Oudler

Tarot PLAYING is never considered a religion everywhere, but Tarot READING sometimes is. The point I was making is that there are actually TWO traditions of Tarot in the West. The Tarot was first created as a competitive card game which is still played mostly in Europe. It is a card game like Contract Bridge and has nothing to do with divination or counseling. The symbols on the cards have no part in this game. Although it is mostly played in Europe, there are a now a few Americans such as myself who are now starting to learn Tarot as an actual game. The divination or occult part of Tarot started long after the cards were created. This is the Tarot tradition with which most of us are familiar but it is distinct from actual card game playing. This type of Tarot application is the one that is controversial with people of certain belief systems such as Christianity. The reason I believe Tarot cards are controversial here in the US is that American Tarot publishers only publish the cards for divination and for no other purpose. Unlike many European Tarot publishers, the American publishers seldom publish the Tarot cards for their intended game playing purpose. Jim

Outside Asia the term "play Tarot" does not mean "Tarot reading". There is a distinction in the West between Tarot reading, a divinatory art and playing Tarot, which is playing a Bridge/Spades like card game like they commonly do in France and Austria. I consider myself a Tarot enthusiast because I play actual card games with Tarot decks but I do not do Tarot readings. I'm not trying to change people's minds on divination, but in my opinion, card playing is the more pure and more authentic use of Tarot cards than divination. Tarot cards resonate differently depending on one's culture. If I understand Asian culture correctly, Tarot reading appears to be considered a form of recreation and leisure. This conception of Tarot reading as recreational was especially common during the hippie era in the USA but today Tarot card reading would be more likely classified under "religion/spirituality" rather than "recreation/leisure" Actual Tarot card games, because they are similar to Bridge and Spades, would be considered "recreation/leisure" by those familiar with them. Jim

You've hit upon the main problem of Tarot here in the States. The topic is frought with misunderstanding. It is my belief that the popular media and educational institutions should do a better job of educating the American public about misunderstood aspects of culture.

I am an American Tarot player. I play Tarot, Tarock and Tarocchi card games with those cards. I do not practice divination nor do I seek to change anybody's beliefs regarding divination. While it is true that the Bible condemns the services of psychics, mediums, and fortune tellers, there is no mention at all of Tarot cards. The cards first appeared in northern Italy during the 15th century for playing a trick taking card game and the use of these cards for divination would not begin until the 18th century, long after the creation of this deck. I'm quite pleased to see that HEthePrimate did some research on the history of Tarot cards. It is correct that Tarot cards were intended for nothing more than a card game, one that is still played today especially in places such as France and Italy. Most Americans only associate Tarot with fortune telling and divination because most of us have not been told the entire truth about these cards. Most of us are presented with a very skewed and one sided vision of Tarot cards as a tool for divination. An aspect of culture is being stereotyped and distorted by those making money pushing the divination uses of the cards and the mainstream media in this country often accept it at face value. I believe that needs to change because this distortion of culture is having some adverse side effects. I have found, for example, that many authors on the subject of Tarot card games are having their works improperly classified as "occult" or "paranormal" by those who have been given no other context in which to view Tarot cards and the French cannot use the name of one of their national card games on a website without attracting Google ads for psychics or astrology. The common perception of Tarot cards in our country badly needs revision. Thank you, HEthePrimate , for introducing this topic.