Queering the Tarot

by Cassandra Snow, Beth Maiden (Foreword)

Tarot is best used as a tool for self-discovery, healing, growth, empowerment, and liberation. Tarot archetypes provide the reader with a window into present circumstances and future potential. But what if that window only opened up on a world that was white, European, and heterosexual? The interpretations of the tarot that have been passed down through tradition presuppose a commonality and normalcy among humanity. At the root of card meanings are archetypes that we accept without questioning. But at what point do archetypes become stereotypes? Humanity is diverse--culturally, spiritually, sexually. Tarot has the power to serve a greater population, with the right keys to unlock the tarot's deeper meanings. In Queering the Tarot , Cassandra Snow deconstructs the meanings of the 78 cards explaining the ways in which each card might be interpreted against the norm. Queering the Tarot explores themes of sexuality, coming out, gender and gender-queering, sources of oppression and empowerment, and many other topics especially familiar to not-straight folks. Cassandra's identity-based approach speaks directly to those whose identity is either up in the air or consuming the forefront of their consciousness. It also speaks to those struggling with mental illness or the effects of trauma, all seekers looking for personal affirmation that who they are is okay.

Genres: Tarot, Nonfiction, Witchcraft, Queer, Spirituality, LGBT, Reference

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2019

Reviews

[Eli · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK. If you are a person who is cisgender and heterosexual, and you read tarot, especially if you read for other people sometimes, here's what I need you to do:

* Buy this book.
* Read it.
* Apply it to every person you read for, regardless of what you believe their sexuality or gender identity to be.

This goes double if you're cis, het, and white.

Let's get this out of the way now: unless this is the first tarot book you've ever read, you may have differing interpretations of certain cards than Snow does. But, of course, this is absolutely true of every tarot book you will ever read. KEEP READING ANYWAY.

Because, in my opinion, the most valuable part of Queering the Tarot is the tools Snow offers for how to deconstruct and re-envision each tarot card. How to recognize that, whatever its origins, most of us learned tarot through a white, cisnormative, heteronormative, Christian-morality-heavy lens. Stepping outside of that framework can be difficult--but Snow is offering us the tools that can help us do it.

This is vitally important because a lot of the cards' conventional interpretations simply don't work for queer querents (henceforth queerents) like they do for cishet folks. For instance, while a cishet person might see the Hierophant as a card of spiritual stability and community, a queerent's past experiences with the homophobia of many mainstream religious institutions might leave them bracing for abuse or even expulsion from someplace they've thought of as a safe haven. On the flip side, while a cishet querent (especially a white one) might balk at the chaos and destruction of the Tower, a queerent might gleefully welcome the chance to strike down discriminatory structures and build something new.

Of course, this is also a fantastic book for tarot readers who are themselves LGBTQQIP2SAA, especially newer readers who are struggling to connect with the cis- and heteronormativity of mainstream interpretations. Snow takes the cards' conventional meanings and their own experiences and shows us that this magical tool absolutely is "for us."

Even if we only ever read for ourselves, and never for others, this book is a must-read for tarot lovers. Queering the Tarot provides not just interpretations but a whole new way to interact with the cards. It offers a welcome deepening to anyone who's willing to make the leap.

[Katey Flowers · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am sorry to have to leave this review on the first day of Pride month. I was so excited about this book but I have to be honest and say that I was hugely disappointed. There were some wonderful things about this book, but ultimately some really problematic things throughout resulted in me struggling to finish. This is a hugely American-centric book that generalises a lot about ‘the queer experience’. For me, the deal breaker was the way mental illness and in particular bipolar disorder was spoken about in the suit of Swords. It was unnecessary and inappropriate.

I have still given this book 2 stars because I recognise the importance of this book being available, and I am glad that the conversations about making tarot more accessible and relevant is becoming more mainstream. I want to celebrate this book, but I’m ultimately just really disappointed.

[Althea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 Stars

I love tarot and I've had this book on my radar for some time now, so when I needed to make up shipping from a queer indie bookshop I finally decided to give this one a go. Overall, I really enjoyed it - it gave me a lot of new insight that I'm excited to go back over and annotate during a second reading. But it also does have some setbacks for me.

