About Tarotnauts
Tarotnauts is a place for all things tarot-related.
Tarot is a tool, so let's have fun with it!
What is a Tarotnaut?
The term Tarotnaut is a playful twist on psychonaut, a word used for people who explore consciousness through methods like meditation and altered states. See Psychonautics (Wikipedia) for more background. Where psychonauts "travel" inward, Tarotnauts explore through the symbolic world of the cards.
This project was also inspired by the spirit of exploration behind the Randonautica app, which sends people on real-world adventures using quantumly generated randomness. Instead of moving your whole body through space, Tarotnauts invites you to explore on a smaller, more immediate scale, with your hands, through the cards, turning each shuffle and spread into a micro-adventure in your own mind.
App status
It started as a project to make tarot reading simple with an app but evolved into exploring everything tarot can help with ... or not!
Explore the wiki section to understand meanings or use our tools to try out combinations between cards. If you want to have a laugh, check out the comics section. I recently added a confab section for subscribers. Its a guided conversation based on predetermined questions on a subject. Then you can keep pulling clarifying cards to help you brainstorm solutions for your specific situation.
Tarotnauts is a very personnal project I started out of frustration with the lack of tools for tarot cards combinations. Most tarot cards website focus on predicting the future, which I am against. I strongly believe that tarot is a mirror into your own mind. It opens doors that are difficult to access otherwise.
I'm trying many formats to make tarot more accessible and fun. Right now its making confabs, sort of like a virtual personal assistant. If people like it, I will keep adding more features.
Visit the subreddit Tarotnauts to follow the journey. I'm also very interested in hearing your feedback and what kind of features you would like to see.
How I Got Started with Tarot
Tarot cards always intrigued me, but I was intimidated by them. Lots of definitions and hokus pokus. I wasn't the type to consult a medium, as I don't believe in fortune-telling.
One day, however, a friend offered me a reading. Her approach was simple and insightful...just four card positions, focusing on the interactions between them.
I found the experience captivating.
I started to ask for a reading every time I visited, probably a bit more often than she expected! Eventually, I decided to learn on my own, inspired by her method. It became a valuable tool for reflecting on my own thoughts and gaining fresh perspectives on my challenges. This self-directed journey was the spark that eventually led to creating Tarotnauts.
Evolution of the Table Design (deprecated app)
Version 1
Version 2
In an early version of the app, I experimented with an optical illusion effect on the table, aiming to create a customizable area alongside a realistic card-shuffling experience. However, most of the feedback suggested that it was confusing, making the interface harder to use. While blending customization with card-shuffling seemed appealing, it complicated the user experience.
The version on the left shows the old design with customization options, while the version on the right features the simplified approach focused purely on clear card interactions.
Pagan Festival Characters Concept
I once envisioned characters representing different pagan festivals, adding a seasonal change to the app. While I couldn't bring this feature to life as quickly as hoped, it remains a cherished idea for future updates. It's a reminder to prioritize core features and refine them before expanding.
Customization Table Concept
Another early idea was a customizable table where users could add objects and change their layout. The initial concept changed over time and was eventually removed as I refined the focus of the app. While I felt disappointed at the time, I now see it as an important lesson: sometimes, less is more. By focusing on the core pillars, Tarotnauts can better serve its community.
Tarotnauts continues to evolve as I learn and adapt. The goal remains the same: to provide meaningful, self-reflective tarot readings that help users see their challenges through a new lens. The journey has been full of growth, and I'm excited about what's to come. Stay tuned for more updates!
If you would like to collaborate on articles with me please don't hesitate to contact me!