The pandemic has been a time of deep turmoil and loneliness. In order to seek comfort amid constant uncertainty, many have turned to spirituality. Tarot card reading, a form of cartomancy, is believed to reveal the inner secrets of life.
Simplifying the mysticism associated with tarot, Ruchi Kumar, a tarot reader from Patel Nagar, says, “The client is the paper, I am the pen, and ink is tarot”.
With this practice gaining prominence, a number of self-proclaimed psychics are using virtual tools— mostly Instagram reels and YouTube videos—to dole out guidance to their followers through tarot and expand the ambit of their practice.
A sense of direction
Tarot readers use a deck of tarot cards—78 cards that can be split into two groups, the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana—to gain insight into one’s past, present, and future.
“Tarot reading are said to be the divine cards that work on the principle of energy. A tarot reader connects with a person by tapping into their energies to interpret the message received from their higher self,” explains Parul P Agarwal, a tarot reader from Paschim Vihar. As a spiritual practice, tarot readers make use of both skill and intuition.
“It is like an art. While artistic talent is innate, every artist needs to learn the basic tools to do their first painting. Similarly, a tarot reader has to first learn the basic skills and then unlearn it to rely on their intuition, instincts, and knowledge to get the message from the higher self,” adds Agarwal.
Referred to as a “divination or guidance tool”, it is believed that tarot can help one gain foresight into matters of relationships, finances, careers, and similar such aspects of life. A number of people who follow tarot regularly do so in order to make decisions that align with the higher energies.
“I belong to the fashion industry, and I have got a lot of guidance for my projects through tarot. It has helped me gain mental satisfaction,” shares Pooja Vij who takes weekly sessions with Agarwal.
A digital move
With the advent of the pandemic a number of sectors have digitised their practices, and tarot has been no different. Practitioners have now started conducting tarot card reading through Instagram, YouTube live, as well as other virtual meeting platforms. In a digital session, the psychics often read the cards to predict something for the populace.
“Such live tarot readings or readings done through Instagram reels are general and meant for the collective. These are not meant for individual purposes. Nonetheless, people are able to relate to these general tarot prophecies and that is why [tarot] is becoming so popular these days,” says Agarwal.
Given the easy access through digital mediums, there has been a new-found interest in tarot among people. While virtual medium are becoming popular, Kumar adds that such videos on social media cannot accurately predict an individual's past, present, or for that matter their future.
“People make all sorts of reels, even I do but that is now how it works. To read the cards in the right way, I need to have the name, picture or the person in front of me," she states affirming that while digital tarot reading may resonate with the general public, it does not really offer an accurate and deep insight.