I was just told I have no business reading tarot. Here’s why.

One thing I did not expect to emerge through this global pandemic is the number of conspiracy theories that are out there.

Just as this virus continues to spread, so does the suspicion about it all.

Spiritual communities are rampant with it, including the tarot world. Which surprises me, but then it doesn’t.

Spirituality and conspiracy theories have often shared space together. One of my earliest exposures to this crossover was here in Toronto in the ‘90s.

My friends and I would go downtown on the weekends where we would run into a religious group on Yonge Street. They would stand on the street handing out flyers warning against the coming age of microchipping, which they believed would signal the arrival of the anti-Christ. The chip was “the mark of the Beast.”

But I’m not going to go into a big, long list of various theories out there, old or new. My point in bringing this detail up is to say that I’ve heard a lot of different ideas over the years, and I’ve heard a lot of suspicion when it comes to media, government, science, health, and more.

I’m also not going to go into a list of the various conspiracy theories I’ve heard about the Covid-19 pandemic because I don’t want to perpetuate misinformation.

I’m sure by now you’ve heard at least a few of these ideas yourself.

Maybe you believe some of them. Maybe you don’t.

It’s not up to me to decide what someone believes in, and I’m not here to sway anyone either way. I can’t stop someone from believing what they want to.

What I am here to address is something that has been brought to my attention in recent weeks.

Since this pandemic started, I have been quite vocal about how I don’t believe this is a hoax.

I’m not worried about microchips or mandatory vaccinations. (I am more than happy to sign myself up for vaccines, thank you very much.) And I don’t think that masks are stealing my personal freedom.

What has caught me off guard is the criticism I’ve received for this from other so-called spiritual people. (Ironically, the ones who tow the love and light party line are the meanest. I guess the love and light only gets extended to people who agree with them.)

How so?

I’ve been told I have “the intelligence of a log.”

I’ve been told I’m giving tarot readers a bad name because I can’t “see” the lie that is Covid-19.

I’ve been told that because I’m into tarot, I should be more open to the idea that this pandemic is not really happening or that “something else must be going on” behind the scenes of it all.

I’ve been told I have no business being a tarot reader.

Guess I’m just a sheeple after all.

What these arguments have made me realize is that there are assumptions about tarot even within esoteric communities.

Just because I read tarot doesn’t make me omniscient.

I’m not above the laws of science and tarot doesn’t put me anywhere near the level of expertise of a health provider or medical researcher.

Just because I’m open minded doesn’t mean I believe in everything. Or that I have to subscribe to everyone else’s ideas at the expense of my own health or well-being.

Yes, I will listen to someone’s theory or idea, but no one is entitled to my time, energy or headspace beyond that.

Discrimination is part of living a health, grounded spiritual life. You must be able to decide for yourself what theories, ideas, or narratives you take in, and what you leave out.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of gullibility in spiritual communities, including the tarot world. It’s how a lot of people end up being taken advantage of when they walk into a psychic parlour and get told they have a curse on them that can only be removed at a hefty price.

As I told one online troll the other day: There are already enough people in the tarot world giving readers a bad name with the fraud they commit. Denying science is not going to help this industry one bit.

And I don’t believe that someone who works in a spiritual or intuitive capacity – as a tarot reader, psychic, crystal healer, or whatever else – has the authority to give medical advice unless they are trained to do so.

I also don’t have time to go back and forth about these arguments. Some people might see me dismissive or wilfully ignorant, but arguing about conspiracy theories is really at the bottom of the priority list for me.

Discernment is a big part of my work and a big part of what I aim to teach my students and my clients.

Spirituality is an important component in feeling whole, but spirituality can’t do everything for you. It can help you navigate reality, but not override it.

I’ve seen a lot of crossover with pandemic hoaxers and theories that we are awakening into a new reality, moving into a 5D experience or new levels of consciousness or new worlds altogether.

But I don’t buy into that either. Why? Because in my years developing my spiritual framework, I have found that spirituality – including tarot – brings me closer to this reality, not further away from it.

I don’t aspire to transcend this life or this world that I’m in, but instead to make the here and now better and develop a deeper understanding of the reality that so many of us have become disconnected from in the first place.

So when people expect or assume that I believe what they do, or when they expect that I should, that tells me they don’t know anything about what I do, where I come from, or how I got here.

I have a background in journalism. And regardless of what people may believe about mainstream media (and hey, I know it’s not perfect, but nothing is), journalism is rooted in research.

As a reporter, I was trained to keep my ego out the way and let the experts talk.

I also spent eight years working in non-profit communications, in health-related organizations. I’ve been in research labs. I’ve talked to scientists who are dedicating their lives to keep people alive.

I’ve been behind the scenes of these places around which there are many conspiracies, too. And from what I can tell, there are people doing jobs just like anywhere else.

“But wait,” I can hear someone saying. “If you’re believing the experts, then aren’t you giving them full control over the information they share? How can you trust them?”

The same reasons I expect people to trust me. I didn’t start reading tarot because I have a natural gift or psychic ability.

I got good at tarot by researching, practicing, and learning. I became an expert in it by learning not only how to give readings, but where tarot came from, how it works, and how it has evolved over the years.

Tarot is not just about “seeing” visions and I don’t use it as an excuse to think I know better than everyone else. And I build trust with those who work with me by being able to explain the ins and outs of tarot, including its origins and mechanics.

When I talk about tarot, I’m in my zone of expertise. I respect that other people have their zones of expertise – such as microbiology.

These are some of the reasons why there is just as much room in my life for science as there is spirituality.

To me, it’s not about choosing one over the other or seeing the world as an either / or binary.

So if you’re sitting there feeling like you’re the only one who is taking this pandemic seriously right now, know that I’m right there with you.

And if you’re a tarot reader or spiritual worker who’s been undermined, criticized, or name-called for challenging the conspiracy theories that are out there, know that I’m also right there with you.

Signing off with the intelligence of a log,

Liz xo