I will say that this is not the first book you should go to if you're new to tarot, this is more an add-on to your basic knowledge, so bear that in mind before picking this book up. But my main qualms come with what was and wasn't included in the book as a whole. I know a lot of tarot readers only read the upright cards, but many others, like myself, also like to use the reversed meanings too, but I think reversed meanings were only discussed very briefly for one or two cards and I would've liked to see more of that. Many other reviewers have also mentioned this, but this is a very Western-centric book and focusses mainly on white queer people who have some sort of a background in Christianity. Of course it's not possible to include everyone's experiences in a book but it would've been nice to see concrete efforts to be as inclusive as possible. Finally, some of the links to queerness were honestly such huge reaches like the author had only really considered a few cards in the deck but desperately needed to come up with reflections for others and just acme up with any old nonsense. I would've rather there had been full transparency and the author had just said that there are some cards in the deck that relate really well to queerness and the queer experience but others not so much, instead of these vague ramblings that we got.

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!

Want more queer books? You can find me here: Book Blog | Twitter | Instagram

[lazulisong · Rating 3 out of 5]

yikes

this book: all queer identities are valid!!!
also this book: talks exclusively in allosexual terms, ignores the idea that you might be sex repulsed or sex neutral

can’t tell if i’m mad or disappointed anyway i’m going to wake up mad at three am about aces and aros being associated with the ding dang HERMIT card. bullshirt.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book quite some time ago, but never got around to putting my thoughts into words – I will say that while I was very much looking forward to this book, I ultimately felt let down. I will say before I mention my critiques that there were absolutely things I did like about this book and that I don't intend to wreck the book for people who cherish it. There were experiences I related to that I'd never expected to read in a tarot book, and it affirming to have them mentioned. I also appreciated the reminders not to ask querents disrespectful questions or make assumptions about querents' gender identities or sexual orientations, which certainly can't be said often enough. That said, though, I had some significant problems with this book.
I feel like the author takes her own experiences and generalizes them out to being "2SLGBTQ+ experiences" in general. There are a lot of "we..." statements in the book that, to me, don't reflect intersectionality and presume a very particular reader. For example, phrases like "in our society...” are utilized frequently and demonstrate a clear presumption that the reader is American. I felt like the whole book presumed an American reader in their 20s or 30s who lives in a bigger city – a rather narrow focus audience.
I also had serious issues with a few very specific passages. One was: "...we will encounter individuals, institutions, and even entire continents that will never embrace or accept us simply because of who we are" [104].  It concerns me to think about which continents are being referred to here: at best, this reads to me as misinformed, but at worst I read it as reproducing the idea that entire (non-Western) continents are somehow inherently oppressive, which is deeply problematic for a number of reasons that are beyond the scope of this review to list. The other concerning passages were in the 2/3/4 of Swords section: statements that suggested particular cards appearing indicated a client with bipolar disorder, anxiety, and/or depression. Suffice to say that this concerns me both from a "stigmatizing, stereotyping attitudes about mental illness" standpoint and a tarot ethics / “people who aren’t medical professionals shouldn’t be presuming or providing diagnoses" standpoint.
So, while there were aspects of this book that I appreciated, ultimately they were overshadowed by the aspects that I did not appreciate, and I cannot recommend the book.

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well-intended, but basically a shallow collection of blog posts. I picked up this book hoping to find some ways to read tarot that are less gender essentialist, but this book doesn't really engage with ways to read with/against the male/female dichotomy that shows up in some cards. It seems a little unfair to judge a book based on what it isn't trying to do, so the two-stars aren't based on that. The star rating is based on:
-some shallow interpretations
-disorganisation (court cards shuffled off the the end for no good reason)
-incomplete and rushed minor arcana descriptions, grouping cards together because ?
-too much repetition (is every card about activism? seriously, every card?)
-heavy emphasis on queer life as suffering

[Nimue · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

Firstly, tarot cards without context are rarely positive or negative. We apply and project those meanings on to them during the course of a reading. This author loves to label cards as inherently positive or negative which truly limits the multi-dimensionality of all these rich cards.

I also really don't love how often the author fixated on queer trauma as opposed to queer joy. Snow assumes (or rather, projects, that the queer of experience is one of adversity first and joy later). For example, here is the description of the Ace of Swords:

"One of the first ways we queer this Ace is simply by taking into account and applying it explicitly to queer people. I have seen this card manifest for me, personally, as warning that a depressive spell, panic attack, or other signifier of mental illness is imminent. This has also been true for LGBTQQIP2SA+ seekers living in sobriety, although in this case it can indicate an actual relapse or desire for on on the horizon."

