Cassandra Snow is a professional tarot card reader who teaches Queering the Tarot and Tarot for Beginners classes and coaches new and intermediate readers. She, also, runs Gadfly Theatre Productions, a queer and feminist theatre company
"As a straight, middle-class Baby Boomer, I admit to being slightly
uncomfortable with the word "queer". It is also true that I have
made up my mind not to die of mental rigidity. So a few years back,
I began consciously trying on other people's perspectives and I
have come to understand that the LBGTQ+ community speaks the word
clearly as a powerful badge of honor. For the moment, as Beth
Maiden points out in her brilliant foreword to this book, the queer
experience is substantially different from the hetero experience.
Both from that perspective, and from the perspective of a long time
student of all things tarot, I herald the release of this book and
the new dimensions that it adds to the magical symbolism of the
cards. In the page-and-a-half "Word" that follows Maiden's
"Foreword", Cassandra Snow says that the word "queer" has come to
mean the intention to create a community where "others" (all those
who need a safer space) are welcomed with open arms. I can think of
no better definition of the symbolism of the tarot. Snow is asking
The Fool to "walk in another man's shoes" along the path to
enlightenment. The lessons learned are invaluable." --Anna
Jedrziewski, Retailing Insights, May/June 2019--Anna
Jedrziewski "Retailing Insights"
"Tarot, as practiced by modern readers, is an exploration into
one's psyche and life experience. Snow has blogged for years on the
website Little Red Tarot about reinterpreting the tarot to be more
inclusive of the LGBTQ community. Expanding these earlier writings
and using the images of the Urban Tarot deck, they have
created a resource that speaks to queer culture and the inherent
issues of difference. Although the Urban Tarot deck is based on
Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot (which diverges from decks
based on the Rider-Waite-Smith cards), traditional tarot readers
will appreciate this perceptive take on each of the major and minor
arcana. The emphasis of Snow's interpretations becomes welcoming,
relatable, and compassionate to those in the gender nonconforming
community, as she deals with concerns previously ignored or judged.
VERDICT Snow creates a safe divinatory space for a community
likely to have suffered abuse or trauma, or who don't relate to the
dominant cis culture in an expanding and affirming read for all
levels of tarot enthusiasts." --Library Journal, Janet Tapper,
Univ. of Western States Lib., Portland, OR--Janet Tapper "Library
Journal"
"Queering the Tarot is an indispensable book in the modern
re-workings of the 600-year-old images, symbols, and
stories--indispensable not just for LGBTQQIPA2P+ people, but for
anyone who wants to see how the Tarot can expand and open to the
world. " --Rachel Pollack, author of Seventy Eight
Degrees of Wisdom--Rachel Pollack
"Queering the Tarot doesn't just bring the Tarot out of the
closet. It dresses it up in drag (both queen and king) to show it
off. This is a book that isn't afraid to challenge the binary
gender paradigm from all angles. It doesn't matter if you are
queer, straight, or somewhere else on the spectrum because
Cassandra Snow unflinchingly casts aside the heteronormative
dialogue to reveal a rich, nuanced view of this divinatory art. I
was pleased to see the Urban Tarot used in the images as well. It
is the perfect "gender-queer" deck for this book. It is truly a
keeper for anyone who wishes to broaden their Tarot practice
personally. I think it should be required for all professionals who
want to be in touch and in tune with our diverse, beautiful
population." --Arwen Lynch-Poe, Editor/Publisher at The
Cartomancer--Arwen Lynch-Poe
"In Queering the Tarot, Cassandra Snow opens up the world of
tarot and makes it inclusive for the LGBTQ community and other
marginalized folk. I think this may be one of the most important
tarot books out today. It gives much needed representation and
respect to a whole slice of the population that has been left out
due to tarot's tendency to focus on white, cisgender,
heteronormative. Queering the Tarot is a wonderful book
who's time has come. It belongs on every serious tarot reader's
shelf." --Theresa Reed, author of The Tarot Coloring
Book and co-author of Tarot For Troubled Times--Theresa
Reed
"Queering the Tarot was a feature on the Little Red Tarot
blog. Taking the tarot cards that we all love, and peeling them
back to their bones. From there, Cassandra Snow builds the cards a
new form. One that speaks to everyone regardless of their gender
identity, sexuality or gender expression. I have seen queer tarot
cards save people's lives. I have seen the impact that diversity
and representation have in my community. I am delighted that this
book exists, and encourage everyone - queer, straight or otherwise
-- to pick it up." --Melissa Cynova, author of Kitchen
Table Tarot--Melissa Cynova
"Learning to apply the wisdom embedded in each tarot card to
specific situations is always challenge. The challenge is
heightened when your lifestyle may not be considered mainstream.
Cassandra Snow leads us on a journey through the tarot that
explores, acknowledges, and honors, the experiences of non-straight
and/or non-cisgendered folks. Her insights are valuable for both
queer readers and for readers with queer clients." --Barbara
Moore, author of Steampunk Tarot, Llewellyn's Classic Tarot,
Your Tarot Your Way, www.tarotshaman.com--Barbara Moore
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