The Steampunk Tarot
Barbara Moore writes, “Throughout the images in this deck, you will see humans and machines, nature and devices, science and alchemy, light and dark, despair and kindness, loss and grace, pain and healing.” What I experienced were some aha moments that helped me see certain cards in a whole new light. The Steampunk Tarot doesn’t appeal to me visually in the way many other decks do, but that hasn’t prevented me gaining a lot from working with it. And, as I get to know the characters and spend more time in their world, the artwork is definitely growing on me.
I have always looked for how things fit together as much I have looked at how they don’t. This approach aligns with Barbara Moore’s intention with this deck. She urges users to “look at the space where [opposing energies] meet. [T]here you will see their commonality which can teach you as much as studying their differences will.” I agree. I gain greater understanding, and I enjoy the creative buzz I get, when I look at how seemingly disparate thoughts, ideas, and things, can fit together. The Steampunk Tarot encourages me to continue in this vein so I know I will enjoy working with it.
The Steampunk Tarot Cards
This is an RWS-based deck. However, there is the hope that the traditional images will be seen from a fresh perspective. I have definitely found that to be the case. Take the Ten of Cups and the Ten of Pentacles pictured above. Tens signify conclusions, completions, endings so what happens when these generally positive cards are considered in this way. Most decks make everything look pretty rosy and in a sense this deck intends to do the same. But, the artwork in both these cards makes me consider the relevance of the ten in more depth.
In both cards I have a sense of what’s next? Is the lady on the Ten of Cups happy to remain in the same position? Or does the look on her face suggest she wants something more? I look at her and I get the feeling that she could be thinking, “Well, everything is great so why am I not feeling what I thought I would? Where do I go from here? I thought that this was everything.” And, on the Ten of Pentacles, the reader in the foreground gives me the same impression. Where to next? What can the child see? After all, he’s looking to the “gypsy fortune teller” (as she is described in the book). Is he hoping for a different future?
To be honest, my first impression of this portrayal of the card is that it represents the shadow of the Ten of Pentacles. My eye is constantly drawn to the child. Is he trapped within a family legacy? Is he the product of someone else’s vision? Also, can you carry on a family legacy and yet create your own future? I just looked at both cards together and I wonder if the Ten of Cups is the same couple years down the track. These ideas haven’t been raised by other cards in my tarot collection.
In The Fool I see the joy in possibilities. When I look back at the Ten of Pentacles though, the presence of the dog, typical for The Fool, feels different here. Again I wonder about the Ten of Pentacles because for me dogs very much symbolise loyalty. But, who to be loyal to? Our own vision or the visions others may have for us? The answer is obvious and The Fool wants us to see and follow this. But, as the Ten of Pentacles is making me consider, the reality can be quite different.
When I look at the Two of Wands there’s a real sense of melancholy, isolation, and being trapped in a comfort zone. Moore writes in what she describes as flavour text, “A wielder of fire does not chant “eenie-meanie-miny-moe” but in this case it appears he does. Or maybe he doesn’t even see his options as real options. The two pillars suggest he has choices and his high position suggests he can see the big picture, but he doesn’t seem happy. Does he not act on his opportunities because he fears making the wrong choice or does he fear losing his position? Maybe he has lost his passion altogether.
Regardless of what is going on in his head, looking at him suggests that whenever he appears in a spread, a decision needs to be, and should be, made. Judging by his facial expression, doing nothing, staying in a comfort zone, and/or ignoring opportunities for whatever reason doesn’t look like it brings much joy.
I feel as though I am making this deck sound quite depressing but that is not how I find it. Quite the contrary actually. I find it powerful and inspiring because it makes me think about notions of safety and comfort and the price we pay for them.
The Three of Swords provides a visual representation of what happens when we hold onto hurtful thoughts, words and experiences too long. In effect we put our lives on hold. I believe in the necessity of grief and grieving and taking the time necessary to process what has happened. To ignore that step makes it very difficult to let go of the hurt. Burying something, hopefully not three swords, doesn’t help. It just slows down the process. In time we need to let go of the thoughts that continue to cause us pain, especially when they have continued long after the actual event that created them, so we can move on with our lives.