The implications of this are problematic and seem to generalize a significant portion of the queer community in a really negative and even patronizing light. I've never once interpreted the card this way, for my queer or straight clients. It's inappropriate for readers to paint a bleak picture for our clients or try to anticipate THEIR next panic attack.

Even with, the Six of Wands (which is one of the rare tarot cards that tends towards a very positive polarity), the author has this to say:

"The most common keywords for the Six are progress, victory and triumph. When I hear the words victory and triumph though, I don't just think of the success or win that comes with them. These words bring battle, rough terrain, and hard-fought success to my mind, and that's important to note for this card. This isn't just a good thing happening--it's something you've fought long and hard for finally turning in your favor. It's triumph over adversity, specifically."

Why can't the Six of Wands just represent confidence? The desire to shine? Why bring up the trauma of adversity over and over and over again?

I think the author means well and is clearly writing from their own experience. The book makes it clear that intersectionality is crucial when it comes to reading for others in the queer community (it is) and does a decent enough job trying to deconstruct the influence of white supremacy and capitalism within the tarot system.

But not all queers are living in their shadow all of the time. We need to amplify queer joy as much as anything else.

Also, I think it matters that the author is white. Snow speaking on the adversity of the entire queer community feels patronizing and gives off a bit of pick-me energy. As white people, we cannot authentically speak to the experience of our bipoc siblings. I feel as though someone else should have been handed the mic.

Also for a book that seems to pride itself on its intersectionality, I wish that they had chosen anything other than a skinny, white blond haired femme for their cover art.

I wanted to love this book, but it just isn't it for me.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well-written and comprehensive. The advice it gives is potentially useful; I probably won’t follow all or even most of it, but it’s also a good introduction to viewing the Tarot differently in general. It’s not overly prescriptive.

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.

Overall, I don’t regret reading it - but I certainly didn’t feel seen or represented by it as a queer person.

[zara · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting little book of tarot interpretations! I actually enjoyed the minor arcana interpretations more than the major arcana, even when I don’t interpret the cards in the same way. (Except the 6 of cups interpretation, which felt baffling to me, but that might be because it’s my favorite card!) I was rolling my eyes a little about how many of the cards were interpreted as being about coming out, because it felt a little cliche. Still a very fun book for queer folks looking to deepen their understanding of the tarot!

[Noah Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with low expectations, but I really loved it and I will certainly keep it as a textbook and come back to it many times. Having tarot interpretations that are not based on the gender binary was SO needed. The explanations were clear and thorough, and I appreciated that it included the traditional interpretations of cards. I also appreciated the grouping of some cards that make sense as a continuous story. The author is very likeable, something that I sometimes struggle with in spiritual writers. The reason it's not a 5 stars review for me is that I did not resonate with the queer experience that was described - the author seems to have encountered a lot more discrimination and struggles than I have. As someone who's never been in the closet and is surrounded by queer people without even trying, my queer identity isn't affected by the pain that was described in the interpretations of several cards (which I recognise is a huge privilege....)

