Have you ever been scrolling on your social media feed and found a person, (almost always with an evil eye or crystal ball emoji featured somewhere in the caption) that says they have a channeled or urgent message that they would like to share? If you need a change in your life, looking for love, or financial stability? You find yourself intrigued, captivated, and curious. How did they know you were looking for a sign? They proceed to pull out a deck of tarot cards, each with a different depiction of something, and shuffle them in such an intuitive way as they close their eyes, nod, and essentially communicate with the cards. We then get a response that somehow deeply resonates with us, and allows us to go down a spiritual rabbit hole as questions arise about what this random stranger just said.
It seems that people are always looking for ways to better understand themselves, even though we claim we already know who we are to a certain extent. Whether it be Buzzfeed quizzes, psychology tests, or over-analyzing our thoughts, we yearn for more profound explanations than what is on the surface. With the uproar in social media trends and how it is heavily influencing society and pop culture, people are finding new ways to express and transform themselves using the notions and tactics of other people besides themselves, especially in the spiritual realm.
In addition to tarot card readings, manifestation videos have grown in popularity over the past few years, used by many to work on their inner worlds in an effort to transform what’s happening externally. Within minutes of watching guided manifestation videos, you start repeating these affirmations, hoping for results. You either whisper them to yourself while lying on your bed or go all out, staring at yourself in the mirror and saying each word with gusto and force. However, does this one-sided mindset of wanting to have instant results change the course of our manifestations?
While on this journey of spiritual confusion, we become desperate for answers: If the manifestations don’t work, was the rabbit hole that we became so overly invested in worth it? Are manifestations and tarot readings legitimate, not just a revenue stream for content creators?
Or, do you see changes immediately? Was it because of the hope the tarot cards and manifestations gave you that changed your attitude which led to results?
What is even real nowadays?
In my interview with Rupal Raina (@tarotwithrupal), a manifestation specialist, tarot counselor with 3+ years of experience and a verified creator on Instagram, she addresses these questions and more.
Q: Why do you think people are not seeing results when doing manifestation practices?
A: You have to remove your self-limiting beliefs. Once you are able to remove those beliefs, you can become a more coherent person. Once you become a coherent person, your brain will also become coherent, such as using methods such as meditation. Your brain can emit one vibration, and that vibration goes out into the universe, making manifestation a possibility. If people don’t meditate then the energy is scattered in many different directions and you cannot focus your energy on one thing. If you cannot focus your energy, you cannot manifest. You have to remove distractions.
Q: Why do you believe in manifestation culture and tarot readings?
A: I believe in tarot not as paper cards, but more as a guidance tool. Tarot will help you understand your shadow side, it will help you understand your traumas, and tarot can understand what you can improve upon and how you can go about it. Tarot can also help you manifest if you truly stay consistent and let it guide you. It’s a process and you will not see instant results. Tarot to me is a power tool. If you really want to become a powerful person, use tarot. As for manifestation, anybody can do it. It’s the fabric of the universe. Manifestation is to move into an altered state of consciousness and truly start believing that good things are going to happen, and that can only happen if you remove your self-limiting beliefs.
Q: What is your process? Do these readings come to you intuitively or are there other factors?
A: I read tarot cards very intuitively. I think I am blessed by the universe in a way, I do not have to mug up the meanings of the cards. I just look at the card and I know it’s meaning for a certain situation. Sometimes the scariest and funniest parts about readings are if there is a negative card and you read it as a positive card. That can be both scary and strange because the meaning is harder to translate. But what I realized is that the cards act as an intuitive prompt to further my readings. Then again, I do get messages and channels. I can hear things, I can see things, and that is essentially how I go about my process.
So, the next time you see an oddly-specific tarot card reading or do a manifestation meditation, make sure to remove those self-limiting beliefs. You have the power within you to move through anything, whether a break up, bad test score, or ultimately questioning the meaning of life. You are in control of your reality, and manifestation and tarot cards act as tools to help guide you on this journey called life.
