It’s All in the Cards: Fortuity and Phenomenology in the Art of Tarot

Abstract

In this paper, I explore the relationship between fortuity and phenomenology in the art of tarot through an autoethnographic analysis. Drawing from contemporary discussions in sociocultural anthropology, I apply my personal experience to further examine my own biases on practices of the occult and how they might instead be applicable in everyday life. In doing so, I argue for the potential integration of such rituals and how scientific methodology need not be separate from the occult. By partaking in a tarot card reading, I came to see how participatory consciousness during the ritual provided me with a newfound clarity and insight in a time of uncertainty and how that has appealed to a larger demographic.