I’m not suggesting toxic positivity here. We need to address things. But I don’t believe we should let people, thoughts and ideas that hurt us continue to take up residence in our hearts and head indefinitely. That’s why I love this version of the Three of Swords. It shows that we need to find ways to remove the things that are preventing us from moving on with our lives. Embrace the thoughts and people that lubricate the cogs instead.
And wow this Devil card. This card made me realise just how much I have treated The Devil as an intellectual concept rather than a real lived experience. Don’t get me wrong, I understood the addictive aspects and the idea of being the creator of our own imprisonment. But recently I saw something that made me consider co-dependency differently and then I came across this card. Ouch.
This card shows that we’ve created the situation and quite possibly nurtured it. “This thing – even if it started life innocently and with the very best of intentions – now exists merely to be constantly fed.” There’s no big, scary creature pulling the strings or trapping us. It’s worse. What this Devil makes us consider is the worthy causes, ideas, thoughts, actions, and/or beliefs that may have seemed honourable, good, wonderful, fruitful even but have ensnared us without our realising. As a result, The Steampunk Tarot‘s version of The Devil is one of my favourites.
I’ll have to spend some more time with the Court cards. As I look at the Queen of Wands I see Delta Goodrem for some reason. I hope I can unsee that. Although I do wonder what it will come to mean down the track.
With the King of Wands I see he doesn’t want to take a seat. He’s too active, driven, and because he’s the head of wands I imagine passionate. But as I look at him I wonder if he is trying to get someone else to take his seat so he can get on with what it is he actually wants to be doing? Or is he hiding from responsibility? He is behind the seat after all. There is a sense of magic about him though that I didn’t feel initially.
That is what I love and keeps me so fascinated by, and dedicated to tarot. Each time I come to the cards I discover, or feel, or understand, something more. Recently I experienced a death in the family and I know this is shaping my perceptions but rather than being a bad thing, I feel it is beneficial. It is opening me up to new perspectives and forcing me to consider my truths. I’m drawn into The Steampunk Tarot world of what ifs.
One of the descriptions of Steampunk in the book that I love is:
What the past would look like if the future had happened sooner.
I love it. Plus it makes me imagine that idea for my own life and the lives of others I care about. We may not be able to change the past but we can consider the present in a different light. Further, it is amazing how differently we can see the past when we look at it through a different lens. The Steampunk Tarot really encourages these ideas.
It may follow the RWS system but it feels very different. Unlike John and Caitlin Matthews Steampunk Tarot Wisdom from the Gods of the Machine which arrived today, these cards retain the typical nominations. The suits are Pentacles, Swords, Cups and Wands with Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings for the court. Strength is VIII and Justice is XI.
The cards measure approximately 7 x 12cm and they are printed on typical Llewellyn cardstock which makes them easy to shuffle straight out of the box. I like the card backs but they are not reversible.
The Book
Personally I really enjoy Barbara Moore’s guidebooks. This one is no exception. It is 298 pages long and offers a wealth of information about the deck and Moore’s thoughts on tarot in general. This information is great for beginners. Some of her ideas I don’t agree with but like any guidebook, and as she herself urges, take what resonates and leave what doesn’t.
The introduction shares the philosophy behind the deck and some information on steampunk which is interesting. However, for beginners, it is the ‘Tarot Basics in which the fundamentals of tarot are provided’ chapter that follows that makes this book a great resource. I have a couple of Barbara Moore decks, (Tarot in Wonderland, and the Wizards Tarot), and a version of this chapter is in both of them. Even though they are similar I still read them because they remind me of the fun and adventure of tarot as I consider how someone starting out in tarot would view the information.
They are also great refreshers. She encourages you to establish your own tarot philosophy so each new deck of hers reminds me to reconsider mine. In this chapter she also shares her own beliefs and reading techniques. As I said earlier, I don’t agree with some of the things she writes but each time I revisit the information I see whether new experiences have changed how I see things. I also think it is great that we have different approaches and different beliefs. It means there is a reader out there for everyone.
