In this groundbreaking work, therapist Resmaa Menakem examines the damage caused by racism in America from the perspective of body-centered psychology.

Cassandra Snow’s long-running and much-loved series on the Little Red Tarot community blog has been published in book form! We delve into the chaotic gay Christmas classic with my darling sister Emily, scholar of all things Whoville. As the Slutist deck demonstrates, modern witches are creating new decks and illustrations that are inclusive. The traditional meanings and images of the cards are centered around cisgendered figures, heterosexuality, the gender binary, and white-skinned people. But instead, it's marketed/written as how we should queer our tarot based on their experiences/rules.

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. In the page-and-a-half “Word” that follows Maiden’s “Foreword”, Cassandra Snow says that the word “queer” has come to mean the intention to create a community where “others” (all those who need a safer space) are welcomed with open arms. 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. A sign directs our attention toward something very specific that requires no further interpretation. But when enough people told me it was a valuable read despite those bad things, I decided to give it a shot.

I find it very over-represents someone who is: femme, white, American, sexual/kinky, polyamorous, spiritual, with a Christian background. I am delighted that this book exists, and encourage everyone - queer, straight or otherwise -- to pick it up. 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. But it’s also for anyone who wants to open up their ideas about what each tarot card might represent.One of the problems with the tarot is that up until recently, the imagery has been very white and very straight.

That said, I DO want to acknowledge that this book will almost certainly be a really useful tool when I'm reading for others. The Mayor of Castro Street is Shilts's acclaimed story of Harvey Milk, the man whose personal life, public career, and tragic assassination mirrored the dramatic and unprecedented emergence of the gay community in America during the 1970s. The Empress represents anyone, regardless of gender, who is nurturing, artistic, in tune with nature, for example. 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.

If this article meant something to you today — if it informed you or made you smile or feel seen, will you consider joining A+ and supporting the people who make this indie queer media site possible? As a straight, middle-class Baby Boomer, I admit to being slightly uncomfortable with the word “queer”. As it’s the first card, the entire sequence of the Major Arcana is often referred to as the Fool’s journey.