Can you Trust an App to Give you a Proper Spread?

[Symph]

In another thread a member suggested to me that I use an app to read Tarot while I live at my parents since they don't allow the cards in their house.  I started looking up various apps and kept seeing "AI Tarot reader"  And suddenly I wasn't sure if this was a good idea anymore lol.   Now I will admit, I am a lot more weary of AI or.. distrusting of it than most people are, and I could absolutely be paranoid.  But whether or not AI is good, bad, neutral, it still kind of makes me question like... what makes the right cards come out of a deck?  And are we sure a computer app can accurately do the same thing?  A lot of people won't let others touch their Tarot decks so that only their energy is imbued in the deck, and isn't there something to be said for the energetic ritual involved, and bonding with a deck etc?  

 

I'm just curious how you guys view it, I personally haven't downloaded the app cause the more I think about it the more weird it seems.  There's no bond between me and the app, there's a strange digital "middle man", I dunno... I'd be curious what other viewpoints there are on this or if anyone feels like I do about it.   

 

(Was hard to know what forum this should go in, hope it's right)  

[zurgles]

What apps were you looking at? I had good experiences with The Fools Dog tarot apps back when I used tarot apps. I looked up one deck by them and I didn’t see mention of AI. You can use their spreads or make your own. 

[Symph]

17 minutes ago, zurgles said:

What apps were you looking at? I had good experiences with The Fools Dog tarot apps back when I used tarot apps. I looked up one deck by them and I didn’t see mention of AI. You can use their spreads or make your own. 

Well I kept pondering it afterward, and like, if the app were to not use any kind of digital intelligence, but just be a card randomizer, why couldn't one's own consciousness bond with it and get accurate readings?  Still sounds weird to me though, no cards to shuffle, no cards to pop out of the deck by chance, you know what I mean?  So much like... physical energy is involved in Tarot.  Anyway...

 

As far as the apps I was seeing it was like Labyrinthos, Keen, Daily Tarot Card Reading,  like I dunno, they don't all mention AI or anything, maybe I should have titled the thread "can an app give an accurate reading".   I mean at the end of the day, you either trust your reading or don't, I just see like "in app purchases!"  and it feels much less...  sacred?   But if you have had good experience with TFD I'll at least give it a shot.  I'll ask some light questions to see if it feels accurate or intuitive,  thanks for the recommendation!  

 

I 

[zurgles]

@Symph I feel ya. It is a lot less physical, but I found the shuffling feature a nice substitute. It’s just an animation (tied to a randomizer) but I could imagine you could project your energy into it that way. For me, so long as the cards are shuffled and random, I’m happy, though I do appreciate the animation because it gets me in the mood and makes me think I’m influencing the shuffling more. I think Fools Dog (minus their sampler pack) is pretty good at keeping in app purchases out of their apps, though it’s been a while since I’ve used them. Plus you get the guidebook in the app, if there is one. As for whether you can get accurate readings, I never had a problem with that. The cards I got were on point. Plus the journal feature helped me look back at the spreads I’d done and review/add to their entries. I don’t know if you can export your journal though, something to keep in mind.
No problem! Hope you enjoy. Let us know how it goes for you.

[Symph]

Yeah I can't lie, I just did a spread and sort of, tested it by asking the same question different ways and prying into it to see if I'd get contradicting answers, nope, it was 100 percent consistent in how it read.  I don't however like having to read this hodge podge of different decks so I guess I'd need to buy one of their decks to actually have one I can intuit more from, and it's hard for me personally to be as umm....  I dunno my brain goes "Well yeah but it's just an app"  But I mean, if it says the same thing every time....   It really is odd to me though, I'm shocked it still works honestly.  

[Elaina]

I've used the facade web page, and as someone who holds the public view of it's a good parlor trick coupled with a bit of cold reading it's one half dozen ot the other. 

 

On a personal note, I only use digital decks I physically own.  The reason behind this is if I need to draw cards to clarify.  However, I feel no connection to the draw and being a bit of a luddite, I prefer cards. 

 

In a more serious note, if you need to have the cards fo whatever reason, digitsl is better than none. I've been in a similar position as you though.  My ex refused to let the cards in the house because he noticed I could use them and center myself to where the abuse didn't get a reaction because I could meditate on the cards (my mom let me keep them in her house).  In that case, facade was a lifesaver, and this was before all the apps came out. 

 

 

[Symph]

52 minutes ago, Elaina said:

I've used the facade web page, and as someone who holds the public view of it's a good parlor trick coupled with a bit of cold reading it's one half dozen ot the other. 

 

On a personal note, I only use digital decks I physically own.  The reason behind this is if I need to draw cards to clarify.  However, I feel no connection to the draw and being a bit of a luddite, I prefer cards. 

 

In a more serious note, if you need to have the cards fo whatever reason, digitsl is better than none. I've been in a similar position as you though.  My ex refused to let the cards in the house because he noticed I could use them and center myself to where the abuse didn't get a reaction because I could meditate on the cards (my mom let me keep them in her house).  In that case, facade was a lifesaver, and this was before all the apps came out. 

 

 

You and I are on a similar page it's like, I suppose if I have no other method it can work but it just doesn't really feel right and it's hard for me to trust it.   I'm a bit odd in the sense that while I love Tarot and want to become very good at reading it to have a strong regular personal practice, I also have trouble figuring out what to use it for.  I'm not a curious person, I don't wonder about a lot of things, I don't have much drama in my life, so often times I'm like "I feel like reading some cards!"  And then I sit there for 30 minutes going "but what do I want a read on?.... no I don't really need to know that, don't need to know that..."  And then I just give up and go "well I'm not gonna FORCE a question I don't actually feel compelled to ask.."  So yeah, kinda weird.  

