## When Not to Read the Tarot: A Lesson in Discernment ### Alternative Titles: - _When to Say No: The Ethics of Withholding a Tarot Reading_ - _The Tarot Reader’s Duty: Knowing When Silence is the Message_ - _Spiritual Boundaries: Times When a Tarot Reading Does More Harm Than Good_ --- ### Not All Questions Seek Truth There are moments in this work when the cards must remain untouched. The deck sits before me, charged, ready, but something deeper; something older; murmurs, _Not today_. This isn’t hesitation. It’s discernment. A woman came to me recently. Outwardly, all seemed fine. She cared for her mother with Alzheimer’s, claimed her family life was “wonderful”, and insisted she had no problems. “I’m in therapy,” she added, “but really, I’m fine.” There it was; the dissonance. Therapy without problem. Perfection layered over pain. Then came the clincher. She wanted a message from Jesus or Buddha. Not wisdom. Not transformation. A message. Something pre-packaged from the divine. She pointed to the statues I keep in my office — spiritual icons, yes, but also decorations — expecting them to validate her narrative. No tarot reading could help her, because she was not ready to _receive_ the truth. She wanted a performance, not a revelation. All that came to me was this: **“I cannot help you.”** So I said it aloud. And do you know what she said? “Maybe that’s the message I was looking for.” --- ### The Hidden Signs You Should _Not_ Read Even if someone sits before you with money in hand, here are the signs to look for — indications that the reading would serve no one, least of all them: #### 🜁 Denial Wrapped in Spiritual Language The person smiles, speaks of angels and healing, while denying every sign of psychic or emotional distress. The tarot becomes a mask, not a mirror. #### 🜃 Requests for Messages from External Deities When they want “a message from Jesus or Buddha,” what they really mean is: “Tell me something that will absolve me from doing the work.” #### 🜄 Contradictions and Over-Rationalisation They explain, they analyse, they explain some more — building a wall of words between you and their soul. The reading will only reinforce the illusion. #### 🜔 Energetic Dissonance Even without words, you can feel when something is off. The current doesn’t flow. Trust this. The spirits do not lie. --- ### To Refuse is Sometimes the Highest Act of Service Tarot is sacred. It is _TARO_ — the Wheel of Return, the spiral of becoming. It is not therapy, it is not entertainment, and it is _never_ a substitute for self-honesty. To offer a reading when the querent is not truly present is not compassion — it is complicity. Sometimes the real message is: **Not yet.** And when that is the truth, say it aloud. --- ### 🔔 If you’re serious about Tarot as a spiritual path, not just a tool, follow my ongoing work at [TaroRota.co.uk](https://tarorota.co.uk), and subscribe to TARO Currents on [Substack](https://tarocurrents.substack.com/) **Stay true to the current. Say no when the Spirit says so.** --- ### Contact me The circle is open — if the work calls to you, or if you simply wish to say hello, you're most welcome. Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: [Message me here](https://wa.me/447918637940) ### Links to Paul on the web - [Substack](https://tarocurrents.substack.com/) - [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/paulhughesbarlow) - [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/@PaulHughesBarlow1) - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/paul.hughesbarlow) - [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/paulhughesbarlow.bsky.social)