“I understood where they were coming from,” she said. “I had the dream job every ambitious woman wanted, travelling from one country to another 40 times in 2018 alone.”
However, Low, now in her 30s, has proved the naysayers wrong.
Having conducted 7,000 readings to date, the Western astrology expert said she is truly happy with what she is doing for others. “My friends used to joke around and call me a bomoh, but at least I am a celebrity bomoh,” she said, laughing.
However, her decision to make tarot card reading a business did not come easy.
When asked how it all started, she sighed, saying it was a long and complicated story, with no specific point as to when her spiritual journey began.
“But without the pain, struggles, and hurdles, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I would never have sought clarity from the universe about what to do after quitting my nine-to-five job,” she told FMT.
She said the passing of her beloved father in 2017 hit her like a truck.
“Imagine being given only two weeks to mourn, and then packing your bags to work in another country when your loved ones needed you the most,” she said, recalling how she would be all smiles at the office until the clock struck six, when she’d head home and cry herself to asleep.
At her father’s funeral service, Low found herself wondering what people would say about her at her own funeral.
“People would likely talk about how smart I was, or how successful I was. That was when I knew that I needed to change my direction in life,” she said, adding that she wanted to leave a more meaningful mark behind.
Now because of her tarot card readings, she is confident those at her funeral would likely be exchanging stories of how she had helped them gain some semblance of happiness in their lives.
She said another compelling reason why she left corporate life was the string of surgeries she had to undergo due to the stress of overworking.
“My body was giving me signs but because I was in my 20s, I was under the impression that I could do everything at once – my Master’s, working full-time in a leadership position, and reading tarot cards on the side.”
A chance meeting with a feng shui master in New Zealand got her interested in feng shui as well and soon she was learning all she could about astrology, palmistry, tarot cards, and even tea leaf reading.
It was around this point that her spiritual side was awakened, she said.
Very deep into tarot card readings by now, she would even give her clients free readings based on their star signs. It was a creative way for them to remember her, she said.
One thing led to another, and Low soon began to earn a steady stream of income from her side hustle. Realising how happy it made her feel to guide others in finding meaning in their lives, she returned to Malaysia and sent in her resignation letter.
Jack-of-all-trades, master of hustling
Tarot reading is by no means new in Malaysia, but why is it that when one Googles ‘tarot readers in Malaysia’, only Low’s name comes up?
It is all about branding, she explained.
“I am able to stand out because I know how to not only market my business, but also how to market myself. And unlike most practitioners who aren’t able to promote themselves because of their day jobs, I am lucky enough to be able to do this full-time.”
Low also said that having credibility is important. Currently pursuing her doctorate in Human Communications, she said that high-profile clients place their trust in her partly due to her credentials.
“I don’t plan to stop studying even after I become Dr Sarah May Low,” she said, sharing her plans of getting a second master’s degree in Psychology.
Where legacy is concerned, Low remarked that hers will live on through her students. “They are not my competition. I don’t see the point of gatekeeping because I can’t help everybody, and I am not going to live forever.”
To get a tarot card reading, make a booking for either a virtual or face-to-face reading at www.sarahmaylow.com. To learn the art of tarot divination from the master herself, go to Sarah May Low Tarot Academy.
Sarah May Low Tarot Academy
Shoplot B-G-5
Impian Height Condominium
Block B
Off Jalan Pipit
Bandar Puchong Jaya
47100 Selangor
Business hours
2pm to 11pm: Tuesdays to Thursdays