Tarot cards

I’ve heard people losing membership over such things as this.

I can imagine that only if they took it to an extreme – and it would have to be a pretty clear extreme.

I have no faith whatsoever in tarot cards. Like horoscopes, the general assertions of tarot card readings (and the instances you mentioned in your post) are generic enough (and generally have no specified dates attached) that anything that happens can be seen as fulfilling the predictions. (I like and believe in the principle and concept of Patriarchal Blessings, but the description above can be applied to PB’s, as well.)

I do believe there are people who have the gift of . . . insight (for lack of a better word) – and I do believe that we project auras that can be “understood” (broadly speaking about moods and emotions) by those who are skilled at reading people – so I am open to the idea that people can “read” other people and use cards or some other medium in the process of doing do. I just don’t believe in the concept of tarot cards – or any other specific “channel”, if you will.

I think the whole angst over cards in general is a by-product of one of the prophets (was it Pres. Kimball?) who accepted the traditional interpretation of the symbolism of the individual cards and actively preached against them (another case of hyper-sensitivity to things that “might” affect someone, imo – which is a whole different discussion) – but I love all kinds of classic card games and have no problem with them at all.

I’ve always been interested in them, and own a set.

However, I don’t like using them, since they verge too much on the occult, and clash with my current belief system. The artwork on them is interesting… and I consider them a springboard for inspiration, but no, I don’t use them these days.

In my experience though, most tarot card readers do cold reading, and don’t tell you much at all. (Paid or unpaid).

I personally have no experience with Tarot cards but I have been told my grandmother used them for a while and my mom says it was the darkest year of their life. Whether it was coincidence or not I can’t say, but the year really did have a series of extreme and painful experiences like no other in their lives. My moms family weren’t members (well in name only – hadn’t attended and wouldn’t appear members at all). I guess somewhere along the way someone suggested Norman Vince Peales the Power of Positive Thinking to my grandmother. My mom said that leaving the cards behind and memorizing Peale’s verses completely turned the energy around.

I guess it’s like Brian said there are somethings that just tweak things too much. For what it’s worth I wouldn’t consider them useful. On the horoscope note, the same grandmother worked at a newspaper when she was a girl. One day as the paper went to print they realized the horoscope lady had been ill and hadn’t turned in anything, the solution they sent my grandmother downstairs to pull a horoscope from the year before and have it printed. So much for reading the stars. My guess is she figured tarot cards were as nebulus.

I think your brain tries to make sense of random events and can often attempt to assign meaning where none exists. Often you don’t notice things until something draws your attention and then you can’t stop noticing them. It’s like when you get a new car and suddenly you see that same model everywhere you go.

With Tarot cards, random simple thoughts are placed in your train of thought and then your brain looks for patterns where they could apply. I hate to say it, but it is the same way some church experiences happen.