Activate Cecelia Hemmerle (Virgo) sits down for our interview with a pleasant wave of patchouli and a well-loved Rider Waite tarot deck wrapped in a green velvet bag. The junior at Miami identifies as an eclectic pantheist, a member of the world’s largest unorganized religion, believing that every aspect of the world contains its own magic. Hemmerle has been practicing tarot for five years. She refers to tarot as a language, emphasizing how the visuals, imagery and archetypes on the cards can be understood by anyone open-minded enough to begin the practice. Hemmerle believes that tarot is used not to predict or determine the future, but for looking deeper into the self and reflecting on what you find. ‘To me, tarot is a mirror, it’s a microscope. It’s a way and an invitation towards self-reflection,” she said. “It’s helpful to keep track of symbols and messages which reappear in the tarot cards pulled. When you know how to look, they’re impossible to ignore in daily life.”
Zodiac signs include images of whether the sun or moon is visible, if there are multiple people present and which direction the figure on the card is facing. All of these subtle images contribute to how tarot cards can be interpreted.
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