Though I would count myself among the “chronically online” (with anything from brainrot to MomTok popping up on my fyp), I had never encountered TikTok tarot card readers until a few weeks ago. Listening to what they predicted was in my future, I immediately saw myself in the readings. The seemingly random appearance of this content on my page, along with what seemed to be an extremely specific and eerily accurate reading, had me totally convinced these tarot influencers were the real deal: big mistake. HUGE.
What happened in the following weeks seemed to fit. I suspect it also fits the other 2.5 million others who received the same reading. Unsurprisingly, however, it was anything but 100% accurate. But finding even a small amount of similarity between the reading and reality, and perhaps feeling the looming spooky season upon us, I believed I deserved what was in the reading. As with many tarot readings, its highly personal details made it compelling. So personal, I’ll never share. Suffice it to say, it had me scouring every pub for my Mr. Darcy. Since then, however, I have reasoned why the events in my life were matching what I was seeing while doomscrolling. Though tarot can be a fun outlet, either learning to read it yourself or getting an actual personalized reading, online tarot is a tricky rabbit hole to fall into, and I feel compelled to share what I have learned. If I am susceptible to this tarot siren call, so are you. So, to help you navigate this spooky season, I’ll tell you three things that helped me to ground myself in reality while knee deep in TikTok tarot.
First, keep in mind these influencers profit on people like you and me who find ourselves deep in social media, looking to find any similarity to or validation of what we are experiencing — and they know this. Making the broadest of generalizations (in the tarot world, this could look like offering multiple interpretations of one card, or offering both a negative and positive reading, so no matter what happens, you find truth in their reading), these influencers can tap into the reality of just about anyone watching. This isn’t just for you; this is for the millions of others watching as well.
Second, I find validation in these videos because I want to validate how I’m feeling. Rather than just acknowledging my desires that existed before this video fell into my lap, I fall into the trap of finding consistencies in the readings and those aforementioned desires, which leads me to believe that what I’ve been wanting or yearning for is destined to happen. In doing so, I’ve completely taken power away from myself in determining my own future because I believe what I want is fated to happen, so no matter what I do, it will.
Which leads me to my third and final piece of advice — find your inner gumption! I love this word: gumption. My love for it comes from one of my favorite movies, ‘The Holiday,’ where Kate Winslet’s character befriends an old man named Arthur. He teaches her, through certain old Hollywood movies and their strong female characters, that she must take charge of her own life and go after what she wants or thinks she deserves with gumption. I use it in this context because what ultimately grounded me in reality amid my tarot coma was learning that what resembled truth in these readings, what was coming to fruition, was not destiny but was due to my own gumption — making my desires become reality through my own initiative.
I’m just a girl — all I want is to find validation in my life experience. Online, it is easy to find an outlet like tarot that gives us this false sense of validation. However, I am also smart and capable of making what I want become reality, not because of some generic (or even worse, algorithm-driven) online tarot card reading, but because I have chosen to take control of my life and to proactively pursue those things I want most. That is precisely what I’ve done in the weeks since my tarot coma, and this is “your sign” to step away from your fyp and do the same. Your fate is not in the cards, it’s in you — go get it!