[fire cat pickles]

1 minute ago, Symph said:

"but what do I want a read on?

 A good place to start could be to do a daily recap. Draw one card at the end of the day, asking beforehand, "how did my day go" or "what lesson can I draw from the day?" Something like that, instead of asking advice from the cards. (I can't take credit for this, not sure where I learned this from, just picked up on it here and there.)

 

As far as trusting electronic tarot apps. My opinion: really like a digital version of a dice roll. No different to me, really, and just as reliable. A really good one is Galaxy Tarot.

[DanielJUK]

@Symph you might like these older discussions on the forum with similar discussions to this (it's fine to start a new discussion on this, but these might also be worth a browse).....

 

 

BTW most phone apps and websites are not AI, they have algorithms for random picking with stored interpretations. It's not the same as AI, there are tarot chatbots and sites out there and people use ChatGPT and all the others but again this is not the same as programmed software for reading.

 

My advice is to use a digital deck for shuffling and picking the cards but interpret the reading yourself.

[Symph]

Oh thanks!  I didn't even think to check older threads TBH, sorry about that.  

[gregory]

Orphalese is good; install it (free) - there are a few built in decks and it will do your spread and you take it from there.

[Misterei]

On 11/3/2025 at 7:20 AM, Symph said:

In another thread a member suggested to me that I use an app to read Tarot while I live at my parents since they don't allow the cards in their house. ...

To be transparent--I have never used a tarot app and freely admit bias against.

I observed a person [some time ago] did a couple of readings in a exchange for feedback. The FB suggested that neither reading was accurate. Turns out the reader had used an app rather than physical cards. YMMV.  I wholeheartedly admit my bias so take my words with a grain of salt 😉

 

As per the other, forgive me if I'm out of line--but how would they know if you had a little mini tarot in a tin type deck? It's small. Easily hidden.

If the rule is against cards--isn't having them on your phone and the phone in the house just the same?

LOL stash some real cards outside and only read at coffeeshops or other places outside of the house?

[Symph]

On 11/5/2025 at 7:46 PM, Misterei said:

To be transparent--I have never used a tarot app and freely admit bias against.

I observed a person [some time ago] did a couple of readings in a exchange for feedback. The FB suggested that neither reading was accurate. Turns out the reader had used an app rather than physical cards. YMMV.  I wholeheartedly admit my bias so take my words with a grain of salt 😉

 

As per the other, forgive me if I'm out of line--but how would they know if you had a little mini tarot in a tin type deck? It's small. Easily hidden.

If the rule is against cards--isn't having them on your phone and the phone in the house just the same?

LOL stash some real cards outside and only read at coffeeshops or other places outside of the house?

Well I'm going by their belief system, and I think according to them it's like... I dunno the physical item has demonic stuff on it or something (man when you try to rationalize these beliefs from the other side it sounds so nuts...)  But an app doesn't have a physical... ok yeah maybe it is just as bad lol I dunno!!!  Right now though I'm so obsessed with just removing the rest of what is blocking me that I don't reeeeally care.  Tarot isn't an integral part of my life in the sense that I get on fine without it, I don't rely on it for anything.  When I DID read it though, I gained some profound insights, and I have decks I'm very fond of.  I came back here simply because I remembered there being cool spiritual people here and I was already a member, I don't really like... care about not being able to read Tarot at this time.  Not enough to go sneaking around anyway.  

 

More than anything I really just need to fully free my throat and chest of the rest of this pain I feel, (which I absolutely CAN do and am close) and then I need to find a way to make enough money to get back out on my own.  My plan is sound, just only I can feel the very real thing I am healing and how close I am to having it fully completed, that's the part that sucks.  Good news is, it can't be more than a couple weeks tops before I'm able to move past the healing phase and on to the doing phase.  If I were still so far away I couldn't see the end, I wouldn't be showing my face online. 😅

[Misterei]

On 11/7/2025 at 8:51 AM, Symph said:

... the physical item has demonic stuff on it or something ... But an app doesn't have a physical... 

Beliefs are strange things.

I personally get worried about demonic presence in AI. 

I use ChatGPT at times and other AI stuff. Yet i do feel I'm consorting with what might be a demonic energy as I do. *sigh*

In the end, I have a laugh about it all. Here we sit--humans--poised between the gods and demons. The devas and rakshasas.

[DanielJUK]

There is something in AI in that it has an intelligence and it's autonomous that does give that presence feeling, for me as well!

Although it doesn't have a consciousness (yet). Probably in a religious context, tarot is seen as much worse than AI anyway and would be more accepted.

Again, whilst you can chat to a bot in a two-way conversation and ask them for readings (that really is AI), most apps and websites for doing your own readings are not that. It's just a digital deck basically that is programmed to be like a physical one.

[Symph]

On 11/10/2025 at 11:01 AM, Misterei said:

Beliefs are strange things.

I personally get worried about demonic presence in AI. 

I use ChatGPT at times and other AI stuff. Yet i do feel I'm consorting with what might be a demonic energy as I do. *sigh*

In the end, I have a laugh about it all. Here we sit--humans--poised between the gods and demons. The devas and rakshasas.

I don't think that's overly paranoid.  I have a lot of beliefs that are the culmination of many signs I've seen and pieced together through my life, but I can't truly explain where they come from.  But I absolutely am worried about AI having a demonic presence, because when you think about what the lower energy beings or whatever you want to call them do, they are always trying to gain access to bodies, that's why it's so hard to get one out of a possessed person.  How do we know some entity didn't plant the seeds that caused us to build this communication device that it can speak through, and now we are in the process of building robot bodies for it too!!  

 

I'm starting to come around to the idea of using it as a consolidation tool, a summarization tool, and maybe a video editing tool, but I will never EVER ask chat GPT for any kind of life advice, no sir!