Adam Melvin was a student at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology when he attended his first tarot reading.
He discovered that his evangelical faith and the tarot community shared many of the same values, including empathy and discernment.
Melvin pursued tarot reading and other alternative practices while he finished seminary. In 2014, he founded Enlightened Collective, a nonprofit spiritual development group based out of the Little Five Points Community Center.
With regular “Tarot Tuesday” pop-ups at Mama Lin’s Chicken Delight at Madison Yards in Reynoldstown, Melvin’s group is one of many bringing this once-fringe practice into the mainstream.
Finding a new audience
Popular with American New Age and counterculture groups in the 1970s, tarot is gaining traction with a new generation seeking screen-free activities and in-person wellness communities.
“I do think it’s become much more socially acceptable to come out of the witchy or ‘woo-woo’ closet right now,” said Megan Volpert, co-founder of Atlanta Tarot.
Volpert offers tarot readings at Seed to Star Collective, a community wellness center and crystal shop in Decatur, and at pop-ups at Cremalosa gelato shop in Avondale Estates.
“Tarot is pretty much the cheapest form of therapy you can get, if you have an ethical, professional reader to really support you in discovering what your own heart has been trying to tell you,” Volpert said of tarot’s rising popularity.
Lauren Kelley experienced that sense of self-discovery when she bought her first deck of tarot cards at Modern Mystic Shop nearly a decade ago.
“Pulling cards was like a conversation starter with myself and helped highlight what was going on with my subconscious,” Kelley said.
While she initially pulled cards for friends, Kelley now has a booming tarot reading business that includes a residency at Seventh House, an astrology-themed cocktail bar in Adair Park. Of the more than 200 readings she’s done at the bar, she estimated that 85% were first-time tarot customers.
“I’ve noticed the general public is so ready for this, and people are really eager to learn more about it,” Kelley said.
In addition to her regular tarot readings at Seventh House, Kelley hosts workshops like Astrology 101 and Intuition 101 to help people learn more about these spiritual practices.
“I make it feel comfortable and approachable and intuitive, and I’m honored that people trust me to introduce them to this work,” Kelley said.
More tarot readings in Atlanta
All ATL Souls Hallowed Night Oct. 31 at 6 p.m. at Little Five Points Community Center.
Tarot Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month at Mama Lin’s Chicken Delight in Reynoldstown.
Tarot Reading with Lauren Kelley Nov. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Seventh House in Adair Park.
Tarot 101 with Lauren Kelley Nov. 5 at 5:30 p.m. at Seventh House in Adair Park.
Atlanta Tarot, virtual and in-person readings, at Seed to Star Collective in Decatur.
