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A Look at Tarot as a Religion

Yes!! And this is not a joke!

In my sincere opinion, Tarot can be viewed as a religion, and I’ve approached it this way for close to 40 years as a professional reader and teacher, while I’ve always had a spiritual relationship with the cards, for over 50 years.

The statements in this article are based on my personal research, and not intended to be legal advice. **

So, let’s explore this idea by starting with the Merriam-Webster definition of “Religion” and the way it is defined.

Religion: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor, faith, and conscientiousness.

… to be conscientious: meticulous, careful, and scrupulous,

… to be scrupulous: having moral integrity,

…and to have integrity: firm adherence to a code of moral or artistic values.

How does my approach to Tarot echo these values?

When I work with Tarot cards, there’s a system of belief that informs me of the meaning of each card, or how to reveal meaning in the context of a reading, joined with a code of ethics for sharing this wisdom with others.

My approach to reading, as well as teaching Tarot, is very conscientious, imbuing each session or class with over 50 years of dedicated study of this art. As I tell my students, we hold our client’s heart in our hands, and thus must bring great respect and integrity into our work.

But, you say, that’s a sacrilegious claim, and certainly must be illegal.

The First Amendment of the US Constitution provides that…

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

…and some have argued that any judicial definition of religion would violate both the free exercise clause and the establishment clause. So, in other words…there is no definition, other than what we create.

In the US, there’s a more specific definition of religious organizations and churches for taxation purposes, under the umbrella of 501(c)(3). The greatest emphasis is on whether the religion or church is tax-exempt. This is the only area of law where the government gets specific with its definition of what qualities as a religion with special privileges, although this is in direct contrast to the 1st Amendment.

US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) typically examines the following factors to decide if a church should be granted tax-exemption status:

  • Distinct legal existence;
  • Recognized creed and form of worship;
  • Definite and distinct ecclesiastical government;
  • Formal code of doctrine and discipline;
  • Distinct religious history;
  • Membership not associated with any other church or denomination;
  • Organization of ordained ministers;
  • Ordained ministers selected after completing prescribed study;
  • Literature of its own;
  • Established places of worship;
  • Regular congregations;
  • Regular religious services;
  • Sunday schools for religious instruction of the young;
  • and Schools for preparing its members.”

One can certainly make an argument and cause for establishing a specific Tarot “church” and prove each of these factors in order to receive tax-exempt status in the US.

To my understanding, unless I file with the US Government for a tax-exempt status, although I can still practice my Tarot religion, a protected right, I still need to report income for the purpose of taxation. This is why, as a spiritual practitioner of the religion of Tarot, I report and pay taxes on income from my spiritual services…and on the flip side, I feel congruent about charging for these spiritual services, for they are not exempt as a non-profit entity.

** Disclaimer: I am not an attorney, nor do not give legal advice. Only expressing an opinion and backing it with data from the US government. I recommend that you do your own legal research, including local ordinances, state rules, and the laws of your country…or consult a local attorney, to have a clear understanding of what is allowed in your area for your services.

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