This is a topic that isn’t discussed nearly enough, and yet, is perhaps one of the most important. Of course, we can’t escape the fact that a lot of the tarot cards are gendered. Kings, Queens, Knights & Pages, even when modernised to the Mothers, Fathers, Sons & Daughters, have distinct gender attachments. Likewise, Major Arcana cards such as The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hanged Man - I could go on - are gendered figures.

The traditional Rider Waite Smith imagery, which most tarot decks are based upon, was originally illustrated in 1909 by Pamela Coleman Smith. Its imagery is not the most inclusive, which is unsurprising considering the context of the time it was created. Many people struggle to connect with it, understandably so, because the images don’t feel relatable and don’t ‘connect’ with them. Modern creators have adapted wording and created decks with more diverse representation, which is wonderful. But no matter how we change these cards visually, the gender associations with the traditional cards (and their traditional names) from The Empress to the King of Wands, can greatly impact the way we perceive them - and more importantly, whether we perceive their wisdom to be relevant to us at all.

And it’s easy to understand why. Historically, we interpreted these cards more literally than we do now. A King of Wands might have once been interpreted as a sign you’d marry a red-haired man, or The High Priestess might have indicated that an older woman was significant in your life. However, increasingly, tarot’s reputation is moving away from the deterministic predictor of fate, and more and more people are seeing the value in utilising the tarot as a facilitator of our personal growth. And so, a reader is now more likely to interpret these same cards as aspects of the individual they are reading for.

Because here’s the thing, all of us are capable of embodying and/or experiencing every single one of the 78 cards in the tarot deck…