"Tarot Reading, a Centuries-Old Art Brought to the Big and Small Screens. But Why?

The author shuffles a deck of tarot cards before conducting a reading.

Photograph by Jake Lankford.

Tarot, tarock, tarocchi– whatever you want to call it. 

The tarot, best described as a language and system of 78 cards that allows for, in the words of master tarotist Alejandro Jodorowsky, “a deep psychological search.” tarot is psychological, dependent on perspective and mindset and because of this, has experienced a new surge in popularity in the social media age. 

When looking at how much discussion tarot content generates on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok and even a movie coming out in May 2024 called "Tarot," it’s safe to say that these cards, a system as old as the 14th century, have had more eyes on them than ever before. 

Of course, such a perspective-centric subject can only be truly covered in the Gonzo style. Why has tarot gotten as popular as it has? Though I cannot even begin to offer an explanation for that question that will satisfy everyone, what I can do is apply a theory perspective, something tied to how much it relies on what the person sees.

Enter, McLuhanism, stage left. 

To not eat up my word limit, I will only be referring to the most famous part of McLuhanism, “the medium is the message/massage” and “extensions of man.” Tarot is a language of transitory meanings, based on how the cards, the medium, line up in a spread and are interpreted through countless different perspectives. These extensions, in turn, can allow for one to understand what facets of their life need to change, or can understand just why they are in a particular mindset. 

“That’s why I teach it. A lot of people, at first, are apprehensive about it, because it seems silly, but, if you explain the function of it well enough, people, kind of, get what it provides on an abstract level.” Rhetoric and writing professor Scott Sundvall said. 

The shuffling of my worn Tarot de Marseille deck punctuating every word, I got to the core of the matter with Sundvall. He is someone whose experience and understanding of tarot greatly influenced me on my own study of tarot, namely the idea that it can be an instrument of change, or, in his words, “be able to envision what change needs to take place and how to do such.” 

The tarot as a tool for looking within. There is the key right there, at least one reason why it has always been popular and has completely exploded online. At the end of the day, no matter what type of perspective one takes with tarot, it is going to involve some form of self-examination, extension of the self into the cards and connection with the images on the cards. 

And now, we get into perhaps the most unconventional part of this article. To put the McLuhanist/extension perspective to the test, I recorded two tarot readings. Both people in the interviews had never received a reading before and received the same spread– eight cards in a straight line.

"Ever had a tarot reading?" This interview was with a bartender at Rotolo’s, named Dalton, though I couldn’t get his last name (never combine martinis with wine). The kid had just gotten married, so it dominated the reading he got.

"It began as a game." Is this one a bit biased? Maybe. This interview was conducted with one of my close confidants, Joe (again, another bar interview setting), and a few of my other friends in the background, all waiting to receive readings. 

What am I getting at with every single bit of this? The connecting thread in the recorded readings and in my discussion with Sundvall, as well as tying back into the question of why tarot has remained so popular, is that tarot is defined by the person reading it and what they extend into the cards. An extension of man in the purest form, and able to be modified for any belief system or perspective. That is the power of tarot, and how it has endured for centuries.