The Truth Behind TarotTok: Confessions of a Tarot Ghostwriter.

Lately, everyone in the community is talking about the rise of TarotTok A.K.A Tarot "Readers" on TikTok with dubious morals and an even more dubious understanding of actual tarot.

Many voices in the divination community have been doing their best to educate potential victims about the predatory techniques used by these so-called readers. Just this weekend, Jenna Matlin posted a reel warning about the kind of videos that populate the famous app, which included screenshots with titles like "Your ex truly still loves you and desires to be with you, but now they fear it's not possible" or "This person cried for you yesterday" with an invitation to click on their link to know more.

If your algorithm has a tendency towards finding tarot content, you just need to spend about two minutes on TikTok and you will come across one of those "Twin Flame Readings" (which would require their own, independent post) or readings promising a reconciliation with your ex against all odds, despite the actual card not even being remotely related to the message given.

Since the proof is very easy to find, I want to offer you a perspective of how this looks behind the scenes from my first hand experience. Let me tell you the ins and outs of how these "readers" operate.

Let's spill the TarotTok Beans

A couple of years ago, I decided to create content for others on the side in the form of blog posts, articles and such. Most of these were educational posts aimed at those who want to learn tarot, Tarotscopes and other short pieces than in and of themselves had nothing wrong with them (though not everything that you read on the internet has been written by who it says it's been written, I'll tell you that!) It was not rare for me to have people reach out to me asking to create scripts for their TikTok account.

Some of these people requested things that made sense, for instance, a company that offered readings and employed many, wanted to create a series of videos with generalized readings, but their "aesthetics / video people" who made sure that everything looked according to their brand were not necessarily tarot people, so they wanted scripts that they could later on replicate and record with their own branding.

These orders would look like "I want ten prompts with tarot questions on relationships and career for a general audience with three options for them to choose from and their interpretation that I can fit in 60 seconds each." so, on my end, the result would be something along these lines:

Prompt: "What attitude will help you succeed at work this week?"

Option 1 - The Knight of Pentacles: Think before you act and make sure that you're following the plan and everyone is on the same page about what needs to be done.

Option 2 - The High Priestess: You may need to make some decisions according to your better judgement or teach yourself a skill to resolve a matter.

Option 3 - The Five of Pentacles: It is possible that unreasonable expectations affect you this week and you will have to make-do with the resources available.

While these by no means reflect a complete reading and are far from being a personalized experience, they are also not intrinsically meant to predate on a vulnerability, but to offer guidance.

Now let's look at the other kind of requests that I would get (and of course refuse) in those days.

"I want you to make 100 videos of yourself pulling a tarot card but show only your hands, and make sure it's decorated. 30 secs per video or so are enough. I'll give you $5."

"Hi! Can you record a few positive Twin Flame readings for my TikTok channel?"

"I need 30 love readings for this month for TikTok about Soulmates and Twin Flames, all positive. If they're good I will come back for more."

There are a few takeaways to learn from this.

Ghostwriting is a thing

Not everything that you see on the internet is written by who it says it's written. Specially massive websites with a ton of content that pop out overnight by someone who has been on the internet for five whole minutes. While in some instances there's nothing inherently wrong with outsourcing quality content, not everybody cares that it is actually quality content, but that it gets clicks. The accuracy of the information is a second thought at best, or not even a factor at worst. Be as it may, it is a reality that many "creators" don't produce their own content.

The business that you see is not always the business

You have probably heard that McDonald's business is not selling burgers, but real state. Well, the same principle applies to this. The business of TikTok is views, plain and simple. What gets views and what is quality content are not necessarily the same thing.

When you see an account on TikTok, take a second to identify what the business is there. This doesn't mean that every tarot reader on TikTok is going to be the worst of the worst, but analyze what they're doing and what they're getting from it.

Marketing and promotion are intrinsic parts of owning a business, but there's a difference between marketing your business (which we all do because we humans have this terrible habit of eating and living under a roof) and having a marketing business (which again, doesn't have to be wrong by itself, but is not always transparent).

Relationships are a strong point of uncertainty and vulnerability for people, and they know it

Raise your hand if you have never clinged on an ex for longer than you should, hoped for a reconciliation or seen signs (real or not) to follow a determined path.

No-one?

Well, I can't raise mine, that's for sure.

The hope that our broken heart will be mended and that the intense pain of shattered hopes will only be a bad memory is so very intense when we are going through a break-up or a complicated relationship. We want to believe, we want to have hope, and some people know it an exploit the hell out of it.

When you are alone, rolling on bed, unable to sleep and you start scrolling through TikTok and getting messages left and right saying that so and so is actually your Twin Flame, that your bond can't be broken and that you will live your desired outcome, it can be easy to believe. Even more when you can go and get a reading from one of these "practitioners" that will confirm what you want to hear, and when it doesn't happen, you will come back for more (or go to someone else) to keep the hope running.

I can't tell you the amount of querents that have come to me saying "I have had a lot of readings from different readers and they say that we will get back together, and I am getting all of these signs on TikTok, but I'm starting to wonder if it is just false hope." This would probably grant its own post, and it makes those of us who are actually honoring our craft have to clean up after the predators whose business is hope, with no regard for the damage that they're causing along the way.