Is Tarot getting trendy?

VGimlet

I think it comes and goes. I got interested in tarot when i was a kid, in the late 60's, and if I had a source to buy a deck I probably would have gotten one then. I found out about tarot from a story I read as a kid about a tarot reader, and i thought tarot sounded fascinating. I had a strong interest in all things unusual. It got trendy in the early 70's, which meant our local book store started carrying them. :p

Then it kind of waned, and honestly, I don't remember hearing about it much. I do kind of remember hearing more about it in the early 1990's again.

And yeah, I see a lot of it around now, which kind of makes me chuckle. But you know, for every 10 people who get interested because it's the new 'thing' at least one will stay interested.
 

Shade

Tarot enthusiasts really have embraced social media in a big way. Twitter especially seems to have been taken up by Tarotists. This has also helped a lot of independent decks get crowd-funded through Kickstarter projects. An annual Tarot conference in the SF Bay Area was even given a helping hand via Indiegogo and social media support.

but on the other, probably more egoic hand, its like having your most favorite, personally meaningful song used on a a commercial or something. I know its not mine.

I know what you mean - it's very complicated when you love something but so strongly identify in your love for it that you find a small part of you becomes uncomfortable with having "everyone" love it. It's hard to not feel like a hipster!

Your Yoga example also resonates as I have seen my friends who authentically practice Hinduism a little horrified as the "soccer moms" of the world embraced it in a quest for lean, firm bodies.

Ultimately I think we can take solace in the fact Tarot will find its way into the hands of a lot more people who will love it. As someone who got on board as a 90s "teen witch" I can't judge anyone who bought their first deck because they felt inspired by a recent viewing of Beautiful Creatures. Hopefully they will grow to love it as much as I do.
 

Padma

I've been thinking about Padme's question for a bit...I am wondering if the sudden interest and surge in Tarot (and, it seems, oracle decks and astrology as well) has to do with all the uncertainty in our changing world...things are no longer so seemingly predictable and iron-clad as they were in the '50's...and the interest wave for the tarot in the 60's/70's may have had something to do with all the uncertainty of changing times as well. It seems when societies and countries reach a tipping point, and the old rules no longer apply, tarot comes back in on the new wave. Hmmm. Perhaps we have more of a need for reassurance, insight, direction or confirmation at those times. Just a passing thought... :)
 

Shade

It could be, I also as interested in the 20 year cycle Tarot Bear pointed out for enthusiasm in the Tarot. Will the 2030s be the next Tarot boom?
 

Padma

So, does that mean that Tarot comes back every 20-25 years or so?

It could be, I also as interested in the 20 year cycle Tarot Bear pointed out for enthusiasm in the Tarot. Will the 2030s be the next Tarot boom?

This is very interesting - doesn't the World card tend to go in cycles of 21 years...? Fascinating!
 

PadmeRose

I have always leaned towards the notion of cyclical time, and repeating/cyclical time-periods. I think that is very cool that you all have been pointing out the pattern in it :) On a totally unrelated (but tarot-related, and actually related to Lotus's comment on the world card!) topic, a social media "friend" just posted a very old photograph they found elsewhere, and I immediately recognized it as a photo that was used in a photo collage-theme deck I've had forever (they didn't know about it). It was used for the world card! Pretty neat.
 

Sunmachine

Could it be because we've left the age of Aquarius for the age of Pisces? I'd put it more down to this.
 

AJ

About as trendy as crutches.
You are seeing all this because you are looking for it, or because of your tracking cookies.
My laptop is bringing things about lung cancer to my sidebar. That isn't something trendy either, only tracking
 

stevie

It must be getting more popular because there is such a large selection at the bookstores now and more readers cropping up at fairs and whatnot. I think it is great that more people are being exposed and in turn people will lose some of the fear they have for tarot and other forms of divination.
 

Laura Borealis

I saw a lot more selection in bookstores in the 90s, myself. Now all I see are Hay House oracles, maybe a Deviant Moon, usually a RWS of some kind, and a few recent releases like the Zombie or the Dog Tarot. :(