Queering the Tarot, page 8
In general when looking at queering the tarot, it's most important to remember that LGBTQQIP2SA+ querents don't always walk the same life path or hit the same milestones as those who are straight and cisgender, so the biggest queering of The Sun is just taking that altered path into account when it comes up. A positive omen for a queer seeker could be much harder won than for someone else, and is frequently following a time when they were forced into closets or trapped in places where they couldn't shine as brightly because they couldn't be themselves safely. It is not well-advised, when sitting with a client who's been through the queer wringer and asking about coping mechanisms or what they have to look forward to, to start chanting “positivity” like one is likely to do otherwise. It's much harder to embrace positivity when you've spent much of your life fighting to be yourself and are still fighting for full human rights in your society. I see a lot of trauma survivors, and I wouldn't tell them, “Don't worry, things are going to be fine!” I also wouldn't say that to someone living through the daily trauma of being marginalized even when a super-happy card shows up.
Circling back to The Sun's promise of family, warmth, and community, we again touch on the super-queer concept of chosen family, and how often that is community wide. If we are lonely, scared, frustrated, or moving to a new city, The Sun shows up to promise that there is a thriving queer community there for us. It isn't going to take us long to find it, and when we do, it will shift the other energy in our lives. This means new romantic prospects, lots of fun and adventure, and likely some good career opportunities and chances to get healthy. The Sun is such a wonderful, promising card and if there's anything queer seekers need right now it's the joy promised within this one. If you're pulling the card, take a deep breath, release the tension in your shoulders, and take that huge leap forward you've been hoping for.
JUDGMENT
Judgment is a tricky card because judgment is a word that has many negative connotations regardless of whether or not someone is queer. The metaphor in a more traditional deck is troubling to many—the archangel Gabriel sounds his trumpet, and the time of the final judgment is upon us. This word itself, as well as its religious aspect, can be especially troublesome to those who are queer, having spent most of their lives trying to avoid or heal from judgment, and in many cases needing to heal the scars inflicted by organized Christianity itself. This card is meant to be positive, though. Judgment brings big moments and realizations, but those moments provide us with absolution and make our soul's purpose crystal clear.
Normally if Judgment is in your reading, you are at the end of a phase of life. That means it's time to do some self-examination, process the lessons you've learned, and move forward in your life as an improved (if not new) person. This card is a strong indicator that you need to heed a spiritual calling or that it's time to start living up to your ideals. Judgment further indicates a time where your karmic debt is resetting, for better or worse. That's where the judgment comes in. The really great, wonderful energy you've put in will come back now, but so will the negative. This can be a card of rebirth because of this reset, and in some of my contemporary decks there's celebration at having closed one chapter of your life and being joyous at the opportunity to ascend to a better version of yourself.
To queer this deck we have to look at it one of two ways—either both the reader and querent can get past the negative connotations the word judgment has to queer communities, or they can't. It's not helpful to try to push someone who's really not responding well to a card, and in queering the tarot or taking any sort of identity-based approach, it's much more helpful to take your cues from the seeker. This is especially true when you're your own seeker. Please do not ever push yourself to get over something in a self-guided reading. Go with your own gut. In this case we look at what Judgment as a card means and what the seeker is seeing in it, then find the common ground. For example, someone recently aware of their own queerness might have received a higher calling to live their truth, but they may also have been addled with the realization that their faith community wouldn't be supportive. Alternatively, someone who's out and proud may get a spiritual calling to get back into a more traditional faith, and may have even found an open faith community. Unfortunately LGBTQQIP2SA+ friends are not always understanding or compassionate about one's need for religion, especially within a sect they find limiting. In both of these cases, the card's calling to living a higher ideal and the querent's understanding of judgment and the harm it does are true, and both show up in the reading.
Another queering of Judgment comes in looking at that karmic reset. All of us have negative energy that smacks us in the face when we least expect it. I'm not proud of everything I did when I was in the closet. Hell, I'm still not proud of everything I do when I react from a place of fear. I'm not my highest self in these moments, and when a negatively aspected Judgment shows up looking to make me atone for that, I have to either make my peace with it or try to correct course. This means healing is needed for queer seekers. This is about going back through the previous few cards and walking that healing path again until we arrive back at Judgment, prouder and more sure of starting a new chapter in our lives.
Then there's that idea of ascension or moving forward. That obviously looks different when we see this card in a more negative light. As a reader you might be used to the Death card showing up to say, “Hey, this thing has to be over. Time to move on anyway, even if it's hard,” but for queer people it also absolutely can and does show up as the Judgment card. Judgment shows up to say, “You're right. Your family, friends, current partner, workplace, or others, are judging you. You have to ascend and move forward anyway.” It's a harder truth than we sometimes see in this card, but it's an important understanding of it.
