Image description: A tarot spread on a wooden table. There is a London Fog in an octopus mug in the top left corner, and The Steampunk Tarot deck in the top right. In the centre of the photo is a six-card spread including the reversed King of Wands, The Sun, The Moon, The Magician, the Eight of Swords, and The Lovers.
I recently discovered Interrobang Tarot, Evvie Marin’s website, and I am so excited about adding her blog to my regular reading. (Her most recent post is an in-depth interview with Krystal Banner, the creator of the Kaleidadope Tarot, so you know the content is going to be quality.)
This post is the first in a series of eight, which will all combine to be a comprehensive review of her ebook, Eight Useful Tarot Spreads for Times of Resistance & Change. This was originally going to be just one post reviewing the book and diving into the WTF?! spread, but as I got into the writing I realized two things:
- It’s been a while since I did a tarot challenge, and since I’m still getting over being sick and I’m struggling with this neverending winter and with some feelings of hopelessness and despair over the state of our economic and political and ecological climate, eight days of tarot for times of resistance and change is exactly what I need.
- It will be good practice for me, and since I’m going to be opening up the shop for tarot readings soon, that’s perfect!
So tonight is just the beginning of a mini journey that we can take together, tarot friends. If you want to come along for the ride, consider finding me on Facebook or Instagram and sharing your own results in the comments!
Now, the overview/intro review.
First of all, this is one of the most user-friendly online books I’ve encountered. It’s easy to navigate, with links on each page to get you where you need to be, and simple buttons for moving through. (I do wish there was a PDF version, but that’s mostly because I like gazing at my ebook collection sometimes when I’m procrastinating. I find it almost as soothing as looking at my bookshelves.)
The book is described as:
A collection of eight tarot spreads that lend themselves towards introspection and self-care in times of difficulty, resistance, and rapid change.
It delivers.
Even though Marin says that the book won’t include much 101 information, each spread is written in a welcoming, encouraging, and educational tone. There are little tidbits about how you might interpret certain types of cards in certain positions, without coming across as dogmatic and prescriptive. It feels like a book that has something to offer brand new readers or folks with more experience, and that’s just a lovely thing.
My favourite part about the beginning of the book is the way that Marin clearly positions herself and the book within capitalism, while also resisting and undermining capitalist expectations. The book is available for free for any solo tarot practioners (with an option to make a donation to support her art, writing, and other work), and if folks will be using the spreads with clients (like I will be, I hope!), we are asked to pay for it. I love this model, which is both generous and acknowledges the role of capitalism in our lives.
I also really appreciated the Doom and Gloom section of the book, which acknowledges that these spreads might bring up difficult feelings for folks, and normalizes those strong responses without shaming or minimizing them. Giving people explicit permission to step away from a tarot spread if it starts to feel too intense is so important, especially when we’re intentionally working with difficult topics.
I’m going to be going through the book over the next week, trying out each of the spreads and writing them up.
This evening I tried out the WTF?! spread, and I found it really helpful! I’ll try this spread again later this week, and write it up in more detail, but tonight’s summary is this:
I have a lot of energy, but I feel like I’m spinning my wheels and failing to make progress (The Sun crossing the reversed King of Wands). There is magic, intuition, new paths for me to walk here, but it’s complex, challenging, and hard to decipher (The Moon). Relying on myself and refusing to ask for (or accept) help is making it hard for me to see the way forward (The Magician, and the Eight of Swords). I can ask for help, find more stability by allowing myself to lean into my connections, and I can also invite more pleasure and comfort into my life, which is always hard for me when I am feeling the pressure to “be productive” (The Lovers). Lots of big energy in this spread, which makes sense because I really have been feeling an intense amount of “wtf?!” lately. Four out of six cards are majors! Big energy, for sure.
Tomorrow, I’ll post the Balancing Action spread!