Ethical Charter: definition

An ethical charter brings together the deontological principles that guide a tarot practice respectful of the querent. It covers consent, confidentiality, the absence of medical or legal diagnosis and intellectual honesty.

Its role is to distinguish reflective practice from manipulation. It protects both the querent —from abusive or distressing claims— and the reader, by setting a clear frame of what tarot can and cannot offer.

Its usual points include not predicting death or illness, not encouraging dependence, respecting the person's freedom of decision and referring to professionals when the situation requires it.

An ethical practice also takes care with language: it avoids deterministic wording that closes the future and prefers to open possibilities, recalling that the spread guides reflection and does not replace personal decision.

Adopting an ethical charter, explicit or implicit, is a sign of seriousness: it shows that the reader understands their responsibility and the tool's limits, especially with fragile or vulnerable people.

Although there is no single code recognised by all, many readers and associations have written their own ethical charter, and it is good that any querent can know it in advance: knowing what will be respected, what kind of questions are accepted and how personal data is handled is part of a transparent, responsible practice.

Ultimately, an ethical charter is less a set of rules than an attitude of care: it keeps the reading at the service of the person, mindful of their freedom, their vulnerability and the real limits of the cards.