Queering the Tarot

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All in all, I'm glad I read this and can put the author's knowledge and teachings to use in my own readings, but I do think that this book is just a fun addition to your tarot collection and not necessarily a must read book! Queering something, then, means taking what our society has given us and finding our own way, outside of that society’s limits. They put us in a box, and we still find ways to create and prosper and make it the most well-decorated box you’ll see. Queering erases the narrowness and small-mindedness of normal. It embraces the beauty, the mystery, and the vastness of our differences. It welcomes everyone who needs a safer space, and it takes responsibility for helping those people heal. Cassandra Snow, Queering the Tarot I think this is a really important kind of perspective to have. It is not perfect at all but there is a lot of good in it and I liked it more than I was expecting to in some respects, given that there were some bits of it described super unfavorably by people I know. I didn't really read those bits as badly though (with the 2/3/4 of swords, I think?)

Welcome to Tarot Bytes – the tarot podcast for people who want to learn tarot…but don’t have all day. Short, bite-sized tarot lessons. Episode 133: Queering the Tarot with Cassandra Snow I also can't help but mention that the artwork chosen for this book feels tone-deaf to it's subject matter. The Justice card, for example, features a police officer. The Lovers card is of a thin feminine woman with a fit masculine man (Yes queer relationships can look like that, but we're not exactly starved for that imagery and the book missed a huge opportunity in offering something else.)Catch my exclusive thoughts on tarot, and be the first to know about classes, discounts, blog posts, and open mentorship slots. I wanted to enjoy this book so bad. I give it 3 stars because it’s the first tarot book I’m aware of to be written with a queer lens, and that is so valuable in and of itself. I’ll start with the criticisms first then end on a high note.

Pope Joan, an apocryphal medieval religious leader, is one example. Some say it's Pope Joan on the High Priestess. Others say that Pope Joan wasn’t real. Weighing in as a queer, nonbinary professional tarot reader with over 20 years of experience, some parts of this book really rubbed me the wrong way.The big problem with it, however, is that it assumes a pretty specific queer experience - a lot of it reads like some mixed assumption that we’re wonderful activists or some sort of artistic bohemians, when a lot of us work normal, boring industry jobs and have hobbies like computer programming or reading occult books. It feels like it assumes that queer means deeply involved in the American queer community, but not all queer people are or want to be. 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. For example, the Ace of Wands can be viewed as a phallic symbol (not my style of interpretation, but it is for some) and the author makes a point to explain that a phallic symbol is not necessarily a sign of a man/masculinity. Not all people with penises are men, and many men don’t have penises. This can be helpful for readers who are new to trans-inclusivity.