Tag: The Harley Spenser Tarot Deck

Me Times Three

by Jamieson Wolf, posted in Personal Growth, Tarot Decks, Uncategorized

I’ve had the honour of appearing in two Tarot decks and will be appearing in another one. In the Harley Spencer Tarot, I’m on the 5 of Cups extra card and in the Tower Takeover Tarot by Kaylani Perisho, I’m the Page of Wands. In an upcoming Tarot deck by Lucy Moringstar and Theresa Reed, I’ve been made the King of Wands. It’s interesting when I look at all three cards together. They form a journey of sorts and they are three different parts of me and my journey.

The 5 of Cups shows me trying to get the old feelings out of a bottle of ketchup that’s ladled old feelings. I love what Harley Spencer has done with his card as it gives it more substance. It gives this card hope in that I can actually get rid of the feelings that I’ve been holding on to and that have been holding me back. At the time when she put me on this card, I was actually wrestling with letting go of old feelings left by an abusive relationship.

The Page of Wands shows me falling from the Tower, my Wand adrift with the fire, as I fall to the ground. What will await me when I reach the ground? Will I be able to get up and start again? I love the fact that this card reads so differently with the Tower as the backdrop. Typically, the Page of Wands is just beginning a journey of creativity and discovery. In this card, I’ve let go of my Wand and my creative spirit and have to work at getting it back. This actually happens more often than I would want, especially when it comes to self confidence.

Finally, the King of Wands shows me smiling proud with my familiars: a lion, a wolf and a salamander. The King of Wands is full of light and the wisdom with which to use that light for a greater purpose. He’s wise and knows himself and trusts in his creative spirit. He’s kind and a fair ruler, able to inspire others simply by giving into his craft and creating. He is a man who knows his own spirit and is comfortable in his own skin.

All three cards are pieces of who I am and the steps that I’ve taken to get here. I’m so very proud to be on these three cards. I love how all three cards show the path that I’ve taken to becoming myself and the person I am today.

Representation Matters In Tarot

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 5 of Cups and Letting Go

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!