Book Review: Tarot in Other Words edited by Cassandra Snow

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

We are nearing the end of my book review blitz, but I promise there are several more books still waiting on my shelf, awaiting their chance. I am very excited to share my review today of Tarot In Other Words: An Essential Anthology by Leading Queer Tarot Writers edited by Cassandra Snow. When Weiser reached out asking if I would like to review a copy, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to support and uplift queer voices.

Tarot in Other Words is an anthology of essays written by, for, and about queer people and tarot. There is a beautiful array of authors, some of whom you may be familiar with, including Cassandra Snow, author of Queering the Tarot, Meg Jones Wall, author of Tarot Spreads, and my absolute favorite, Maria Minnis, author of Tarot for the Hard Work. There isn't a single author featured that isn't (or shouldn't be) a household name in the tarot community.

As for its contents, Tarot in Other Words is divided into two sections: Finding Ourselves in the Tarot and Finding the Tarot in Ourselves. I loved this division of articles, as it focuses on two "issues" within the queer tarot community. Society is still catching up in regard to supporting equity and inclusion, and being able to see one's self represented in the tarot is an important part of connecting with and understanding your cards. This is followed by more practical applications of tarot and how to queer it even further to better fit our needs as a community.

Since this is an anthology, it's hard to write an all-encompassing review without reviewing each article. I think that would make this review post a wee bit too long, so I am going to hit the major highlights. If you aren't interested in reading my thoughts about the articles as a whole, then at least walk away knowing I highly recommend Tarot in Other Words. Go pick up a copy now, whether you are interested in tarot or not. This is about so much more than divination; it's about community. This book is sure to revolutionize your practice, tarot or otherwise, expand your mind, queer your world-view, and build the empathy you need to be successful in your craft and interactions with the community at large.

Without further ado, let's dive into my thoughts. The very first article felt like a personal attack, and I sobbed through the entire thing, and I mean ugly cried. Now, this isn't a bad thing. Asali Earthwork opens this book with an article titled "The Grieving Fool," which details how the major arcana represent the different phases of our grief journey. Earthwork, who writes about grief often, reminds us that grief is not a linear journey, but a spiral with highs and lows, setbacks and leaps forward. She includes a tarot spread to help readers manage their grief and determine what might be blocking them or steps that should be taken to heal. I pulled my cards and cried some more. My grief has felt like a long walk through a dark forest, and Earthwork's wisdom allowed me to see some semblance of light through the trees. So yeah, we definitely started off strong.

The second article, however, felt like a warm embrace after the storm as it covered coming out and tarot's role in the process. This story was told from the perspective of Rebecca Scolnick, a bisexual woman turned queer. Scolnick argues that tarot can and should be an integral part of our coming-out journey, as it teaches us to slow down and enjoy the growth and change. Not everyone's coming out journey is the same, and that's okay. Through the tarot, we can find and discover ourselves in a truly meaningful way. Scolnick's story sounds so much like my own, and for the first time, I felt truly seen. I have also struggled with my sexuality most of my life. I knew by 4th grade that I liked people in general, despite their recognized gender. I was harassed and bullied for years after admitting this to peers, and stuffed that part away deep down to avoid the pain and rejection. I am now 36, almost 37, and it wasn't until really the last year that I felt comfortable enough to explore my sexuality with my partner (now husband), who is incredibly supportive and accepting. It was nice to see I am not alone in this, and no matter how long it takes, your journey is valid.

This is followed by my stories and representations of all bodies, genders, and sexualities, including Snow's article on the minor arcana. I loved that the minor arcana was included, as it is so often overlooked in the presence of the major arcana. It was a pleasure to read what she had to say about how the suits showed up in her own life and the stories they tell us.

By far my favorite article in Part 1, however, was by Maria Minnis titled "Queering the Lichens, Queering the Cups." Minnis never ceases to amaze me, weaving tarot seamlessly with ecological symbiosis, relating the card's interdependence to the interdependence of life we see all around us, from lichens to our gut biome. Not to mention she has such banger lines, including:

"Nobody is an island."

"...but we are like lichens: many things at once. For every single societally normative relationship one may see in the Cups, there are many more possible depictions and interpretations of self-acceptance, collective unity, acts of service, creative collaboration, reciprocity, empathy for the oppressed, unique family structures, heart healing, community care, acceptance, and platonic intimacy. There is ample space for queerness."

"We need water, we need each other, we need connection. We belong to each other."

Bravo, Minnis...bravo. I cannot begin to express how thought-provoking, stunning, and eye-opening Minnis's work is. You just have to read it.

While Part I focuses on seeing ourselves within the tarot, Part II is the reader doing the work of tarot; it covers the technical and practical uses of tarot and queering it to make it work in our lives. Snow teaches us how to ask good (queer) questions, Wall has us explore numerology, while Burgess teaches us about interstitial elements. Wall's approach to numerology and "queering" the numbers opened my mind to so many new possibilities and gave me so much to think about in my own practice. Three and six, in particular, were beautiful representations of the true meaning behind the numbers. Often, we only associate 3 with the Holy Trinity, but for those of us outside the heteronormative, Christian community, those associations just don't work. Instead, Wall presents arguments that 3 and 6 alike represent chosen family and the community we build for ourselves. "What does love in action look like?"

However, it was Burgess's queering of the elements that was of particular interest to me. I had an epiphany reading this article and ended up having to read and reread it multiple times to put all my thoughts together. In the back of my mind, I also knew interstitial elements were a thing, the combination of two elements corresponding with North-East, North-West, etc. At one point, Burgess describes the feelings behind each of these element combinations, with Air-Fire taking my breath away entirely. I read this passage out loud to my husband twice. Forgive me, but I would like to quote it in its entirety here:

"Air-Fire is the element of revelations and epiphany. This is the crack of heat lightning flashing across the sky, the ominous rumble of danger approaching, the cataclysmic flash that illuminates a vision that can never be unseen. This is the Tower's conflagration that razes dynasties and paradigms to the ground, that tears a fiery portal in the fabric of reality, initiating new worlds. If fire is the divine spark and air is speech, Air-Fire is the Word of God. This is the element of holy belief, of prophets, saints, martyrs, and zealots. It's also the element of mystics, visionaries, and all those who dare to conceive of other realities than this. Air-Fire is the element of activists, of fiery speeches that rouse the masses to action, of civil disobedience, and scathing polemics. Air-Fire is also the flashpoint when a rational debate becomes a screaming fight, when a peaceful protest becomes a riot. This is the smokeless fire burning on nothing but air. This is ball lightening and wll-os'-the-wisps, jet fuel and bullets. The combined power of air and fire can change the world or destroy it."

Breathtaking...I don't know about you, but this spoke to my soul. I am a Libra Sun with a Scorpio Rising, a perfect combination of Air and Fire. This description explains so much of how I feel about and view the world, my part in it, and my desire to bring about dramatic change. I hope this article is able to do the same for you.

I loved every minute of Tarot in Other Words...except for the very last article on queering symbols that had none of the first letters in a sentence capitalized. This made it so incredibly hard for me to read and follow the sentences that I gave up and stopped. Sorry, not sorry. I know I will not be alone in this feeling. Despite this, I cannot recommend Tarot in Other Words: An Essential Anthology by Leading Queer Tarot Writers edited by Cassandra Snow enough. Please pick up a copy, and I promise you will not be disappointed.

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