Frequently asked
What people
most often ask.
Organised in four sections. If your question isn't here, write to us.
About the method
अन्तWhat is the Antardarshan Method?
The Antardarshan Method is the framework by which Trikaala conducts every reading and teaches every student. It treats the tarot deck as a structured contemplative scaffold: a tool for self-inquiry rather than a means of prediction. The method has four principles (witness, not predict; inquiry, not answer; pattern, not prophecy; agency, not fate) and a five-step session protocol (the written question; the chosen spread; the laying and the first description; the dialogic interpretation; the reflection brief). See /method/antardarshan for the full document.
Do you predict the future?
No. We refuse prediction as a category. Readings in the Antardarshan Method do not forecast what will happen. They organise the question on the table, what is the seeker actually asking, and use the cards as a structured vocabulary for the seeker's own attention. We do not say 'the cards are telling you'; we ask 'what do you make of what has appeared?' The work of acting on what surfaces is the seeker's, not ours.
Will the reading work if I am skeptical?
Yes; often better. Skeptics pay closer attention to what the conversation actually does, rather than expecting the cards to deliver verdicts. The method does not require belief in any specific metaphysics. It requires only the willingness to sit with a structured question for an hour and to interpret what surfaces in good faith. Many of our most productive sessions have been with seekers who arrived expecting to debunk the practice and stayed for the conversation.
Is this religious?
No. The Antardarshan Method makes no theological claims. We do not require, recommend, or expect adherence to any religion — Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or otherwise. We cite the Indian contemplative lineage (Patanjali, Shankaracharya, Ramana Maharshi) because the methodology of inward inquiry is articulated most rigorously in that tradition, but the citation is methodological, not theological. Seekers of any faith or none are welcome.
Is this divination?
Not in the contemporary commercial sense. Historical divination in the Tarot lineage, what Waite was reacting against in 1910, claimed access to future events. We do not. Our practice is divination only in the older Latin sense of divinare: to attend, to look closely at what is. We attend to the present question; we do not look at the future.
Will the cards talk to me?
The cards will not talk. The cards are silent symbolic vocabulary. What 'talks' in a reading is the conversation between the reader and the client — structured by the cards but spoken by people. Anyone telling you the cards literally speak is making a stronger metaphysical claim than the cards themselves can support.
About sessions
साHow do I book?
Via /readings — choose the format, complete the booking. You'll receive a Cal.com invitation, a Razorpay payment link, and a request for one written question. The booking is confirmed when payment clears; we'll send a confirmation email with the venue address (if in-person) or the Cal.com link (if online) within an hour.
How far in advance do I need to book?
Three to six weeks is typical. The calendar is intentionally not designed for same-week walk-ins. If you need a session sooner and there's genuine urgency, write to hello@trikaala.com and we'll see what's possible, but the booking horizon is part of the practice, not an inconvenience we want to optimise away.
What do I bring?
One written question, on paper or in a note you can read from. Nothing else is required. We provide the deck, the cloth, the spread structure, the reflection brief. For in-person sessions, tea is offered before the session begins; no need to bring anything else.
Can I record the session?
No. We don't record, and we ask that you don't either. You'll get a written reflection brief by email the morning after the session — three to five sentences naming what surfaced. The brief is the document you return to, not a recording of the conversation.
What if I need to reschedule?
Every session includes one free reschedule up to 24 hours before. Beyond that, see /legal/refund-policy. Late rescheduling, within 24 hours of the session, incurs a 50% fee. We do this not to penalise lateness but to honour the calendar block.
In person or online?
Both. Online sessions are conducted via Cal.com. In-person sessions are at our Hauz Khas consulting room in Delhi. The 90-minute Deep Dive is in-person by default; the 30-minute Single Question and 60-minute Full Reading are equally good either way.
Can I bring a friend or partner?
No. Readings are one-to-one. The presence of an observer changes the conversation; the seeker performs for the observer rather than speaks to herself. For couples-relationship work, both parties book separate readings; we don't conduct joint readings because the dynamic obscures rather than illuminates.
What if I cry / get angry / get overwhelmed?
It happens. The session has space for it. The room is a held space; there's water, there's tissue, there's silence available if you need it. We don't escalate, we don't redirect, we don't try to 'fix' — we let the feeling have its time and then return to the question. If the material is genuinely clinical, we'll name that and refer.
About the academy
विद्याWho is the Foundation course for?
Anyone, beginner or experienced reader, who wants to learn the Antardarshan Method as a structured discipline. No prior tarot experience required. Many Foundation students arrive having never opened a deck; many others arrive with years of self-taught reading and want the structural rigor the method offers. The course is calibrated to bring a literate adult through the lineage at the pace the lineage rewards.
How big are the cohorts?
Foundation: 12 students. Practitioner: 8. Advanced: 4. Master Teacher: 1–3 per year. Small cohorts are part of the pedagogy. Every student gets significant supervised reading time with the acharya before certification, and that's only possible at this scale.
Is the certification recognised?
Recognised by Trikaala Academy, the issuing body. Certificates are verifiable at /verify/{certId} (public verification page) and listed in the alumni directory. We don't pretend to issue a degree from a regulated institution — we issue a certificate of completion in a specific methodology, and we stand behind what that certificate vouches for. Many graduates also list it on their professional bios alongside other credentials.
