Tarot Cards for the Internet Age

Bear with me here, because this is something I have given serious thought to and in the mocked up form it may not appear that way. Since the late 1700's, tarot cards have been used by mystics and the occult as a means of divination. What interests me about the deck are the Major Arcana, 21 special cards that deviate from the standard 4-suit deck of playing cards we know today. The evolution of tarot cards over time during the course of European history meant that much of the philosophical, social, poetical, and astrological ideas of the time were recorded in the form of cards. The interpretations of the imagery are still largely based on religious and mystical references to this period of time. In this way, they can be thought of as an early meme - a unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another. (thanks dictionary.com). Presently, the word 'meme' is associated with the Internet variety, and while almost unequivocally meant to be humorous, they do offer valuable insight (for better or worse) into the fleeting obsessions of Internet culture. With that said, I decided to try associating some of tarot's Major Arcana with popular Internet memes based on thematic similarities. The results are below, along with a brief explanation for each. You can think of these are tarot cards reinterpreted for the Internet age:


The Fool - The Fool is the spirit in search of experience. He represents the mystical cleverness bereft of reason within us, the childlike ability to tune into the inner workings of the world. The carefree and childlike associations of The Fool led me to pair it with the LOLcat meme. Overlaying simple sentence structures with intentionally incorrect spelling and grammar ("I'm X in ur Y" or "I can haz X") onto pictures of cats, LOLcats exhibit the same carefree irrationality The Fool possesses.

The Magician - From what I understand, The Magician is seen as offering guidance but may not have our best interests at heart. The message may be to tap into ones' full potential, or the intoxication of power (both good and bad). The unrelated and ridiculous instructions offered by Advice Dog seemed like a perfect fit for the Internet generation. The brightly colored wheel and picture of the puppy's face are intentionally juxtaposed with advice one should be wary of following.

The Lovers - The Lovers represent our impulses towards adulthood, which can manifest in the form of curiosity, sexual desire, or duty. They can be seen as representing the intoxication of the physical world and its raw desires. The What is Love? meme, based on the popular SNL skit of the Roxbury Guys (Will Ferrel and Chris Kattan, featuring Jim Carrey) reflects these attributes more than any other meme. Their lifestyles were an aggrandized version of club life in their pursuit for sexual relationships.

Justice - Justice mediates the various claims of right, of morality, of duty. The tarot card is therefore typically closer to the notion of jurisprudence than to the abstract concept of justice. It hopes that our intellect and our intuition take us to the right judgment. For reasons I cannot explain, members of the Internet community became fascinated with the character of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. His character is seen as an infallible source of truth, justice and reason. It led to a popular meme using his images of Picard to lend credence to judgements or comments made by Internet users on forums.

The Tower - Words or interpretations commonly associated with The Tower seem to imply it is a sudden crisis, with elements of chaos, disillusion and a realization of a harsh truth. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi featured a scene that summed up such sentiments in 3 words: "It's a trap!" Admiral Ackbar's most famous lines have remained a long-running Internet meme for situations that are not as they initially appear to be. It's also been used in bait-and-switch maneuvers similar to "Rick-Rolling" someone.

That ended up being more text than I intended to write, but this is an interesting topic even if my initial exploration of it (especially on the Tarot end) is shallow.

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