From the Robin Wood Tarot 

So…are tarot cards evil? I’m gonna save you time. 

They are if you think they are.

Just like money. If you have a subconscious belief that money is evil or that rich people are selfish, that’s exactly what you’ll see around you. 

Or if you’re on the left politically, the folks on the right might seem evil - or at least annoying. If you’re on the right, people on the left seem evil - or at least aggravating. My experience is that life is on a continuum of “grey” - but I digress.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s dive in to the myth busting of are tarot cards evil. 

Myth Busting: Are Tarot Cards Evil

This post is based upon my own understanding from more than 20 years experience working with Tarot. Of course I’m biased! But please keep an open mind until the end. Then you can ponder this for yourself and come to your own conclusions.

My goal with this post isn’t to antagonize anyone with opposing beliefs or views. It’s for someone who’s new to Tarot who may have heard that Tarot cards are evil - and you came here to investigate more on the topic.

My hope isn’t to convince or “convert” anyone, either. It’s simply to share my ideas on this idea that Tarot cards are evil so that it can be brought into the light of awareness and actually looked at.

After reading, it’s up to the individual to decide how they want to look at Tarot cards. At least for now.

The Crack In The Cosmic Egg

I wrote a companion post to this called Is Tarot Reading Nonsense?  In that article I mostly discussed how many people who have dogmatic materialistic and scientific reductionsist views would see Tarot. 

Joseph Chilton Pearce calls people with this limited view “naive realists” in his book the The Crack In The Cosmic Egg. I guess the most hard boiled of them could call people like me "naive idealists." Again, life is on a continuum of grey in my experience.

In this article, I’m discussing a view that is mostly held by religious fundamentalists. That is, of course, that reading tarot cards is evil and possibly enough to get you sent straight to hell in a handbasket!

What Exactly, Are Tarot Cards?

They are cards, very similar to playing cards. They are only pieces of cardboard with pictures on them.

“Ah! but it’s not the cardboard, it’s the pictures on them!” you might exclaim. And despite all the “rocket science” that some Tarotists get into, it’s the pictures that are the point - and pointers - of Tarot.

Let’s break that down, shall we?

Structure of a Tarot Deck

A tarot deck is made up of 78 cards in total. 56 of these cards are generally known as the “minor arcana” and directly correspond to the 52 cards in a deck of regular playing cards. 

22 are known as the major arcana. I’ll say more about that in a moment.

Arcana is like the word “arcane” and basically means “secrets.”

A tarot deck also has 4 suits evolved from the same roots as the suits in playing cards. I’m not going to dive deeply into the history and development of Tarot cards here - I want to keep things as straightforward as possible.

The extra 4 cards that make the minor arcana add up to 56 are called “court cards” in Tarot. The court cards essentially represent people. You could think of it as a child, a youth, a mother and father.

The minor arcana represents the daily struggles and victories of the mundane type. A wedding, a disappointment in love, a backstabbing coworker, a happy homelife, a new love potential entering your life, feeling bored, taking a walk down memory lane, etc.

The Major Arcana

The major arcana consists of an extra 22 cards added to the 56 minor arcana which then equals 78 in total.

The major arcana in tarot symbolize larger forces that are connected with spiritual and psychological growth.

It’s important to note that although the situations reflected in the tarot cards seems to be external to you, the archetypal forces begin within you.

Themes such as digging deep to get out of your comfort zone, surrendering to situations you have no control over, important endings and beginnings in life such as relationships or jobs, being stuck in a karmic situation, being divinely inspired and guided, being reborn in some area of your life are all clearly represented in Tarot’s major arcana.

Evil is most graphically depicted in Tarot imagery with The Devil card. In general this card relates to situations or people not in your highest good. Bondage. Toxic behaviour. Ego taking over completely. And of course, it’s an example of an archetype.

But, Are Tarot Cards Actually Evil?

I know. I haven’t given a lot of evidence yet. But I’m building a case. You needed to first be aware of what Tarot cards are.

They actually used to be used - and still are, apparently in Europe - for a popular card game called Tarrochi.

Although in most modern tarot decks there are now descriptive pictures on the 56 minor arcana, the first decks were mostly a plain design just like playing cards.

Where the artwork got fancy was with the 22 major arcana.

So again, are tarot cards evil?

Renaissance Europe, Alchemy & Tarot

The earliest evidence for Tarot cards is in renaissance Europe. And the pictures on the 22 major arcana were inspired at that time from a renewed interest in ancient mystic philosophies.

These philosophies included Hermeticism, neo-platonism and alchemy. And of course, at this time in Europe, Christianity was also a massive influence on art and culture.

So the images are a fusion or collection of images from these sources.

A fundamental Christian of the modern day would still probably pronounce tarot cards as evil because the ancient mystic philosophies of Greek and Egyptian origin are considered pagan.

And as I stated at the beginning, I’m not trying to force anyone to change their opinion - especially if it’s set in stone.

But to anyone who is here because they’re wondering, they’ve heard things and are curious, I’m saying that these ancient philosophies have some incredibly beautiful and deep understandings of life and our place as humans in the cosmos.

They are certainly not evil. And in fact, they heavily influenced Christian theology as it developed in different streams and schools early on.

But Tarot Is Evil Because It’s “Occult”

The word “occult” has come to mean dark or demonic forces. 

But what the root meaning of the word actually means, is “hidden.” 

Can anyone honestly say there is absolutely no evil in their heart? Regardless of how that evil might be expressed? It could be as simple as being unkind to someone for no good reason. Getting upset in traffic. Or starting an argument with a family member for no real reason. But it’s still evil and it perpetuates that energy in the collective human experience. 

As Jesus said, "let those without sin cast the first stone."

So while there are certainly dark forces in the human psyche, Tarot address it in a way that can actually help sincere seekers become more aware of how this darkness operates both in themselves and others.

It’s Not The Wand, It’s The Wizard

I’m going to wrap things up with the same idea I discussed at the top of this article. That is, like anything in Life, Tarot is either good or evil depending upon how it's used or abused. 

But in my opinion & experience, it has a vast potential for the Good.

And again, the real work is synthesizing polarities within oneself - and aligning with Cosmic Intelligence as best one can. It's an ongoing and dynamic process.

Check out my article on whether tarot reading is nonsense as some folks who are more atheistic or "scientific" might say. Oh yeah, I've met a couple on my social media! 

Here are 7 ways Tarot cards are used for the Good:

1.  a GPS for the soul
2. a clear mirror for what you’re experiencing
3. a brainstormer
4. expands consciousness 
5. deepens understanding of self and others
6. roadmap for spiritual growth & psychological development
7. a reality check

Bonus: strengthens your connection with intuition and psychic perception

Here are 5 Ways Tarot is used and abused:

1. using it as a crutch and not taking responsibility for choices
2. not going deep enough. Tarot is DEEP.
3. manipulating yourself and others (grifters, etc.)
4. not learning the meanings both generally and personally
5. not studying and practicing 

I hope you enjoyed this article. If so, you may want to keep in touch with by subscribing to my newsletter.