Welcome to Pixel Tarot

When I sat down to write this, I felt it would only be appropriate to start by drawing a card to set the tone of my welcome. Fittingly, I drew the 10 of Swords, Reversed.

At a high level, the 10 of Swords Reversed is about recovery, perspective, and choosing not to stay down. When I look at this from the perspective of this project, I think it sets things up very well.

Tarot is an amazing tool that has seen something of a renaissance over the last past few years. And as a tool, it is wonderfully placed to help us learn about ourselves, encourage self-reflection and self-awareness, and actively work towards personal growth.

What is Pixel Tarot?

Pixel Tarot is a daily tarot journal. It was created as a tool for introspection through the use of a daily Tarot card pull with guided prompts to help walk through your day through the lens of the given card. It is built to be beginner-friendly and non-intimidating. It is also a way to help learn the concepts of Tarot and understand the meanings of the cards by relating to your own experience rather than memorizing keywords and looking at the little white book that came with your deck.

Originally, I created this for my 13-year old son to begin to learn Tarot and improve mindfulness and his sense of self-awareness. This last summer, we had approached this with a deck of cards (the traditional Rider Waite Smith deck) and a composition notebook.  While he knows what Tarot is, what it's used for, and a spattering of information about different cards, he is by no means a Reader. Because of this, it was a lot of looking up meanings, asking questions - and it really interrupted the process of reflection through writing. (Of course, a 13 year old is going to try to do whatever they can to NOT write in a journal, but I digress...)

So thus was Pixel Tarot born, out of a drive to help our son learn more about himself and be aware of how he interacts with the world around him.

What Pixel Tarot is not

Pixel Tarot is not a Tarot reading website. It is not performative or predictive. It is not intentionally social (although you can choose to share your writing if you would like). And it is not going to give you a Tarot reading. I should also (legally) state that this is not a replacement for any type of medical, psychological, or spiritual therapy. While it can be used in conjunction with various therapies, it is not intended to be a replacement.

It is going to give you room to be your honest self in a private space.

How does Pixel Tarot Work?

Pixel Tarot is designed to fit naturally into your day, whether that’s first thing in the morning or as a way to reflect once the day has already unfolded. You can draw a daily card directly within the app or record a card you’ve pulled from your own deck. Each entry gives you guidance in the moment: clear, beginner-friendly context for the card, including themes, symbolism, and helpful prompts, so you’re not stopping mid-thought to research meanings or decode imagery. The goal is to keep you present with your experience and focused on reflection, not overwhelmed and distracted searching for resources to understand what's going on.

From there, Pixel Tarot helps guide the journaling itself. You can choose how you want to approach the day, whether it’s a more straightforward reflection or a deeper, more challenging form of self-reflection, what we refer to as "shadow work." Thoughtful prompts help you explore how the card showed up in your thoughts, actions, or emotions, asking how this card shows up for you. Over time, your entries build into a private record you can revisit, helping you notice patterns, recurring themes, and shifts in perspective. Pixel Tarot isn’t here to speak for you. It’s here to help you listen to yourself a little more clearly.

Is it Secret? Is it Safe?

Tarot and journaling are deeply personal practices, and Pixel Tarot was built with that understanding at its core. Your journal entries are private by default and are not visible to other users. This is your space to be honest, messy, curious, or uncertain without worrying about performance or comparison. Reflection works best when it feels safe, and Pixel Tarot is designed to give you a sense of ownership over your own words and experiences.

Because Pixel Tarot does use AI to help generate thoughtful prompts and surface patterns, it’s important to be clear about boundaries. Your entries are not shared with other users, not used to train AI models, and not stored beyond what’s necessary to support your experience. In fact, you can choose to not use AI at all, although your experience will be lessened to some degree from what we hope Pixel Tarot will provide you. You remain in control of your data, including the ability to delete your entries or your account entirely. Pixel Tarot exists to support reflection, not to observe, judge, or analyze you from the outside.

A Beginning, Not an Ending

So back to the beginning... The Ten of Swords, Reversed reminds us that the hardest part is already behind us. What remains is the choice to notice, to reflect, and to move forward with a little more awareness than before. In that sense, it feels like the perfect card to welcome Pixel Tarot into existence.

Pixel Tarot is meant to grow with you as a daily tarot journal, supporting reflection over time rather than isolated readings. There’s no right way to do it, no ideal interpretation to reach. Just an opportunity to listen more closely to yourself and to grow from what you discover along the way. Welcome to Pixel Tarot.