Tarot Card Generator

The cards were last updated . They have been shuffled using atmospheric noise. Each time you choose, you'll be using a truly random shuffle of the Rider-Waite tarot deck.

There are many ways to interpret the cards, but an easy two-card method is to ask yourself a yes or no question about a situation. Then choose two cards. The first card is the "yes" card and indicates the reason why you might do something. The second "no" card indicates why you might not do something. Some other methods you can try are the "If/Then Spread", "In/Out Spread", "Past-Present-Future Spread", and "Situation-Obstacle-Advice Spread".

The big idea is to choose a method and then interpret what the cards mean to you. If you click on the card it will take you to one possible interpretation. You can choose to accept the interpretation, reject it, or explore further. Only you can give meaning and significance to the cards. You can read more about my thoughts on magic in The Power of Magic and my study of the occult.

My interest in Tarot started after I saw Andi Todaro's art piece Pink Tube of Goo. As I read about her work, I discovered she co-created the Fountain Tarot Deck with fellow artist Jonathan Saiz and author Jason Gruhl. I thought it was interesting how they all used the tarot as a catalyst for creative processes. Up till then I thought tarot was a supernatural or superstitious thing. It was refreshing to discover that tarot cards could be used for personal development and self discovery.

However, the Fountain Tarot wasn't the first deck I purchased. Since I was a beginner, I thought it would be better to buy the classic Rider Tarot Deck as my first deck. These cards have been around for decades and I thought it would be easier to find educational resources for that deck. One of my favorites learning resources was the Tarot videos by Ellen Goldberg. In her videos she showcases a card from the Rider Deck and explains its broad meaning and the smaller details that can help create meaningful connections in your mind.

When I decided to study the Tarot, I knew I didn't want to study it from the supernatural perspective. I was interested because I saw Tarot as a creative jump start. An outside force that could send me a "message". Not a message from an intelligent entity or a spirit from the other side. But a message where I was both the creator and interpreter. I knew I would have to ascribe my own meaning to the cards. I would have to interpret them in the context of my own life and situation.

For a while I didn't care what the cards officially meant. But I soon realized that I needed outside influences to help direct my interpretations and help me create meaning. I think the recommended interpretations are a necessary starting point before you start creating your own card interpretations. Taking a class or reading a book or going through a tutorial and studying the proposed interpretations is a good exercise. And it will start training the brain to create connections between the phenomena of the cards and the phenomena of life. Humans have a natural tendency to look for patterns even if those patterns have no true connection. Even if those connections are coincidental or seasonal or self created or only exist in the mind of the observer. Tarot helps us to ascribe meaning. For the existentialist who struggles to create meaning, Tarot can help create meaning and connection.

When I started my Tarot journey, I also asked myself what I wanted to get out of it. And I thought it would contribute to the idea of "going deeper into life." That is, expanding my awareness within the confines of my current situation. For me, it wasn't about expanding into the world and growing larger. It was about staying the same size and improving the quality of my life. It was about noticing new things within the same place. It was about discovering unseen aspects of my life. It was about seeing life from a new perspective. Questioning how I did things. Reinventing the wheel of my life. And part of that process, I thought, wasn't rational and logical. It was chaotic. It was random. And perhaps that's where the Tarot cards came in. They were the perfect way to incorporate some randomness into life. But not meaningless randomness. Randomness that can be interpreted within the bounds of a system. That system being the many schools of thought within Tarot and my own creative extension of those systems.