This is a conversation I've had in the past with close friends but I've rarely seen it come up in all the tarot/divination articles, posts, videos I've come across. Everyone wants to talk about what you can do, but not what you shouldn't do...
I recently came across a couple of videos online where someone talking about this online and it was really refreshing to hear, as it's something I've been thinking about recently and wanted to post my thoughts on. The conversation was about opening up oneself too fast to psychic abilities, and how many these days seem to expect to be able to do these things quickly today in a world where we tend to expect everything 'fast'. I think this is a great topic in the general arena of New Age or occult practices.
The access to and growth of the internet has resulted in an ease and speed of access to any information you want about just about anything. This, coupled with a growing interest and acceptance of New Age and occult practices, has caused a boom in individuals being able to share their ideas or skills in these areas, novice and expert alike, who can then become viewed as leaders or teachers in the field, even if they don't necessarily have sufficient experience or knowledge to guide others in a responsible way.
In the old days (before the web), access to such information was more limited. You had to go out of your way to find material on the subject in bookstores if you were really interested. It could take time to find the right material and discover a path to progression. Even then, you might not be aware enough of the dangers. Or you had to find a teacher who you would have to go spend time with. It's a cliche, but true, that someone wanting to delve into spiritual matters topics such as meditation, or develop psychic or occult skills, would have a guide/teacher/master. You had for example occult organisations such as the Golden Dawn, or others such as the modern day Rosicrucians, where members would have to progress through different levels of the order, learning and developing more at each level, not learning everything at once or too fast.
A teacher was sought to guide students through their development, and that's for a good reason. These things, as with anything else in life, can be improperly learnt which can have unpleasant consequences for the student if they don't adequately understand what they are doing, and how to do it in order to avoid the potential pitfalls.
I think, with today's universal access to this field via the internet, some of that guidance has been lost. Anyone can now get ideas from others who may not be necessarily qualified, in how to develop their psychic abilities. I 'm not saying access to this information is a bad thing. I don't think people should be prevented from discovering their own innate psychic ability, or from developing their spirituality. I certainly wouldn't want anyone to restrict me from these things. But from what I have personally seen, and this is just my own personal opinion, I do feel there is not enough warning or guidance about the potential downsides and how to avoid or deal with them.
I don't believe that those who decry these fields as dangerous and of the devil are totally wrong (well maybe just the devil bit). Yes, it can be dangerous. Just pop onto Youtube and search for magik, or becoming psychic, opening the third eye etc. There will be hundreds of videos, but how many on safety in these areas (either as separate videos or included in how to videos)? Everyone wants to talk about what you can do, but not about what you shouldn't do. I'm not sure if that's just from ignorance of the pitfalls or a wanting to avoid there being any. Or is it that information about what to do rather than what not to gets more 'likes'?
One of the consequences of this is that people can get burnt (and it can be bad!). When psychic abilities are opened up it opens you up to all sorts of energies, both good and bad. You can find plenty of stories about 'converts' from 'New Age' practices or the occult who say they now believe those were wrong or evil because of what they experienced. Perhaps some of those cases are where the person got burnt because they didn't fully understand, or respect, what they were engaging in, or didn't have the knowledge to deal with something unpleasant happening to them. Not a good reason to decry the whole practice of course.
I'm not saying that some can't find their way themselves, without a teacher. I think you can, if you are are conscientious in finding out about, and being realistic about, both the benefits and harms of whichever esoteric field you wish to explore, and the time it may take to learn and develop your abilities to the level you want. You also have to accept the possibility of making mistakes with difficult consequences.
This does relate to Tarot too. Using tarot can have it's down side if the reader is not conscientious in the same way. Some harm can be caused to oneself or others if tarot isn't used responsibly and with awareness of how it works. For example with what, or how, do you intend to commune to gain the information you are asking from the Tarot? If it's spirits do you know what they want in return or if they really are what you think they are? And tarot includes cards representing both positive and not-so positive events, so care needs to be taken when communicating these energies so that the querent does not leave the reading feeling anxious, scared or confused.
I just wish that there was more of a balance of benefits and potential harms being discussed in these topics by those setting themselves up as 'teachers' in the esoteric field.
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