Should Tarot be Mainstream?

firemaiden said:

I suppose Tarot can go mainstream to the degree that it can be divorced from "fortune-telling"...

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But "fortune-telling" is mainstream. Or at least the art of prediction is. We have weather forecasts every night on the news. That is backed by years of scientific training and complicated jargon that most people (at least most people I know) don't truly understand. We could learn about it easily enough, or at least the basics of it by looking it up on the net or in an encyclopedia, (or trying to remember high school lessons that for a large portion of us are highly outdated). There are so many predictions in "mainstream" life its not funny. And we aren't surprised when they aren't always right- but we make decisions based on them anyway. Personally I don't think theres a difference between fortune-telling and predicting other than connotation.

Anyway my rather long winded point is that "fortune-telling" or predictions ARE mainstream- very much so, from the weather to market predictions, projected sales etc etc. All these things backed up by nothing more than numbers and previous experience.

All card readers know what they know from experience and learning. I think in order for tarot to go mainstream in the way implied by this thread, it needs to be seperated from "new age" in the sense of being flighty, unprovable and practiced by charlatans. But because it would be very difficult if not impossible to back up the art of tarot reading with double blind repeatable experiments, it will remain in the pile marked "not scientific". Because its not scientific or religious then it falls out of the two "mainstream" acceptable piles.

I think if there were high profile and well respected tarot readers, they would be able to change public perception in the way that high profile psychics have altered public perception of psychics.

Isn't Tarot already 'mainstream' - at least in the west?

I'm not sure what would make it 'more' mainstream, but it is part of everyday life, you can go and buy decks from numerous shops, hundreds of books are readily available, numerous courses, public meetings, and associations exist...

It may not be 'popular' - but then, this does not make it 'not mainstream'.

I would suggest that, except for undoubted pockets of bigotry, tarot is already mainstream in most western countries.

jmd said:

Isn't Tarot already 'mainstream' - at least in the west?

I'm not sure what would make it 'more' mainstream, but it is part of everyday life, you can go and buy decks from numerous shops, hundreds of books are readily available, numerous courses, public meetings, and associations exist...

It may not be 'popular' - but then, this does not make it 'not mainstream'.

I would suggest that, except for undoubted pockets of bigotry, tarot is already mainstream in most western countries.

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True. I agree jmd

Tarot isn't everyones cup of tea. Those of us are called to tarot for a reason, not everyone has a calling for it. Just like learning to play the piano or guitar, yes some of us are interested and do learn, others are just happy to watch, to listen and others aren't interested at all.

rota said:

You know, religion itself has always had this same problem: when something rich and deep, meaningful and helpful becomes popular and widespread, what do you do about it?

The solution to the 'problem' has usually been to have two versions: an 'inner' and an 'outer' -- one for the mass consumption, and a deeper one for the more serious inquirer.

++++++++

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We should share tarot with whoever wants it, because it doesn't belong to us the minority. And the rest of us will just have to be more decerning in separating the wheat from the chaff. that Yoga is mainstream doesn;t stop Yogis reaching enlightenment I'm sure.

the inner and outer of religions have often informed one another, and supported one another inspite of mainstream religious dissaproval of mysticism. Without Islam's Sharia you couldn't have Sufism, without Orthodxy there would be no kabbalah. The mystics were within the mainstream; but a hidden vein.

cetainly without tarot mainstream i would not have found this forum, and my deeper, inner experience of tarot would have suffered for it.

Double-post.

Excellent question, Tom!

I do think it can and should go more mainstream.

It's like anything...there will always be people who will never find its purpose for themselves, some who will always look to others as having a "special talent," some who will simply study it.

With the world being so small today, and with the media feeding us instant everything in a tube, I believe, that the up-side of this access, is the expansion of understanding across topics....

Sure, some of it isn't true, or is biased, but still...I love the exposure to so much more knowledge via the internet and tv than was available when I was younger.

What people do with knowledge and what people choose to believe, attack, support, learn....well, that still comes down to the individual.

I do find, at least locally, here on Long Island, a much more open attitude to
the Tarot than I would have expected years ago.

The woman in the new book store in town, the owner who asked me to read there, said that they have requests all the time for readings. What is interesting is that when they opened last summer, I contacted them about Tarot...mostly to give her AT's address, and links to ATS....and some suggestions for books...(they had a very limited section and the choices were poor).

