The Decolonized Tarot

Tarot, like the Oscars, are so white. Fortunately, thanks to efforts from independent creators, and now even major tarot publishers, we’re starting to see more diverse representation in tarot. Still, I was excited when I learned about “The Decolonized Tarot” by Maritess Zurbano and Cathleen Abalos. So, why did I contribute to their Kickstarter?

Simply put, I’m a huge fan of Maritess Zurbano and the art looked good. Maritess Zurbano was featured on The Magical Buffet WAY BACK when it was a monthly e-zine. At the time she was interviewed as a mentalist and as far as I’m a aware, she is still the only Filipina-American professional magician in history. I was unfamiliar with the artist Cathleen Abalos, but after seeing her work, I’m a fan.

“The Decolonized Tarot” is a reimagining of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck with the characters recast leaning heavily on feminine Pilipino, Caribbean, and African representation. The creators describe it as a “Tarot for people of the Global Majority.” Anyone familiar with tarot can use this deck with ease.

I’m just going to rip this bandage off now. When you go to “The Decolonized Tarot” website, you’ll see that this deck retails for $125. This is absolutely a pearl clutching price tag. However, I would like to point out that tarot decks in general are expensive to produce. They become even more expensive when you don’t have a publishing company footing the bill. Also, Zurbano and Abalos spared no expense in the production of this deck. It’s a full color 78 card deck with cards that have a smooth finish and gold gilt edging. The box the deck comes is hard, coated, cardboard with a jointed cover and magnetic closure. Inside is a ribbon to make it easy to remove the cards from the box. With this set up “The Decolonized Tarot” has been manufactured to last, making it a prime candidate for being an heirloom.

What can I say? “The Decolonized Tarot” is a wonderful and whimsical addition to the expanding diversification of the tarot landscape.

You can learn more here.

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