The millennial tarot reader talks about her foray into the mystical world of tarot card reading and her journey so far

Akriti Bhatia, 23, is a full-time tarot card reader. She started practising tarot card reading in 2017 and since then, has built her own YouTube channel which hosts a number of videos on various tarot-related topics. Currently, she has an impressive following of 39.9k subscribers on her YouTube channel and 5.8k followers on social media platform Instagram. In this article, she talks to us about how she was first introduced to this unique profession, the challenges she had to face and the basics of tarot card reading.

How did you get into tarot card reading?

Technically, I started tarot card reading in 2017, but my journey began when I was 13 years old, as that is when I was first introduced to astrology. At that time, my mother was studying it and I would ask her all about it, read her notes, books and see her practice it. I was really fascinated by the subject. Then, eventually, I got to know about tarot, that it is a thing, even though it is not that common in India. But fortunately, I got in touch with some tarot teachers, who were my mother’s friends. My mother has a big circle of tarot readers, healers and more, so I was really fascinated by the art. At that time, I enjoyed tarot readings, liked watching it, but never thought of properly learning it. 

When did you start practising it?

By the time I finished college, I was really intrigued by tarot. I started studying it on my own and did a lot of research. For me, learning tarot was a bit easier because I had that edge from astrology, I had already met and witnessed tarot card reading in front of me and I’m a good observer, I would say. For me, it was just like, jump in it and swim. So that’s how I learnt it, by practising the art a lot. Although I had no idea that I would make this my full-time profession, it just happened. I started practising it professionally by the end of 2018, and in 2019, I started my own channel on YouTube. 

Since you began this journey, what has your experience been like?

My experience has been really amazing. Tarot I would say has been the turning point in my life. Before learning tarot, I used to think of myself as a lazy kid who had no idea about where to go and what to do in life. I was just doing things for the sake of it. I did my Bachelors in Commerce honours in college for the sake of it and then I started tarot. At that time, I was also studying to become a company secretary (CS). I always thought that CS would be the source of my income and I would do tarot on the side. But, the universe had a different plan, of course (smiles lightly). The universe wanted me to be a full-time tarot card reader. Even when I started my channel, I thought I would balance it and do both things, CS and tarot reading. But then I got so much work through my YouTube videos, so many people contacted me asking for readings, I had no time left in the whole day to devote to anything else other than tarot. So I left studying for CS and am pursuing tarot full-time now and do have plans to do the same going forward.

Has your life changed since you started tarot reading?

Yes, since I got into tarot card reading, my life has changed in a very significant way. It is all about awareness, you become so aware of yourself. The cards, each and every card has a great message behind it, and there is so much to learn from these sciences. 

How has practising tarot affected you personally?

In this profession, every day I interact with people and see what problems they go through and it really makes one grateful for the life they have, for the blessings they have, right? And that is what it has taught me, a lot of compassion. Even the cards as well, when I am telling someone to do something, I often find myself thinking that I should be doing the same thing, I should be following my own advice and I am able to solve a lot my problems this way. Tarot has helped me evolve, become more mature, more aware of myself, and not just the bright side to me, but the shadow side as well. I won’t say my life has changed, I mean, of course, it has gotten better. But I have changed a lot, I am more confident, secure and stable, and this not because of the finances or the attention I get, it is more like I finally found my place, this is where I belong and I am really happy about it. 

Tarot card reading is a unique profession. Did you face any challenges?

Yes, it took a lot of guts for me to do this, and still takes a lot of courage to accept that I am a full-time tarot card reader. It makes me angry to accept this, but it’s true because people judge, there is a fear of judgement because there is this stigma in the society that makes this profession unconventional to a lot of people. For me especially because I am so young. There is this perception that people become tarot readers later in their life, when they are older, and many people are surprised when they find out about me because of my age. But every day, I find that confidence, that courage to face it and accept myself. 

What is the process of a tarot reader when they prepare for a reading? Is there anything specific?

Yes, there is definitely a process. It’s not that you just sit and start. Even when I start my day, I have to cleanse my space. I have learnt reiki so I apply reiki symbols for the purification and cleansing of the space. I also protect for myself energetically, so that when I read the cards, if there is any negative energy, it does not affect me and I don’t take on the energy. This can especially tend to happen when I am doing a reading for someone who is close to me. As we are connected, there is a chance to be influenced by those energies, but I always make sure to disconnect myself. Even after the reading is over, I have to disconnect myself again, cleanse the cards of the energy and this is important because it gets very draining if you don’t. Although, it still does get draining because of the process. So, regular meditation, cleansing and rest are extremely important. 

Do all tarot card readers use the same method?

Every tarot reader has their own way of doing things, such as some ask for pictures, date of birth, things like that. For me, the full name is enough. I also ask for the date of birth of the person so I have an idea of their age, but it’s not required. 

What would you say to people who do not believe in tarot card reading? 

Interesting question actually, I never ask or impose on anyone for a tarot reading. If people come to me and ask me to give them a demo reading or ask me if they can trust me, all I say to them is that trust is the basis of a tarot reading. It’s all about faith right? Me having faith in the divine power, the person seeking the reading having faith in the divine power and the person having faith in me. I cannot change someone’s thought process, even if I want to but I do believe that there is a part of everyone, maybe a small part or maybe a part that has been buried somewhere deep inside them, that believes in divination, of which tarot reading is just a small tool. So I would not say anything to anyone, but I would want them to try any other tool like tarot that they might prefer for self-awareness as it is a beautiful process to gain an insight into oneself. 

What is a personal reading? How accurate is it?

In personal readings, I actually invoke the energies of the specific person by their name. These kinds of readings are very specific to that person and are accurate, reliable and satisfactory. People take personal readings to gain insight. More than the prediction, more than knowing what will happen, tarot helps with knowing how to tackle the situation or how to deal with the situation. It is more where to go, how they will get there, what is blocking them from getting there, rather than knowing where they will end up. 

For what reasons do people get personal readings? 

People come for a lot of reasons, usually it is love life and career-related of course, these are the two things people are most concerned about. There are health issues as well, there’s a lot one can ask in a personal reading because tarot can answer anything about anyone since it’s all energy, everything has energy, living, non-living.

What about the readings on YouTube?

The YouTube readings that I do are very general in nature because they are about picking up piles and such. To get an in-depth reading, you have to opt for personal reading. 

This article is the copyright work of this blog and the author.

(Image Courtesy: Akriti Bhatia)