tHE oRIGIN
As a budding tarot reader, my enthusiasm for the cards was often thwarted by frustratingly bias or ignorant interpretations of the cards. Though I understood that older, traditional style resources would be filled with their fair share of misogyny, erasure of LGBTQ identities, and other bias, I was surprised at how many modern sources seemed to overlook these problems. It seemed that unless a deck was themed around a marginalized identity or the concept of cultural/social revolution, guidebooks and card visuals largely ignored diversity.
At the same time, I could not stop encountering diverse readers. Powerful readers of all genders, sexualities, and life experiences were using the magic of tarot cards in an effort to heal and empower themselves and others. I saw communities of people, uplifting other marginalized tarot readers and their unique voices and reading styles. It was heartwarming and encouraging to see the rich community of readers using tarot in such a powerful way.
The dissonance I felt was overwhelming. I felt that although the decks I owned held rich potential, all sources I turned to to learn the tarot overlooked me and other LGBTQ+ readers. I had always entertained the idea of creating a deck, but I felt this need to make something more than just my take on the Smith Rider Waite. I wanted a deck that could help unravel the deep erasure and confusion about diversity in the tarot that seemed to suffocate the vibrancy of its own community.
The Crux Tarot’s first iteration was made quickly and without much deep thought about symbolism and the larger themes. I was still new to reading tarot, and though my intentions were grand, the deck fell short. But the more I worked with the deck, I felt I was on to something. No matter how many problems I found with the deck, I couldn’t tear myself away from its potential. After receiving some positive feedback about the deck’s images and court system from others, I decided to dive back into the concept.
I started from the ground up, redesigning every card with more symbolism and connections to the larger themes in the deck. I worked tirelessly over this deck to ensure it was the best it could be. And now I present it to you, in its entirety: The Crux Tarot.