Psychic’s Donation Not Accepted

Thank you for the article, Jesse, I appreciate your humour! I only wish you would have mentioned my business name, EarthShod.com Tarot & Tea Leaf Readings! http://www.earthshod.com

Isn't this religious discrimination? The literal definition of divination is "to be inspired by a god". Reading tarot, etc is a form of divination.

Since these vouchers are for a holiday(s) aka holy day(s) celebration of the residents of King County, it would seem Ms Chauran's business would be a welcome addition to the festivities.

Of course Chauran got turned down. If she was a competent psychic her tarot cards, crystal ball or tea leaves would have foretold the results. She should consider a career change.

Moonbeam, clearly you do not understand what divination is.

This shouldn't be a religious issue at all. Chauran has a licensed business and isn't a tax exempt religious organization. The government is happy enough to collect her spooky taxes, so they shouldn't discriminate against her by other means. Shouldn't the ACLU get on this?

Mary is right, if they are not classified as a church by the laws and leech off the tax exempt status that organized religious groups feed on then it is a business matter, but still very discriminatory.

Tarot cards were really created for card games. The government has no business endorsing a religious view of these cards. I am an agnostic and not a Christian but why should new age philosophy be given preferential treatment. It would be against the Constitution for them to accept such "psychic" gifts. Tarot is for card games, people!

The American Tarot Association was appalled by the actions of the KCSWD and is issuing the following response to KCSWD management and King County Executive Ron Sims. Please feel free to contact the ATA via the contact information in the Release for more information or comments.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
American Tarot Association
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 5, 2008

Contact:
Stephanie Arwen Lynch, President
The American Tarot Association
2901 Richmond Rd Ste 130 #123
Lexington, KY 40509-1763

Phone: 800-372-1524
Email: president@ata-tarot.com

STATEMENT FROM THE AMERICAN TAROT ASSOCIATION REGARDING THE REJECTION OF CHARITY FUNDRAISING SERVICES BECAUSE DONOR OFFERED TO READ TAROT CARDS

It is with great disappointment the American Tarot Association reads of the decision by the King County Solid Waste Division (KCSWD) officials to reject the donated services of Alexandra Chauran for the KCSWD's Waste Free Holiday program solely because she offered her skills at reading Tarot cards, crystal ball divination and tea leaf reading. In subsequent communications with Ms. Chauran, a representative of the Division stated that the decision was based on the idea that some people don't believe in such activities and the activities are not an appropriate fit for a county program, even though yoga, wellness centers, and other new age or alternate thought businesses are allowed. This seems to be blatant discrimination based solely on a particular ideology concerning Tarot that is rooted in factual errors. This is absolutely not acceptable for any government office at any level, whether federal, state, city or county.

The Tarot deck was created in the fifteenth century in northern Italy. The cards were manufactured for use in a trick-taking game very much like modern Bridge. Even today, the game of Tarot, and its many variants (Tarocchi, Tarock, etc.) remain popular in parts of Europe.

Most scholars agree the earliest known decks reflect a Medieval Christian mindset (though the illustrations also draw upon other sources, including mythology). Many scholarly sources believe the earliest Tarot trump cards depict an allegory, or symbolic story, which appears to illustrate the triumph of God's will over all. While cards like Death and the Devil do appear in the deck, these concepts likely do so because they appear in the Bible. Given that the earliest Trump series incorporates images of the Christian resurrection (Judgment) and the appearance of the transfigured Christ (or the dawning of the "New Jerusalem"), no well-informed person or organization would ever associate the cards with demonism or Satanism. Modern decks associate the cards with all kinds of philosophies and trends, but the cards themselves are neither Satanic nor Demonic in origin.

There are millions of Tarot readers worldwide. They are business executives, doctors, lawyers, teachers, housewives, writers, engineers, students, and any other profession that can be named. They are neighbors, sisters, brothers, mothers and fathers. They are even national poet laureates! Tarot empowers readers and their clients to think through their options and come to decisions on their own. The cards are used to gain insight into personal growth opportunities, to aid in meditation or concentration practice, to explore options or alternative answers to questions, or to enhance creativity through brainstorming. Within the last decade, the cards are even beginning to appear in therapeutic settings. Such spiritual and internal exploration is a healthy part of the human condition, and should be encouraged, not dismissed. When Tarot readings are offered at fundraising venues, they tend to be popular and fun activities for visitors at the venue to engage in.

This incident reflects badly on the diverse and vibrant city of Seattle, King County and the state of Washington. The ATA strongly encourages the officials of the KCSWD and King County to take action to reconsider these blatantly discriminatory actions and calls on the KCSWD to issue a public apology not only to Ms. Chauran but to the global community that they have insulted with their actions.

The American Tarot Association stands ready to partner with the KCSWD and other representatives of local, state and federal offices to educate personnel on the positive aspects of Tarot and dispel outdated and mis-information. The American Tarot Association strongly encourages an investigation by state and county government officials into this case and urges them to protect their citizens from such discrimination. The ATA also calls on all citizens everywhere to boycott events such as these in which such discrimination is encouraged, and to write their local officials and lawmakers that such actions will not be tolerated in 21st century society.

No, it is not against the constitution for King County to offer this service via vouchers. I suggest you READ the constitution sometime.

I am sorry to say that it sounds like someone in the office staff is making a Judgement call based on their personal religious beliefs and not keeping state and it's perception of religion separate. I am disappointed that some people "don't believe in it" has become a validated excuse for discrimination. I support her decision to keep trying and perhaps by next year King County will have gained some enlightenment toward the realization of their chosen namesakes' (Martin Luther King, Jr) dream of equality under the Law. She is, by the way, really good at it!

The xtians have stepped on the constitution too long, we need to purify it from their religious virus they spread. Nothing more to add, other than I hope the lawsuit puts them out of business, no discrimination is good, unless it's against those who discriminate.

The Waste Free program should have accepted this donation and included it under recreation. Many people stop at the Tarot/palm reading booths at fairs for the fun of it. To deny it because there might be some controversy is idiotic. If they find that no one wanted the service they could drop it.

In many parts of the world fortune-telling is considered a regular part of the Christmas and New Year's season. Tarot reading, for entertainment purposes only, has nothing to do with religion (as noted Ms. Chauran has a business license) but is part of the holiday/vacation spirit. I suggest that you might want to ask whether the King County officials are themselves taking a religious rather than civil stance in their decision?

The stance to ban the psychic from helping the organization is ridiculous. I am a reader in Dallas, TX and often am solicited to read at charitable events, even those of churches, schools and synogogues. My friends who read and I firmly believe in giving back and we do at least one charity function per quarter. Any money collected for our services goes 100% to the charity or cause. Trust me, we raise a lot of money! We are always one of the very busiest booths. And somehow those people swearing they don't believe in psychics seem to always be the first in line.