Also, big thumbs down for the font. :(

[Debbie Hoskins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have listened to this book three times. Full disclosure, I am obsessed by the archetypal themes found in tarot. I don’t get bored or tired of reading and listening to different authors and card makers interpretations. Cassandra Snow offers a lot to ponder. Leslie Howard’s pretty voice adds an appropriate tenderness and wistfulness to the reading of the text. The main reason I’ve listened to this three times is I love how Cassandra tells her own story and that of LGBTQ+ people in her card descriptions.(She uses a longer acronym that is too long to remember. I’ll look it up sometime.) It could be a drawback that she generalizes the stories of queer people. The stories are thoughtful and add to her interpretation of the card meanings. She touches on negative aspects of the cards, but does not define reversals. She groups Minor Arcana cards together in an intriguing way. Cassandra uses the Urban Tarot deck by Robin Scott. The black and white card pictures are used in the print version of the book. Printing them in color would have added to the cost. It is necessary for a higher book rating.
I bought The Urban Tarot deck. It is a Thoth deck. Cassandra does mention it’s a Thoth deck. However she bases her narrative on traditional meanings. The Thoth deck is related to traditional interpretations. Crowley puts his own twist to the deck. He assigns words to each card. Robin Scott uses his words in her card designs. I don’t know that it’s a drawback of the book. It is odd that Cassandra uses a Thoth deck to illustrate her text. She does not acknowledge in any way the differences between traditional decks and Thoth. If she did, the text may be longer. If the reader does not have knowledge of a Thoth deck, the text would be difficult to understand. At the very least, Snow could mention why she chose to ignore the differences.
In the Thoth deck, VIII is Adjustment. This corresponds to the Justice card. Robin calls it Justice. In the Thoth deck XI is Lust. This corresponds to the Strength card. Robin calls it Strength. In the 16th or 17th century, the Marseille deck uses VIII as the Justice card and XI as the Strength card. Robin uses the Thoth minor arcana words on her minor arcana cards. These words differ slightly from the traditional meanings and would give querents a little different experience than a traditional Rider, Waite, Smith deck. I am only going to give the choice of Thoth decks to clients I have read for multiple times. In the Thoth deck instead of pentacles it used discs. Cassandra Snow uses pentacles. In the court cards, Page, Knight, Queen, and King are used. However Robin Scott uses the Thoth court card labels of Princess, Prince, Queen, and Knight. The Knight is called a father, corresponding to the King, more than the Knight in traditional decks. She designates her court cards with delightful occupational titles unique to her deck.

[Chalice Mathioudakis · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

I wish the card interpretations felt more three-dimensional. Rather than discussing how archetypal symbols can relate to common queer experiences, it felt more like defining the cards as a sign of a particular common queer experience. To me, there’s a major difference between a symbol and a sign. A sign directs our attention toward something very specific that requires no further interpretation. Symbols involve in-depth interpretations that are semi-universal, or threaded through various associations and schemas.

An example: p. 25 “Sometimes The Chariot shows up fairly early in our journey as queer people, addressing whether it’s time to come out of the closet, begin transitioning, or start multiple relationships after coming out as polyam.” This feels like a listing of various signs the card could represent. The lack of depth made the book feel rushed to me. There’s so much more that could be included I don’t even know where to start.

Even if the intention was to define a list of queer signs each card could represent, the list felt weak. Where’s all the rich queer history references?

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.

To summarize, I have and plan to continue recommending this book to beginner tarot readers and folks who are new to the queer experience / queer culture. If you’re quite familiar with both tarot and queerness, this book is likely to be extremely underwhelming.

[Mitch Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first tarot book. I really liked how Snow really does try to communicate a larger philosophy of tarot instead of just going through the cards one by one, even though they do go through the cards one by one. I think queerness and folk spirituality/occult are a match made in the Everlasting Realms, and studying one helps you understand living outside of institutions of all kinds.

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

tl;dr

DNF @ Swords (at 50%). I have better things to do with my life than force myself to read a poorly written depressing book that excludes and stereotypes so much.

While I empathize people saying that despite not liking the book, they still think it's important, I question how important it can be if it's done so poorly. For a book that markets itself about being inclusionary and about the queer community as a whole, to write a book where the focus is almost entirely about your own personal views/experiences, and how we should change our style to fit those specific views/experiences, that feels...well, exclusionary. And kind of bigoted, tbh. I can appreciate the idea of this book, but I cannot find myself recommending it. I've found more queer readings and understanding of tarot in non-queer focused books. This one felt often close-minded, ignorant, or extremely biased. (And the Swords section was just...I have no words. We are not therapists, and to associate swords with mental illness is insane to me.)

Don't feel obligated to read this book just because of what it promises--queer representation. It does not deliver.

Not tl;dr (my notes as I read the book)

I still start this off by saying I was biased before reading this book. I had heard enough bad things about it that I had zero interest in it. But when enough people told me it was a valuable read despite those bad things, I decided to give it a shot. (Spoilers: it's awful.)

The High Priestess is all about feeling our truth, and there are few, if any, things more awakening than sex.

I'm sorry, what?? This was rather jarring to read, and completely alienates, I'd assume, a good chunk of the audience pretty early on in the book. What of the ace community? What of those with sexual trauma? This felt really random and out of place here.

