Tarot readings offer the recipient a chance to see what their future might hold, and spiritually in-touch students who have mastered tarot with the intention other students determine their futures.
On Oct. 10 on the top floor of Georgetown Hall, first-year Natalie Martinez sat on a cushioned floor pillow in front of a stranger.
Light filtered in, casting plant-shaped shadows over the deck of cards between the two women.
At the time, Martinez said she was looking for answers. Trying to navigate her first semester of college, she said she was unsure if her dream of attending law school was worth pursuing.
Turning to spiritual guidance, Martinez found the answer to her qualms in a tarot reading.
“I always wanted to be a lawyer, but at the same time, I kind of doubted myself ‘cause it’s a lot of work,” Martinez said. “But when she talked about the reading, I was like, ‘You know what? Maybe I shouldn’t just give up on what I want to do,’ because it is something that I’m very dedicated to.”
Laying out colorful cards, second-year Kaia Reynolds’ fingers moved methodically through the air, grasping at ideas only she could see. She stared down, focused and began to read — her eyes only rarely looking up from the tarot deck before her.
Tarot is a divination system that uses a set of 78 illustrated cards in order to examine potentially hidden aspects of a situation and offer guidance, serving as a mirror for the person being read, according to Vogue Magazine.
Dayna Garcia, the manager of spiritual supply store Alchemy Arts located at 1203 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., described tarot reading as a way to communicate with the user’s “spirit guides” to gain insight into a specific question.
Although the cards are meant to offer spiritual clarity, they don’t relay a future that is set in stone, according to Garcia.
“You can change your destiny at will at all times,” Garcia said. “That’s what’s so great about being human, that it’s not a for sure thing.”
Garcia said tarot’s capacity to foster intuition makes it a spiritual resource which adapts with the user. She said because of this, it’s important to frequently tune into one’s spiritual side.
“We’re able to change our readings, change our goals, change our life,” Garcia said. “It’s just a check-in. Everybody goes to the doctor, hardly anybody goes to a spiritualist to learn what’s actually going on deep inside themselves.”
Reynolds, a psychology and social work double major, said she started a tarot card reading business out of her dorm during the fall semester. Although she knows not everyone believes in tarot, Reynolds said it has been a guiding force in her life, often telling her about feelings or situations she wasn’t aware of.
“It’s literally always been right,” Reynolds said. “Even when I don’t want to hear it.”
Martinez, who found Reynolds while scrolling through the class of 2027 Snapchat story, said Reynolds’ empathy and enthusiasm made her first tarot reading a success.
Martinez said she became interested in spirituality after checking her horoscope one day in 2020. Growing up Catholic, she said exploring other kinds of spirituality gave her autonomy over her beliefs.
“In my opinion, when I was religious it just felt like I always had somebody watching over my shoulder — a lot of pressure,” Martinez said. “But ever since I headed toward the direction of feeling spiritual and stuff, it felt more freeing.”
For Reynolds, creating a safe space to perform her tarot readings allows her to cultivate an atmosphere of honesty and intimacy.
“I just really love the connection that I can get with people,” Reynolds said. “And I love the idea that afterwards we’re both leaving having some more confidence, because I think that’s the biggest thing that it gives you, is more confidence in where you’re going or where you want to go.”
Reynolds, who charges $15 for a 45-minute reading, said she was initially wary about asking people to pay since she believes spiritual endeavors like tarot are largely intuitive. However, after receiving encouragement from friends, Reynolds decided to promote her business through social media.
“For me, with my beliefs as far as spirituality and things like that go, I think that the information that I give to people, anyone has access to it,” Reynolds said.
The tarot reader said she became interested in tarot reading and other “esoteric traditions” during her sophomore year of high school. After buying her first tarot deck and conducting a number of readings for herself, she said friends and family began asking her for readings.
Reynolds said she especially remembers a particular reading for her brother, in which the cards advised him to not pursue someone he was romantically interested in. Despite the cards’ advice, he pursued them anyway only to find out they already had a different partner.
Readings such as these cultivated Reynold’s passion and dedication to tarot, as she said she was frequently asked to get out her cards amidst group settings.
Michayla George met Reynolds last spring and said the tarot reader’s constant kindness makes her successful at engaging with other students. George, who is interested in astrology and spirituality in nature, said she/they felt a strong spiritual connection with Reynolds on a day trip to the woods they took together last September.
Although George has frequently gotten tarot readings with her mother in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, they said the reading Reynolds gave them in the woods was one of the most profound yet. George said the reading — which focused on healing and moving on from the past — built directly off readings she had gotten back home.
“The few I’ve gotten in the past year have been completely mind-boggling,” George said. “And looking back on them, I can see how accurate they were.”
Reynolds said she believes the information she gathers from readings is intuitive and accessible to everyone, as the cards are a tool to help emphasize or reaffirm feelings the subject may already know.
Despite their belief in tarot’s capacity for introspection, Reynolds said she loves helping people find confidence in what they’re feeling. She said making these possibilities more accessible was another reason she started her business.
“I feel like the big thing for me was getting it out there to more people in case they did want that, or if that’s something that interested them or they thought would help them,” Reynolds said.
George said tarot readings and other spiritual practices have helped her connect with her sense of self and the world around her. She believes tarot readings are a spiritual endeavor that can be easily explored.
“I think, even if you’ve never had a reading before, it’s something that everyone should experience, and even if you don’t believe in it I think it’s something that can open new pathways,” George said. “I know it did for me.”
Featured image by Daphne Kraushaar / The Phoenix