Of course for anyone, regardless of identity, Judgment brings lessons of evaluation and reflection, and that does show up for queer people just as it does for others. We're back now at positive associations of Judgment, but still very queer. When we look at a period of reflection through a queer lens, those lessons look different. Living up to our ideals can have much more to do with speaking our truth, being willing to call out queerphobic language or jokes, or trying harder to give back to groups or communities that helped us get and stay on our feet when we were struggling. These are all huge callings. Judgment doesn't mess around. If you're getting this card as a queer person, even positively aspected, it's time to step up. The amazing, fantastic flip side of being called to step up though is that you are ready to step up. It takes a lot to get to this place, but you did it. That's awesome. Celebrate like this card calls you to do, then get to work.
Tarot is often a tool for big messages from the Divine, but sometimes even the heaviest cards show up much more innocently. In the very tangible, very mundane, Judgment can be indicating we're ready for the next step in our lives, even if that step is small. If you're queer in your sexual identity but haven't dated anyone yet, this card says you're ready to do so. In that vein, you could be ready for your first polyamorous relationship, or to bring someone new into your existing polyam situation. If your kink is part of your identity, there could be a very literal new skill or sexual act you're finally ready to try. For trans people, this card frequently shows up as being ready for next stage of transition (whatever that looks like to the seeker). I've worked with several transgender performing artists who haven't performed as their true selves yet, and this card has shown up to say they are ready to shirk that fear of judgment and step into the limelight. The literal visual of a trumpet, and what in many decks could be perceived as an audience, lends itself to this latter view of the card quite nicely.
Judgment is also a positive thing for queer querents when it shows up as a spiritual awakening or epiphany. This interpretation can be straightforward, and not in need of queering per se, but it can also be intensely queer and calling us to leadership in an advocacy or social group geared toward our identity (or some facet of it). It can also mean you're being called to spiritual leadership as your true, queer, beautiful self. This is terrifying to most LGBTQQIP2SA+ people. I know I wouldn't feel great leading a proper coven for fear of others' perception, so I know for those in less radical faiths it's even scarier. Spiritual matters often mean addressing our relationship with ourselves though, and we see that too with Judgment. Even with a more positive light on it, the Judgment card can still be saying that it's time to live your truth and leave behind those who don't want you to do that. There is still a melancholiness in this, but there's also a lot of light and a huge promise of a better life for doing so.
For most queer clients who can see the positive in this card, it shows up as a promise. It comes and says, “You've been judged, you've been let down, and it's been hard, but your time is coming.” Karmic debt for people who have been hurt but continually rose above looks very different. It looks a lot like ascension, and it looks a lot like The Sun that was promised in that previous card. Even if we take that earlier, more negative view of Judgment, we are empowering all those who have been marginalized to step into the limelight. It is your time to shine. It is your time to turn the page. It is your time.
THE WORLD
We have arrived at the end of the Fool's Journey through the Major Arcana with The World, a card of completion and wholeness. This project, phase of your life, or even relationship is done, and that's a good thing. There is a feeling of peace and serenity as you move forward into the next phase of your life. If Judgment had you summing up the things you've learned along the way, The World sees you satisfied, stronger, and wiser as you forge your next path. Alternate interpretations of The World focus on the more literal concept of the world—namely that travel is well aspected. If The World shows up it's definitely time to see what else is out there and explore what you haven't experienced yet.
One of the first things I noticed when I began queering the tarot was how frequently The World showed up in LGBTQQIP2SA+ readings regardless of what the specific identity beyond queer was. The first logical step into queering the card was to encourage seekers to get outside of their upbringing and immediate neighborhood, community, family, and the like, when they started questioning their sexual or gender identity, and to get out into the big wide world and find communities with a lot more queerness and overall diversity running through them. This interpretation holds up today, but as our community and our understanding of sexuality and gender evolve and grow, so does our understanding of The World—both the card and the world itself. While it is significantly easier to find communities accepting of gay and lesbian people than it was even five or ten years ago, for transgender, bisexual, pansexual, genderqueer, non-binary, asexual, and so many other people, finding those communities is still really difficult. Even for gay and lesbian people, finding other gay and lesbian people or those accepting of queer people may not be enough (and it is true that there are still pockets of society that group all of us queers into one, and individuals for whom finding acceptance is still damn near impossible). It may also be time to find people who share your sexual or gender identity who also identify with you in other ways—perhaps other gay men who share your spiritual beliefs, other transgender people who love art as much as you do, or other gender non-conforming corporate employees. In all of these cases, The World is about finding or creating your own world for the first time. That's something many of us still struggle with because it does demand we get out of our comfort zone, even as that zone has started making us markedly uncomfortable.
The World also shows up for people who came into their identities a while ago but have struggled in some way to truly accept and live as themselves, or for whom a significant learning curve or transition was in place when they came out and began living their true life. The card shows up to affirm and assure such seekers that they are ready for the next phase. If this card comes up, you are ready to date as a queer person. You are about to move forward in your life after a gender transition, able to make space for all of the things that make you whole and you. You are ready to bring a new partner into a newly polyamorous situation. The cycle of discovery is done. The cycle of change and learning what that identity means is done. The cycle of accepting and loving yourself as-is is nearing completion. Queer seekers know that they feel better when they are in The World's phase. There's a significant change that has taken place, but seekers often have trouble figuring out what that means for their life. What it means is that your period of struggle or constant change is over. You are ready to step forward fresh and new—but in no way naively or youthfully like The Fool. If our Judgment card is about ascension to the next level at its base, this is the card that shows who we are and how our life manifests after that ascension. That's true regardless of one's identity, but the “who we are” and “how our life manifests” obviously look drastically different for queer people.
