My Tarot Rainbow

My first camera was a gift while I was in high school. I’ve been taking pictures (first on film, now digital) for over 40 years and have been online since the days of CompuServe and Freenet. But trying to do videos for youTube just drives me around the bend. My channel has something like half a dozen videos going back over a decade. All that is to say, this is my non-video response to #RainbowDecks over there. My 2 attempts to do a video response have been deleted. Arrrrrgggh. Instead, here are my picks with a few sample cards and notes.

Being a queer ‘of a certain age’ I decided to go back to Gilbert Baker’s original 8 band Rainbow Pride Flag for colours and symbolism. The precise meanings attached to each stripe have changed over the years; sometimes by Gilbert speaking in public, other times by various people for personal reasons.

As an aside, I purchased my first Tarot deck in 1980- my collection totaled 5 decks until I added three non-Tarot oracle decks in the late ’90s. My library stayed at 8 decks until 5 years ago. I now have 25 Tarot and 15 non-Tarot oracle decks; the bulk of them are from US Games and other publishers. This list won’t have many of the new indy decks found on others’ lists. Oh, and my list includes 2 non-tarot oracle decks. If Pappa Squirrel can mix it up, so can I.

HOT PINK (sex)
Explicit/ Male Nudity Without doubt the hottest deck in my collection is the St Jinx XXX Tarot. That link is to the uncensored version at The GameCrafter. This deck is not generally available for client readings; too easy to be distracted by the gorgeous artwork. But a delight to have, and a great companion to my copy of the 1994 Uraniun Tarot (Majors only).

Hot Pink was the first colour to be removed- due to the difficulty of obtaining consistent fabric once the flag went into full production mode. In 2004 Gilbert suggested this colour should come back, and includes ‘Sexual Liberation’.

RED (life)
Everyday Enchantment Tarot by Poppy Palin, published by Schiffer/ Red Feather. The artwork features modern day people and settings, with a wonderful rich use of colour.

ORANGE (healing)
The Deviant Moon Tarot by Patrick Valenza, published by US Games. Arguably any oracle deck can be used for Healing/ Self-awareness. This deck’s not-quite-human figures suggest dreamwork/fantasy that I find helps.

In addition, I use both the Abandoned Oracle and Black Enchantment Oracle decks available directly from Patrick.

YELLOW (sunlight)
Whispers of Lord Ganesha by Angela Hartfield, art by Ekaterina Golovanova, published by US Games. The images speak to me in a not-quite-kitteh-cute way that brings a smile to my face.

GREEN (nature)
White Sage Tarot by Theresa Hutch, published by US Games. Just look…

TURQUOISE (magic/art)
The Lunar Nomad Oracle by Shaheen Miro, published by Red Wheel/Weiser. Consisting of 36 standard Le Normand key words, plus five additional terms. Unlike many Le Normand decks that use images of just the keyword, Shaheen’s pictures are rich in detail.

This stripe was removed when Hot Pink fabric became a problem in order to provide an even number of colours. Speaking in 2004 Gilbert suggested turquoise be reinstated, to also represent ‘the magic of life’ and the various queer traditions of First Nations peoples.

INDIGO(serenity)
Often labeled as ‘harmony’ I decided that The Pride Tarot published by US Games prompts us to find serenity and harmony in a world filled with diversity and complexity. The deck’s 78 cards were designed by 45 artists with various styles, media, and colour palettes. Some images exist in previously published decks, some created just for this one.

Once the Turquoise band was eliminated, this stripe was changed to the brighter blue most people are familiar with.

VIOLET (spirit)
The Tarot of Sister Who* by Denver NeVaar (Sister Who) is available from TheGamecrafter.com. This deck has been designed for personal spiritual growth rather than divination or prognostication. That being said, there are more than enough parallels for the deck to be used that way in the right hands. The Majors are presented as more earthly stages of growth, with an interesting twist replacing the traditional minor suit Court Cards.

** DISCLOSURES:
# The Digital Gryphon LLC receives nominal compensation to promote the Tarot of Sister Who;
# Links above are not affiliate links and generally go to the publisher’s site. Although I continue to have business relations with Amzn, my efforts focus on promoting other sources; especially independent artists and small publishers;
# As part of my move away from Amzn I’m building up my shop at Bookshop.org; they donate 10% of sales to independent bookstores; you may specify a local shop (if it’s in their database) for your purchases. I do receive an Affiliate Commission should you purchase from my shop there.

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