Jamieson Wolf

Representation Matters In Tarot

June 12, 2021 by Jamieson Wolf, posted in Tarot Deck Reviews, Tarot Decks

For years, I did not see myself within the cards.

Living as a gay and disabled man, when I read with the cards I found it difficult to see myself. I know that Tarot goes beyond gender and race but there is just something so wonderful about picking up a deck and automatically seeing yourself without having to think about how you would fit into the cards.

For Pride Month, I thought I would take a deep dive into the decks where I’ve seen myself without having to look too deeply, the decks where I’ve immediately felt at home within the cards. I think it’s so important for anyone who uses Tarot to see themselves within the cards. It’s especially important during Pride Month.

Here are the decks I return to again and again that are unapologetically GLBTQ+:

The Numinous Tarot by Cedar McCloud

I love The Numinous Tarot for so many reasons. It’s a totally GLBTQ+ revisioning of the cards in bright and beautiful colour. There is representation of race and also disabilities. You can get your copy here: https://numinoustarotthird.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

The Harley Spencer Tarot Deck by Harley Spencer

This deck is amazing. It’s queer positive and is so inclusive of gender, race and sexuality. I particularly love how in the Lovers card, the people are neither male nor female. They are just two beings who love each other. You can get your copy here, but upon publication it looks like the decks may be sold out except for the new factory-made edition: https://www.hs-tarot.com/

The Fifth Spirit Tarot by Charlie Claire Burgess

This deck is so inclusive and so wonderfully queer. It has people of every gender type and is inclusive of race and disability too! It goes beyond binaries and is wonderfully diverse in every possible way. You can get your copy here: https://www.fifthspirittarot.com/

The Urban Tarot by Robin Scott

I love this deck so much. It’s got representation of GLBTQ+ and gender, race and disabilities too. It’s wonderfully diverse and it’s more aligned with Thoth than RWS, but it’s so evocotave and wonderful. You can get your copy here: https://www.usgamesinc.com/the-urban-tarot.html

This Might Hurt Tarot by Isabella Rotman

I hear this deck. It’s wonderfully diverse and just so sweet and lovely. It’s got so much substance to it and it’s inclusive of GLBTQ+ and people with disabilities. It does a remarkable job of representing people from different races too. You can get your copy here:

https://www.thismighthurttarot.com/

Tarot of the Divine by Yoshi Yoshitani

This deck uses stories, legends and myths from all over the world to tell the story of the cards. It’s inclusive of GLBTQ+ and races from all over the world. I love how Yoshi chose each story or legend to represent each card and it’s so bright and colourful. You can get your copy here:

Tarot of the Divine

The Pride Tarot by US Games

This deck is a collaborative deck with all kinds of GLBTQ+ Tarot readers and artists creating cards for this deck. It is so wonderfully inclusive in terms of race and disability and of course being the Pride Tarot it’s unapologetically GLBTQ+ and oh so wonderful. You can get your copy here: https://www.usgamesinc.com/pride-tarot.html

The Uncommon Tarot by Shaheen Miro

This deck is a wonderful reimagining of the RWS we know and love and it includes beautiful collage artwork. It makes this deck somehow timeless and more current. It’s inclusive of gender, GLBTQ+ and race and is oh so lovely! You can get your copy here: https://redwheelweiser.com/detail.html?id=9781578637140

Any one of these decks would make a welcome addition to your collection or perhaps start you off on your Tarot journey.

Happy Pride Month to everyone! Be proud, be loud and let’s celebrate!

The Tower Takeover Tarot – Deck Review and Thoughts

June 12, 2021 by Jamieson Wolf, posted in Tarot Deck Reviews, Tarot Decks, Unboxing

I think that everyone can agree that 2020 was one heck of a year.

It was the year that brought us Covid and along with that there was so much upheaval as our lives changed forever. It was as if someone had hit some kind of a restart button and we were left to pick up the pieces.

After Covid began, I had seen this meme and laughed. 2020 really did feel like it was a year full of Towers where we had to constantly shift our perceptions as our foundations shifted beneath us. At the time, I thought a deck full of the Tower card would be funny and very kitschy and very appropriate for what we were all going through.

Kaylani Perisho, the creator of the Tower Takeover Tarot, took that original meme idea and instead of having a deck simply full of Tower cards, the infused the Tower card with each different Tarot card. This changed the meaning of the cards I knew so well. It took the idea from being funny and kitschy to being transformative and introspective. It added a depth to the cards that hadn’t been there before.

