Two amateur tarot readers are offering free readings to students on Turlington Plaza.
Charles Nowell, a UF graduate with a degree in psychology, and Rainey Lund, a senior math major, are offering the readings to students to practice their skills and spread awareness of alternative philosophies.
“We feel there’s a lack of representation of different forms of spirituality,” Lund said.
Nowell greets clients by asking them what type of reading they would like. He then asks them to shake hands with him and introduce themselves over the tarot deck. After shuffling and asking the client to cut the cards, he deals them and interprets.
This process is not as easy as it appears. Different types of tarot readings involve different “spreads” that require cards to be dealt in specific patterns. Each spread assigns a different set of meanings to the cards dealt.
“I see a lot of worry and anxiety in your life,” Nowell told one client, “but I also see important lessons being learned as a result.”
Lund said that the two plan to eventually practice tarot readings professionally, as a couple. They have been offering readings in Turlington Plaza about once every other week.
“I want to do this professionally, I want to offer this to people full-time, but I need to support myself doing it and I need practice,” Nowell said.
Nowell and Lund believe that tarot readings can be beneficial to the client and can be an effective therapy tool for people.
Nowell said that tarot can be therapeutic for the client because they offer a chance for the client to explore his or her own feelings about the symbolic archetypes represented in the cards. He hopes to eventually practice private tarot readings for clients in their homes, which he believes will encourage them to open up even further. His background in psychology, he said, will provide him with a unique perspective on tarot sessions and allow him to help his clients spiritually and emotionally.
“It’s an opportunity for people to open up,” he said, “and it’s absolutely therapeutic.”
Nowell and Lund are currently offering the readings for free, but Nowell has accepted cash from at least one client. They also distributed handwritten fliers advertising private readings, which will cost between $5 and $20.
Despite the skepticism surrounding tarot, Nowell and Lund remain believers in the practice of tarot as an art.
“It is not a party trick,” Nowell said.
