PROFESSIONAL CODE of ETHICAL CONDUCT
Mission:
I strive to uphold the highest ethical standards in all services rendered and to act affirmatively toward maintaining public trust in the tarot, astrology, and life-coaching professions. My practice is grounded on use of the tarot and astrology as tools to assist clients with tapping into their own intuitions, spirituality, and creativity.
Article One | Professionalism
Adherence to Applicable Laws. I 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 my business or the practice of tarot, astrology, and/or life-coaching.
Scope of Profession. I apply tarot and astrology in a way that falls outside the scope of occult sciences and is not reading in a manner that claims or purports to tell fortunes, or with the ability to foretell with any certainty future events, or disclose in unequivocal terms the mental faculties of any persons.
Role of the Tarot, Astrology, Life-Coach Professional. I provide clients with spiritual guidance and serve 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. Although I have a B.S. of Psychology, I am not a licensed psychologist, therapist, counselor, or other mental health professional, and I do not purport to be one. I do not posses the legal certifications and/or qualifications to diagnose or treat clients with therapy or counseling services. I shall never claim the ability to cure another of physical or mental ailments. I shall never purport to offer legal, medical, or financial advice.
Referrals to Qualified Professionals. I owe a reasonable duty of care to my clients and if an inquiry touches upon legal matters, even by a tangential connection or in passing, I 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, I 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, I 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 I believe or have reason to believe that a client is using my readings and/or services to substitute, and not merely supplement, counseling from a qualified mental health professional, then I have a duty to reject subsequent reading and/or service requests from the client and to refer the client to seek qualified mental professional support. However, tarot and astrology readings 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. I shall not use tarot in a way that purports definitive and absolute knowledge of the future or of matters that are otherwise hidden or occult. I shall not represent myself as matter-of-factly having communication, access to, or knowledge of any supernatural phenomena. I shall never guarantee any one outcome, positive or negative. I shall never engage in deceptive business or unfair trade practices. I shall make no misrepresentations about my competency, certifications, qualifications, or abilities.
Third-Party Consent. I exercise great caution in providing reading services on inquiries into the personal affairs, business, intentions, mental faculties, or activities of third-parties who are not present for the reading, unless the client represents and warrants to me that such third-party’s express consent has been obtained. I may reasonably rely on such a representation made by a client, to provide reading services on inquiries about how the client’s affairs, business, intentions, mental faculties, or activities might be affected by that third-party.
Article Two | Communications
The Reading Process. I make reasonable efforts to communicate my reading and/or interpretive process and analytical and/or intuitive methods, particular traditions, and/or the interpretive framework utilized on my website and practice policy. I will refrain from communicating to a client about death predictions, curses, or the manifestation of malicious intentions through supernatural or occult means. I will not offer medical or financial advice. I will not attempt to communicate with the dead.
Disclosures. I shall make reasonable efforts to disclose to all clients that tarot and astrology readings and life-coaching services cannot replace the counseling services of a mental health professional, and I can never guarantee my accuracy in the interpretation of a reading. Also, if and when tarot and astrology practices would be explicitly barred by a jurisdiction’s applicable laws, then I 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. I do not owe a client any duty to retain the client’s reading records or session logs. However, I may, at the discretion of my customary practice, retain records or files on client readings.
Records Retention. If I do elect to retain client records, then I must develop and maintain appropriate record-keeping systems for storing my clients’ personal information in a manner that will reasonably preserve the clients’ confidentiality and privacy.
Article Three | Fees
Statement of Fees. I shall state my service fees before the start of a reading and/or service and cannot later raise or increase the stated fee unless prior contractual terms allow for the increase. I will clearly communicate my fee schedule and payment terms prior to the commencement of any reading and/or service. All fees for services are due in full before commencement of services. All group and party bookings require a non-refundable 50% booking deposit contractually agreed upon in writing.
No Pressure for Additional Services. I shall never pressure or compel clients that additional paid services from myself are needed to ensure the power to manipulate the outcome of events through supernatural or occult means, nor shall I threaten any witchcraft or place any curses on clients if they do not follow-up with additional readings and/or services.
Referral Fees. If I make a service or product referral, then I will disclose whether any referral fees have been paid as compensation or consideration for my referral.
Article Four | Confidentiality
Duty of Confidentiality. Although there is not likely to be a legal evidentiary privilege between a tarot professional and client, a tarot professional nonetheless agrees on his or her own accord to be bound by a duty of confidentiality. A tarot 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 tarot 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, tarot professionals may reveal personal or otherwise private information relating to a client reading if the tarot professional reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent substantial bodily harm or death, or a court order overrides the confidentiality. Partial information from a tarot reading may be disclosed under the client’s anonymity for academic, civic, census, survey, or research purposes.
Article Five | Disclosures
General Practice Disclosures. I will post a disclosure statement prominently on my website, startarot.co, and require client signature before any service is rendered online or in person. This disclosure states essentially as follows:
Disclosure Statement: A tarot professional and/or astrologer cannot predict the future with certainty and you should not rely on tarot and/or astrology readings or life-coaching services 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, tarot & astrology readings and/or life-coaching cannot replace qualified mental health care. A tarot and/or astrology reading can only facilitate how you cope spiritually with a given situation. In certain jurisdictions, a tarot and/or astrology professional is required to disclose to you that tarot & astrology readings should be for entertainment purposes only, and if such a law applies to your reading, then you are hereby on notice thereof. Your tarot professional, astrologer, and/or life-coach is bound by a self-imposed code of ethics, which can be provided to you upon request.
Certification Disclosures. A tarot professional, astrologist, and/or life-coach is not required to be certified. However, if he or she obtains a certification related to tarot, astrology, and/or life-coaching practices, the professional will disclose the certifying body or organization that issued the certification.
Article Six | Public Service
I aim to dedicate at least 10% of my practice per year to public service, such as offering reading services to support fundraisers for non-profit organizations or charitable causes, free readings to persons of limited financial means, teaching tarot and astrology to others free of charge, creating educational materials on tarot and astrology for the public free of charge, or participating in activities with the mission of improving the practice and profession of tarot and astrology.
Article Seven | Continuing Education
I shall take the initiative to continue my professional education for the full duration of and throughout my practice. This includes taking classes and/or workshops on tarot and astrology, attending new-age conferences, symposia, or conventions, meeting and collaborating with other tarot, astrology, and life-coaching professionals, regularly read on these practices, and exercise diligent efforts to hone my craft and skill set.
Last Updated: January 26, 2025