Is this an invasion of privacy?

[Laurelle]

This thread reminds me of that argument here in the US about privacy. We have a lot of invasion of privacy for "national security." A lot of people are against it and say it's an invasion of privacy. There are heated debates. Many don't mind because they are scared of security risks.

I think the same thing is happening in England. There are big brother cameras all around. The government is monitoring people. Why? What for? What is done with the information?

The biggest side affect is how the information is assessed. Tarot is even trickery because there are so many possibilities. Maybe more so than government snoopy through your history file on your computer.

Here is an example: You ask about your friends marriage. You kind of have a crush on her husband. But you're trying not to think about this. The husband and you happen to be childhood friends. You get the Tower, Moon and the 3 of Cups. Now these cards can look somewhat unhappy. It could look like divorce (tower), drinking(Moon), and sexual swinging (3 of Cups). Is it?

Or could it be this: Celebrating (3 of Cups) under the moonlight(Moon) during a thunderstorm(Tower).

Which one is it? Data is tricky that way and tarot even more so.

Say you chose the former. You have a crush on him. And now maybe your mind is made up that their marriage is crumbling. How will that change your perspective actions?

Just something to think about.

 

[Barleywine]

This thread reminds me of that argument here in the US about privacy. We have a lot of invasion of privacy for "national security." A lot of people are against it and say it's an invasion of privacy. There are heated debates. Many don't mind because they are scared of security risks.

I think the same thing is happening in England. There are big brother cameras all around. The government is monitoring people. Why? What for? What is done with the information?

The biggest side affect is how the information is assessed. Tarot is even trickery because there are so many possibilities. Maybe more so than government snoopy through your history file on your computer.

Here is an example: You ask about your friends marriage. You kind of have a crush on her husband. But you're trying not to think about this. The husband and you happen to be childhood friends. You get the Tower, Moon and the 3 of Cups. Now these cards can look somewhat unhappy. It could look like divorce (tower), drinking(Moon), and sexual swinging (3 of Cups). Is it?

Or could it be this: Celebrating (3 of Cups) under the moonlight(Moon) during a thunderstorm(Tower).

Which one is it? Data is tricky that way and tarot even more so.

Say you chose the former. You have a crush on him. And now maybe your mind is made up that their marriage is crumbling. How will that change your perspective actions?

Just something to think about.

Yes, the proverbial can of worms. Or maybe viper's nest.

 

[Bridget]

Say you chose the former. You have a crush on him. And now maybe your mind is made up that their marriage is crumbling. How will that change your perspective actions?

Just something to think about.

Somewhere upthread Barleywine noted that people fall into different camps over this issue, and it struck me that those camps likely depend on how you view Tarot as a predictive tool. If you feel it's able to accurately reveal things outside your knowledge, then asking about someone's thoughts could be invasive. But if you see Tarot as more psychological, then it can't tell you anybody's secrets, so I would not see it as invasive.

Laurelle gives a great example here of how even with a psychological approach, this kind of question can lead us astray, and I think it's a pretty convincing argument.

I think intentions matter, though. Suppose you do a reading like this because you're struggling in your relationship with someone, and you want to work to improve it. Questions like this may help you put yourself in the other person's shoes.

 

[Brilliance]

Is it wrong to look to the tarot to see how other people's relationships are? I mean, if I wanted to practice a spread and I ask about, say a friends relationship with his or her boyfriend or girlfriend, is that ok? Or is that almost like a symbolic invasion of privacy that really isn't respected?

Personally, I don't see it as an invasion of privacy.

 

[G6]

The cards won't tell you anything you're not supposed to know just like a pendulum won't swing or will swing in a circle if you're not supposed to know.