Is Tarot Evil? In Defence of the Cards

Recently, The Spectator published a letter from Rev’d Richard Coombs, the Rector of Cheltenham, offering his reflections on exorcism and evil spirits. It reads as follows:

As a parish priest of 35 years, I read Francis Pike’s account of his supernatural experiences with little surprise. Over the years, I have been approached by parishioners troubled by poltergeists, apparitions, unexplained odours, ‘friendly’ spirits and, in one case, cutlery and glasses flying off tables.

In every instance, my approach has been the same. Accompanied by another person, I visit the home and enquire whether the household has been involved in any occult practices – Ouija boards, tarot cards, consulting mediums and the like. Almost invariably, the answer is yes. I then encourage repentance from such practices and a turning to Christ as Lord. We pray through every room in the house, dedicating it to Christ, and commanding any evil presence to depart.

Where people have allowed us to pray in this way, the disturbances have ceased – and the individuals involved have experienced peace and freedom from fear. In many cases, they have also come to faith and joined our church, having encountered a deeper and more powerful spiritual reality.

We would do well to recall Hamlet’s words: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

I’ve sat with this letter for a few days now. Not because I didn’t have a response. But because, honestly, I had too many. Anger, exasperation, a dry laugh of disbelief. And underneath it all, the tired frustration of someone whose spiritual practice has once again been lazily lumped in with demon-summoning and labelled “evil.”

So let’s get a few things straight.

Tarot Is Not the Same as Ouija

The first thing that really pissed me off in Coombs’ letter is the sweeping lumping-together of Tarot cards with Ouija boards, mediums, and “occult practices.” Now, I have no issue with Ouija or mediumship per se, but the conflation is sloppy. Both Ouija boards and spirit mediums are explicitly framed around communication with the dead or otherworldly entities. Tarot is not.

Even among the more mystical branches of the Tarot world, the cards are rarely used to “summon” ghosts in a Ouija Board sense. And in my own practice? Nothing I do involves contacting the dead. For the record: I don’t believe it’s possible. Though I’m not closed to the idea.

Tarot is not a religion. It is not supernatural by default. It is a tool. A way of asking questions. A mirror, not a mouthpiece. It can be spiritual, psychological, artistic, poetic. It doesn’t demand belief in anything, and it doesn’t require you to renounce your own.

Tarot Doesn’t Replace Belief – It Reflects It

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Tarot doesn’t replace belief, it helps me reflect on how I live in relation to what I believe. The symbols ask questions more than they give answers. What I’d say to the Rev Coombs is, that’s something your own tradition honours too, right?

I don’t use Tarot to predict the future or summon spirits, I use it the way many mystics – including Christians – have used art and scripture for centuries: to ask better questions of myself, and to listen more deeply.

This isn’t dark magic. It’s not about channeling spirits. It’s not the occult. It’s cards, images, archetypes. It’s conversation. It’s metaphor. If that unnerves you, perhaps the problem is not with the cards.

The Hypocrisy of What’s “Acceptable”

Here’s the part that really gets under my skin. I’m tired of representatives of Christianity – a religion that includes some truly out there rites and beliefs – casting judgement on other spiritual tools because they look unfamiliar.

Let’s take communion. Symbolically or literally, you are drinking the blood and eating the flesh of a bloke who died two thousand years ago. Hmmm. Blood-drinking, cannibalism… That’s… not not occult, Richard.

Many Christian practices – anointing, laying on hands, invoking spirits, speaking in tongues, confessing sins in sealed rooms – would look deeply bizarre to an outsider. The only difference is familiarity, and institutional power. That, and the ability to cry “evil” at anyone else without a flicker of irony.

And let’s be honest: Coombs would never write something like this about Judaism, or Islam, or Hinduism. It would be considered bigoted. But because Tarot isn’t a formal religion, because it’s loosely defined and often practiced by the vulnerable, the curious, and the nonconforming, it becomes a convenient scapegoat.

This isn’t about spiritual safety. It’s about control. It’s about gatekeeping legitimacy. AND IT REALLY REALLY HACKS ME OFF.

And Finally, the Hamlet Quote

Just to put the cherry on top, Coombs closes his letter with that famous line from Hamlet: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

Which is, and I cannot stress this enough, a quote about not judging what we don’t understand. About embracing mystery. About staying open to possibility.

And he uses it to justify spiritual bigotry.

We who work with Tarot know this truth intimately: the world is more complex, more symbolic, more layered than any single philosophy can hold. We sit with mystery. We don’t try to exorcise it.

So, no, Richard. My deck isn’t possessed. I don’t believe seventy-eight bits of printed cardboard can summon poltergeists or bad smells into your house (not unless you use them in place of toilet paper). But I do think my deck is powerful.

Because it helps people ask hard questions. Because it invites reflection. Because it opens up space for feeling and meaning and metaphor. And because, unlike the view expressed in your letter, it doesn’t presume to know what’s best for everyone else.

There are indeed more things in heaven and earth than we can understand. And Tarot helps me meet them with curiosity, not fear.

I don’t call spirits – just bullshit.

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