The Emperor card was also wildly sexist. I know the author tries (or says they try) not to associate the cards with their gender, but there seems to be a personal bias against the stereotypical masc-associated traits with this card. (Really, any masc card.) Saying it's all about control and forcing people into submission feels like a huge loss to the meaning of the card, and is contrasted wildly against the almost purely positive portrayal of the Empress. I don't feel like the author did a good enough job here overcoming their own personal issues with this card and genuinely giving it a queer perspective.

This book seems to be advertised as a guide to add queerness to the tarot, but reads more like the author's personal experiences with each card--like an autobiography of sorts, rather than something more overarchingly representative of the community as a whole. I find it very over-represents someone who is: femme, white, American, sexual/kinky, polyamorous, spiritual, with a Christian background. If you aren't any of those things or not all of those things combined, you might struggle with relating to the meanings the author presents. Even the card imagery in the deck is mostly all thin able-bodied white people. (And the Lovers has a straight-passing couple. I think we have enough rep there for the author to have picked something else.)

I feel like the Hierophant (though several cards are like this) is a good example, where it is very much a US-Christian-centric view-point of the meaning of this card, which to me, is very narrow-minded and once again, losing out a lot on what this card has to offer. I know a lot of especially queer people have trauma related to the church, but you can throw that meaning out entirely and still use this card. The author does acknowledge the meanings of teacher, tradition, leader, education, etc., but completely dismisses them for their hatred of the government and church. While I think it can still be important to acknowledge the trauma and issues historically related to this card, I don't think that goes far enough for truly 'queering' this card, and focuses FAR too much on the negative.

And speaking of negative, oh boy is this book largely that! There are CONSTANT references to how badly queer people are treated, how much we suffer, how little progress there is, how everyone hates us, how isolated we are, etc etc. I think general references of activism is fine, I get it, we all get it. But the constant mention of it gets tiring. For a book where I'd like to feel seen and heard, I don't like being reminded about how much I'm not. It feels draining for me to read through sections where it's mentioned. (It's a large part of why this book took me forever to read, and while I ultimately gave up on it.) I'd love some more happy and positive examples of queer rep and readings with the cards, and not just mentions of our difficulties and hardships. Very few cards made me feel empowered. Most of them only focus on our collective trauma.

The most common keywords for the Six [of Wands] are progress, victory, and triumph. When I hear the words victory and triumph though, I don't just thin of the success or win that comes with them. These words bring battle, rough terrain, and hard-fought success to my mind.

Like, I get what they're going for here, but gosh, does EVERYTHING have to be a struggle or fight? Every single card's meaning deals with activism and our suffering. I promise you, author, there is so much more to queerness than that! This reading into the card isn't wrong, I do like it in isolation as an option, but after reading as far in as I have, I'm tired. Let's move on from trauma and fighting PLEASE.

For a book that purports itself to be about the queer community and teaching us how to queer the cards, I'm confused as to why there are mentions of gender (and sex organs...yes) sort of randomly throughout. The Wheel of Fortune is feminine? Since when? The Moon can't be negative because it's feminine? What? What does "feminine" mean? It's never really described. If someone doesn't connect well with stereotypical femininity, how can they connect with these cards? And the wands being a stand-in for a penis was not on my bingo card. (wtf?? xD)

I also find it strange how, for several cards, the author says the meanings are 'guaranteed'. I'm not sure I've ever met a tarot reader who thinks any card is a guarantee. Even for spiritual readers, nothing is set in stone. So I found that really odd.

I think I'd be much less bothered if the author had said the book was more about their own experiences with tarot/being queer, rather than a book of "how to queer the tarot" for everyone in general. Like if they said this is a book of how they queer their tarot--I'd be more okay with it. But instead, it's marketed/written as how we should queer our tarot based on their experiences/rules. It read very much in a "my way or the highway," which is ironic, given how exclusive and at times, bigoted the author seemed to be. All of which is really off-putting. If you couldn't tell by this point in my review, haha.

While I know the author originally wrote all these as blog posts and just compiled them together, I wish they put more effort into editing. It really does seem slapped together as "good enough". There isn't really flow from one card to the next, and there is an insane amount of repetition. Issues I've not seen in other tarot books I've read. It makes the quality of this book feel more amateur.

