Tarot cards are completely safe to use if you’re open to them. Here, we’ll discuss whether Tarot is considered witchcraft and potential dangers. If you’re interested in using Tarot, it’s important to first understand that the cards aren’t here to predict the future, but rather to help you connect with your intuition and subconscious.
Tarot is a spiritual tool, so let’s dispel some of the rumors about using a deck.
Tarot cards are not evil. They are a deck of 78 cards rich with symbolism and iconography that are meant to tell a story. A Tarot deck is simply a tool for someone to use to tap deeper into their intuition and flex their psychic muscles. The Tarot itself doesn’t hold power, it’s the reader who does.
“Your cards take on the intentions and perspective of the user,” intuitive card reader and astrologer Lauren McBride says. “Use them for good, and good will come to you. If you are bad or dangerous, then your cards will be, too.”
If you have malintent when using your cards, that’s on the reader—not the deck itself. Tarot cards, by themselves are not inherently good or bad, are just a vehicle to help the reader access their inner world and divine knowledge.
For example, if you’re using Tarot, but not in a great headspace, you might not feel like the messages you’re receiving are the most accurate. You’ll want to make sure you’re in a grounded space with genuine intentions before using the deck. Even if you do pull some cards while you’re not feeling your best self, the cards won’t “do” anything to you—so don’t worry!
“Tarot cards, along with any other metaphysical tools, are as safe or as dangerous as you make them,” McBride says. “They deliver the messages, they don’t create them.” It’s the symbolism in the cards that you want to pay attention to for clues into your subconscious. The cards themselves will never cause harm.
Many link Tarot and witchcraft because many practicing witches also use Tarot. While there is some overlap between Tarot and witchcraft, they do not necessarily go hand in hand. Not all witches use the Tarot.
The Tarot is a divination tool that witches can use to derive more symbolism and understanding for a specific question at hand. While witchcraft and Tarot both involve someone actively engaging with their intuition, these practices can co-exist completely separately from one another. Just because someone reads Tarot does not mean they are practicing witchcraft.
Generally, having your Tarot cards read or reading Tarot cards is danger-free.
You might want to consider the person you’re going to for a reading, though. Do they seem trustworthy? Have they been practicing long? What’s their energetic vibe? Do they seem to maintain their spiritual well-being?
These are some questions to ask yourself, but even if you find yourself receiving a Tarot reading from a deceptive person, nothing ill will come of it. It’s not like a hex has been put on you.
You can speak with spirits through Tarot. Using the deck as a translator, you can ask your spirit guides or members of your spiritual team to communicate with you via the Tarot.
McBride confirms, “Yes. Be it God, Spirit, the Universe–divination is a way to hear them speaking to us.”
You can even create your own Tarot spread to ask your spiritual team for insight on any current questions or dilemmas. Unlike a Ouija board, you’re not channeling messages through a spirit’s energy. With Tarot, you’re unpacking the cards’ symbolism to gain a deeper understanding of your inquiry.
Tarot cards are often linked with the occult, but they are misunderstood. They are not evil or inherently connected to dark magic or malice. Tarot cards link our minds with our intuition and subconscious and allow us to expand our psychic abilities through their symbolism and imagery.
Believe it or not, there are no bad Tarot cards. That’s right, even the Death card can be a beautiful Tarot card that signals a profound transformation or change in someone’s life. Usually, an ending, if there is one, brings the opportunity for a new beginning. It’s all about the interpretation.
Tarot cards do not predict the future. They pick up on the current energy at play. If the querent, the person asking the question, were to continue along their current path as is, making no changes, the Tarot’s symbolism depicts the likely outcome. It’s critical to remember that we have free will and agency in our lives.
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