The Tarot Surveys Project

An invitation . . .

Are we "users" of Tarot — or is it the other way around?

Personally, I believe that Tarot either adopts you or not. Once adopted, you have a responsibility to listen to the cards, explain them to others as best you can, and never use them in any way that is manipulative or exploitative.

That kind of relationship is cooperative, personal, creative. By contrast . . . those who treat the Tarot as an ordinary object, or think they can control it, are likely to have an empty experience— at best.

But that’s just my own opinion. And opinions about Tarot are a dime a gigabyte! So I began to wonder if there is any way to look at the relationship between Tarot and its users in a more objective (even quantitative) way.

Which led me back to a previous effort along those lines. When I wrote my second book (Methods, Mastery, and More), I sent out questionnaires to about 200 people with an interest in Tarot.

That was in the 1990s, and the whole thing was a lot of work. Printing, mailing, reading the answers, compiling responses by hand, tabulating, and following up. But the reward was some fascinating information about how people connect with Tarot.

If I can find a copy of the original questionnaire, I’ll share it here on EP. I’ll also share some excerpts from MMM that summarized the original findings.

In the meantime, though, I’m happy to say that information-gathering is much easier in 2021. And as part of my quest to locate Tarot in relation to the wide world, I’ve whipped up four new surveys that I hope people will be willing to take.

• 1 Cups: Tarot Connections

  In this survey, you’ll have an opportunity to share a little about your history with Tarot—how you found it (or were found by it), how you started out, and how you see it now. This survey is already active, so just click the link to participate.

• 2 Pentacles: Professional Tarot

  If you ever read Tarot publicly and/or for some sort of compensation (barter, payment, donations), I hope you will respond to this survey.

• 3 Wands: Personal Tarot

  What role does Tarot play in your life? How do you relate to decks and spreads? Do you read for yourself? Et cetera!

• 4 Swords: Thinking About the Wide World

  A survey focused on attitudes and levels of engagement, looking at political, spiritual, social, and cultural aspects of our larger world.

To participate, just visit Tarot Surveys Online.

Each survey has eleven questions (naturally), including a place to share additional opinions and ideas. Here’s a sample of what the questions look like:

You can remain anonymous if you wish, and neither SurveyPlanet nor I will keep any information about your visit. Participants so far have spent five minutes or less on the survey, so it’s something you could do very quickly.

Obviously, the more responses there are, the more interesting/meaningful the results. So please share the survey links with anyone you think might want to participate.

Thanks in advance!