Everything Entropic Tarot can do — explained in plain language and technical detail
How we make your card shuffle truly, provably random
Your phone's microphone picks up tiny, unpredictable fluctuations in background noise — the hum of electronics, air movement, distant sounds. These micro-variations are physically impossible to predict or reproduce, making them a perfect source of randomness.
Ambient audio is sampled at 200ms intervals via the Web Audio API. The frequency spectrum is analyzed for electromagnetic background noise patterns. Raw audio data is immediately fed into a SHA-256 hash function and discarded — no audio is recorded or stored.
Every camera sensor produces faint "static" caused by random electron movements at the microscopic level. By reading this invisible noise — especially when the lens is covered — we harvest pure physical randomness from the quantum behavior of silicon.
Dark frame noise is captured at 300ms intervals from the device camera sensor. Pixel-level thermal noise (random electron excitations in the CMOS sensor) provides entropy that is fundamentally quantum-mechanical in origin. Image data is SHA-256 hashed and immediately discarded.
The exact microsecond your finger touches the screen, combined with the precise coordinates and pressure, creates a timing signature that is biometrically unique to that moment and physically impossible to replicate.
Touch events are captured with microsecond-precision timestamps, exact X/Y coordinates, and pressure values. The timing jitter between consecutive interactions provides entropy unique to the user's neuromuscular system.
All three sources of randomness are combined and processed through the same mathematical security systems used by banks and governments. The result is a card shuffle where every single possible ordering of the 78-card deck is equally likely.
Raw entropy is pooled and processed through SHA-256 hashing, combined with OS-level crypto.getRandomValues(), then fed into an HMAC-DRBG (NIST SP 800-90A) deterministic random bit generator. The Fisher-Yates shuffle algorithm with rejection sampling ensures uniform distribution across all 78! (approximately 1.89 × 10¹¹&sup5;) possible deck orderings — more permutations than atoms in the observable universe.
Three centuries of artistic and mystical tradition
The most recognized tarot deck in the world. Illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith under the direction of Arthur Edward Waite, these iconic images defined what most people picture when they think of tarot cards. Every card in the Minor Arcana has a unique illustrated scene — a revolutionary departure from earlier decks that used simple pip arrangements.
Nicolas Conver's bold woodcut engravings represent the definitive version of the French tarot tradition. With vibrant primary colors and strong geometric designs, this deck influenced centuries of European cartomancy. The pip cards use elegant arrangements of suit symbols rather than illustrated scenes.
The oldest known complete 78-card tarot deck in existence. Created during the Italian Renaissance, it features classical and alchemical imagery with warriors, scholars, and mythological figures. Pamela Colman Smith studied this deck at the British Museum before creating the Smith-Waite — its influence echoes through modern tarot.
All three decks are in the public domain — their artwork is free of copyright restrictions. The Smith-Waite was published in 1909 (pre-1928), and the Marseille and Sola Busca are centuries old. No proprietary imagery is used anywhere in the app.
Three ways to consult the cards
Draw one card for quick, focused guidance. Ideal for a daily draw, a specific question, or a moment of reflection. Simple but powerful — one card can carry enormous depth when you sit with it.
Three cards laid out in sequence representing Past, Present, and Future. This spread tells a story — where you've been, where you are, and where the current energy is leading. The most popular spread for its balance of simplicity and narrative depth.
The most comprehensive spread in traditional tarot — ten cards mapping every dimension of your situation. Covers your present situation, the challenge you face, your subconscious foundation, your recent past, your highest potential, your near future, your self-image, your environment, your hopes and fears, and the likely outcome.
Positions: (1) Present/Significator, (2) Challenge/Cross, (3) Foundation/Root, (4) Recent Past, (5) Crown/Best Outcome, (6) Near Future, (7) Self/Attitude, (8) Environment/Others, (9) Hopes & Fears, (10) Final Outcome. Cards may appear upright or reversed, doubling the interpretive range to 156 possible card states.
