Namrata: From an Engineer to a Fortune Teller

Namrata is a Corporate hustler now turned into a Tarot Consultant. A woman of many talents, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering, an MBA in HR/IT, and diplomas in Yoga, and Jyotish, to name a few. She finally found her calling in Tarot and Jyotish. A mother to a one-year-old, she is juggling motherhood and her freelancing career like a pro. Read Namrata’s story of finding herself here.

Tell us about yourself. Where are you from? About your family, parents? How was your childhood?

I am from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. But, I have spent a major chunk of my life in Noida.
I am a Jyotish Acharya (Vedic Astrologer) from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and a trained Tarot Reader. Having done Sangeet Visharad in Indian Classical Vocal music from Chandigarh Gharana, I am also a professionally trained jazz dancer. Adding “Sun certified Java Professional Programmer” to my kitty, I also hold a diploma as a Yoga Trainer. I have completed a Bachelor’s in Technology (B.Tech) from Uttar Pradesh Technical University and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA – HR/IT) from Jaypee University.

I have played badminton and TT in school throughout. I have never done just 1 thing; I couldn’t. I wanted to learn everything and got bored easily with just one thing. You can call me Jack of All Trades.

My dad is an engineer from BITS Pilani and has retired from a PSU, after serving 35 years. He has a knack to pick up knowledge. His motto has been to learn about anything you can get your hands on. His logic at times surpasses my understanding. My mother is a Master’s in English Literature and has been excellent at everything including cooking. She is one of the most intelligent and organized people I know. My brother is a Chartered Accountant, employed with an MNC in Gurgaon. My husband works at a management consulting firm having been an entrepreneur and an investment professional earlier.

I have wanted to always see the world. My childhood was very exciting, filled with outdoor activities. Hence, I never explored my love for cooking when I was young. This lockdown has made me do that too. With time, I have explored my inner self more.

2. Tell us about your educational background? How did your career Progress?

I am an IT engineer and an HR MBA. I worked in the corporate for over 7 years and I guess I did well there. I started with CSC and then moved to Sapient and Teradata. The work culture at each of these organizations was brilliant and I loved working there. However, I found something was still incomplete.

I started experiencing people’s energies and also gaining an intuitive ability. I didn’t know how to manage this, and I realized I needed to channel this for understanding myself. Over time I learned Meditation, Yoga, Astrology, and Tarot and I quit my ‘then’ profession to eventually focus on these full-time.

3. Why did you choose Tarot card reading? What triggered you to do this?

From being an HR Consultant with over 7 years of experience to being a full-time Astrologer and a Tarot reader, life has been quite a roller coaster. Everyone has their calling, and it keeps on showing in one’s life again and again. It is up to you to act on it. It is not easy. On the contrary, it might show you the most difficult times, but persistence pays off.

I didn’t choose Tarot. No-one does. Tarot chooses a person. The crafts where intuition is at play, one can’t just learn to do these. They are not a pure science, where one can apply the concepts and clear exams. They are a part of your karma, something that you have to give back to this world. But, I will also give credit to the ‘Then Running MahaDasha – Mercury’, which made me learn and study a lot

4. When did you start freelancing? Did you plan it or how it happened?

I started freelancing in 2018. Never with an intention to make it my profession, but just to help people. I was giving free readings to almost everyone I knew for almost 4 months. Maybe, that was what helped me to grow in Tarot and put theoretical concepts of something I learned to practical application.

5. When did you think I can move into freelancing full-time?

In April 2018 I was reading for a friend as usual. After the reading got over, she texted me she wanted to pay me for the session. I was taken aback and was in two frames of mind, as I had not had a regular income since I left Nokia in 2017 May, and I was not confident enough to think I deserve the payment. The idea of getting money for something that comes naturally was very comforting. I told her I don’t have an amount in mind so it’s up to her. She paid me close to 1000/- rupees. That’s when I decided I should take this up professionally.

6. Why www.Profofdarkarts.com?

I deal with deep, at times dark corners of people’s emotions and fears. Every problem seems a grave one until we address it. Our minds also amplify these problems, overthinking constantly.

I believe every person knows at a subconscious level what they need to do in order to fix their problems. But, probably, cards reaffirm their sense of belief in the solution, even if it isn’t the one they are ready for. A reading, in my opinion, should be able to take off this heaviness, this graveness of the problem, from the querent’s mind.

Hence, ProfOfDarkArts has a comical, child-like magic reference given to Tarot Reading.

7. All this while your career has had many turns and this is not the general path children in India take, how was the support from your family?

My family has always been supportive of my decisions. All in my family are well-read and highly educated. Hence, we were always encouraged to follow the untrodden paths. They were initially a little hesitant about the choice of my profession which was expected. Everyone has been a student of science par excellence. But, then they really pushed me to go for it. My husband is a live example of a non-conformist. In fact, without his encouragement and support, I wouldn’t have even thought of doing this.

8. What according to you is the best or worst thing about freelancing?

The best thing is you are the master of your own time and free will. You can decide which hours of the day are suitable for you to work. You don’t have to work for someone else. Your efforts yield results that are all yours.

The worst thing is that people take you for granted. Freelancing is still considered a hobby in India. People expect you to return to your ‘career’ after you have satisfied your ‘whims’. Not getting paid on time is another pain point.

9. What is the one thing you hate about clients? What can they do to make your life better

I don’t hate anything in my profession. But, at times clients come with a closed mind and an orthodox mindset. Some also come to just test and challenge my beliefs and hence, my craft.

I often say “I will not try and make you believe in a higher consciousness. That’s not my motive. If you are a non-believer, I will request you to kindly excuse me in your mission to challenge Tarot Reading. But, if you try to have an open mind and an ounce of trust, that you can place in energy, you will be amazed by the results.

10. What is your best work to date? Why do you think it is the best?

Like any other profession, there are good days in tarot and average ones. For me, tuning in to the energies of the querent is important. It happens rarely, that I am unable to gauge someone’s energies. When this happens, I excuse myself and take the reading some other day. I believe the answers should naturally occur and shouldn’t be forced.

In Tarot, the cards do not speak to you. They talk to one another. Tarot interpretations are discussions between the various characters in these cards. These discussions can be fluid or cryptic. A good tarot reader will get into the discussion and give you answers.

What are your mission and vision? How do you want history to look at you?

I don’t want to make history. But, I will make all possible efforts to reveal the connection you have with the universe. I can showcase your personality through the horoscopes and then take the help of Tarot cards, to find the best possible solutions for your problems.

If I am able to do this to even half of the seekers, I would consider myself blessed, having achieved my goals for this.

As you look back, do you feel satisfied with yourself or do you think you missed something?

I am completely satisfied with myself. And that probably shows in my readings as well. A lot of readings also involve counseling. People want someone else to tell them they are on the right track in life. It’s amazing to experience the journeys of people and be a part of it.

If you keep on thinking about what you have missed in life, you will never be able to fully realize the potential of the future. What happened is destiny. The outcome of what’s happening is somewhere in your control. The future is hidden. Hence, live for the NOW.

Namrata can be reached on her Refrens, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and her website.

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