Tarot Reading in Times of Pandemic

I’ve always been fascinated by tarot. I grew up seeing my mother tell people’s futures, which is probably why it got me interested early on. I would usually get my future told every once in a while. I would beg my mom to give me a reading and she would (of course) give in. In this post, I will share what tarot means to me as an author, my latest reading and some fiction that uses tarot cards.

My Vision of Tarot

Every fortune-teller has his own vision and connection, and I like that my mom is more of the type who says that it is a game to be taken lightly. Why? Well, people often take things at face value while there’s a lot of interpreting going on in tarot reading. 

It can be enlightening in a way that reminds you of different aspects of your life that need your attention. It helps you organize a plan of action when you can’t find your bearings (at least for me), especially in these trying times.

Tarot cards have been around for quite some time, around the XV century in various parts of Europe. There are 78 cards in total which fall into two categories: the major arcana (22 cards) and the minor arcana (56 cards). That’s pretty much all I know since I can’t read tarot cards, though I could learn it. I’d have the best mentor in the world for sure (wink to mom!). However, I much prefer to keep the mystery. It’s all about the connection, and I love the feeling of not understanding how something works.

When you write science-fiction, you need to know every reason behind every choice you make in the world you created. There are (almost) no surprises left for the author. Having my future told, I can be that candid kid again.

My Tarot Reading

The perks of having a mom who can read your future is that it’s free (and fun!) to have a reading. I indulged myself this week and had a reading of my own. Tarot cards come in all kinds and shapes. For this session, we chose the Akasha tarot. I thought it would be nice to share this with you:

It is a simple reading about the past, present and future. The cards read as follows:

Past: Sur la piste (On track)

Present: Adsum

Future: Printemps-Automne (Spring-Autumn)

I am always surprised to see how accurate those can be. It talked about how the circumstances in the world forced me to drastically change path and to reorganize, which was basically most of 2020 with the pandemic. I had to get out of China and come back to Canada to wait it out. My job has been on standby ever since, and I’ve been trying to find other ways to make a living.

The cards also described my uncertainty about the present and how my energy has been quite low. I am a person who needs to travel, see the world and connect with people. I haven’t been able to do so for so long that I feel the strain even when I write. However, it is all about accepting that the present is temporary. I work out regularly and try to go outside for a 6-7km run. Staying fit has definitely been my escape and what’s been keeping me together.

Now for the interesting part. Whenever I get a reading, I am mostly excited to know what the future holds. Well, it seems like things will go slowly (read disappointment). It is a transition phase. I will focus on my writing and other creative projects full time for the next few months (it doesn’t sound that bad after all!). It doesn’t look like I will be able to travel back to China anytime soon, but I am okay with that. Sometimes, life decides things that make little sense at first, but in retrospect it does. Resilience is the keyword for this year. In the meantime, I can plan some more projects.

That’s pretty much it for this kind of reading. I like that it is brief and not convoluted. Sometimes, you just need some pointer to help you keep going.

Fiction Featuring Tarot

I thought I would share with you some works of fiction that I liked that feature tarot. It is a great tool to use in any story. I remember being so excited as a kid watching Card Captor Sakura which, for those of you who haven’t heard about this, it is a Japanese anime featuring an elementary school girl who must catch Clow cards that are basically tarot cards wreaking havoc in Tokyo. It was a blast at the time and there was a reboot that aired recently (second season coming next year). They added the Clear Card arc since diehard fans like me would still watch it.

Caraval by Stephany Garber is a book that I absolutely loved. It is a fantasy-romance for young adults. Garber created a customized version of the tarot that is in the series’s spotlight. For those who love mystery and the idea of an ephemeral circus that gives the winner of a strange competition a unique gift, please read it now. I drank the words on every single page.

Tarot is often in the backdrop of many fictions, such is the case of The Night Circus (I just realized it’s another circus!). For those of you who read my blog post from last week, I talked about this book and how much I find it interesting. I am almost done reading it. The elements of magic are definitely not lacking in this surreal circus that mysteriously appears in random locations and which unites the best illusionists of the world.

Off the top of my head, those are the three books and series that I can think of that added a nice twist to tarot. If you guys have any other recommendations, please share them with me. I’ll let you know in some future post if I find anything interesting. 

In the meantime, take care of yourselves and if you struggle because of 2020, know that you are not alone and that the present is not permanent. Take every opportunity to catch your breath and indulge in some activity that makes you feel happy or even better: try something new. 

Even in the worst circumstances we can find happiness, however small it may be.

Keep dreaming,

David M. Snow