Danielle Baskin, a Bay Area artist known for her whimsical startups and performance art, has launched a unique venture called Moonlight. This platform is boldly positioned as “Software as a Service (SaaS) for witches,” and it diverges from her prior art-oriented initiatives to enter the tech world in earnest. Moonlight is a free online tarot platform designed to serve both tarot enthusiasts and professionals, offering features like self-service card drawing, multiplayer reading rooms, and the ability to book sessions with seasoned tarot readers.
At the heart of Moonlight is the rich tradition of tarot reading. Unlike fortune-telling or psychic reading, tarot dates back to the 1400s and employs a 78-card deck, with each card narrating a unique story. Tarot readings are interpretive sessions that encourage individuals to ponder life’s events from a fresh vantage point. Baskin’s fascination with tarot began about fifteen years ago, around the same time she was running a business painting custom bike helmets. She once toyed with the idea of creating 78 helmets, each adorned with a tarot card design, and envisioned them scattered across New York, offering spontaneous readings to passersby cyclists.
Having spent years studying tarot and even trading helmets for lessons with a tarot practitioner, Baskin’s connectivity to this mystical world runs deep. Her vision for an online tarot platform crystallized further after she visited a tarot-reading teacher who offered readings in the virtual world of Second Life. This sparked the creation of Moonlight, now a refined culmination of Baskin’s experiences and ideas.
Moonlight stands out with its visually stunning and user-friendly interface. Upon entering a reading space, users shuffle their deck – with the iconic Rider Waite Smith deck as the default, though others are available for purchase. Various preset spreads facilitate readings, but custom arrangements on a blank canvas are also possible, accommodating both beginners and seasoned tarot readers. For those not versed in tarot, Moonlight includes a minimalist handbook to help guide interpretations, allowing users to project personal meanings onto the cards.
To realize Moonlight, Baskin partnered with Caroline Hermans, a game designer and ex-Google UX engineer, who helped bring the platform to life. Moonlight’s development was initially funded with proceeds from Baskin’s sale of her successful Maskalike business, and angel investors later contributed to its financial backing.
The platform operates a business model from the outset, which Baskin holds as critical, learning from past projects like Dialup. Moonlight generates revenue by taking a 15% fee from bookings with tarot professionals and sales of digital decks. Quietly launched a year ago, Moonlight has since refined its booking process and is now geared towards making a significant impact.
Baskin, despite her history of satirical Silicon Valley ventures, has found that the tech and investment community takes her seriously given they understand her multifaceted talents. She’s also pleasantly surprised by the warm reception from the tarot community on embracing digital platforms, dispelling concerns that modern witches might prefer only traditional physical decks.
Moonlight is a bridge between the mystical and the digital, crafted by someone who is part of the tarot community. It represents a step towards integrating ancient traditions with modern technology, making the practice of tarot reading more accessible and intertwined with today’s internet-driven lifestyle.