Can I sit only the Foundation, or do I have to do all four?
Foundation is a standalone course. Many students stop there — it provides enough to begin a personal practice and to read for friends and family with discipline. The Practitioner level is for students who intend to read commercially or teach. Advanced and Master Teacher are for students who want to teach the method at the academy itself. The pyramid is intentionally narrower at the top.
How is the academy taught?
Hybrid: a mix of live online sessions, recorded modules, supervised reading practice (online or in-person), and reading-circle assignments. Foundation runs 12 weeks. The Practitioner programme runs 16 weeks. Advanced is 20 weeks. Master Teacher is a 24-month mentorship.
When do cohorts start?
Foundation cohorts run twice a year, in March and September. Practitioner runs once a year, in January. Advanced and Master Teacher are admitted by application and start on a rolling basis.
About payment & policy
धर्मHow do I pay?
Via Razorpay — UPI, cards, net banking, wallets. Payment is taken at booking for sessions; at deposit + balance for academy enrolments. For international clients, Razorpay supports international cards directly; we don't charge extra fees beyond the gateway's standard processing.
Scholarships?
Yes. Each Foundation cohort reserves 1–2 places for students who would otherwise be priced out. Applications are reviewed confidentially. Write to hello@trikaala.com with a brief description of your situation and your interest in the method. We don't ask for income documentation; we trust the application.
Refund policy?
For readings: full refund 48+ hours before the session; 50% within 24 hours; no refund for no-shows after the session begins. For academy: full refund 14+ days before the cohort starts; 50% within 7–14 days; no refund within 7 days of start or after enrolment activities have begun. See /legal/refund-policy for the full schedule.
Do you offer gift sessions?
Yes. Email hello@trikaala.com with the recipient's name and email; we issue a gift voucher (PDF) that the recipient can redeem against any session format. Vouchers are valid for 12 months from issue. We don't accept gift purchases without the recipient's knowledge: the booking still requires the recipient to write the question themselves.
Group rates?
No. We don't offer group rates because the method is one-to-one. We've considered group readings and concluded they would alter the methodology enough to no longer be the Antardarshan Method. For organisations wanting reading-based workshops (corporate retreats, design schools, etc.), write to hello@trikaala.com — we run those occasionally and they're priced separately.
Insurance?
We are not a clinical service and don't bill to insurance. The work is positioned as contemplative practice, not therapy; it's outside the insurance reimbursement category in any jurisdiction we operate in.
About the practitioner & lineage
गुरुWho is Acharya Saumya?
Saumya is the lead acharya at Trikaala and the originator of the Antardarshan Method. She trained for many years in the Western tarot tradition (in the Waite-Pollack-Greer lineage) and in parallel in the Indian discipline of atma-vichara (Patanjali, Shankaracharya, Ramana Maharshi). She works publicly by her single first name; the single-name policy is described in detail at /about/the-acharya.
What deck do you use?
Most often the Rider-Waite-Smith deck (1909) — Pamela Colman Smith's illustrations of Arthur Edward Waite's designs. For about ten percent of sessions, where the seeker's question genuinely benefits from a different visual vocabulary, we use the Thoth deck (Crowley & Harris) or the Marseille deck. We do not use the dozens of contemporary 'aesthetic' decks that have proliferated in recent years; they read pretty but their iconography is often inconsistent.
Why Indian framing if tarot is European?
The deck is European in origin. But using a structured external system to organise self-inquiry is older and more widespread — atma-vichara in the Vedantic tradition, vipassana in the Buddhist, the Stoic morning examination in the Greco-Roman, the daily examen in Ignatian spirituality. The Antardarshan Method is the Indian articulation of how to use the European tarot deck for an older and global contemplative purpose. We do not claim the deck for India; we claim the contemplative posture, which is older than the deck by millennia.
Why no astrology?
We do not draw on astrology, Vedic, Western, or otherwise, in our method. The cards are sufficient symbolic vocabulary; astrology is a separate practice with its own scholarship and its own claims. We respect it; we do not subsume it. Astrologers and tarot readers sometimes share clients; the two practices answer different questions.
About privacy & confidentiality
गोप्यIs my reading confidential?
Yes. What is said in a reading does not leave the reading. The standard is the same one a counsellor or solicitor operates under: nothing the client says becomes anecdote, example, or marketing material without explicit written consent. Reflection briefs are sent only to the client; we don't keep a long-term archive at Trikaala.
Will my question appear on the site as a case study?
No, not without explicit written consent. The case studies at /case-studies are either composites (drawn from elements of several anonymised sessions) or fully-consented (the client read and approved the version that appears). Identifying details are always changed in composites.
What about my data?
We collect minimum information — email, name, the written question, payment record via Razorpay. We don't sell data, share with third parties for marketing, or use Meta/Google retargeting pixels. See /legal/privacy for the full DPDP-compliant policy.
Can I have my data deleted?
Yes — write to hello@trikaala.com. Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you have the right to deletion of personal data we hold, with limited exceptions for legal/accounting records we are required to retain.
Your question still not answered? Write to us.