Joshi’s growing interest in spirituality is representative of a larger trend in the country: despite being dismissed as superstitious and unscientific for many years, spiritual practices such as manifestation, astrology, witchcraft and tarot reading are on the rise amongst young people in India. For marginalised communities, especially, tarot has become a space for insight, personal growth and healing. Explains Shreya Jauhari, the founder of spiritual small business Amrapali which provides tarot, crystal and oracle readings, “I started doing tarot when I was 19 but I was always familiar with spiritual practices ancestrally. I come from a Dalit family and we have a history of working with gods and witchcraft. These experiences are always shunned by a Western Eurocentric perspective, but having a good spiritual practice helped me overcome so much of the trauma and harassment that I have faced as a queer person. Additionally, as someone diagnosed with ADHD and autism and currently receiving institutional support, tarot has also really held and validated me in a neurotypical world.” Krisha Dhar, a psychology student who has been practising tarot for over four years, agrees that spiritual practices can often become a haven for the oppressed. “A lot of queer people thrive in spirituality because it’s the only place we’re allowed to thrive in. Additionally, because tarot is practised behind closed doors, you do not have to confront or stand up to anybody but you’re still finding a voice within yourself.”