And finally, I decided to DNF it. It's been sitting there for weeks untouched because I could not bring myself to have the energy to pick it up. And once I started the swords section, I just couldn't anymore. Relating swords to being only negative cards and about mental illnesses is ridiculous. This author does not know what they are talking about by applying diagnoses to cards. We are not trained therapists. I can't believe they wrote this and it got through. I just can't be bothered anymore. I'm shocked I made it to 50%, but I really wanted to give it a chance. I also can't believe I DNF'd this and yet made it through "WTF is Tarot" but here we are ^^;

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book I've been looking for but my main beef with it is that the fonts are hard/distracting to read and some of the meanings of the minor arcana cards are grouped together, which is good for overall tarot understanding but tricky for individual readings.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been using this book for reference since I started reading it and it’s helped me learn the cards better. The author’s explanations are nuanced. I like that because it expands my thinking regarding the meanings. And of course she gives excellent explanations of the cards in a queer context.

[Lisa S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess this is just not how I personally would queer the tarot

[Felyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has given me so, so much more to consider in terms of interpreting the cards, especially in regards to giving readings to folks in the queer community. It's definitely not a book for beginners, and novices may still find it a bit overwhelming. I consider myself an advanced novice, and there is a lot to take in.

It specifically looks at the cards from through a queer lens, as well as a sex-positive, polyam- and kink-friendly one. It doesn't shy away from discussing sexual or polyam themes, and that's fantastic. In addition, while there are caveats not to ever, ever assume or make concrete calls on a seeker's gender identity or sexuality - and rightly so! - there are also interpretations for readings that are about a seeker who's exploring or asking about those aspects of their life. "This card frequently appears when..." and "often this can indicate..." are a couple of the phrases used to point those things out. Again, nothing concrete or "this is how it is, all the time, no exceptions" because let's face it, humans don't do that and neither do the cards, just layers of interpretation that can help a reader to assist the person they're reading for.

While it's definitely thoroughly geared toward queer folks, it also highlights the way many marginalised communities are affected. For example, the Justice card might not be all sunshine and roses in a reading because the institutions that were ostensibly put in place to protect us can (and do) work against BIPOC folks as well as queer ones. So it's a case of adding that layer of interpretation to the card in consideration to those surrounding it.

There are a few quirky things that made it hard to follow in some places, like the grouping of Minor Arcana cards to form mini-narratives within three of the four suits. That took me a while to parse. Yes, I very definitely understood the arcs that were being presented, it was a little jumbled within them. Pentacles are the only suit that gets page-per-card treatment. The court cards are presented in their own section, and not always in the traditional order, which gave me excellent insight into the meanings of those cards - and who doesn't love turning hierarchy on its head, hello - but some people may find that a little difficult.

The images in the book are from the Urban Tarot, which by lovely synchronicity I ordered the same time I ordered this book, so you're getting non-traditional (but still RWS-inspired) imagery to go along with the text. There are a couple renamed Majors in the Urban Tarot (Temperance becomes Art, for example), but they're presented under their traditional names, so that shouldn't pose a problem for anyone. What does trip me up is the naming of the court cards in that deck - Knight, Queen, Prince, and Princess. That's a Thoth-inspired deck thing, which is out of my wheelhouse. Again, they're presented in the book as the more common Page, Knight, Queen, and King, so readers unfamiliar with Thoth-inspired court nomenclature won't have a problem.

It's a great book to mark up, making margin notes and highlighting/underlining certain things, and it's definitely one that I'm going to turn around after finishing to immediately read again and take notes.

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I respect the hell out of Cassandra Snow as a tarot reader/advisor, and deeply enjoy following them on social media. And I respect what they were going for here. Maybe as a series of blog or instagram posts it would've been a little more digestible/interesting to read. But as a book it was just too repetitive. The Major Arcana were very interesting to read about but I think the book lost steam as soon as it hit the minors and skidded to an absolute halt by the time I reached the Court Cards (confession, I straight up skipped the last 20 pages, I couldn't do it anymore, I'm so sorry). Also I hated the deck the author chose to use for the on-page images.

That said, I DO want to acknowledge that this book will almost certainly be a really useful tool when I'm reading for others.. if I can ever bring myself to look at it again.

2.5 stars.

