What Tarophia is

Tarophia is a tarot site where you ask a question, choose a crystal, shuffle the cards and receive a Celtic Cross reading told in acts, card by card, by an oracle. The cards are the original illustrations of the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot, from 1909. For quick questions there is also Yes or No, free and with no sign-up.

The idea is simple: a tarot consultation taken slowly, as if by candlelight, not a generator of instant answers.

How does a reading work on Tarophia?

A full reading follows the ritual of a real consultation, in five moments:

1. The question. You tell the oracle what you want to understand. The more the question is yours, in your own words, the more the reading speaks to you.
2. The crystal. Three unnamed stones appear, and you choose the one that draws you. Only then does the oracle tell you which it is. The crystal sets the tone of the reading and lights the medallion on the back of your cards.
3. The shuffle and the cut. You shuffle and cut the deck. The ten Celtic Cross cards are truly drawn, one by one, from the pile you chose.
4. The reading in acts. The oracle turns the cards a few at a time and tells the reading in three acts: first the knot of the matter, then the root and time, and finally the path. Along the way it asks you a question, and your answer shapes what comes next.
5. The Astrolabe. At the end, the reading is kept in an astrolabe, with the ten cards, the links between them and the answer to your question, so you can come back whenever you like.

Who is the oracle?

The oracle is the character who guides the consultation: a veiled figure who listens to your question and reads the cards. The text of each reading is written with artificial intelligence, from the traditional meanings of the cards, the Celtic Cross positions and the house's own notes on each card. The AI does not foretell the future: it interprets the symbols that came up for the question you asked, the way a tarot reader would.

Yes or No is different: it uses no AI. The answer comes from the card you choose and from what is written about it.

Where do the cards come from?

The cards are Pamela Colman Smith's original illustrations for the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot, published in 1909 and now in the public domain. It is the most widely used deck in the world, and the same one you will find in the Library, where each of the 78 cards has its own book, with its meaning in love, at work and in every position of the Celtic Cross.

Why the Celtic Cross?

The Celtic Cross is the most complete spread in classic tarot: ten cards that show the present, what crosses your path, the root of the matter, the recent past, the near future, your own stance, your environment, your hopes and fears, and where it is all heading. It is the right spread for questions that need the whole picture, not just a yes or a no.

What is free?

Yes or No is free and needs no account: hold your question in mind, shuffle and choose one of five cards. For the Celtic Cross you sign in with your Google account, and the first act of one reading a month is free.

What happens to my question?

Your readings stay in your account, and only you can see them. You can delete them whenever you like in "My readings". To write the reading, your question and the cards are sent to an artificial intelligence service, without your name or e-mail. The details are in the privacy policy.

Where to start?

If your question needs the whole path, do a Celtic Cross. If it fits in a yes or a no, draw a card in Yes or No. And if you would like to meet the cards first, the Library is open.