Hoax or honesty, a common debate on whether tarot cards are an accurate tool of therapy. Tarot are a deck of cards where each individual card symbolizes its own meaning that gives one insight into their lives over issues involving relationships, life changes, and opportunities.
With over 500 years of history and originations from all over the world, the intended purpose of tarot cards has faded over time. Although the use of tarot is up for interpretation, teacher Karin McQuade believes it is used for self guidance.
“I’m getting to use it to connect with people. I’ve used it as a platform just for discussion [of] hard topics with my mother, one time we used it to talk about my concerns and her and her future and how she was feeling,” McQuade said.
Since each card in a stack has its own specific meaning, it can help one find answers to any issues that may be present in their lives.
“The symbolism that you get to interpret with it, it’s very flexible… Instead of just having feelings just floating around arbitrarily, you get to pick out where the roots are and let yourself discern what you’re feeling,” McQuade said.
McQuade has introduced tarot readings to students in her class. These readings have become a fairly intriguing activity that helps the students find clarity in their lives, whether they believe it or not.
“We kind of use them to talk about whatever has been bothering us with what’s been coming up. Also, with students, they’ve just been genuinely curious because I think I’m one of the few teachers that would be into it,” McQuade said.
In a time where college applications are due and high school is coming to an end, anxiety for seniors is only increasing. To help with the stress of the time ahead, tarot card readings have helped students find a pathway for their future.
“I have a lot of seniors in my classes and we talk through any concerns that they have about what’s coming up or what they think they want to try and do for a major. It was actually very, very sweet,” McQuade said.
McQuade has formed a connection with some students through tarot readings, such as senior Lydia Watts.
“I didn’t know Ms. McQuaid until last year and she just was one of the coolest teachers ever… I really wanted to know about things that she believed in and this year, she brought in tarot cards, and I was so interested in it and she read everyone in the class… it was super cool and that really got me back into them,” Watts said.
Watts was introduced to tarot through her mother years ago, but has just re-surfaced her interest in them recently.
“I got into tarot cards, probably in middle school… so I was into all of the intentional stuff, setting intentions for the year and this helps me with just having an overall understanding of my life and having a bigger grasp on everything I’m going through and the meaning of it,” Watts said.
Readings from tarot cards act as a tool that helps Watts understand her course of life and how to process any obstacle that comes her way.
“Tarot has definitely influenced me by helping me better understand everything I go through, and it happens for a reason and just helping me better understand troubles or grievances. Anything that I go through, it helps me better understand why I went through it and how I can come out of it better,” Watts said.
For some, tarot readings are an eye opening experience. Senior Tally Uribe uses tarot readings to ease her anxiety about the future as it remindsher that she is in charge of her life.
“I just sometimes [use it] to ease those anxious thoughts… I would bust out my tarot cards and maybe see what’s coming my way… I just think that’s such a cool thing because truthfully, you are in control of what happens to your life and what happens to you and around you,” Uribe said. One of the biggest misunderstandings about tarot readings is that some individuals do not make up their own interpretation of the cards and jump to conclusions of the literal meaning of the card they receive instead.
“A big misconception is people think that what the cards say is point blank, that’s it. That’s not the case at all. Truthfully, anything can happen and you could change the outcome of what those cards are saying,” Uribe said.
Although the debate continues of whether or not tarot proves anything, McQuade belie
ves that it provides a sense of grounding for humans to fall back on.
“As far as proving things, it would be that humans love narrative. And it’s the way that we make sense of the world. So that’s why it’s such an appealing thing and I think that’s what makes it so fascinating,” McQuade said.
