling aspect that paradoxically is the most repellent AND most seductive thing about tarot.

The temptation to read the future is a snake inside the box - its hissing forked tongue both fascinates and sends us running for cover. ssssssssss......You dooooo want to know.... you dooooooon't want to knoooooooooooooow. sssssssssssssss. It is the aspect of real magic we both crave and fear: what if pictures really could talk? Remember when you were a little kid wishing that the people inside a painting or photograph would move? - you both craved it to happen, and knew if it did happen you'd be terrified out of your wits.

Then there is the issue of contacting the divine. Lots of people claim to believe in something they name "God", and some even have an image formed of it. But I'm pretty sure that for most people, even the die-hard self-described believers, if a supernatural entity were actually to come down and visit with them, touch them and talk to them, their hair would go instantly white, and they'd go insane with terror.

So yes, an aspect of the tarot can go mainstream, (and I guess it pretty much already is!) -- but only to the degree that the snake in the box can be disguised as something else.

*It's okay Mom, really, I'm just "brainstorming"... (firemaiden puts slithering demon back in sock drawer and tries to look scientific). *