Finding love with tarot during a pandemic

Back in March, when things first started to close up in response to the pandemic, my friends and I were – in hindsight – naïve about how long this was really going to last.

I was on my way to the gym one morning when a friend I chat with there was on his way out. “It’s closed,” he said. The sign on the door had just gone up. We walked a couple blocks together and when our directions split off we said, “See you in fourteen days, I guess!”

My friends who have local shops all said the same. They hung signs on their doors that said, “We’ll be back again soon!”

Still, two weeks without bars, restaurants, gyms, and stores seemed long – especially when we’ve gotten so used to our 24/7, go, go, go lifestyles.

Ah, how quaint it all seems now when I look on it. How cute! We thought we would be back to “normal” in a matter of days.

A few weeks into this new normal, I started to realize that this was going to mean my tarot readings would change – especially in regards to the common questions tarot readers answer in regards to love and work.

Why would this be?

Tarot reflects reality – but it doesn’t override it.

And a tarot reader’s job is to bring a card’s message into reality, which means we need to have a pretty good idea how to marry a string of cards with the state of the world.

As society changes, tarot has to adapt in response. And sometimes, that means answering questions differently, digging deeper into how a card could take on new meaning, and taking time to understand the greater context unfolding throughout the collective.

People still want to find love. But how we might meet new people, or start a new relationship, looks different than before. In my city, at least for now, you can’t go to a bar and chat up a stranger anymore. There are no house parties to bump into mutual friends.

And overall, more people are staying in.

That being said, people are dating. Online matches are still happening. My single friends have been telling me about physically-distanced dates like bike rides and walks in the park.

The desire for affection and connection doesn’t go away in a pandemic. But how it happens starts to look different.

If you are single and seeking out tarot readings to ask about your love life, be mindful that the odds of meeting someone new might be different than they were this time last year, when you could move freely through the world and bump into anyone, at any time.

Another thing to keep in mind is that tarot readers have responsibility for their community. After some recent conversations with other tarot readers, I’ve come to realize I’m not the only one who is concerned about clients who admit to breaking physical distancing rules, or who tell us that they don’t care about the risks involved with dating.

It’s not my job to tell someone what to do, but at the same time, I’m not going to encourage anyone to put their health, or someone else’s, at risk for the sake of a date. And what I’ve been discussing with some of my peers is the need to uphold the responsibility of the community against the desires of individual clients in the face of a global health crisis.

I can’t in good conscience encourage something that may be unsafe for someone.

So if you’re seeking out love at this time, and you’re enlisting tarot to help you out with that, then keep a few things in mind as you do:

1. You might have to explore dating avenues you wouldn’t typically go for, like online dating;

2. You might not get a clear or encouraging reading that promises love is coming in right now. Don’t shoot the messenger.

I know that can feel frustrating if you’ve been looking for love for a while already, but with so much uncertainty in the world, it can be a challenge for readers to get clear predictions overall these days;

3. If you are working with a tarot reader, remember that they need to balance their readings with well-being in mind.

It doesn’t mean that love isn’t out there, or that you can’t be swept off your feet – but generally, we tarot readers like our clients. We want you to take care of yourself and make the right decisions for your health and safety, as well that of the community;

4. Redefine the ways you can welcome love into your life right now.

Connections are still being made, but how romance starts might look very different these days. Sometimes love requires you get outside your comfort zone and try a new approach – which this pandemic is forcing many of us to do in all kinds of ways anyway.

5. Tarot readers are just as in flux as everyone else right now.

We are not omniscient and don’t know the ins and outs of what’s happening in individual cities. We don’t have all the answers on when things will go back to normal, or if or when you’ll be able to go out on the kinds of dates you’re dreaming of right now.

With so many variables and unknowns, we’re all learning how to navigate this new reality together.

Remember: Just because we often associate tarot as a tool for love-related questions doesn’t mean that it’s always going to work that way.

It’s up to each of us to decide whether our questions are right or appropriate for where we are at in our lives, and how our desires can fit into the current structure of reality.

Take care.

Until next time,

Liz xo