I was surprised that the Tower Takeover Tarot wasn’t simply another clone deck, but a deck that stood on it’s on merits. Take the Ace of Swords for example

Normally, this card marks the beginning of a new journey. The Sword brings mental clarity and perhaps a mental breakthrough as it cuts through all the mental thoughts that try to drag us down. It is a card of writers and philosophers, thinkers and doers. However, looking at this card I was stuck by it. The hand had let go of the Sword. What did it mean if the Sword was falling? After thinking about it for some time, what occurred to me was that maybe I was afraid of the clarity that a mental breakthrough would bring. I had chosen to let go of what the Sword promised instead of facing the change that needed to happen. See how much that changes the meaning of the card?

Or take the Strength card. The woman and the lion fall through the air from the Tower. I typically read this card as choosing to be courageous to love yourself. The woman normally befriends the lion who represents all the wild parts of herself. Loving yourself can be a difficult thing to do and the Strength card asks you to consider all the ways that you are worth of love. Well, what does it mean if they are falling from the Tower? I read this version of the card as turning away from self-love, choosing fear instead of choosing to love yourself. Self-love and self-compassion can be difficult to achieve, especially if our foundations have been shaken. When I look at this card, I read it as that I’m being asked why I would turn away from self-love when it is the one thing I truly need?

How about the Ace of Wands? Normally it is the start of a new creative journey, one that will take your spirit to new places and bring light and hope. It asks you what you will create and how that will change you and make your world brighter. Well, what does it mean when the hand lets go of the Wand and lets it fall from the Tower? Well, I read this card as turning away from what brings you joy, walking away from a creative endeavour that would bring light to your life, maybe out of fear for where the new creative project would take you. It’s a lost opportunity and you have to stop and think of why you’re letting it go instead of holding tight to the joy that it brings.

See what I mean? The tradition meaning of the card is turned on its head and forces you to take a deeper look within yourself and what is going on in your life. Far from being funny and kitschy, these cards are deep and introspective. I love how the cards in this deck make you really think about the different and deeper meanings of the cards.

I was honoured when Kaylani asked me if I wanted to be in the deck. Of course I said yes. I had no idea which card she had put me on until I received my deck the other day. I was thrilled to see that I had been placed on the Page of Wands card! Normally, the Page of Wands is at the start of a new journey, one that brings possibilities and new beginnings, inspiration and new ideas. However, what about the Page of Wands falling from the Tower? When I look at this card, I read it as a fear of beginning on a new journey, turning away from inspiration and what I’m capable of. When I hit the ground, I’ll have to begin again anyways. Why try to turn away from inspiration when it will always find me?

I love everything about this deck. It comes in a hard cigarette style case and the cardstock is fabulous. The cardstock is wonderful and the deck shuffles so well, both regular and riffle shuffling. I love how bold the card backs are, more of that lightning striking across the back. It also comes with a small guidebook that is full of information, including spreads and different draws you can do as well as questions to ask. For such a little book, it packs a whole lot in there.

All in all, this is such a wonderful deck. I didn’t think that a deck full of nothing but Tower cards could be such a life changing, inspiring deck. Kaylani Perisho calls it a transformative deck and it certainly is that. The Tower Takeover Tarot is a wonderful deck and I love everything about it. So take a chance and get yourself one. You can buy it directly from Kaylani here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/868030256/tower-takeover-tarot-deck

Kaylani has done such a fantastic job taking something that could have been tacky and turning it into something that is a lovely tool for introspective guidance and counsel. She has paid so much attention to the quality of the cards and has taken so much care with the Tower Takeover Tarot every step of the way.

Take a chance and see what the Tower can teach you!

Free Holiday eBook! A Very Tarot Christmas!

December 16, 2020 by Jamieson Wolf, posted in Tarot Books

Hey Everyone!

I’m so excited for you all to read my new holiday novella A Very Tarot Christmas! I write one every year as a gift to all of you for following me along on my journey and as a thank you for reading my work. Writing can be a very lonely profession and because of all of you, I don’t feel so alone.

When I sat down to write this year’s novella, I knew that I wanted to write about the pandemic in some way. The only worry was, how did I write a pandemic Christmas story? One of my friends gave me the idea to write about something that had the feel of the pandemic and the story took off from there.

