Queering the Tarot

Product Information

Cassandra’s tarot writing has been seen at Little Red Tarot, The Column, Take Your Pills and Northern Lights Witch among others.

The Marseilles Tarot is tricky to read with because its Minor Arcana aren’t fully illustrated—for example, the 10 of cups just depicts 10 cups instead of a scene. All people who want to read tarot should read this book regardless of your sexuality or gender identity. On the positive side, so many tarot books are cisheteronormative and this one gives a basic fill-in-the-gaps for beginner tarot readers or readers who want to learn how to provide non-cisheteronormative tarot readings. The bestselling LGBTQ+ graphic novel about life, love, and everything that happens in between: this is the fifth volume of the Heartstopper series. The book is illustrated with images from Robin Scott’s gorgeous and inclusive Urban Tarot deck, which has quickly become one of my favorite decks.A sign directs our attention toward something very specific that requires no further interpretation. When we choose to queer tarot, to insist on the queerness inherent in tarot as a tool, we find ourselves in the cards. As the Slutist deck demonstrates, modern witches are creating new decks and illustrations that are inclusive. This book is considered the definitive guide to the Smith-Waite (also known as the Rider-Waite) tarot—even more so than the original book that Arthur Waite wrote to accompany the deck! When I hear the words victory and triumph though, I don't just thin of the success or win that comes with them.

There were experiences I related to that I'd never expected to read in a tarot book, and it affirming to have them mentioned. While the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck (that's the popular 78-card deck you're probably picturing right now) shows gendered figures like the Emperor and the Empress and male/female couples like the Lovers, there’s no reason you have to interpret cards that way! It's inappropriate for readers to paint a bleak picture for our clients or try to anticipate THEIR next panic attack.

Their tarot practice centers around the empowerment of queer seekers, overcoming personal trauma, practical step by step business or creative plans and spiritual guidance. I don’t get bored or tired of reading and listening to different authors and card makers interpretations. The most commonly referenced deck is likely the Rider-Waite tarot, whose iconic images were originally published in 1910.

Whether you’re learning to read tarot for the first time or you’re a pro who's been practicing for many years, tarot books offer an opportunity to dive deeper into the meanings of the cards. This in-depth, hardcover guidebook written by Justin Henry accompanies the Black Queer Tarot deck, created by Kendrick Daye, and explores both the meanings of the cards and the creation of the deck itself. For a book where I'd like to feel seen and heard, I don't like being reminded about how much I'm not.

The body is where our instincts reside and where we fight, flee, or freeze, and it endures the trauma inflicted by the ills that plague society. I'd love some more happy and positive examples of queer rep and readings with the cards, and not just mentions of our difficulties and hardships. Snow takes the cards' conventional meanings and their own experiences and shows us that this magical tool absolutely is "for us.