Y'all. I didn't know what to say.

Look, I get it. The article I saw said meditation apps hit something like 100 million users this year. That's wild. And I'm not against meditation — I've been doing my own version before readings since my grandmother taught me back in '04. She'd say, "Jennifer, you gotta quiet the kitchen before you can hear what's cooking." Best advice I ever got.

But here's what bothers me. These apps flatten everything out. When I pull The Hermit, there's tension there. He's holding that lantern up in the dark, searching, alone. That card has weight. It asks you something. My niece told me her app gives her a "daily mindfulness intention" and a five-minute guided breathing session. That's not the same thing. That's not even close.

I think what's happening is people want the feeling of spiritual practice without the actual encounter with themselves. Carl Jung wrote about how the psyche resists its own depths — we'll do anything to avoid looking at what's really down there. An app that tells you "you're doing great, breathe in, breathe out" never pushes back. It never shows you The Tower when you're not ready for it.

And maybe that's the point. Maybe folks don't want The Tower.

But I've seen what real practice does. I watched my sister-in-law sit with the Death card for three weeks after her diagnosis, and she came out the other side with a peace I can't even describe. No algorithm gave her that.

I don't know. Maybe I'm just being an old fogey about this. Has anybody else noticed this shift in their own families? I'd love to hear if y'all have found ways to bridge this gap, because I miss pulling cards with her.