#bobby abate

[comparativetarot]

Seven of Lights. Art by Bobby Abate, from the Outsider Tarot.

[outsidertarot]

This weekend was my birthday!  I’m a full fledged Sagittarian through and through! ♐️♐️♐️ I’ve decided to pose with the Billow of Lights from the Outsider Tarot (who replaces the knight of wands.)  

The design for the Billow of Lights is based on a fantastical character self portrait I did many years ago.  I’m not sure why I drew some aspect of myself as an eager and willing elf-butler back then, maybe it was some past life stuff bubbling up from a scorpionic hotspring? I always did love elves and a proper tailcoat but anyone who knows me will agree that I do not have the temperment for the service industry...

While the original drawing is me, the Billow can be anyone. Instead of a tray loaded with delicious cocktails, the Billow holds a lightbulb lantern to illuminate a forward path in the smoldering red world of possibilities.  This card is all about forward movement, exploration and identity play - but the power chord indicates there are limits before needing to navigate the dark and trust one’s own intuition. 

I am sincerely thankful to have the opportunity to finally share Outsider Tarot with everyone! Tonight the tray will be full of cocktails as I celebrate another revolution around the sun.

[comparativetarot]

Ten of Eyes. Art by Bobby Abate, from the Outsider Tarot.

(Also used in The Alleyman’s Tarot.)

[comparativetarot]

Three of Eyes. Art by Bobby Abate, from the Outsider Tarot.

[comparativetarot]

Magician. Art by Bobby Abate, from the Outsider Tarot.

[outsidertarot]

9 of LIGHTS / THE HUSTLER whose sexual energy functions like a tractor for wanted and unwanted attention.  Undressed and perched on a bed in a run down motel room, the Hustler seems to be waiting for someone, perhaps a lover or a client.  A kundalini serpent appears to writhe from the Hustler’s core, devouring the fiery energy of light bulbs in its path.  A pair of lampshades are printed with a pattern of the waxing and waning moon, suggesting the constantly changing roles, circumstances and emotional states The Hustler faces every day. 

The motel room itself is a transient and anonymous space, safe or not, for sexual exploration, kink, and sex work. In readings, the Hustler refers to kundalini energy, physical attraction, raw passion, libidinous powers, or transactional sexuality, all of which can be empowering or oppressive depending on the surrounding cards 

The astrological influence is the MOON in SAGITTARIUS. The pairing of fleeting lunar phases with the lofty aim of the archer evokes an underlying need for constant change and new experiences in pursuit of long term goals.

[outsidertarot]

THE WITCH & THE PREDECESSORS. 

The Outsider Tarot dispenses with figures from the Major Arcana.  Instead, each Major is a scene offering props and set pieces everyone can step into their own Fool’s Journey. The modern witch, of any gender, color, sexuality or religious belief, wears the familiar pointed hat piercing upward and a veil of stars, preparing for a journey through other dimensions on a broom stick of protective rue. 🧹🧹🧹 Every Outsider Witch embarks on a quest to connect to nature’s power.

⛪The second card of the Major Arcana began as the FEMALE POPE in the Visconti Sforza tarocchi back in the late 15th century representing “the medieval legend of Pope Joan, a learned female pope who successfully passed as male until she gave birth in public and thus revealed her subterfuge.”  Others believe this first Popess truly depicts Mary Magdalene and her secret gospel.  

🌝 By the early 1900’s the Female Pope evolved into THE HIGH PRIESTESS (most famously from the Rider Waite pack) an esoteric representative of the moon and its magical qualities, sitting just in front of a pomegranate printed veil that hides the secrets of the universe.  

I love these and many other iterations of the Popess/High Priestess. The Witch from the Outsider Tarot allows everyone to imagine themselves in this role.

[outsidertarot]

The OUTSIDER of the day is artist, designer, stylist & karaoke king JJ Chinois. JJ chose the BILLOW OF EYES (formally Knight of Swords), a non-gendered REBEL sometimes with a cause, sometimes without → depending on their mood! The Billow is an outsider and non-conformist who lives their own truth and follows their own rules, this is non-negotiable. ⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣JJ and I have been close friends and occasional collaborators for just about two decades. Just as the card suggests, she is a fearless innovator, risk taker and fierce defender of those she loves and her personal values. @jjchinois ⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣Wanna take a selfie with an Outsider Tarot card? DM me or tag a photo with #outsideroftheday ⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