Here’s a bit about A Very Tarot Christmas:

It doesn’t feel like Christmas, even with all the snow.
It has been snowing for three years and the snow-demic shows no signs of stopping. Joyce would feel totally alone if it weren’t for her best friend Bruno, her cat Anna and her clients. She works as an online Tarot reader, trying to provide guidance to those that need it. The only thing she won’t answer questions on are health issues and how long the snow-demic will last. No one knows the answer to that, not even Spirit.
When one of Joyce’s Tarot clients turns out to be her mother, Joyce’s world is thrown into disbelief. Her mother died when she was a teenager. What could her mother possibly have to say to her now? She turns to Bruno for help. He tells her that she will have to open her mind and listen to what Spirit has to say.
Things are about to change for Joyce and she realizes that, though she often feels alone, there are ways to come together. With a little bit of magic, Tarot cards and cats, it might finally feel like Christmas after all.

You can get your copy here:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1059007

I’ve chosen to give it away through Smashwords because you can download the book in all the different formats for the different types of eReader. It’s free for you to download!

Out of all the holiday stories that I’ve written, this one is my favourite. It has everything you could need for your holiday: Tarot cards, magic, cats and a little love thrown into the mix. I really hope you enjoy Joyce’s story and that it brings the magic of the holiday alive for you.

Happy Holidays!

The Triple Moon Tarot Event!

September 19, 2020 by Jamieson Wolf, posted in Tarot Readings

Candice Arseneau, Christine Gilmour and myself have an event coming up today! It’s the Triple Moon Tarot event! We will be doing tarot readings on Zoom from 2pm to 4pm. If you feel moved to do so, please feel free to donate to one of our three charities.

www.minlodge.com

Minwaashin Lodge – Indigenous Women’s Support Center in Ottawa, ON Canada

www.felinecafeottawa.com –Charity for Rescue Cats in Ottawa, ON Canada

www.artscape.ca/donate – Provides Covid-19 relief to the Arts Community in Toronto, ON Canada

Our intent for this event was to raise the spirits of those around us and those that needed help. We wanted to help those who needed help and to bring light to everyone around us.

Make sure to tune in from 2pm to 4pm today! Just click below

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82188976990

I hope to see you all there. Sending love and light to all of you.

The 5 of Cups and Letting Go

September 12, 2020September 17, 2020 by Jamieson Wolf, posted in Personal Growth, Tarot Dreams

It has always been a dream of mine to end up on a tarot card, I just never thought it would happen.

Earl this year, I fell in love with the Harley Spenser Tarot Deck. I have a short review to come, but I loved the cards and how vibrant they are. Harley Spenser makes very deck by hand and it takes her up to three days to make one of her decks.

I got both the Harley Spenser Tarot Deck and the Bad Ass Tarot Deck. They are both fabulous and I love how they take the cards that I know but force me to think about them differently. They have deepened my relationship with tarot and the journey that I am on with the cards. They are also so much fun!

Harley was running a contest to appear on one of her cards. Well, I had my husband take a few photos and sent them in. Harley later contacted me to tell me that the pictures I had sent were perfect and that I was going to be on the card! To say that I was ecstatic was an understatement of epic proportions.

The card was the 5 of Cups. I thought of all the cards I would end up on, I did not resonate with the 5 of Cups but I really took a look at it. She had placed “Old Feelings” on the ketchup bottle that I held.

The 5 of Cups can be a difficult card to get in a reading. It symbolizes mourning and emotional adjustment, regret and disappointment. However, Harley Spenser really took a different look at the card. It’s about letting go of the old feelings that we hold on to and actively deciding to get rid of them, let them go and to move on and fill your body and bottle full of new healthy emotions.

I realized that this was the perfect card for me to end up on. I grew up in an abusive home and have weathered several abusive relationships. I have been working on viewing myself in a different way and have been trying to let go of the thoughts that those abusers left within me. The feelings of not being good enough, of not being attractive. Even though I was able to get free of the relationship, I was still carrying the negative emotions within me.

I was thrilled to have ended up on this card! When Harley Spenser sent me a card in the mail, holding it was an unreal experience. I was on a tarot card! What’s more, it represented me in ways that I hadn’t before realized. I have continued to work on letting go of old feelings and negativity. I got a few extra copies of my card and I keep one on my altar and one propped up on my desk when I write.

It’s good to have the reminder to let things go!

Check out The Harley Spenser Tarot Deck HERE.

Buy my 5 of Cups card HERE!