This text below, with minor modifications, was offered as a supplement to Holistic Tarot: An Integrative Approach to Using Tarot for Personal Growth (North Atlantic Books, 2015) by Benebell Wen.  In the original PDF, which can be found here, the author grants a Tarot Professional the right to “copy, use, or distribute the following material …. for any tarot-related purpose, commercial or otherwise.” Reviewing the Code provided, and being a “Tarot Professional,” I agreed with the content provided, and so adopt this code of ethical conduct for my divination methods, which are tarot and geomancy.

Mission

A divination professional strives to uphold the highest ethical standards in all services rendered and to act affirmatively toward maintaining public trust in the divination profession. A divination professional’s practice is grounded on use of the divination method as a tool to assist clients with tapping into their own intuitions, spirituality, or creativity.

Article One | Professionalism

Adherence to Applicable Laws.  A divination professional will take the initiative to be knowledgeable of all applicable laws including but not limited to fortune telling statutes and local municipal codes that may cover their business or the practice of divination.

Role of the Divination Professional. The divination professional provides a client with spiritual guidance and serves to empower the client toward making more spiritually empowered decisions for him or herself within the framework of the client’s own personal spiritual beliefs or practices.

Limitations. A divination professional shall never claim the ability to cure another of ailments outside the lawful practice of medicine or provide financial benefits outside the lawful practice of financial analysis and management. Unless the divination professional also possesses the applicable educational background, licensures, certifications, and/or qualifications to be a psychologist, therapist, counselor, or other mental health professional, he or she shall not purport to be one.

Referrals to Qualified Professionals. A divination professional owes a reasonable duty of care to his or her client and if an inquiry touches upon legal matters, even by a tangential connection or in passing, the divination professional will refer the client to seek the counsel of a licensed attorney. If an inquiry touches upon health or medical matters, even by a tangential connection or in passing, the divination professional will refer the client to seek diagnosis by a licensed medical doctor. If an inquiry touches upon financial or real property matters, even by a tangential connection or in passing, the divination professional will refer the client to seek advice from a qualified financial consultant, analyst, or real estate professional.

Duty to Reject Subsequent Reading Requests. If at any time a divination professional believes or has reason to believe that a client is using divination to substitute, and not merely supplement, counseling from a qualified mental health professional, then he or she has a duty to reject subsequent reading requests from the client and to refer the client to seek qualified mental professional support. However, divination may be used as a supplement to qualified counseling or serve the function of life coaching or general spiritual guidance.

No Dishonesty, Fraud, Deceit, or Misrepresentations. A divination professional shall not use divination in a way that purports definitive and absolute knowledge of the future. The divination professional shall never guarantee any one outcome, positive or negative. A divination professional shall never engage in deceptive business or unfair trade practices. A divination professional shall make no misrepresentations about his or her competency, certifications, qualifications, or abilities.

Article Two | Communications

The Reading Process. A divination professional is encouraged to make reasonable efforts to communicate his or her reading or interpretive process and analytical or intuitive methods, particular traditions, or the interpretive framework utilized if requested.

Disclosures. A divination professional shall make reasonable efforts to disclose to all clients that divination cannot replace the counseling services of a mental health professional, and a divination professional can never guarantee his or her accuracy in the interpretation of a reading. Also, if and when divination practice would be explicitly barred by a jurisdiction’s applicable laws, then the divination professional must communicate to the client in clear, unambiguous terms that such readings are to be for entertainment purposes. See also Article Five, Disclosures.

No Duty to Retain Records. A divination professional does not owe a client any duty to retain the client’s reading records. A divination professional may, at the discretion of his or her customary practice, retain records or files on client readings.

Records Retention. If a divination professional does elect to retain client records, then he or she must develop and maintain appropriate record-keeping systems for storing his or her clients’ personal information in a manner that will reasonably preserve the clients’ confidentiality and privacy.

Article Three | Fees

Statement of Fees. A divination professional shall state his or her service fees before the start of a reading. The divination professional must clearly communicate his or her fee schedule and payment terms prior to the commencement of any reading. A fee for any service that is $500.00 USD or more must be contractually agreed upon in writing.

No Pressure for Additional Services. A divination professional shall never pressure, compel, or even imply to clients that additional paid services from him or her are needed after the reading. A divination professional shall never purport to possess the power to manipulate the outcome of events through supernatural or occult means.

Referral Fees. If a divination professional makes a referral, then he or she must disclose whether any referral fees have been paid as compensation or consideration for the referral.

Article Four | Confidentiality

Duty of Confidentiality. Although there is not likely to be a legal evidentiary privilege between a divination professional and client, a divination professional nonetheless agrees on his or her own accord to be bound by a duty of confidentiality. A divination professional shall not reveal personal or private information relating to a client reading unless that client has given informed consent.

Reasonable Diligence to Protect Confidentiality. The divination professional shall exercise reasonable efforts to prevent the inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of or access to information relating to his or her clients, which includes password protection to any electronic accounts, computers, or data storage units that would include client files and lock and key to any physical storage units containing hard copy files.

Exceptions. However, divination professionals may reveal personal or otherwise private information relating to a client reading if the divination professional reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent substantial bodily harm or death, or a court order overrides the confidentiality. Partial information from a reading may be disclosed under the client’s anonymity for academic, civic, census, survey, or research purposes.

Article Five | Disclosures

General Practice Disclosures. A divination professional shall post a disclosure statement prominently at office locations, storefronts, on websites, reading venues, or commercial marketing materials that states essentially as follows:

Disclosure Statement: A divination professional cannot predict the future with certainty and you should not rely on a reading to make any decision that would affect your legal, financial, or medical condition. If your inquiry involves the law, finance, or medicine, then you should seek the advice of a licensed or qualified legal, financial, or medical professional. Also, a reading cannot replace qualified mental health care. A reading can only facilitate how you cope spiritually with a given situation. In certain jurisdictions, a divination professional is required to disclose to you that readings should be for entertainment purposes only, and if such a law applies to your reading, then you are hereby on notice thereof. Your divination professional is bound by a self-imposed code of ethics¹this web page, which can be provided to you upon request.