The World indicates achievement and success from time to time, and for those who take on activist roles or whose vocation directly correlates to their queer identity, this is even better news. Not only is that new leadership position, grant, or ad campaign aspected well, but also that you likely began doing that work for a reason—to impact the world. The World showing up in these situations is a sure sign that you are creating the change you work so diligently to create. I breathe so easily when I'm in the presence of someone who is making real, substantive change in the world. I relish the company of those who battled our whole society and made things better for all of us. I especially love reading for such people and watching The World show up as promise of that manifestation.
This is a card where wisdom and optimism reenter your life and allow you to walk peacefully and as one with the world around you. For a queer seeker, this likely means your identity and sense of self are stronger than they've ever been—a triumph in and of itself for most of us. The World likely also indicates that your community ties are strong, and if they aren't, that getting out and seeking your community is brilliantly aspected. The World means the struggles and pain of this last chapter of your life have come to a close and you have come out on top. You are ready to move forward in your fabulous queer life and take your place in The World. You didn't get to close this chapter easily, but you will be able to do so peacefully. Even better news is that you get to enjoy the next phase of that fabulously queer life exponentially more.
QUEERING THE MINOR ARCANA
2
THE SUIT OF WANDS
In the tarot, cards are generally separated into two parts—the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana are considered more about archetypes—those things the Divine brings about, or the bigger picture themes and ideas for you to focus on as you navigate your journey. The Minor Arcana, then, are cards that focus on smaller picture things. Either they look at specific areas of life or help problem-solve more minor (in the grand scheme of things) issues. They focus on the Earthly or mundane, whereas the Majors are often more spiritually or philosophically inclined. Because these are often lower bearing cards, and because often one card's meaning or relevance is correlated to the cards that precede or follow it, we won't cover each of the cards individually.
I wanted to start with the Wands, because, in my experience, they change in some of the most expansive and subversive ways. Wands are cards of Fire. Fire can burn away harmful things. It can also start blowing out of control and cause as much damage as it meant to help. It can also go out entirely if we aren't careful. Fire needs to be nurtured, noticed, and loved. It also needs to be taken seriously as a threat, a weapon, or anything else it presents as. Fire in its most raw form is passion, determination, intuition, and energy. It is action oriented, requiring quick decisions and fast work. As such, I've long considered this the suit most concerned with the area of life you're most passionate about. For me, fire is my relationship with my queerplatonic partner, and it is the theatre company we run. My fire is working with LGBTQQIP2SA+ tarot clients, and certainly in the written word. It's also about making this world so, so much better than I found it.
As you can see, Wands often indicate our careers, our families, or a hobby that we've chosen to never monetize for sheer love of it. For some it's their intuition, spirituality, or even life for its own sake. When originally queering the Wands, one of the biggest things I noticed was that often the thing a queer seeker is most passionate about is their queer identity itself. It took so long to find, live, and grow as yourself that your own queerness has become a brilliant bonfire that attracts only the best to sit within its light. Beyond that, though, it is a strange but wonderful fact that most queer people find themselves in activist or advocacy roles in their life, and that's where the true fire rages. Our identities and our right to live and express them are the things we find ourselves fighting for with unmatched fervor and commitment. Over time that fervor becomes about all of us, not just ourselves or our loved ones. Queer activism keeps us tirelessly fighting. Queer community is where we fall when we do get tired. These are the things we work through our fatigue to build and protect. These are the things we work ceaselessly to ensure that all queer people who come after us have. There are no words for the way many queer people approach their life as accidental activists except the ones we ascribe to the Wands: determination, fire, and passion.
One note before we move on: there are a lot of readers, books, and other resources that do address sex and gender in a generally progressive and LGBTQQIP2SA+ inclusive way. That's great, and obviously something I want to see way more of. However, I have seen Wands default to penis due to the phallic nature of many common depictions (and many literary metaphors used over time). While this is absolutely valid in some cases, I have seen that be wildly unhelpful to some of my clients. It can also be a trans exclusive interpretation if you're not careful. When queering the tarot, or hell, just talking to people out in the world and being decent, it's perfectly acceptable to talk about anatomy. But there are people who are not men who have penises, and people who are men who do not have penises. Understanding and keeping this in mind when you talk about the role anatomy does or does not play in the situation is crucial. For example, don't assume if you tell someone, based on the cards, that the partner with the penis is more trustworthy that it is referring to a male partner. The potential partner in question could be a trans woman, they could be non-binary, they could be intersex, and that's just to start. Really, if people take one thing away from this book or need a single starting point for becoming a reader who is accessible to LGBTQQIP2SA+ seekers, it should be this: never assume someone's gender, pronouns, or sexual identity, and always ask respectful, relevant questions if any of it comes up in a reading.
