Tarot & Choices: Student Guide to Inner Clarity

By Ms Pooja Verma, Tarot Reader

Making decisions is a vital life skill, especially for students who must make decisions daily about their personal, professional, and educational paths. Whether it is picking a college major, making friends, or handling stress, the ability to make thoughtful judgements can impact the present level of happiness as well as future outcomes. In an era where there is information galore and opinions, students are finding it more appealing to use tarot cards as a means to tap into their inner selves and develop mindfulness instead of looking into the future.

Reasons Why Students Have Difficulty with Decision-Making

Based on a 2023 American Psychological Association survey, 68% of students reported that they felt overwhelmed when they were required to make significant decisions. Contributing factors are fear of insufficiency, doubt, emotional burnout, and external pressures in decision-making. Although newer, more introspective methods such as tarot reading offer a unique perspective, more traditional methods such as journaling or consulting with role models are also helpful.

Tarot as a Contemplative Tool, Not a Mystical Fix

Tarot emphasises revealing more profound levels of emotion and thought rather than predicting the future. Tarot card symbolism might prompt students to examine their underlying beliefs, values, and fears. Drawing the Two of Swords, for instance, could symbolise doubt and lead a student to work through the emotional barriers they face. Again, before ending, the Hermit card can spark the need for solitude and introspection.

Why Tarot is Becoming a Valuable Tool for Students

1. Encourages Thoughtful Reflection

 Tarot offers students a chance to pause amidst the fast-paced demands of academic life. It creates space to breathe, reflect, and thoughtfully assess their decisions.

2. Promotes Deeper Questioning

 Rather than simply asking, ‘What should I do?’, the tarot encourages students to dig deeper with questions like, ‘What am I overlooking?’ or ‘What insight do I need in this situation?’

3. Strengthens Intuition

 Regular tarot practice helps students trust their inner voice. Especially in moments of stress or uncertainty, tarot builds confidence in their judgement.

4. Inspires Multi-Faceted Thinking

 Each tarot card carries layered meanings – moral, emotional, and logical. This allows students to explore multiple perspectives before making a decision.

As interest in mindfulness, astrology, and spiritual well-being grows among Gen Z, tarot has seen a surge in popularity. According to Pinterest’s 2024 trend report, tarot-related searches among 18- to 25-year-olds have jumped by 120%. Many university wellness centres now include tarot and intuitive guidance sessions as complementary support alongside traditional counselling.

Ethical and Balanced Use of Tarot

Tarot can be a valuable mirror to introspection, but it is important to use it wisely. Students cannot depend on it as an exclusive decision-making process or rely on it as a means of dodging accountability. It is best used when paired with rational thinking, support structures, and factual research.

For students walking through the complicated landscape of choices, tarot provides an original and substantive means of communication with their inner orientation. Through the use of tarot as a tool of reflection instead of prediction, students can develop emotional intelligence, confidence, and discernment. As tools for personal discovery continue to evolve, tarot is turning out to be more than a mystical practice – it’s becoming an introspective guide in the process of personal transformation and mindful choice-making.