Why do we fool ourselves into believing in the intangible? Some humans Google their horoscopes, others pray to the Gods above, and then there’s the people who throw salt behind their backs whenever the mischievous mineral spills over a surface.
There’s the overwhelming desire to trust that if any of the forces above are true, then we’re not gliding through this world of unwinding chaos alone. Instead, there are energies, universes, omnipotent powers holding our hands throughout the course of our lives. We have something to fall back on, a reason to explain why the situations we go through even happen in the first place.
I’m no exception to these clusters of people. Horoscopes boost my confidence, I seek psychics’ advice, and thank the universe whenever I get free coffee at Pret-A-Manger. It’s happened twice this semester alone. I believe in these forces to the point that tarot card readers have always tweaked my curiosity, and yesterday I decided to give in to the urge of having my future spelled out for me by a stack of cards.
Walking through Washington Square park, I came across the all-famous Kyler James and didn’t think twice before sitting next to this man who walked around Washington Square wearing a silver hat and pitch-black cloak.
To be honest, my experience was not what I was hoping for, and I don’t recommend trying it out yourselves. No new information was given to me, and the man opened up our tarot card reading session by suggesting I pursue an acting career. Little did he know I suffer panic attacks whenever I’m standing before a group of people who don’t share my blood or DNA.
Yet he did mention writing, a beautiful man in my life, and the fact that a life-changing decision was looming nearby. And despite the fact that none of these details revealed anything new to me, he did pick them out without any previous knowledge. Yes, I know they are all very vague- with the only exception being writing-but it was a self-esteem boost nonetheless. Which is what all these beliefs are meant to do.
We read our horoscopes because they promise us love, money, excitement. They tell us we’re bound to get lucky in one of these aspects. We pray to God with the hopes that he’ll gift us what we need or desire. We throw salt over our shoulders to avoid the bad Karma. And it’s fine, it’s human. Just don’t spend twenty dollars on a Tarot card reading, sorry mom.