At that time, they had a "bunch" of readers available. I asked her this week when I stopped in the store to give her some book titles...

"What happened to all the readers you had?"

She implied that they weren't the "kind" of readers they were hoping to have.

They are looking more along the lines of

"spiritual guidance"

"self-exploration"

"release of inner knowledge"

What they got, apparently, were more of the fortune-telling-type readers

...not that people should or shouldn't go to that type of reader...but, this woman, knows there is a big market for the reader who "interacts" with the sitter. It seems that you will find the kind of reader you are looking for, depending upon the venue. Her store is primarily a spiritual bookstore, and so she is looking more along those lines when she seeks a Tarot reader.



The owner said to me..."If you read for me now (they have a lovely seating arrangement...fountains, comfy couches, in the window)....you will have a whole line of people in the store asking for readings.

That made me feel so good. We talked a good deal about the Tarot and some about history, and about my reading style. It was really very productive. Even if I am not going to read in the store now, I feel I am
"promoting" Tarot in a fashion that places the Tarot in its proper prospective!

We have a metaphysical bookstore in a neigboring village. It has been there for ages. It specializes more in crystals, wands...has a huge section on Tarot, offers over 40 different decks....more herbal items, incense,...definitely a different flavor. The Tarot readers there, seem to be a little more "predictive" than some I have seen elsewhere. The new bookstore is clearly looking for someone to promote the spiritual aspects of life.

All of these venues, though, I agree with jmd are "mainstream."

Gayla, that list was fantastic!!

I do agree that there are multiple uses....and sometimes, since I always have cards with me, out they come...to just pull a card or two. Let's see what The Tarot has to say!

I hope to volunteer in a hospice one day......that would connect my professional training in communication and speech/language pathology ....with working with those who are near-death. Wouldn't be cool, if I could bring the Tarot into the work...I know that for some families it will work...for others, no way!

terri

jmd said:

I would suggest that, except for undoubted pockets of bigotry, tarot is already mainstream in most western countries.

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Totally agree!

What I find interesting and great fun, as well! is bringing out decks other than the RWS...now don't go all funky on me everyone! I love the Pixie deck and the tradition and the spin-offs....but I also love pulling out a

Hadar or a Camoin ....or the IIT, maybe a Tarot Mystique....I always try to read using different decks, although my main reading decks are the Morgan Greer, the IJJ, the IIT, the Hadar....but it's such fun to introduce other decks.

The owner of this store loved the idea that I own 50 decks and use many different ones. I told her we have members here who have hundreds!

Very cool stuff! Also, conversations like the one I had, really open people up, since I still find that most people have a limited knowledge of the history of Tarot, of how it has evolved. They are often "surprised."

I was ready to have this store stock a set of The Encycolpedia of Tarot

She thought I was kidding when I said there were four editions....But wouldn't that be a fun set of books for them to display for people to browse through???



terri

Glass Owl said:

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.

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Yes...this concept is mind-boggling....if each of us in our own communities are fostering the principles we learn and share here....WOW!

Without AT, I would never have been exposed to the depth of information and experience I have garnered in just two+ short years!

terri

firemaiden said:

IBut 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.

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Oh so true, fm!! This almost always comes up when I do readings or talk about the Tarot. Even the people that I least think will be concerned about this aspect, almost always say something like...

"...but I'm afraid...what if 'scarey' cards come up? ...."

or....will I have nightmares about this?

We are having a perfectly sane conversation about the spiritual aspects of releasing their inner knowledge...and

Wham!

Up comes the FEAR!!!

My best friend is going through some marital troubles. I said to her after we had brunch yesterday...maybe we should do another reading....She said.

"I really should...want to do one as soon as you get home??? I'm afraid though...I can still see that..."

Then she mentioned some cards and aspects of that reading that were still with her...that was almost a year ago. I couldn't remember ANY of it.

I find that people who return for readings will often start out by telling me about certain cards they can still "see." ...not necessarily scarey ones, but ones that really proved to be "prophetic."

I love it when this happens.

The Tower appeared in a reading recently...a CC I did for my masseuse. That one really had some powerful meanings...I'll bet she mentions that the next time we sit for a reading.

terri

I agree with Dark Inquisitor. I think it's better to 'find' these things. When people try to 'mainstream' things the information and truth become obscured sometimes. I think AT is a community of people who have already found tarot, not a medium to serve to others.