[Paul Nemeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so helpful in my development of learning tarot! So many of the traditional descriptions of tarot rely on traditional heteronormative gender roles. Yuck! This book really breaks down each card in a way that is easy to understand and explained things in ways that didn't uphold the patriarchy. I feel like this book makes tarot more accessible to everyone. All people who want to read tarot should read this book regardless of your sexuality or gender identity. This book explains how each card relates to a lot of queer people's experiences. If you think you might do a reading for a queer person or feminist, and come on, you're really limiting yourself if you don't, then this book is for you. If you want to use your readings to smash the patriarchy and other systems of oppression, give this book a read. It is well worth your time!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting, absolutely necessary re-evaluation of traditional approaches to the Tarot. The traditional meanings and images of the cards are centered around cisgendered figures, heterosexuality, the gender binary, and white-skinned people. Cassandra Snow has done revolutionary work in adapting Tarot meanings for a great many marginalized people. The book presents alternative meanings for each card, analyzing how they could reinterpreted to help and guide folx who may be trans, nonbinary, POC, living in poverty, disabled, and many other minority populations. I highly recommend it to anybody in these populations who's interested in the Tarot, in fact to anyone at all who's interested in the Tarot! And if you are among any of these groups of people and don't know anything about the cards, you will find it a great introduction to the subject.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am struggling with this review. I think the subject matter is extremely important. I applaud the author for so much love, devotion and research.

However, I found this book to be hard to read. In fact I didn’t even finish before I had to take it back to the library. The information was buried in convoluted writing. The groupings of cards didn’t always make sense. There was no way for me to use this book as a reference guide because the actual meaning of the cards wasn’t easy to pick out at quick glance.

I also find this book was HEAVY on American society and heavy on trauma. There was no room for anyone outside of American and there was very little room for joy.

The subject material matters but I really struggled with the structure of the book.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't remember when I finished this.

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?)

Can get why people might dislike it though. I really wish a more universal deck had been used even if the Urban Tarot is very pretty. Found the art distracting since it's meant as a Thoth deck and not RWS (which I think most people would be using?)

[Sam (Hissing Potatoes) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the non-heteronormative, non-gender-binary interpretations Snow offers in this book. While many interpretations obviously stem from the author's personal experiences, I think that level of personalization is a strength. They also do an admirable job of providing potential interpretations from identities/experiences they don't share without claiming to speak for those voices. The book has great, often critical advice for both personal readings and doing readings for others.

I think the book would have been stronger without the chosen tarot deck art, since the images often didn't fit the relevant card's description and were rarely discussed.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a necessary addition to any serious tarot reader's library. Cassandra takes us beyond the stale and rigid traditional interpretations and invites us to use our own stories, identities, and intuition to develop relationships with the cards. If you read cards for other people, this book is for you. If you read for yourself, this book is for you. Queering the Tarot reminds us that divination is for everyone, and if our interpretations of a card aren't inclusive, we're missing something.

[Maggie Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not finish.

I love the idea behind this book. And the discussion of the Major Arcana was great. But once we get to the Minors, the book is a mess. The author decides, for some unknowable reason, to discuss the cards in groups out of order. Such as a section on the 5 and 7 of wands. Then the next section about the 6 and the 9. I couldn’t follow this, despite trying. Ended up putting it down.

[Julie McCord · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guidance, particularly for those of us with "alternative" sexuality, gender, or practices (poly and kink are also included here), but a lot of what she says applies well to reading for other marginalized people, either directly or as an example of how to think about the card through other lenses. Definitely a keeper.

[Mitchell Stern · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good reference book that encourages deconstructing and reconstructing the tarot to take into account aspects of identity old-school practitioners often neglected.

[Sylvia Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cassandra Snow’s Queering the Tarot is a groundbreaking work that transforms the way we approach the Tarot, making it feel like a deck I was seeing for the first time—one that speaks to everyone, in all their messy, beautiful, and authentic identities. This isn’t just a guide to understanding the cards; it’s a manifesto for anyone who’s ever felt unseen or excluded by the traditional narratives in Tarot books. Snow takes the familiar 78-card structure and breaks it wide open, rewriting the meanings to reflect a world that’s far more diverse, fluid, and vibrant than what most Tarot interpretations tend to offer.

