Note: Before I begin this post I would like to encourage everyone to please read the disclaimer within the post notes of this blog post.
I was recently talking to one of my closest friends Allec ( @helloallec ) about non-gendered cards in the Tarot and they shared with me this post with @moonbent-tarot about non-gendered interpretations of the emperor and empress and it got me thinking a lot about non-gendered tarot court cards and how I read them that way. While I cannot and will not speak for everyone, there are certainly times when myself and my queer clients can relate to gendered court cards and other times not so much. Being a queer person of color, who reads Tarot for other queer people of color, I often found it very difficult using Tarot decks with gendered court cards. It didn’t feel right to me and I did not want to seem like I was being insensitive or disrespectful so I stopped using gender in the court cards altogether unless I am specifically asked to do so. I always give my clients the option of what is most comfortable and suitable for them. I believe that in order for me to be the best Tarot reader I can possibly be, it is important for me to keep in mind that I live in a world with beautiful people of all genders, sexual identities, sexual orientations, gender expressions, or lack thereof and they deserve to be represented too within a reading. When I started reading Tarot there was only one deck that emphasized the diversity of the human experience and provided a way to read the court cards without gender. I have since adapted the format from this deck and have applied it to my reading style no matter what deck is used. That deck is the World Spirit Tarot.
The World Spirit Tarot is a beautifully designed multicultural deck that doesn’t base the court cards on traditional Page, Knight, Queen, and King archetypes but by Seers, Seekers, Sibyls, and Sages. This allows an inclusiveness within the Tarot system without designating the court cards to specific genders over the other.
As stated in the phenomenal World Spirit Tarot handbook by Lauren Onca O'Leary the court cards are as follows:
The Seers: Are students, curious about the world around them.
The Seekers: Interact more dynamically with the world, questing for answers and challenges, taking risks, and trying to get things done.
The Sibyls: Are the mature embodiment of their suit and use their energies wisely to govern their world with ease.
The Sages: Are accomplished individuals and bring a broad perspective of responsibility and great authority.
I now relate the court cards as the evolution of one’s life experience and the journey of the specific person’s life from student to master and all the facets in between. I have found that when reading Tarot especially without gendered courts, it has allowed the client to freely be able to see themselves in the card and relate that much more to the reading. Although I still read with other decks that have traditional court cards, making sure to interpret the Tarot court cards without the traditional gender archetypes has really helped me to continue being not only an inclusive reader but also a better one. Similarly, while being on the receiving end of a reading where non gendered court cards are used by the reader, it is always appreciated and means the world to me.
Post Notes:
Please do not remove the captions.
Title: Non Gendered Tarot Court Cards
Copyright: © Ivan Ambrose 2017
Deck: World Spirit Tarot
Disclaimer: This post in no way, shape, or form is intended to tell you how you should read Tarot for yourself or others or to police you how to read Tarot for yourself or others. The intention of this post is to bring awareness to the tarot and divination communities of social media that we all deserve representation and it is important as readers that the client feel included in the dialogue that is the reading of their cards even if it’s as simple as not utilizing the court cards in a gender specific way.
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