Love is in the tarot cards

and the TikTok livestreams

Oh no!

Have you fallen victim to TikTok late-night livestreams?

It’s like a complicated love affair. Me and this side of TikTok. The ones with ASMR live streams, crystals, reiki healing, and my favorite — tarot card readings. Have questions about your love life? Let’s tune in. Are you worried about that next paycheck? Let’s pull a money card, baby. The attraction to these accounts started with a minor curiosity. What’s this lady doing with her hands to pluck the energy from me through the screen?

I like astrology and tarot card readings and thinking about attachment theory and the enneagram. But would I call myself a believer? Or is it an attractive practice that allows me to self-heal? Or is it pure entertainment?

Yeah, I’m not sure, to be honest. But somewhere along the way, I let myself linger on these livestreams. It’s one thing to have your close friend do a reading, but it’s another thing to tune into a livestream with hundreds of people you don’t know. It’s like the equivalent of watching a megachurch livestream. Inherently, it feels a little tacky. But my curiosity got the better of me.

So? What’s it all about? Is it even real? What about God? The Universe? Some people might say it’s a scam. But mostly it’s lighthearted and fun. Or eye-opening and entertaining. You know what, like any other form of entertainment or media - everything is online. Hanging out and keeping yourself busy these days is almost always accompanied by a screen. It’s not like how it used to be playing kick the can and riding your bike around the neighborhood. Not to mention some of the activities my siblings and I used to do were so random. But nobody questioned us then! We used to play birds in my backyard after school using rocks as our eggs, and we would guard our designated nests. Sooooo. I can’t be one to judge how people express themselves online or offline.

Aside from some lower-quality or creepy videos, these live streams and readings are people’s profession and career paths. I’ve seen tarot card readers on for hours, and honestly, I respect it. There are two in particular that I listen to most times they pop up.

Did going through a breakup and overall life transition instigate listening to them more often??? Pfffftttt. No. Yes.

The one account I followed first is Marla Moonshine. She’s on less often, but every time I’m on my phone and her video comes up it feels like a 20-minute message just for me. Life, career, friendships, family, and everything in between are reflected in these lives. The comment sections get annoying. But I’m so invested that I regularly listen.

The next one is a dedicated tarot card reader. The Grey Strega. She talks a lot about the divine feminine and masculine (not related to gender but in spirit) and a union. So lol yes, it is a relationship-directed account.

She also does personal readings. I love listening to her because she’s repetitive and consistent, and her content aligns with my inner reflections.

Breakup tok can feel like a dark hole. An abyss of sad videos, people yelling at you to block your ex, girls going out with their friends, etc., etc., etc.

What about some self-reflection huh? Maybe I want to hear somebody talk about where I’m at and how I can show up better in relationships.

So when I saw a Valentine’s Day Event in PHILADELPHIA with the Grey Strega offering readings. I had a moment of WHAT. It’s like she’s a celebrity. But even more magical. Like a mystical entity.

So maybe the TikTok livestream found me. And I’m not mad about it.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Lovers.