Layers of Western mystical tradition embedded in every card
Every card in all 78 positions includes detailed upright and reversed meanings. These aren't generic summaries — they're grounded in over a century of tarot scholarship and the esoteric tradition of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
Each card maps to a specific path or position on the Qabalistic Tree of Life — a diagram of consciousness central to Western mysticism. The 22 Major Arcana correspond to the 22 paths connecting the ten Sephiroth (spheres of divine emanation).
Major Arcana are mapped to the 22 paths on the Tree of Life per Golden Dawn attribution. Court Cards correspond to the four Qabalistic Worlds (Atziluth, Briah, Yetzirah, Assiah). Numbered pip cards map to specific Sephiroth within their elemental suit.
Each of the 22 Major Arcana cards is associated with one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each letter carries deep symbolic meaning — its name, numerical value, and elemental or planetary correspondence — that enriches the card's interpretation.
Follows the Golden Dawn correspondence system: Aleph (The Fool), Beth (The Magician), Gimel (The High Priestess), through Tav (The World). Each letter's gematria value and mother/double/single classification adds interpretive layers.
Every card has an astrological correspondence — a zodiac sign, planet, or element. The system goes deep: court cards and numbered cards are assigned to specific 10-degree segments of the zodiac (called decans), giving precise astrological timing and meaning.
Major Arcana: planetary and zodiacal attributions per Golden Dawn. Minor Arcana numbered cards: decan assignments (e.g., Two of Wands = Mars in Aries, first decan 0°-10°). Court Cards: elemental sub-aspects (e.g., Knight of Cups = Fire of Water).
The court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King) each carry a ceremonial title from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn that describes their elemental nature — like "Lord of the Flame and Lightning" for the King of Wands.
The app calculates the actual current positions of the planets in the zodiac at the moment of your reading — not from a lookup table, but from astronomical algorithms. This adds a layer of astrological context connecting your reading to the real sky above you.
Planetary positions are computed using precision orbital mechanics algorithms (based on Jean Meeus' Astronomical Algorithms). Calculates geocentric ecliptic longitude for Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Results are accurate to within 1 arcminute for the current epoch.
An advanced AI reads your entire spread in context
When you press the interpretation button, an advanced AI (Claude by Anthropic) analyzes your entire spread — not just individual card meanings, but how the cards relate to each other in their specific positions. It adapts its style to the deck you're using: scenic illustration analysis for Smith-Waite, geometric pip symbolism for Marseille, alchemical imagery for Sola Busca.
Powered by Claude Sonnet 4.6 via the Anthropic API. Context payload includes: all drawn cards with spread positions, upright/reversed status, deck name and tradition, spread type, Qabalah correspondences, elemental dignities between adjacent cards, and current planetary positions. System prompt includes deck-specific interpretive guidance.
The interpretation appears word by word in real-time, like watching someone write your reading. This isn't a pre-written template — each interpretation is generated fresh for your unique combination of cards, positions, and cosmic timing.
Server-Sent Events (SSE) stream the response from the Express backend, which proxies to Anthropic's streaming API. 60-second timeout with graceful error handling.
You get 5 AI interpretations per day, completely free. A counter shows how many you have remaining. They refresh every 24 hours. Your readings and card draws are always unlimited — only the AI narrative has a daily limit.
Per-IP daily rate limiting with 24-hour sliding window. Status endpoint (GET /api/interpret/status) returns remaining count. Rate limit key combines IP + User-Agent fingerprint.
When you save a reading, the AI interpretation is saved alongside it. Revisit any past reading and the full narrative will be there — you don't need to regenerate it.
The AI never runs automatically. You choose when (and whether) to request an interpretation by pressing a button. Your reading stands on its own — the AI is an optional layer of insight, not a requirement.
Sight, sound, and touch working together
Cards flip with realistic 3D physics — they don't just appear, they turn over with spring-like motion that feels tactile and satisfying. Major Arcana cards get extra visual emphasis because of their greater significance.
CSS 3D transforms with spring-based animation curves (custom cubic-bezier timing). Backface visibility toggling for true two-sided card rendering. Animation parameters differ for Major vs Minor Arcana.
When a card is revealed, a burst of glowing particles erupts from its position. Major Arcana cards produce more intense, longer-lasting effects. On lower-powered devices, effects automatically scale down to keep everything smooth.
