tarot for queers
curated tarot resources for people who don't vibe with traditional ideas about gender/sexuality
despite years of practice, i am NOT a tarot expert in any way, and i am probably never going to write my own guide to the cards.
however, i feel pretty comfortable curating some resources for you pals. here's a few of my favorites: books, videos, and decks.
these recommendations are for you if:
you know most of the basic card meanings, but you want to deepen your tarot practice (and don't know where to start)
you are running into ideological disagreements (especially regarding gender & sexuality) with more traditional tarot decks/sources/guidebooks
1. tarot books
a. beginner
radical tarot by charlie claire burgess
GREAT beginner book, especially if traditional gender/orientation assumptions put you off
might be redundant if you already have a firm understanding of card meanings
if you are already an intermediate/advanced reader but you want to read for queer people, this would be my recommendation
b. intermediate
21 ways to read a tarot card by mary k. greer
my number one favorite tarot book, and many people agree
does NOT have individual card meanings and instead gives you the tools to discover your own set of meanings through activities
to use this book to the fullest, you need a tarot deck WITH PEOPLE on every card
tarot for change by jessica dore
psychological reading approach– connects with DBT, for example
a walk through the forest of souls by rachel pollack
does NOT tell you the meanings of the individual cards
rather, meditations and musings on spirituality through the lens of tarot
i REALLY like this book but i also acknowledge that it's not what everyone is looking for
tarot for your self by mary k. greer
this book was radical when it was first published, because the prevailing wisdom at the time was to NEVER read tarot for yourself
also discusses the merits of picking cards on purpose, which i feel is underutilized in tarot spaces
good info on tarot journaling
GREAT if you want to read an influential classic
lessons from the empress by cassandra snow & siri vincent plouff
GREAT resource for creative people; if you don't do a lot of creative activities, this one might not be super relevant for you
c. advanced
red tarot by christopher marmolejo
not an easy reading style (which the author has addressed in a way that i definitely accept!)
contains viewpoints you will NOT find anywhere else
2. tarot videos
kelly-ann maddox's tarot videos
in-process series about individual cards
entire channel is a great tarot resource
3. tarot decks
rider-waite-smith
the CLASSIC tarot deck that most guidebooks deal with
readily available & not expensive
i personally don't vibe with it, so no worries if you don't either
if you would like an alternative, variations can be found by googling "rider waite clones"
fifth spirit tarot by charlie claire burgess
based on RWS but replaces oppressive elements with better ones
queer gender/sexuality representation, race representation, size representation, disability representation
has its own "spin" (i personally love the white "ghostly" elements on the off-white cards)
close enough to RWS that you can use any RWS guidebook with it