Right from the start, Queering the Tarot feels like a breath of fresh air. Snow isn’t interested in simply tweaking existing interpretations to fit a more inclusive mold—she’s here to shake things up and give you new lenses through which to view the cards. Her writing is unapologetically direct and full of life, making this book feel like a heart-to-heart with a friend who’s been where you are and is giving you permission to see yourself in the cards, no matter how you identify. The result is a guide that not only redefines the Tarot but reclaims it, making it a powerful tool for liberation, self-acceptance, and community.

One of the most striking things about this book is how Snow navigates the line between honoring Tarot’s roots and challenging its limitations. She doesn’t shy away from pointing out where traditional interpretations reinforce heteronormative, cis-centric, or Eurocentric narratives—and she doesn’t just leave it at that. Instead, she offers thoughtful, expansive reworkings of each card, inviting readers to see how these archetypes can be made more inclusive. Take the Hierophant, for instance—a card that often symbolizes tradition and conformity. Snow reimagines it as a card that can represent the struggle of finding your own unique truth in the face of oppressive systems, making it a symbol of self-empowerment rather than authority.

Another standout is how Snow centers queer experiences and the realities of navigating identity, trauma, and mental health. This book goes beyond gender and sexuality; it’s a space where anyone who’s felt marginalized or misunderstood can find resonance. Her interpretations tackle themes like coming out, navigating chosen family, and breaking free from oppressive expectations—all through the lens of the Tarot. When I read her take on the Five of Pentacles as a representation of financial instability but also chosen survival tactics and community care, it made me rethink the card entirely.

Snow’s approach doesn’t just deconstruct stereotypes; it creates new possibilities for connecting with the cards. For each archetype, she offers questions and themes that invite you to explore how the cards can reflect your own lived experiences. Her interpretations of traditionally “negative” cards, like the Devil or the Tower, are compassionate and nuanced, encouraging readers to view them not as warnings but as opportunities to break free from what’s holding them back. It’s refreshing to see the Tarot treated not just as a tool for divination but as a mirror for self-exploration and healing, one that embraces complexity rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all meaning.

But what I love most is how Queering the Tarot balances being intensely personal and incredibly useful for anyone, regardless of where they are on their Tarot journey. Snow’s interpretations are accessible without being watered down, making this book a perfect fit for beginners and seasoned readers alike. The real gift here is the invitation to reimagine the Tarot for yourself—to build a relationship with the cards that honors your own truths, rather than feeling like you have to squeeze your life into traditional narratives.

Queering the Tarot isn’t just a Tarot guide—it’s a celebration of everything that makes us different and a call to embrace those differences in every reading. For anyone looking to see themselves more clearly in the cards, or for Tarot readers who want to expand their practice beyond the confines of what’s “expected,” this book is a revelation. Snow has created something truly revolutionary, a Tarot guide that’s as brave, expansive, and inclusive as the communities it aims to serve. An absolute must-read that has rightfully earned its place as one of the most essential Tarot books of our time.

[Max · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I'm really happy this book exists, I can't really recommend it.

I'm a queer and trans tarot reader who has been doing this a long time, and I really wanted to like this book more. Unfortunately there were simply too many interpretations of the cards that were offered as absolutes. "This is a bad card" or "This is a great card" are statements that simply can't apply to the practice when we look at tarot beyond a surface level.

Also, for a book about rejecting gender norms, there is a lot of discomfort around masculine energy. To explain the issue in a microcosm, Snow describes the Empress card as representative of mothering energy but encourages us to think of a mother as something beyond gender. A mother can be found in men, and doesn't necessarily have to include womanhood- but in the very same section condemns the Emperor card as a card that "bullies you into submission."

There's the suggestion that the mere presence of the Justice card may trigger panic attacks or trauma responses for the person you're reading for, because this book ties the card very strongly to the judicial system. This feels frustratingly shallow as there is no tarot card which has a single meaning, but rather requires other cards as well as the reader's own intuition to provide meaning. To suggest singular meanings to these cards is misleading- and many of those meanings were coming from what felt like a very biased place both culturally and personally.

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.)

There are some truly wonderful points that I'm glad were put to print, but they were drowned out by what felt like a beginners interpretation of what some of these cards can offer.

I'm happy we are seeing more books like this, but I'm going to have to wait for another one which may offer a more thoughtful and nuanced perspective