What Made Tarot So Well-Liked Throughout The Pandemic?

Tarot deck sales have doubled in the past five years and tripled during the pandemic, according to an online retailer. US searches for ‘tarot cards’ and ‘how to read tarot cards’ have increased by 31.9% and 78.4% respectively from 2019. The pandemic has also led to an influx of tarot card readings on social media platforms like TikTok, known as “TarotTok”. Social psychology professor Jolanda Jetten states that the public’s fascination with Tarot, astrology, and similar practices has spiked over the course of the pandemic, with some of that interest spilling over into TikTok.

The rise in popularity of tarot cards has been attributed to the pandemic’s isolating effect, as people started scheduling readings on Zoom, sometimes even for first dates. This has increased the demand for astrologers, tarot readers, and energy healers. The sales of tarot cards soared starting in 2020 and are still very high in 2022. The coronavirus pandemic has led to more people seeking readings from psyshics over video chat. Tarot card readings offer a new way of seeing ourselves, situations, and how to navigate them.

Over the last year, during the initial months of the pandemic-induced lockdowns, tarot has seen a renaissance globally and in France. The rise in demand for tarot readings was observed during the pandemic due to people seeking insight and guidance.

Is manifesting a sin?

Manifestation is a manipulation of influence to be honored, rather than honoring God. Romans 1:21-26 offers cautionary wisdom, reminding us that those who knew God chose to resist the opportunity to honor Him, leading to darkened hearts and fools. Many people have exchanged the immortal God for images and the truth about God for a lie, serving the creature instead of the Creator. It is important to avoid serving the creature instead of the Creator and to assess cultural trends presented as Scripture. The enemy twisted Scripture to tempt Eve to eat the fruit, and this same trick is still being used today.

What is the psychology behind tarot cards?

At the intersection of tarot and psychology is an interplay of symbolism, intuition and the human psyche. Tarot readings operate on the belief that the imagery and arrangement of cards can access the collective unconscious, tapping into deeper layers of awareness beyond conscious thought. From a psychological perspective, this process aligns with concepts such as archetypes, symbolism and narrative therapy, underscoring the significance of storytelling and symbolism in shaping our understanding of ourselves and the world.

Here are three factors often contributing to a sense of transformation following a tarot session.

1. Positive Expectations And Placebo Effect. Individuals often approach a tarot reading with a sense of anticipation and hope. This optimistic outlook sets the stage for the placebo effect—a phenomenon where simply believing in the effectiveness of a treatment can lead to real improvements in well-being.

What religion do tarot cards come from?

This literature review examines the relationship between Tarot cards and New Age religion, emphasizing their significance in the contemporary study of the New Age movement.

What religion does tarot come from?

This literature review examines the relationship between Tarot cards and New Age religion, emphasizing their function in the contemporary study of the New Age movement.

What religion are tarot cards?

Tarot cards are frequently linked with New Age religious beliefs. This literature review will provide an overview of New Age religion and discuss the ways in which Tarot can be used to gain insight into the study of the New Age movement in the twenty-first century. The use of tarot cards and the methods employed by practitioners can be defined as religious.

What was the original purpose of tarot?

Tarot cards were initially used for entertainment and diversion, but their use evolved over time. In the 18th century, Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Alliette wrote a book linking tarot cards to divination, assigning meaning to each card based on astronomy, elements, and the Egyptian Book of Thoth. He also assigned a specific order and spread to the cards, now known as Etteilla, which is associated with the origin of tarot card readings for divination. This shift in style and usage of tarot cards has influenced the modern interpretation of divination readings.

How did tarot become popular?

The Tarocco Bolognese tarot deck, dating back to around 1750, is the earliest evidence of a tarot deck used for cartomancy. The popularization of esoteric tarot began with Antoine Court and Jean-Baptiste Alliette (Etteilla) in Paris in the 1780s, using the Tarot of Marseilles. French tarot players abandoned the Marseilles tarot in favor of the Tarot Nouveau around 1900, leading to the Marseilles pattern being mostly used by cartomancers.

Etteilla was the first to create a bespoke tarot deck specifically designed for occult purposes around 1789, containing themes related to ancient Egypt. In the occult tradition, tarot cards are referred to as “arcana”, with the Fool and 21 trumps being the Major Arcana and the suit cards the Minor Arcana.

Is tarot confirmation bias?

Tarot readers play a crucial role in divination, providing intuitive narrations that translate the esoteric tarot language into verbal information. However, they are not more spiritual or mysterious than most common people, as they are fallible humans with personal prejudices and biases. This makes it difficult to stay unbiased in reading tarots, as past experience and prior knowledge help them retrieve related pieces of information from long-term memory accounts and produce meaningful interpretations.

Both tarot readers and customers fall prey to confirmation bias in tarot reading. People experience confirmation bias when they hear or see anything from tarot readers or cards. They are prone to retrieve memory information consistent with the intuitive interpretation and omit contradictory evidence, which blinds them to the possibility of believing they are extraordinary in the world. On the other hand, customers actively connect their past experience to the tarot reading to rationalize their belief in superstition.

In the lens of human nature, there is no actual difference between tarot readers and professionals in the lens of human cognition. We all live under the same rule of human cognition, making sense of everything we perceive in the environment to better understand where we are and who we are. The cognitive process of meaning assignment is called pattern recognition, and humans are meaning-making machines that actively seek meanings and make meaningful connections between new information and prior knowledge.

Experiences with extraordinary or paranormal patterns, such as pareidolia, can lead to the interpretation of random meanings. Looking into these patterns to interpret random meaning is the same as trying to understand tarots. Overall, understanding the cognitive mechanisms behind superstitious thinking is essential for both tarot readers and customers seeking to make sense of their experiences and beliefs.

Is tarot still popular?

The mainstream popularity of tarot cards is unprecedented, with the timing of this resurgence attributed to the internalisation of meaning and truth in contemporary society. Tarot has over 8 billion views on TikTok, where digital readings have become enormously popular. Luxury brands have also leaned into tarot, with decks created by Armani Casa in 2023 and Dior’s 2021 haute couture collection and short film inspired by it during the pandemic.

The embrace of tarot cards by both luxury and mass market brands reflects their unique position as objects that are vaguely understood by most people while retaining a sense of mystery unless one is “in the know”.

While some brands may seem to have a passing interest in tarot, the rise of tarot should not be dismissed as a product of opportunism. For a growing portion of society, tarot is a foundational part of their identity and a rich source of inspiration for many creatives.

What did Carl Jung say about tarot cards?

In his concept of “Individuation,” Jung suggests that the Tarot can be utilized as a tool for personal growth and self-development. This is achieved by enabling intuitive knowing in the conscious mind through the accessing of subconscious information.

Are tarot cards against Christianity?

The Bible offers counsel against the practice of sorcery, divination, soothsaying, fortunetelling, and the use of mediums and spiritists. While tarot cards may be employed for the purposes of divination and fortunetelling, it is meditation and archetype exploration that offer a more suitable avenue for such pursuits.