The fast homogenisation of Tarot across social media

Second edition of the Bonestone & Earthflesh Tarot The Reawakening… out now!

Hey beautiful souls, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Tarot community lately. Specifically, the one that lives and breathes on social media. And I have to be honest, something feels… off.

Don’t get me wrong, I love that the cards are finding new audiences. The fact that you can fall down a #TarotTok rabbit hole at 2 am is, in many ways, brilliant. But recently, my scrolls have left me with a sinking feeling in my stomach, a bit like the premonition you get before drawing the oftentimes dreaded Tower.

It all crystallised for me when I stumbled upon a video from a self-appointed “Tarot Teacher” with a concerning number of followers. They were teaching time-telling with the cards. Their system? Wands for years, Swords for months, Cups for weeks, and Pentacles for days.

This stopped me in my tracks, not just because it was presented as gospel, but because it was completely backwards. In the established, elemental correspondences that form the bedrock of Western esoteric tarot, the correct alignment is almost universally understood to be: Wands as Days, Swords as Weeks, Cups as Months, and Pentacles as Years.

This isn't a matter of opinion; it's a logical extension of the elemental dignities. Fire (Wands) is swift and immediate, hence days. Air (Swords) is mental and cyclical, mapping onto weeks. Water (Cups) is flowing and deeper, reflecting the lunar cycles of months. And Earth (Pentacles) is slow, solid, and enduring, making it synonymous with years.

This wisdom isn't a secret. It’s documented in the foundational texts of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and echoed by pillars of the craft like Aleister Crowley (The Book of Thoth) and A.E. Waite (The Pictorial Key to the Tarot). Modern masters like Rachel Pollack and Paul Foster Case built upon this very framework, while contemporary authorities from Mary K. Greer (Tarot for Your Self) to Lon Milo DuQuette and encyclopedic guides like Benebell Wen’s Holistic Tarot all affirm this precise timing structure.

What gets lost in the 60-second recap is that Tarot is not just a psychological toy; it is an esoteric tool with a solid, centuries-old foundation. It’s woven with threads of Kabbalah, alchemy, and astrology, a system designed for spiritual exploration and magical practice. This connection to the occult isn't about spooky superstition; it's about a sacred map of consciousness. When we reduce it to generic, bite-sized affirmations, we strip it of the very power and profundity that makes it so compelling. It should feel sacred because, at its core, it is.

And this speaks to a wider, and frankly heartbreaking, trend: the rampant dismissal of Tarot’s deep legacy in favour of slick, shareable soundbites. The dearly departed, great Rachel Pollack, the insightful Mary K. Greer, the scholarly Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin… their lifetimes of work are being swapped out for a hot take.

There’s a crucial difference between reading intuitively and reading… well, incorrectly. It’s one thing to have a personal, intuitive connection with the cards; that’s the magic of it! It’s quite another to flatly redefine centuries of symbolism. The Death card is not a “bad hair day.” The Tower is not simply “a surprise phone call.” And don’t even get me started on the Three of Swords being reduced to “a minor upset you’ll get over quickly.” Try telling that to a heart that’s genuinely shattered.

This growing disregard extends to the physical decks themselves. Erratic, haphazard shuffling is now a full-blown trend. The goal seems to be to manhandle the deck so violently that cards are forced to “jump out.” It feels less like a sacred ritual and more like a panic attack.

Maybe it’s a generational thing. Maybe I’m just an old soul with a treasured collection. When I shuffle, I do so calmly and patiently. It’s a meditative act, a way of building a sacred container for the reading. When a card does genuinely leap out on its own accord (which, for me, is a rare event), it feels profoundly special—a message that couldn’t wait. And as for my rare and out-of-print decks? I wouldn’t dream of shuffling them with anything less than kid gloves and the utmost care. They are artworks; they are companions in a magical practice.

I’m not the Tarot police. My way is not the only way. But I do believe that with this beautiful, complex practice comes a responsibility. A responsibility to respect its history, to honour its esoteric roots, and to teach it with integrity, not just for the likes, but for the love of the cards themselves.

So, if your FYP is starting to feel a little… homogenised, a little shallow, I urge you to look beyond the algorithm. Pick up a book by one of the greats. Sit with a card for more than 15 seconds. Shuffle with intention, not aggression.

The cards have so much more to offer us than simplistic, one-size-fits-all answers. Let’s not sell them, or ourselves, short.

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Have a gorgeous day, Cardslingers xo

Avalon 💜