how do you explain your practice to people who think it's all made up?

ok so my parents are visiting next month and I'm lowkey dreading the conversation that always happens lol

every time they see my tarot cards or my birth chart printouts they get this look on their face. my dad especially - he's an engineer so anything that isn't "provable" is basically nonsense to him. last time he called it "magical thinking" and I just kind of froze and didn't know what to say

my partner is pretty skeptical too but in a more gentle way, like he doesn't mock it but he definitely doesn't get why I spend time on it

how do you all handle this? do you try to explain it or do you just kind of keep it private? I don't want to feel like I have to hide something that actually helps me a lot

ugh I feel this so much. my sister is a nurse and she's very "evidence-based" about everything. for a while I just didn't mention it around her

but honestly what helped me was framing it differently - I stopped trying to convince her it was "real" and just said it helps me reflect and slow down. she actually got that. it's like journaling but with prompts

the journaling comparison is such a good one!! I use that all the time now

also stopped trying to prove anything. like... I don't need my mom to believe in it for it to work for me, you know?

In all my years of practice, this is the question I hear most often - and my answer has softened quite a bit over time.

When I was younger I used to argue, defend, explain. It exhausted everyone and changed no one's mind. What I've learned is this: you don't owe anyone a justification for what brings you clarity and peace.

That said, if you want to keep the conversation open with family - especially skeptics who love you - the most disarming thing you can say is simply the truth: "It's a tool that helps me think things through. I'm not asking you to believe in it, just to respect that it's meaningful to me."

The old ways have always lived alongside skepticism. Every healer, every reader I've known has navigated this. It doesn't get easier because people change - it gets easier because you stop needing them to.

Margaret T said it perfectly honestly. the "I'm not asking you to believe, just to respect" line is going in my back pocket

thank you all so much, this is exactly what I needed to hear. the journaling framing and the "I don't need your belief, just your respect" approach both feel really doable

I think I've been going in trying to PROVE it which just puts everyone on defense. gonna try a different angle with my dad

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how do you explain your practice to people who think it's all made up?

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