grandmother says the cards are the devils picture book lol

so this made me laugh and also sting a little. my grandmother came over for sunday dinner, saw my Rider-Waite on the side table, and announced to the whole room that im keeping 'the devils picture book' in a christian home. everyone went quiet lol. and look, i love her, shes 84 and she means it from worry not malice. but i froze and didnt know what to say. i genuinely dont see my cards as anything dark, i use them the way some people use a journal, a way to slow down and ask myself honest questions. i dont want a theology debate with her, i just dont want her scared for my soul every time she visits. has anyone found a gentle way to explain tarot to an older religious relative without it turning into an argument? not trying to change her mind, just lower the temperature

for what its worth, i dont think you owe her an explanation at all. her fear is hers to hold, not yours to fix 💛

'the devils picture book' is sending me lol

my nan calls it my 'spooky playing cards' and ive made peace with it. some relatives you just let have their own name for it ☕

to be fair she also thinks my robot vacuum is possessed, so the bar is low 😂 'its my journaling thing nan' might be the move

i went through almost this exact thing with my dad, who is a deacon. what finally lowered the temperature wasnt an argument, it was time and consistency. i stopped trying to explain the symbolism, because every explanation sounded like a defense and defenses only make people more suspicious. instead i just kept being the same daughter i always was. one day he asked, almost shyly, what i actually do with them, and because i wasnt braced for a fight i could answer honestly. i told him i pull a card in the morning and sit with a question, same as his morning prayer. that framing landed in a way nothing else had. your grandmother is 84 and scared for someone she loves, thats not hostility, its love wearing a worried face. you probably cant logic her out of a belief she held that long, but you can outlast the fear by just continuing to be yourself around her