Queering the Tarot

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We also pull some majorrrr major arcana cards and talk about the beauty of pole dancing! What a treat!

I also find it strange how, for several cards, the author says the meanings are 'guaranteed'. I'm not sure I've ever met a tarot reader who thinks any card is a guarantee. Even for spiritual readers, nothing is set in stone. So I found that really odd. When we allow a loosening of meaning, truth can shine through. Personal transformation can then enter. Queers know well that there is more than one way to tell the truth. Living the Tarot This is vitally important because a lot of the cards' conventional interpretations simply don't work for queer querents (henceforth queerents) like they do for cishet folks. For instance, while a cishet person might see the Hierophant as a card of spiritual stability and community, a queerent's past experiences with the homophobia of many mainstream religious institutions might leave them bracing for abuse or even expulsion from someplace they've thought of as a safe haven. On the flip side, while a cishet querent (especially a white one) might balk at the chaos and destruction of the Tower, a queerent might gleefully welcome the chance to strike down discriminatory structures and build something new. I still start this off by saying I was biased before reading this book. I had heard enough bad things about it that I had zero interest in it. But when enough people told me it was a valuable read despite those bad things, I decided to give it a shot. (Spoilers: it's awful.)

Even if the intention was to define a list of queer signs each card could represent, the list felt weak. Where’s all the rich queer history references? It insists on a radical framework for tarot's symbols. It resists simple observation of archetypes, and demands participation. While the Tarot is called a divination tool, or a way to see predictions about the future, today many use the cards as essentially a mirror. (Using the Tarot for divination is frowned upon by some occultists, including Waite himself.) If you’re in a relationship that’s obviously doomed, the cards will call you out. This is rarely news, but rather a means for self-reflection. The cards, in particular, the Major Arcana, use archetypes to help us find clarity. Once you begin to understand the many interpretations of the cards, you can ask for guidance on anything from gender to a failing friendship. Why does the Tarot need queering?

Of course, this is also a fantastic book for tarot readers who are themselves LGBTQQIP2SAA, especially newer readers who are struggling to connect with the cis- and heteronormativity of mainstream interpretations. Snow takes the cards' conventional meanings and their own experiences and shows us that this magical tool absolutely is "for us." OK. If you are a person who is cisgender and heterosexual, and you read tarot, especially if you read for other people sometimes, here's what I need you to do: the Wands usually refer to the aspect of our life in which we are most passionate about. The Wands represent ambition, passion, and lend well to queer readings, as queer folks often experience a passionate relationship with their queer identity. Wands traditionally are likened to penises, so in your readings, be careful not to assume the presence of a penis indicates a person who identifies as male.When examining specifically-gendered cards like The Emperor/Empress, Magician/High Priestess, and kings and queens of the court cards, Snow’s approach is to examine the experience over the portrayed gender to get at its truth. The Empress represents anyone, regardless of gender, who is nurturing, artistic, in tune with nature, for example. But not all queers are living in their shadow all of the time. We need to amplify queer joy as much as anything else. Finally, Cups represents the element of Water which is associated with emotions. The Cups are often linked with romantic relationships, but can also refer to any emotional relationship, as well as the process of healing. The fluidity inherent in water, as Snow points out, lends well to queer folks, creating a pretty queer suit. Giving Readings Don't feel obligated to read this book just because of what it promises--queer representation. It does not deliver.