Finding stock imagery that reflects the width and breadth of the queer community as people is...difficult, to say the least. Thankfully, that seems to be changing. With these decks, it has been my aim from the outset to give equal time and attention to people across the gamut of human experience. 

Perhaps the biggest surprise for me was the reception from others about tarot readings. I run in a lot of circles that are pagan friendly, if not downright witchy all the way. Unsurprisingly, a lot of those folks tend to be somewhere in the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. So, imagine my shock when I had more than one person back away, worrying that tarot was evil and going to taint them in some way.

But that isn't all the Hanged Man is good at. I struggled with this card for a long time, hitting a mental wall whenever he would come up, it got incredibly frustrating incredibly quickly. This is a great card for those whose minds are slightly left of center. Those that find themselves outside the neurotypical spheres that much of society inhabits. The Hanged Man is not looking at the same map you are in the exact same way you are. Instead, this upside down figure sees multiple strings he could pull, roads he could wander down. 

As I first laid the cards out, I was immediately taken in by the richness of each image, and found that I could read intuitively with it quite well, as well as with the book meanings, because all the requisite symbolism was present.  The kit comes with a full color book though the meanings are somewhat cut and dry. I would have loved to see something done with the book to help bolster this otherworldly, utterly magical deck. 

Portable magic, that’s what tarot cards can be for a lot of people. They are a way to visualize, manifest, and bolster magical intent in our lives and just like people, there are many ways to utilize them for this purpose. Each of these ways have their own benefits and drawbacks, it depends on the person and I encourage you to explore wildly to find what works for you.

The long and short of it is that to predict something means to deliver that knowledge before it comes to pass. What is being predicted though? It all boils down to action and consequence. Because the people that we read are not static beings in a void, they will have taken actions and will take action to make their life do something. A predictive reading then, will access what is a likely outcome or set of outcomes, rather than a straight 1 to 1 correlative outcome. 

Sometimes the dust can settle and our nerves just aren't up to the task. We are still in fight or flight mode, ready to spring into action one way or the other at a moment's notice. What happens when waiting for that shoe to drop becomes ingrained in who we are? 

When I first received this deck I was pleasantly surprised. A lot of oracle decks in my possession have so many cards, some bordering on too many. But this little pack of twenty-two cards does something beautiful with a smaller number of cards. From Diana Chin, this deck plays with color and teases the senses. Each of the cards has a cute, almost doodle like effect that appealed to me in it's simplicity. Often, decks are overcrowded with photoshopped images but this one is accessible and immediately so. 

A person stands on a cliff overlooking the sea. What do they see coming over the horizon but a ship, their ship. Their ticket out into the world and the edges of their current knowledge. This has been all they know and now the time is here to take the next steps. 

This kindly figure lounges in an outdoor scene, sometimes depicted with swollen belly, and we feel her power over the natural world. She is the Empress. 

Since when is getting everything you want something hard to decipher? I mean, if you work hard and invest enough then surely everything will go your way and come up roses. Right? Well...

Humanity is obsessed with death. From the business of dying to horror movies to what comes next, contemporary society is saturated in death. Yet, as we are obsessed with it, we are terrified of it. Even today we discuss in quiet rooms behind closed doors, often fighting an almost instinctual panic when the subject is broached. Of course, there are many other traditions, cultures, countries in this world that do not share such a troubled relationship with death or their dead, but I am not the most up to date on those things so I will let you seek out that information for yourself, it's truly fascinating so I hope that you do. 

There are times when we can't help but cry over the spilled milk. When that happens we can so thrown by small bumps in the road that we lose sight of our goals. When this happens it is best to take stock as quickly as one can before the feelings of the moment overwhelm everything and we can't get out of our emotional wallow fast enough. 

A man appears at the edge of his kingdom, globe firmly clasped in hand. Standing between two tall wands, he must choose the kingdom or the world. He cannot have both his comfort zone and the larger things that he desires so the question is, what does he do? 

I brought with me the Wild Unknown Tarot and as we went over the cards, sorting them out, I noticed the Emperor and the Empress. In the cards they are depicted as trees with a moon featured in each. 

Not only is it an eclipse but it's also a time for us to utilize full moon energy, so a prosperity spell made sense to me! I didn't want to do anything overly complex so I did a lot of my specific practice behind the scenes and pared things down super much for the video I will be posting later this evening.

Balance is something we all strive for but how to go about getting it? Some people try each day to balance work and pleasure, so that they get equal amounts—only to find that that balance becomes harder to maintain every day.

The After Tarot is a unique spin on the snapshot images of tarot cards and what takes place immediately following the moment previously captured. This deck aims to shed further insight onto a set of cards that have been capturing hearts and minds of all ages since their inception in 1912. 

Boudoirs and Broom Closets

When I first came out as a gay man it was with a sense of terror and relief, all wrapped into one, that greeted me. It was like jumping from a plane, you both want to and do not want to all at the same time. I graduated high school and moved to study at my four year university where I met several other people deeply interested in the occult, as I was. They came from every end of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum, from cis-gendered and heterosexual to pansexual and trans*. We would meet and share stories of magic, tarot, what we did on the important calendar days, and how we worked with our various beliefs (we didn't all subscribe to the same beliefs per se) when surrounded by people who may not understand.

As a person I like to believe that everyone is going to be kind and treat each other fairly. As a gay man and former customer service employee I know that that particular optimism can be sorely misguided.  That's when a little magic is required.

A figure stands on an unsteady surface, balancing precariously. In their hands they hold two swords in the shape of an 'X' across their chest. In some card decks they have their eyes closed, in others they are blindfolded. This is the Two of Swords. 

The Lovers is a card that can cause many querents to rejoice. This card certainly means love is in the air for them. But it can also mean a lot of work is on the horizon. Think about it, a lot of long, committed relationships take time to grow. They take effort to maintain and we as a society are fascinated by those who manage to stay together for decades on end; often asking them: "How did you do it?"

The Tower is often heralded as a card that signifies downfall, either of our ideas or practices, all the way up to things on a macro scale. Of course, this is often accomplished via disaster, chaos, and disruption. But does that have to be all?

First, and foremost, the cards exist on a plane of consciousness like our own. Not only do the cards reflect-at any given moment-the thoughts and attitudes of the person interpreting them, but they also change as both points of view and situations shift. For example, you may do a reading on a job prospect one day and divine that this job is totally yours. Imagine your dismay if you receive a phone call later say that they filled the position. Bummer, for sure. Grabbing the cards again you ask what happened, and the cards tell you that they hired someone from within the company. This could have been a last minute applicant or their goal all along-either way you're looking at a situation that can and did change. 

Ideally, the one would come with a giant neon sign above their head and some hefty cash in their pocket. Or is that just me? No? But as we go through life what we need from our partners tends to change. The person I was in my younger years needed something utterly different than what I look for in a partner now. Because we simply won't know the one when they walk through the door, it is important to realize that this is okay, it makes us human.