{"id":980,"date":"2013-05-08T18:09:18","date_gmt":"2013-05-09T00:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/?p=980"},"modified":"2013-05-08T18:09:18","modified_gmt":"2013-05-09T00:09:18","slug":"the-ethics-of-seership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/johnbeckett\/2013\/05\/the-ethics-of-seership.html","title":{"rendered":"The Ethics of Seership"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a>
Oghams<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Jason Pitzl-Waters at The Wild Hunt has a piece on the missing Ohio women<\/a> who were rescued this week and the fact that noted psychic Sylvia Browne had told the mother of one of the missing women that her daughter was dead. Jason says:<\/p>\n

Were I in Browne\u2019s position I would feel endlessly tormented over the people my predictions have hurt. I think incidents like this should call us collectively to examine how we practice, and in what contexts do we feel comfortable handing out predictions \u2026 Rather than become defensive, and work to distance ourselves from the hucksterisms of Browne, I think this is a call to introspection. How do we prevent ourselves from becoming the things that Browne now embodies to an outraged public?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While Browne is not a Pagan and psychic predictions are not part of most Pagan religions, many Pagans do practice some form of divination. Oracles and omens are part of our ancient heritage and seership is a part of many forms of Druidry, including both OBOD and ADF. I agree with Jason that we need not to explain how we\u2019re different from Browne but to lay out the boundaries and safeguards that will prevent us from becoming her.<\/p>\n

If you practice divination in any form I recommend you read the American Tarot Association\u2019s Code of Ethics<\/a> and the Tarot Certification Board of America\u2019s Client Bill of Rights<\/a>. Both organizations provide clear, helpful guidelines for client interaction and are applicable to any divination system, not just Tarot.<\/p>\n

I read Tarot and Ogham (though not extensively), I take omens when they\u2019re presented to me and I occasionally have dreams I can only describe as prophetic. I know what it\u2019s like to feel something in your bones and know<\/em> it\u2019s true. Those feelings are right most of the time. Most, not all \u2013 sometimes I\u2019m wrong. If you\u2019ve done this more than once or twice you\u2019ve been wrong too. If you\u2019re a seer you have the responsibility to represent your craft honestly and accurately, and that means explaining that you can\u2019t be certain about anything.<\/p>\n

My Tarot teacher says \u201cnever predict a death.\u201d I say \u201cnever tell someone their spouse is cheating on them.\u201d In either case you can\u2019t be sure and the consequences of being wrong are severe.<\/p>\n

The general public (and that includes your family and friends) gets most of its ideas about divination from Hollywood. In reality, divination is not Google and you rarely get precise answers. You know you get themes and patterns and concepts \u2013 make sure the people you read for understand that.<\/p>\n

People consult seers because they\u2019re nervous about the future and they want a definitive answer. You can\u2019t give them a definitive answer. And that\u2019s a good thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore I draw nearer to that stone to which you point,\u201d said Scrooge, \u201canswer me one question. Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Which is correct, free will or determinism? As with so many things, the only completely honest answer is \u201cwe don\u2019t know.\u201d But we do know this: if you believe the future is fixed you are much less likely to take positive action. If you get a message through divination that you don\u2019t like, be like Scrooge and make a change. If you\u2019re reading for someone else and you see trouble for them, encourage them to make a change.<\/p>\n

In Danse Macabre<\/em>, horror master Stephen King explained how not showing the monster is scarier than letting it be seen:<\/p>\n

after mounting apprehension about the fear we are about to confront, somebody eventually has to respond to the scratching sound at the door and throw it open \u2014 only to reveal, before our terrified eyes \u2026 a ten-foot-bug! And no sooner do we register that fear \u2013 hairs standing erect on our necks, gooseflesh crawling up our arms \u2013 than we begin assessing and processing it; in an instant, an equal-and-opposite reaction sets in, tinged with disappointment: \u201cOh,\u201d we think. \u201cA ten-foot bug. That I can deal with. I was afraid it was going to be a hundred-foot bug!\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Humans are remarkably resilient creatures. We can defeat ten-foot bugs, we can survive illness and injustice and betrayal and go on to live happy, productive lives. We can escape toxic religions and abusive relationships and go on to find meaning and connection and love.<\/p>\n

As seers, we can\u2019t tell people what\u2019s behind the door. What we can do is give them the encouragement and the confidence to deal with whatever is behind the door.<\/p>\n

So what do you do if you\u2019re in Sylvia Browne\u2019s position and someone asks you \u201ctell me if my daughter is dead\u201d? If someone asked me that, I\u2019d politely and gently decline to answer. If it was a close friend asking who wouldn\u2019t take no for answer, or if I felt divinely obligated to answer, I\u2019d start with \u201cI believe\u201d and end with \u201cbut I can\u2019t be sure, and I might be wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seers are accountable: to ourselves, to our communities and traditions, to our gods or guides or spirits, and most importantly, to those for whom we see. May we always use our skills responsibly and ethically.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Psychic Sylvia Browne told the mother of one of the rescued Ohio women that her daughter was dead. Those of us who practice divination can and must do better. Seers are accountable: to ourselves, to our communities and traditions, to our gods or guides or spirits, and most importantly, to those for whom we see.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1129,"featured_media":981,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[43,81,947,4,5],"class_list":["post-980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-practice","tag-boundaries","tag-divination","tag-druidry","tag-pagan","tag-paganism"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Ethics of Seership<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Psychic Sylvia Browne told the mother of one of the rescued Ohio women that her daughter was dead. Those of us who practice divination can and must do better. 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