Break it to the Family

[IndigoIsabelle]

Where I live is not very pagan/tarot/earth religion/alternative lifestyle/non-traditional friendly or open. It has gotten better over the years. But I would still say it is more frowned upon than not.

I would be interested in hearing how experiences were/are with sharing your love of tarot or any other "non-mainstream" beliefs with family, friends, community, etc..

Have you shared? Were friends/family accepting? Community accepting? Etc...

 

[gregory]

Some are, some aren't. Those that can't cope with it don't choose to associate with me any more. That's OK with me. Some totally don't get it and ask silly questions; others don't get it and ask GOOD questions. One (who still likes me) makes the sign of the cross when I mention it... on the other hand three times now, I have uncovered a fellow tarot person quite by accident.

I do feel for people whose families cut them off over it. My mother just thinks I'm weird.

 

[AJ]

Know the person you are speaking to. I resent anyone talking religion or faith or beliefs in the general course of a day. Same with politics. Any of those subjects can be fully and cheerfully debated when minds are open. When minds are closed, why bother?

 

[Cocobird55]

I'm pretty open about it with my close friends. Some are curious. Others totally ignore tarot, and change the subject. No one has said anything negative.

 

[celticnoodle]

Know the person you are speaking to. I resent anyone talking religion or faith or beliefs in the general course of a day. Same with politics. Any of those subjects can be fully and cheerfully debated when minds are open. When minds are closed, why bother?

This.

Its not really anyone's business how I live my life. I did grow up in a family who were psychics and tarot card/oracle card readers and the like, though. However, in the outside world, I still have some very good friends who know nothing about my spiritual "psychic" side of life.

Many of my friends include Catholic priests and nuns and very solidly practicing Catholics. Also a few other non-Catholics who probably wouldn't approve of it either. But its not like I go around with a sign on me saying, "HI! I'm a Psychic medium and I read tarot cards!". Its not anyone's business but mine. I don't hide my crystal balls, crystals and tarot and oracle cards anymore. I use to--but then reached a point where I realized it doesn't matter who approves and who doesn't. This is MY house and I will live MY life the way I think I should.

So, if you're asking if you should tell everyone--that is up to you, but just be ready for some small minded people who haven't really ever been introduced to this way of life and so they are ignorant of it and only believing what they have heard all their lives...that its evil. But then, you also may encounter some really wonderful people who are open minded and could care less what you do or who may be curious enough to ask you to tell them all about it.

 

[danieljuk]

Always make sure it's safe to share in your area and it wouldn't cause you long term consequences! I mean some people are fiercely proud of whoever they are but there is areas on this Earth that you really should never reveal you are different to the majority in the area!

My family are very accepting and don't care about your religious / spiritual beliefs. I was able to experiment with many different spiritual beliefs personally. But the UK is largely going in a direction (based on the census each 10 years) of "no religious beliefs". But that could be a problem in a family if a young person wanted to have a religion.

We don't have to reveal everything about ourselves and it could cause breakups like gregory said or could affect you in a small town community. I think you have to weigh this up carefully for your own individual situation!

I went from a Humanist type belief to a more Pagan / Wiccan belief in the past 2 years and I am not loud about it but also not silent. I often wish people happy pagan festivals on my social networking like Happy Samhain! also sometimes people drop a post or comment like "have you seen this tarot deck Dan?" or this news story link about something esoteric. It's like I am not quiet or hiding this part of me and I won't compromise that side of me. If you attack that side of me, I don't want to know you but if you want to talk about it, that is cool. But also I really am only very open about here on AT or in my private life I am not an esoteric evangelical

 

[Denever]

A friend of mine reads Tarot and recently told me that his teacher was a Benedictine monk. It didn't surprise me. It's possible that your Catholic friends would disapprove ... but it's also possible that they read themselves.

This.

Its not really anyone's business how I live my life. I did grow up in a family who were psychics and tarot card/oracle card readers and the like, though. However, in the outside world, I still have some very good friends who know nothing about my spiritual "psychic" side of life.

Many of my friends include Catholic priests and nuns and very solidly practicing Catholics. Also a few other non-Catholics who probably wouldn't approve of it either. But its not like I go around with a sign on me saying, "HI! I'm a Psychic medium and I read tarot cards!". Its not anyone's business but mine. I don't hide my crystal balls, crystals and tarot and oracle cards anymore. I use to--but then reached a point where I realized it doesn't matter who approves and who doesn't. This is MY house and I will live MY life the way I think I should.

So, if you're asking if you should tell everyone--that is up to you, but just be ready for some small minded people who haven't really ever been introduced to this way of life and so they are ignorant of it and only believing what they have heard all their lives...that its evil. But then, you also may encounter some really wonderful people who are open minded and could care less what you do or who may be curious enough to ask you to tell them all about it.

 

[banbha]

Your safety and well being are the most important issues here. I live in a metropolitan area of a big city and the community can go bother someone else if they don't like something; it's no big deal. There are many communities to choose from here, but life in a small town life is different. I can't really advise here.

My family are pretty conservative Catholics but with a touch of the occult running through them as far divination goes, so my inclinations were not seen as unusual. My mother bought me the gypsy witch deck when I was 8. I didn't ask for it. I think even then I knew it was bad.

My pagan ways were something they had to contend with from childhood, so that was no big shocker. My being an Atheist who doesn't believe in Heaven/Hell was the deal breaker. This caused them much pain and anguish. They had a hard time even conceiving that I had no belief and it made me wonder how seriously they took my Paganism or even understood what that was all about in the first place.

As far as friends go, trust your true ones! Mine were all fine with it and were actively interested.

 

[IndigoIsabelle]

Thanks for sharing. I appreciate hearing everyone's point of view. It's nice to realize "hum, I'm not alone on that one" or "now that's something I didn't think of"

 

[Nemia]

My family doesn't know how serious I am about tarot, they're all super-rational atheists and think reading cards is ripping off naive people with some wishy-washy stuff. They do get that the history of emblems and symbols in the Renaissance can lead to an interest in tarot, and they know by now that I collect tarot decks and read with them. I've always been the purple-and-green sheep at home so I guess they chalk it up to my general irrational weirdness.

My husband's family is rational and atheist as well but more openminded and interested. They actually ask from time to time what I'm doing with my cards.

My friends know and ask me for readings. My colleagues don't but that's simply because it never turns up and I work alone anyway most of the time.

My husband used to share my interest in the tarot and was very good at it - but in the last few years, his workload has increased to crazy heights and he doesn't have the energy to get into it again which is a real pity. He has an amazing eye and intuition. I decide right now that I'll draw him in more again.

But in spite of this tarot-friendly-to-neutral environment, I still don't find the way to "come out of the closet" professionally, start teaching or offering readings in my area. First of all, I think I'm really not good enough. And secondly, people would probably think I'm woolly in the head or a charlatan if they google my name and tarot comes up. There are simply too many TV shows and movies that give tarot a weird, if not a bad name. For an academic teacher, that's not a "proper" subject matter. My students would probably fear that I spy on them with my cards...