Foretelling the road ahead

Gen Z has modern technology at its fingertips — therapy via text, virtual doctor’s visits, Alexa to answer any question — but when things become rocky and unstable, many seek out tarot cards. This trend has been particularly marked during the pandemic. A survey released by Springtide Research Institute, Minnesota, USA, confirms that millennials are spending more time on tarot card readings and astrology. It shows that 51% of the surveyed group, aged 13-25, engage in “tarot cards or fortune telling.” Of this, 17% do so daily, 25% once a week, 27% once a month and 31% less than once a month.

Roosie Riya (23) discovered tarot card reading on social media - no surprise there! “I came across some great affirmations and tips, which genuinely surprised me, because Tarot and I - who would’ve thought? Not me! Anyway, soon after, a midnight swiping phase on Tinder led me to match with a guy who was completely the opposite of me. However, our connection was on point. I later learned that he had also been following the same tarot card page as I, to get through intense WFH days,” says Roosie.

Roosie is not alone in the Tinder experience. Tarot has always been important for Vaishnavi Sawant, a 26-year-old, professional tarot card reader “On Tinder, I was seeking to match with someone who shared and respected this passion of mine. While I haven’t found ‘the one’ yet, I’ve connected with some amazing people. Over the past few months, with the COVID situation getting completely out of control, I’ve noticed more and more people gravitating towards tarot for guidance in life and love,” says Vaishnavi.
Divination, or predicting the future, has become popular among millennials. Tarot, one of the bigger branches of divination, is especially popular. Social media is one of the reasons why it has resurfaced. On Instagram and TikTok, tarot has a wave of millennial followers who are interested in the spiritual side of life.

According to Tarusha Saxena, tarot reader, psychic, entrepreneur and actor, youngsters mostly ask about their relationship or career prospects. “They often ask about job switches. Around 60% want to switch from a job in which they’re not happy, to a business they can conduct from home and promote on social media,” she says. “Everything boils down to career stability and finances. I think there's an uncertainty about life right now, and that's the reason people are turning to tarot for answers and guidance,” she feels. “Tarot gives some sort of confirmation and holds out hope of stability during this pandemic,” she adds.

Agreeing with Tarusha, Chetna Chakravarthy, positive action life coach, says everyone is seeking certainty in these uncertain times. “COVID-19 isn’t the only ailment that the world is struggling with. There’s the looming threat of an epidemic called anxiety and it’s affecting more and more youngsters. Their need for guarantees and assurance as well as reassurance is why tarot has become such a handy tool. Everyone wants to know what’s going to happen in their life - whether they will meet their aspirations and dreams or not,” concludes Chetna.