HTML5 Canvas particle system. Particle count, velocity, lifetime, and color palette scale based on card type (Major/Minor) and device capability detection. requestAnimationFrame loop with automatic cleanup.
Your phone vibrates subtly at key moments — a light tap when you select a card, a satisfying pulse when it flips over, a stronger vibration for Major Arcana reveals, and notification-style pulses when entropy collection hits milestones.
Capacitor Haptics plugin for native iOS/Android patterns. Falls back to navigator.vibrate() on web. Mapped: ImpactLight (selection), ImpactMedium (reveal), ImpactHeavy (Major Arcana), Notification (entropy milestones).
Subtle background audio sets the mood for each phase of your reading — a different atmosphere for entropy collection, shuffling, and the reading itself. The audio crossfades smoothly between scenes so transitions feel natural.
Web Audio API with GainNode-based crossfading between ambient scenes. Three ambient layers (entropy, shuffle, reading) with independent volume control. 16 distinct SFX triggered by specific UI interactions.
After shuffling, your cards spread out in a fan shape you can browse through. You select cards by tapping them — a tactile, intentional moment that mirrors the physical experience of choosing from a spread deck.
Moving between steps of the reading flow features smooth animated transitions. Pages slide and fade rather than snapping, making the journey feel continuous.
Custom CSS keyframe animations (pageEnter/pageExit) with spring-curve cubic-bezier timing. Route change detected via wouter, triggering exit animation before content swap.
On mobile, swipe left to advance through the reading flow, swipe right to go back, and swipe down to dismiss card detail modals. Natural touch interactions that feel native.
Custom useSwipe hook with 60px minimum threshold. Touch start/end coordinate tracking with directional intent detection.
If you have motion sensitivity enabled on your device, all animations, particle effects, floating elements, and transitions are automatically disabled. The app remains fully functional without any motion.
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) disables all CSS animations, transitions, shimmer effects, and particle systems. Skeleton loading falls back to static backgrounds.
Your data stays on your device
Everything happens on your phone or computer. Your microphone audio, camera feed, and touch data never leave your device. They're processed right where they're captured and immediately thrown away after being used for randomness.
All entropy processing uses the Web Crypto API (SubtleCrypto.digest for SHA-256). Sensor data exists only in ephemeral JavaScript variables and is nullified after hashing. No data is written to disk, localStorage, or transmitted.
We don't collect any data about you. No first-party analytics. No first-party tracking. No third-party SDKs in the reading flow. The free tier displays banner ads on content pages (Features, Library, Roadmap, Saved Readings, Feedback), served by a third-party ad network under its own privacy policy — paid subscription tiers remove these. We literally cannot identify you ourselves.
You never need to sign up, log in, or give us your email. The app works fully without any registration. Saved readings are stored only on your device in your browser's local storage.
The app uses the same security practices as banking websites — encrypted connections, strict content policies, and protection against common web attacks.
HTTPS via HSTS (max-age 1 year, includeSubDomains, preload). Content Security Policy restricts script/style/font/image sources. X-Frame-Options: DENY prevents clickjacking. Input validation via Zod schemas. Rate limiting on API endpoints. Request body limited to 10KB.
Save, share, and use anywhere
Every reading can be saved with one tap. Your reading history is stored locally and accessible anytime — even offline. Only you can see your saved readings.
Download your reading as an image, or share it directly using your phone's native share menu — text, email, social media, wherever.
After the first load, the app works without internet. All card images, meanings, and the shuffle engine are cached on your device. Only the AI interpretation requires a connection.
Progressive Web App (PWA) with service worker caching all static assets, card images, and application code. Cache-first strategy for assets, network-first for API calls.
Available on iPhone (App Store), Android (Google Play), and any web browser. Same decks, same features, same privacy — everywhere.
A growing library of articles on tarot technique, Qabalah, cryptography, and the esoteric traditions behind the app. Plus a curated resources page with recommended books, physical decks, and courses.
Every reading feature is free — all three decks, all three spreads, AI interpretation, everything. The free tier is supported by display advertising on content pages (Features, Library, Roadmap, Saved Readings, Feedback). The reading flow itself is ad-free for everyone. Optional paid subscription tiers remove the ads on content pages.