After the opening chapters the book moves on to explaining the cards themselves. A full page, black and white image is provided for each card. However, since the card image is always on the left hand page sometimes it appears in the middle of the explanation. I find this a little off putting and as much as I’m not a fan of notes pages when they appear in the guide books, I can see their benefit.
Before I add decks to my collection, one of the cards I like to see is The Hermit. (Also the Three of Swords, the Ten of Swords, and The Hierophant.) This Hermit didn’t stand out to me until I read about the idea behind the image.
Each card has flavour text under the title. For The Hermit it reads, “To see the glow of your own light, go into the dark.” I like that. This is followed by what she considers to be the core meaning of the card. In the case of The Hermit she writes, “Retreating from distractions to determine your own truth.” That is all pretty straight forward and generic. Next however it moves on to a more detailed exploration of the various aspects of the card.
Here I read that the rubbish The Hermit is standing on represents “the information, ideas and philosophies he has collected. … Some of it he discards; it does not resonate with his soul. Some of the more valuable pieces are added to his belief system. … All of it, whether rejected or adopted, in some way adds to his truth.” I love it. With this information in hand I understand the artistic choices made and how it represents the need for solitude in order to sift through thoughts and ideas to decide what to keep, what to let go of, and what those choices actually mean.
The card explanation concludes with a paragraph that suggests how to incorporate the card meaning into a reading. Some cards have a ‘Reading tip’. The Hermit is one such card. It reads, “If this card shows up in a reading about romance, it usually indicates being single for a time. It is likely there are important lessons to be learned before being ready for a relationship. The surrounding cards should give a clue about what those lessons are.” This is one of the more obvious ones. Others I think beginners will find more insightful as they demonstrate how cards work together in readings.
Another card that the book brought to life for me is the Page of Cups pictured above. This card expresses the moody, anguish-filled adolescent phase with a particular focus on how that period felt and what drove it. She’s said to be representing the idea of falling in love with various things and trying them out so she can see how she feels about them, how she feels about herself, and how she feels about being in love in general. With that in mind I consider some of the fashions and ideas I embraced in my youth and the ones I watched my daughter embrace and this card makes sense. I feel I know the Page of Cups so much better now.
Therefore, I’m sure that it comes as no surprise that personally, I don’t believe learning about each deck’s philosophies and the motivation behind the artistic choices, compromises my ability to interpret the cards in my own way. I feel quite the opposite so I love diving into chunky guidebooks when I’m becoming acquainted with a new deck. I am an intuitive reader but intuitive hits come from somewhere and anything that adds to my interpretations I feel is always beneficial.
Spreads
Ten spreads are included in the book:
- The One Card Wonder
- Reader’s Favourite Three-Card Draw
- 6 options given
- A Most Excellent and Sensible Spread (complete with moving parts) (7 cards)
- Panoramic Photograph (6 cards)
- The Difference Engine (aka The Magical Mecocosm) (number of cards varies)
Okay, well while I’m not a fan of the overly flowery spread titles, (I can’t imagine saying to a client, “I’m going to use the ‘A Most Excellent and Sensible Spread complete with moving parts'”), I did really like that spread. I also found The Difference Engine interesting, especially when by chance I discovered the alternate history spec fiction book by the same name. The thinking behind the spread became more clear and therefore more meaningful. Although I doubt I would use it when reading for others.
I would use the deck though. The Steampunk Tarot encourages you not to let others define what is possible. It wants you to explore possibilities and for that reason I think it is great for creatives or for those really wanting to ‘lift the veil’ and see what hides beneath. If you have a vision that seems a tad out there and you’re searching for ways to bring your ideas to fruition, this deck might be just what you’re looking for. It really encourages a “what if?” mindset.
Publishing Details
Creators:
Barbara Moore and Aly Fell (illustrator)
Pictured Version:
First edition, Eleventh printing, published by Llewellyn Publications in 2020
Website:
The listed website in the book (www.steampunktarot.com) doesn’t load so I’ve included their personal sites instead
Aly Fell Instagram
