I have a few moments so I thought I’d share a thought I have been turning around.

Earlier today someone posted in a forum a reading they conducted. The title of the post was “Am I pregnant?” and the person listed the cards she threw. My response to this was that there is a test available at the drugstore that can settle that question once and for all in under five minutes.

Another poster gently chastised me for my comment. However, I was not being snarky! If someone came to me asking for advice on some cards they threw when their question was “Is the lump in my breast cancerous?” I would suggest that they see a doctor ASAP to allay their fears. This is the same sort of question in my mind.

It says in my code of ethics that I do not give medical or legal advice and I stand by that firmly. I think that not only is it unethical to attempt to dispense advice via tarot (or any other divinatory means) on these matters, but it’s ultimately a waste of everyone’s time. Tarot is a very useful tool for gaining insight on situational matters, but all the insight in the world won’t compare to the peace of mind a positive (or negative) pregnancy test can provide. I can understand that people may be hesitant to take the steps required to actually know — especially in these kinds of life-changing circumstances, however this is a situation that falls 100% outside of my scope of practice.

A more helpful question to ask the tarot would be “Why am I afraid of being pregnant?” or “What would I gain if I were to become pregnant?” or “How would my life change if I got pregnant?” Do you see the difference?

I’m curious as to what others think about this? If a friend or stranger wanted you to read for her because she thought she was pregnant, what would you say? What if it was some other medical condition? What if it was a legal problem? Where do you draw the line and say to a person — go get the help you really need.